I bring warm greetings of
“iakwe” from the people of the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, on whose behalf I have the honour to
address the General Assembly at its sixty-second
session.
I wish to convey our congratulations to you,
Mr. President, on your election in the presidency of the
Assembly at this session. I am confident that, under
your able leadership, consensus on crucial issues will
be achieved, benefiting the entire membership,
particularly the often-forgotten remote small island
States of the Pacific. My commendation also goes to
your predecessor for her successful stewardship of the
work of the Assembly at its sixty-first session.
Allow me to also congratulate you,
Mr. Secretary-General, for your election as the eighth
Secretary-General of this Organization. Steering the
United Nations in today’s interwoven world of
complex trials and tribulations remains ever more
challenging, and I wish to express my country’s
confidence in your stewardship and to commend you
for your current efforts in taking a range of measures to
strengthen the capacity of the United Nations.
For the past 62 years, we have come to this
Assembly to express various issues and concerns dear
to our heart, as they affect the daily lives of our
citizens. Education, health and the environment are
among the issues at the top of my country’s priorities,
but these issues are nothing if we, the community of
nations, fail to attempt to avert the forthcoming
ecological disaster.
My people are concerned with or rather
terrified by with the issue of our very survival. Will
we even exist 50 years from today? If we are to exist at
all, we must put a stop to the rising tide of destruction
unleashed by global warming. Our future or
perhaps, our absence of future depends on the
decisive actions of this Assembly. I find no pride in
having coined the term “ecological refugee”. It is my
deepest hope that no one, and certainly no one in the
Marshall Islands, will have to bear that name.
Since my election more than seven years ago,
educating the world about the threat my people face as
a result of sea-level rise and global warming has been
one of my Government’s priorities. In addressing the
issue of climate change, actions and real progress are
needed. In saying this, I am proud to announce the new
alliance that my Government established earlier this
year with the local government of Martin Luther King
Jr. County, in Washington State in the United States,
aimed at confronting the threat posed by global
warming.
The unwavering faith I have in this Organization
is the reason why I am standing at this podium today
on behalf of my people. On our shoulders, as leaders,
lies the responsibility entrusted to us, to keep not only
the peace to live in harmony and with dignity, but to
preserve our environment to ensure the very survival of
our children for generations to come.
I commend the Secretary-General for convening a
high-level meeting on climate change this week. I am
also hopeful that we, as leaders, will come up with the
necessary agreements on the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change in
December. While we are committed to playing our part,
strong leadership is required by the major
industrialized countries. We once again renew our
support for the Framework Convention and the Kyoto
Protocol, and we call upon all States that have not yet
done so in particular the major emitters to ratify
the Protocol without further delay. We also call upon
the international community to assist small island
developing States in developing and implementing
comprehensive adaptation strategies.
I remain hopeful that the international community
can reach a consensus on moving forward the
necessary agreements to achieve lasting peace, security
and diplomatic solutions to the seemingly endless web
of issues. We are so integrated and interconnected
today that we all face equal challenges, be it in
terrorism or the proliferation of nuclear weapons. I
commend this Assembly for adopting last September
the historic United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy, which will prevent the global scourge of
terrorism. The Marshall Islands remains committed in
the fight against terrorism, and we continue to take
action at the national level and to cooperate at the
regional and international levels to ensure that we
combat terrorist threats with comprehensive and united
action.
In the area of disarmament and non-proliferation,
our collective efforts need to be invigorated to
overcome stalemate. Nuclear weapons and the testing
conducted on our islands in the past is a nightmare that
continues to haunt my people. The 67 atmospheric
weapons detonated on my island of Bikini Atoll from
1946 to 1958 continue to inflict pain and suffering on
my people to this day. The Marshallese people were
under the care of the United Nations Trusteeship
Council when the United States nuclear testing
programme was in progress. Once again, I call on the
United Nations and its agencies and Member States
who share similar experiences and have the expertise to
assist us with the restoration of our radiation-
contaminated environment to provide the needed
assistance for my people’s health-care needs that are
linked to radiation exposure, and to support the
Marshall Islands’ Changed Circumstances Petition,
which was submitted to the United States Congress in
2000.
I commend the work of the Assembly at its sixty-
first session in adopting resolution 61/109, which
requests the United Nations Scientific Committee on
the Effects of Atomic Radiation to continue its work,
including its activities to increase knowledge about the
levels, effects and risks of ionizing radiation from all
sources, and requests the United Nations Environment
Programme to continue to provide support for the work
of the Committee and for the dissemination of its
findings and to review and strengthen the Committee’s
present funding. I am confident that my people will
benefit from the Committee’s work, noting that
previous policy and resettlement decisions based on
misleading scientific opinions have caused so much
suffering among my people.
