Micronesia

I am honoured by the opportunity to speak before the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session on behalf of the people of my Pacific island nation, the Federated States of Micronesia, and on behalf of our President, Joseph J. Urusemal. Allow me to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election to this high office. I would also like to recognize Mr. Julian Robert Hunte of Saint Lucia for his distinguished service as president of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session. Sadly, there have been so many recent disasters in which innocent lives have been lost that time does not permit me to mention them all. Whenever we learn of human suffering brought about by the forces of nature — whether by earthquake, storms or otherwise — our hearts go out to the victims. As Pacific islanders, my people feel a special sympathy for the victims of the recent typhoons and hurricanes in Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Florida and in Japan and China, as well as in our own country and elsewhere in the Pacific, such as in Guam, the Mariana Islands and in Niue. It does not take a scientist to see that such storms are now occurring with increasing frequency and devastating intensity. We must also express our great sadness over the continuing loss of life at the hands of terrorists, and we condemn in the strongest terms all those who wrongly think their causes are advanced by such misguided acts. All human life is precious, but the recent terrorist atrocity committed against schoolchildren in Beslan, Russia, was particularly vile. The world must speak out with one voice in utter contempt of those who were responsible. I regret to say that, in addition to working to defeat terrorism, this body must also find more effective means of combating genocide that is sponsored or tolerated by a Government. There must be no refuge for those who would deny entire populations the basic right of existence. It is obvious today that expressions of condemnation and even multilateral treaties do not deter such people. As our technology provides even more effective and readily available means of mass destruction, the bright promise of the coming years could be overwhelmed by an unthinkable nightmare. The people of the Federated States of Micronesia know that even we, the inhabitants of a remote island nation, do not have the luxury of remoteness from the threats posed by such crimes against humanity. These 2 are threats to which all are exposed and from which all are at risk. Though our numbers are relatively small, many of our finest young citizens are standing today with others on the front lines against tyranny and oppression. We will not shirk our commitment, but, if there is any hope of making such crimes a thing of the past, that commitment cannot be conditional or selective. It must be universal. Even if we summon up the will to act collectively to put down the darker side of human nature through collective action, we must work much harder on a global scale to move towards eliminating the conditions that provide fertile ground for the sponsors of terrorism and genocide. These include conditions of poverty, hunger and inadequate access to clean water, sanitation, health care and education. All those conditions, of course, are familiar to students of the United Nations Charter. Thanks in no small part to the work of the Organization, statisticians are able to identify significant, even dramatic, progress over the past 60 years, and those trends can be expected to continue as we dedicate ourselves to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. But trends do not mean much to the children who will die of starvation today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Growth in gross domestic product is of little comfort to the man desperately trying to support a family on less than $1 a day, who sees no hope of improving his situation. The world — acting through this and other bodies, in addition to providing direct assistance — must redouble its efforts, because there is still a long way to go, and this planet of ours becomes more dangerous every day. As if what I have just mentioned were not challenging enough, we also now know that the global community faces a wide variety of complex tasks in protecting the planet from environmental catastrophe. We humans, sitting at the top of the genetic ladder, have the capacity to foul the nest of Creation, and most agree that that is happening to one degree or another. One thing is clear: we are the only ones who can do something about it. Considerable costs will be involved, and not just in funds. Some say that the industrialized world must change its deeply ingrained patterns of energy consumption and make other adjustments. Others say that the developing world must switch to more sustainable development approaches, at a higher initial cost. Can the nations of the world afford the price tag of achieving all those things? The economic indications are that we can; it is a question of will, determination and perseverance. There is no lack of wealth in this world. By just about any measurement, people in the industrialized world today enjoy a far higher standard of living than has ever been known before. Many developing countries are not far behind. But, when it comes to actually taking the steps necessary to overcome the dilemmas I have mentioned, we confront the real challenge: to determine the wisest allocation of our resources and to act accordingly, in the spirit of the eight Millennium Development Goals. It does not take a great deal of wisdom to conclude that mankind must continue to place high priority on the eradication of poverty and hunger. Likewise, the need for prudence in protecting our earthly environment and its resources is increasingly obvious. But allocating our resources properly, identifying the correct timing, and acting so as to attain those goals will require virtually every scientific, economic, political and ethical capacity that we can summon. The process must involve an even-handed approach, without room for guilt, blame or jealousy. While there is a real need for action, there is no need for panic. The planet can still be saved, and the social conditions for despair can be overcome. We must, however, all play our respective roles with commitment, compassion and in accordance with an equitable division of responsibility. Let us put aside the finger-pointing and the tyranny of self-interest, and let us set about the task. There are several issues of concern to my country regarding which I would like, briefly, to be more specific. First, Micronesia looks forward to the convening of the International Meeting, in January 2005 in Mauritius, which will conduct the critical 10-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action, focusing on the particular needs and vulnerabilities of the small island developing States as they pursue sustainable development. During the past 10 years, we have seen progress in implementing the Programme of Action, with the close involvement and support of the Secretariat. However, that progress needs to be accelerated. The International Meeting will enable us to identify and make essential course corrections. 