I bring warm greetings from the Kingdom of Tonga and congratulate the President on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. I also thank his predecessor. Mr. Csaba Korosi. for his able stewardship in promoting solutions built on solidarity, science and seeking sustainability. Our delegation fully supports the President’s vision of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for the seventy-eighth session. The Assembly’s essential work is in expert hands with his leadership, and we hope it will continue and improve. The theme for this session. “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, is more urgent than ever, and I thank Secretary- General Guterres for his stewardship of the United Nations during these very challenging times.
I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the Governments and the peoples of Lahaina. Hawaii, in the United States, and of Morocco and Libya. The people of my country feel for the families of the victims as they are dealing with the tragic losses of lives in the disasters that occurred recently in their countries.
We are convening at a time when people, countries, regions and our world are confronting multiple challenges in quick succession. Climate change threats have reached an existential level. The heightened frequency and severity of cyclones, rising sea levels caused by melting polar ice. plastic and pollution in our oceans, heatwaves and fires are bringing suffering to my country and its people and to our Pacific region. There are many related consequences. We are confronted with ever-increasing rates of non-communicable diseases, persistent inequalities, declining basic living conditions and mounting violence against women and girls. There has also been a substantial surge in the trafficking and use of unlawful narcotics, cross-border criminal activities, disinformation and cybercrime. Many of those are borderless challenges that concern us all and call for collaboration.
The increasing geopolitical mistrust and conflicts are worrisome, particularly given the pressing need for multilateral action. These disruptions affect the lives of millions, provoke excessive inflation and raise fuel and food prices. Many people worldwide have a growing sense of uncertainty about how they will meet their own basic daily requirements. Our window to engage in discussion beyond talks is closing rapidly. It is our responsibility to act. The way to retain people’s trust and inspire hope is by taking action and achieving results. This session demands that we take urgent and collective action. However, that can be achieved only in the presence of trust and enduring peace. Trust is the foundation for any productive and sustainable human interaction, including international cooperation. Trust and respect are the drivers of thriving and sustainable change. Without trust, or worse, when trust is eroding, our joint efforts to foster peace, security
and sustainable development are rendered futile and become unattainable. It is therefore our duty to rebuild the trust on which the United Nations was founded. It will take more than dialogue. It calls for concrete action that demonstrates our commitment to shared values. Multilateralism has proved to be our most cost-effective instrument for fostering global solidarity and tackling global challenges, and it must continue to be. We must reflect on whether we are truly serving the intended goals of the Charter of the United Nations. Why have we fallen so far behind? What have we not done right?
In my remarks I will delve into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The challenge at hand is to prevent the SDGs from being relegated to the status of yet another unattainable goal. Despite the difficulties, it is imperative that we investigate the root causes of our significant lag in attaining our development targets. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition tells us that more than half of the world has been left behind. We deny people, we deny kids and we deny hope. More than 50 per cent of the SDG targets are considered weak and inadequate. Gender, poverty, hunger and climate targets make up 30 per cent of the targets that have either stalled or reversed. That is not acceptable.
One key aspect of that relates to financing for development, of course. Tonga supports reviewing the international financial architecture to ensure that it is fit for purpose. It is imperative that we promptly provide predictable, stable and substantial support for nations struggling with financial difficulties. Tonga and other small island developing States (SIDS) require greater access to concessional finance to support our development endeavours and strengthen our resilience to external shocks. We fully support the call for debt relief for countries that find themselves in dire circumstances, particularly those that have been severely affected by natural disasters or other external shocks.
We are firmly convinced that addressing the underlying reasons for debt vulnerability in small island States is critical. It is particularly relevant because SIDS are acutely vulnerable to the multifaceted and urgent challenges posed by climate change. We have been raising the issue for decades. The dangers are more pressing than ever, putting not only lives and livelihoods at risk but also our economies and our fundamental identity. We are running out of time. We call on the international community, both the public and private sectors, to collaborate with us on identifying sustainable solutions to these problems. Our collaboration is crucial, as it is the only way we can achieve our commitment to a more sustainable and robust future for all. Day by day. climate change becomes more of an existential menace to Tonga and the Pacific. Tonga has been making genuine efforts to combat the effects of climate change on our means of subsistence for a very long time. Our goals include decreasing the electricity sector’s reliance on fossil fuels by 70 per cent by 2025. planting a million plants by the end of this year and joining the 30x30 initiative.
The Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underscores that the 1.5 C goal is achievable if emissions peak by 2025 and are halved by 2030. It can therefore be done — but do we have the will? We urge all Member States to do their utmost to keep emissions below 1.5 C and strongly encourage the completion of the first global stocktaking. Here and there we get glimpses of hope. The decision on the loss and damage fund announced at the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) was a historic one. Yet it is now with a sense of urgency that we must operationalize the loss and damage fund. We urge for providing vulnerable SIDS countries with increased and streamlined admission to the loss and damage mechanism. While maintaining full accountability, we must establish more efficient and speedy means of accessing standard operating procedures.
Owing to the magnitude and urgency of this issue in our region, we wholeheartedly back the formation of a Pacific fund offering direct assistance to Pacific small island States in their efforts to tackle the effects of climate change. Indeed, my country is determined to take a lead on the issue, having been appointed a champion of climate financing for the Pacific. I can only say it again — for decades now the Pacific leaders have been calling on the international community to take urgent climate action. Have our voices been acknowledged and our pleas earnestly addressed? The climate financing commitments made by developed countries fall significantly short of the promised $100 billion per year, starting in 2020.
That brings me to climate justice. Tonga was encouraged by the General Assembly’s historic adoption by consensus of resolution 77/276. led by Vanuatu and a core group of countries, requesting an advisory
opinion from the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States regarding climate change. It marks an important milestone in our decades-long struggle for climate justice.
Earlier this year. I attended the midterm review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Again, as my colleagues from the Pacific have already reiterated, our countries need to see more progress, as we remain at the forefront of the battle against climate-related hazards. Again, timely access to finance prevents small island States from making that progress on their own. Today, and as we have done frequently in the past. I therefore call for action to review the largely uncoordinated funding mechanisms, prioritize short-term post-disaster financing needs and address long-term risk reduction. I also call for far greater investments in increasing resilience, especially in the education and health sectors. Possessing the tools to demonstrate resilience is a significant part of that preparation.
Long-term risk mitigation and reduction are also intrinsically linked to early-warning systems. We acknowledge the Secretary-General’s Early Warnings For All initiative announced at COP 27 last year and affirm Tonga’s commitment to its implementation. We reaffirm that strengthening multi-hazard early- warning systems is highly relevant in implementing the Sendai Framework. Tonga has taken the lead in that area for our region by implementing a nationwide early- warning system throughout Tonga with communication and siren systems.
As has often been said, we are small land States and vast ocean nations. In fact, our very being and our identity cannot be separated from our precious ocean. The Secretary-General’s report on oceans and the law of the sea (A/77/331) emphasizes that the ocean remains under constant threat from human activities. Marine biodiversity is being disturbed due to overexploitation and ocean acidification. More than a third of fish stocks are being harvested at unsustainable levels and coastal waters are polluted with chemicals, plastics and human waste. Urgent remedial actions are imperative if we are to minimize the imminent threat and mitigate the damage we are currently facing.
We are encouraged by the Assembly’s adoption through resolution 77/321 of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. We now have a foundation to ensure that our work on the conservation and protection of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction continues into the future, and Tonga looks forward to joining States parties in its implementation. We are pleased that the new Agreement recognizes the special circumstances of SIDS such as those in the Pacific. It is now imperative to ensure that this recognition is translated into tangible capacity-building, the transfer of marine technology and sufficient support to enable the Pacific to emerge as an even more proactive leader on initiatives that safeguard, preserve and sustainably utilize the ocean and its resources.
In support of the Pacific Islands Forum Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea Level Rise. Tonga has committed to securing the limits of the Blue Pacific continent. We are doing it to promote the stability, security, certainty and predictability of maritime entitlements, irrespective of the impacts of climate -change -related sea level rise.
Along with Finland. Tonga had the honour of co-chairing the twenty-third meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. Its theme — “New maritime technologies: Challenges and opportunities” — highlighted the potential benefits of new maritime technologies. New technologies ought to help address threats facing the ocean, build resilient oceans and coastal communities and mitigate the impacts of climate change. That is a condition for achieving the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It is also essential to accomplishing the aims of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably Sustainable Development Goal 14.