My people’s survival and well-being also depend
on our ocean resources. We are encouraged by
international and regional agreements and treaties that
aim to protect these scarce resources. However, illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing continues to
threaten our major source of livelihood. In protecting
our ocean resources from exploitation, we continue to
seek assistance from Member States with the expertise
and capacity in conducting and enforcing conservation
and management measures, as well as in the
development of our domestic fisheries. I reiterate once
again my support for a moratorium on bottom-trawling
until there are clear indications on its negative effects
on the ocean biodiversity.
The Micronesia Challenge a commitment led
by the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of
Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands
aims at conserving that biodiversity and our vulnerable
ecosystem by effectively conserving at least 30 per
cent of the near-shore marine and 20 per cent of the
forest resources across Micronesia by 2020. The
Micronesia Challenge is part of a much larger and
growing commitment by island nations throughout the
world to take the international lead in preserving
primary ecosystems. I call on the international
community to support the efforts that have been put in
place and to develop and provide the resources for
realistic financial plans in support of conservation and
sustainable use of our natural resources.
Within the Pacific region, we continue to
cooperate closely to ensure that effective regional
actions are taken in our endeavour to combat our
vulnerabilities in the economic, social and
environmental areas, which are priority areas
highlighted under the Pacific Plan and Kalibobo
Roadmap, endorsed by Pacific leaders almost two
years ago.
My Government has had the pleasure of hosting
and actively engaging in several regional meetings held
to that effect. The Eighth Pacific Islands Conference of
Leaders, which I was honoured to chair in Washington;
the Seventh Annual Micronesian President’s Summit,
held in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, earlier
this month; the seventh Food and Agriculture
Organization meeting of the South West Pacific
Ministers for Agriculture, held in May; and the
Micronesians in Island Conservation conference, held
last June in Majuro all these provided the
opportunity for our leaders, development partners and
non-governmental partners to meet with other leaders
from the region to address the wide range of issues and
challenges that continue to plague the Pacific.
In my view, the successful implementation of
regional commitments international obligations can be
achieved only with the support and commitment of
member countries, regional and international
organizations, development partners and a range of
stakeholders.
In that regard, I wish to emphasize that the
assistance of the international community, which has
played a crucial role in enabling us to meet current and
emerging challenges, is still very much needed. There
is only so much that we can do as small island
developing States; thus, now more than ever, I continue
to call on the international community for considerable
investments and comprehensive assistance, including
the much-needed policy reorientation to address the
interlinked issues of economic, social and
environmental security.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands was
founded on the ideals of freedom, democracy and
respect for human rights. We continue to observe and
stand for those democratic values and the defence and
promotion of human rights. The United Nation’s noble
ideals of good governance, democracy, multilateralism
and respect for human dignity also serve as my guiding
light in my capacity of high steward of my people.
However, while the United Nations continues to
work with States in resolving disputes peacefully and
in helping to create democratic societies, it still turns a
blind eye to the 23 million people of Taiwan and
silences their voices. The absence of Taiwan in the
United Nations creates a gap in the global network for
cooperation, goes against the ideals and concept of
justice upheld by the United Nations and contravenes
the principle of universality.
We reiterate our support for the reform and
expansion of the Security Council and for a criteria-
based approach under which potential members, such
as Japan, must be well qualified, based on factors such
as economic size, population, commitment to
democracy and human rights, financial contributions to
the United Nations and contributions to United Nations
peacekeeping efforts.
During the general debate of the sixtieth session,
we noted in this historic Hall that the United Nations
and its offices and agencies did not have a permanent
presence in many of the small island developing States
of the Pacific. In June 2006, it was announced that a
coalition of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) would open a total of eight new offices in the
Pacific island countries. We welcomed that historic
accomplishment, the progress it marked towards
harmonization within the United Nations and the
assistance and support the new offices would provide
in developing national capacity and meeting the
Millennium Development Goals.
We, Member States that pay our dues, deploy
peacekeepers, and discharge our responsibilities in the
international community, deserve offices that give
relevance to the United Nations and the
implementation of its doctrines. The Marshall Islands
is appreciative of the work currently under way for the
establishment of a joint presence in our country by
UNFPA, which will be the leading agency on behalf of
UNDP and UNICEF. We, however, ask the General
Assembly and the Secretariat to ensure that offices
befitting the ideals and reputation of the United
Nations are established in the other identified Pacific
island countries.
In closing, I wish to reassure you, Mr. President,
that the Marshall Islands remains committed to the
implementation of the commitments made over the last
decade, and we expect our partners to fulfil their
commitments as well. The sustainable development of
small island developing States, such as the Marshall
Islands, can only be achieved through a genuine
partnership within the international community. Only
then can we realize the commonly shared goal of
universal peace and prosperity.
My delegation looks forward to a productive
session under your able leadership, Sir. Komol tata,
and God bless.