3 Naturally, over the past 10 years, we have also seen the emergence of new challenges and issues that were not originally addressed. Now these can also be considered. Overall, the outcomes of the International Meeting should be target-oriented so that progress in implementing the Programme of Action can be tracked and measured. Of course, the International Meeting will be successful only if the representatives of island States are able to attend. Micronesia thus calls upon the donor community to provide generous support to the trust fund so that island States may be adequately represented at the Meeting. In that regard, I must acknowledge and express appreciation to those countries that have already contributed. Developing- country partners and developed countries should also make every effort to be represented at the highest possible political level to ensure that the International Meeting receives the political support it needs for the effective implementation of its outcomes. Perhaps foremost among the vulnerabilities of Micronesia — together with other members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) — is our extreme exposure to the adverse effects of global climate change. For more than a decade now, we have been vocal in this body and elsewhere on virtually every aspect of climate change. One aspect of that issue is a source of increasing concern to me as the debate evolves beyond whether climate change is real to what should be done about it, and that aspect has to do with environmental ethics. In Micronesia, as in most island States, our people have a tradition of living in harmony with nature. Consequently, our ecological “footprint” has been small. While we who live on islands can and need to do more to curb unsustainable practices, it is clear that we have contributed little to the climate crisis and that we can contribute little to its solution. Yet we are among the first to be affected and even face possible extinction. For the populations of low-lying small islands, however, practical options are few. Land is in short supply on islands in the best of times, and that land has long been taken. Contrary to the romantic fantasy, there are no desert islands available; island populations already tend to be concentrated. Previous efforts to relocate island populations have brought suffering and cultural losses to the people concerned. To those of us facing the prospect of cultural eradication, the unabated advancement of already-inflated lifestyles in the industrialized world does not seem a “greater good”. We continue to support the call of AOSIS for immediate implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. Export and licensing income from the bounty of Micronesia’s waters and its vast exclusive economic zone is by far the greatest contribution to the nation’s budget, next to foreign assistance. Fisheries are also a vital resource of virtually every Pacific island country. A cooperative approach on the part of coastal States and distant-water fishing nations in the sustainable conservation and management of those resources is essential, since we now know that they are not inexhaustible. Thus, Micronesia welcomes the entry into force of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Central and Western Pacific Ocean, established pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We call upon all States and entities that have participated in the process of establishing the Conservation and Management Convention to assign high priority to cooperating fully in the implementation of its provisions. I would like to put on record my country’s growing concern over the practice of deep-sea trawling. The region of the Pacific contains literally thousands of seamounts, which scientists are finding to be extremely rich in biodiversity and which hold great potential value for future generations. Yet, short- sightedly, too many are dragging trawl nets over these deep-ocean areas, unknowing and uncaring as to the damage they are causing to the seabed below. There is an urgent need for an improved and coordinated scientific focus on identifying and managing risk to biodiversity and the environment in the deep oceans. We need to broaden our presently inadequate knowledge about these unique ocean habitats and ensure that they are managed in a sustainable way. Meanwhile, given the risk posed by present practices, we urge the international community to impose and observe a moratorium on deep sea trawling. Despite the extension in 2001 of the time frame set by the parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for a delimitation of the continental shelf, Micronesia and many small island developing 4 States face continuing difficulties in meeting our obligations in this regard. The problem is a lack of financial resources and the scientific and technical expertise needed to acquire and collate the highly complex scientific data. Without targeted assistance from the donor community, countries like Micronesia will find it extremely difficult to make the required submission on the limits of the continental shelf, even within the extended time frame. As neighbours and fellow islanders, we are saddened by the inability of the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, after almost 50 years, to secure full compensation for the death, sickness and destruction they suffered as a consequence of nuclear weapons testing. Recently declassified documents make it clear that the original settlements were not based on the full story of what happened to the Marshallese people as well as other peoples of the former Trust Territory. We join other Members in calling upon the United States to meet its responsibility in full. This year, Micronesia wishes to again express its support for United Nations reforms, particularly for the reform of the Security Council and the inclusion of our neighbour, Japan, among its permanent members. We are increasingly concerned over the seeming lack of progress on this critical matter. My final topic is security in the region of the Pacific. Our President shared with leaders at the recently-concluded annual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum in Apia, Samoa, a common concern that amidst all the current attention to global security issues, the nations of the Pacific islands are being left largely to their own devices in dealing with threats related to organized crime and terrorism. We are working hard to address our vulnerabilities in these areas, but I would like to simply note here that the rest of the world, especially the North, is not serving its own best interests by giving short shrift to the possibilities for criminal and terrorist exploitation that are presented by our vast region. Over and above other traditional official development assistance, we need a range of targeted assistance in our region. Once again, it has been our most valued opportunity to appear and address the General Assembly. The need for this Organization has never been stronger, and as each year goes by, it seems that the significance and relevance of our Charter increases. In these difficult times, we in Micronesia choose not to lose heart, but rather to take heart that we, the nations of the world gathered here, can together build not just a better world, but one that is a worthy inheritance for future generations.