Tonga continues to be fully committed to the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement on implementing Part XI of the Convention. We reaffirm the sovereign rights of States recognized and enshrined within UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement. We attach the greatest possible importance to the sustainable use of ocean resources, whether living or non-living. Tonga recognizes the important role played by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in administering and managing the Area in line with its legal mandate under Part XI of UNCLOS. As one of the evolving organs of UNCLOS, it is vital that States parties avoid instances of arbitrary interpretation of the
Convention. Tonga is committed to engaging in good faith in the negotiations of the exploitation regulations to ensure their embodiment of good industry practices and best environmental management practices. We acknowledge the contribution of the ISA towards the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributing to 12 of the 17 SDGs. We commend its efforts to boost the capacity of developing States, including Pacific Small Island Developing States, through better access to critical data and support in consolidating national frameworks and regulations relating to activities in the Area.
Tonga was honoured to host the small island developing States of the Pacific region in Nukualofa to prepare for the fourth International Conference on SIDS, to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in 2024.
We live in times of profound paradigm shifts. Uncertainty characterizes the global political, financial and economic situation. The past few years have brought about multiple crises having a disproportionate impact on the scope for sustainable development in SIDS over the next decade. We. as a region, and as a country, are united and determined in our pursuit of inclusive sustainable development for our citizens. It is a course that we seek to pursue together with members, and we invite their partnership. We are grateful for the Assembly’s resolution calling for the development of an index capable of capturing our special circumstances and vulnerabilities on our road to resilient and sustainable development. We must ensure that the multidimensional vulnerability index is not another academic exercise. The index must be regarded, first and foremost, as an action tool, focusing primarily on ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of vulnerability. We need a tool that can provide meaningful and effective assistance, where and when needed. We therefore call for the adoption of the index by the Assembly and its operationalization, incorporating a criterion for access by Pacific small island States to low-cost and longterm financing.
At a high-level event this week on unblocking blue Pacific prosperity, co-chaired by the leaders of Palau. Tonga and the Bezos Earth Fund, the conference called for development partners and stakeholders to transform the Pacific region, with three key goals: first, effective ocean management; secondly, healthy and happy communities; and lastly, fit-for-purpose sustainable financing. I stress the vital role of political champions and support them in the journey to secure the Blue Pacific continent’s contribution to global stability, biodiversity restoration, the promotion of healthy food systems and the improvement of people’s well-being.
My term as President of the sixth session of the SIDS DOCK Assembly will end in December. I express my profound gratitude to our members for the confidence placed in me and for the support provided during my tenure.
The essence of life, existence and advancement lies in hope. Our young generation must be given more than the bleak outlook of more than 50 per cent of our SDG targets being weakly and insufficiently met. Today’s young people are the future custodians of the planet. We must actively promote and engage youth in a substantial manner to propel the attainment of the SDGs.
In commemoration of United Nations Day. on 24 October, the Kingdom of Tonga and the Family Office for Sustainable Development will host the Environmental Symphony here in the General Assembly Hall. The purpose of the event goes beyond celebrating and reaffirming the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which have guided humankind for the past 78 years. We want to mobilize Partnerships for the Goals in the lead-up to the 2023 twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28). to be held in Dubai. I should like to add that we hope to welcome everyone to our region for COP 31. as we fully support Australia’s bid for a 2026 Pacific COP.
This century is still young, but never has it been more urgent in this century to rekindle our commitment to the values and principles upon which the United Nations was founded. We must live up to our pledge to uphold the Charter and demonstrate through action the timeless relevance of its purposes and principles. That is what I call living by example — global solidarity. Unless we breathe life and vigour into the Charter, we are helpless and condemned to relive the mistakes and horrors of the past. Let us draw inspiration and fortitude from the courageous actions of the founding members who established this esteemed institution, which we are now entrusted with for posterity.
The theme of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all is our road map for what we must deliver. It is about a world where every person can live with dignity, free from fear and discrimination. That requires courage, commitment, cooperation and recognizing with humility our shared humanity.
Allow me to conclude by reminding the Assembly of how it was founded. The heart of the Charter lies in the determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. We therefore must do our utmost to build trust in multilateralism through action. We must maintain and disseminate our commitment to the principles of the Charter. History will judge us by this. Our greatest achievements from our unity. For united we stand, divided we fall. God bless everyone and the United Nations.