At the outset, I wish
to congratulate President Ashe on his election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth
session and express my confidence that under his able
and wise guidance, the Assembly will successfully
accomplish its many tasks. I would also like to pay
tribute to the tireless efforts of last year’s President, His
Excellency Mr. Vuk Jeremi., and extend my appreciation
for the effectiveness with which he directed the work of
the Assembly at the previous session.
Fiji reached a pivotal moment in its history earlier
this month, when His Excellency the President of
the Republic of Fiji promulgated the nation’s new
Constitution. This Constitution introduces the first
genuine democracy that Fiji will enjoy since we gained
independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. Forty-
three years and three Constitutions later, we finally
have a Constitution that is worthy of the Fijian people.
It is a Constitution that meets the test of a genuine
democracy, that upholds the legal and moral basis of a
common and equal citizenry without denying anyone’s
individuality or culture.
The 2013 Fijian Constitution enshrines principles
that are at the heart of all the world’s great liberal
democracies: an independent judiciary, a secular State
and a wide range of civil, political and socioeconomic
rights. It recognizes the indigenous peoples of Fiji and
their customary practices, protects the rights of the
predominantly indigenous landowners and those of their
tenants, demands accountability and transparency from
Government officials, builds strong and independent
institutions and replaces our old weighted electoral
system with one based on the principle of one person,
one vote, one value. That historic achievement is the
culmination of a path that Fiji embarked on in 2007
to establish a modern and stable society that can be a
proud and responsible part of the global community.
For years we struggled to be a nation under a system
that created different classes of citizens and in which
the votes of some Fijians counted more than others.
How could we be one nation when our fundamental law
said that we were not one people? The very idea of a
just and equal society, of an accountable Government
and of loyalty to the nation State was being eroded from
within. There were too many elites who thought the
best way to entrench their own privileges was to sow
the seeds of division and undermine our independent
institutions. The removals of the Government in 1987
and 2000 were the most radical expressions of that
dysfunction.
As a result, tens of thousands of Fijians suffered,
and many made the decision to leave their home
forever — to leave Fiji. As I have said before, that is
one of the most shameful episodes of our history, and
I am determined that it must never, ever happen again.
We must never allow a fellow citizen to be second class
or to be less than an equal of his neighbour. Surely, such
a basic principle as that deserves the full support of all
nations that would never accept any less for their own
people.
So we have set out to make a change for the good, a
permanent change that would set the nation on a straight
course and allow Fiji to finally reach the potential
it had when we so enthusiastically embraced our
independence. It has been a long journey, and we have
faced numerous challenges along the way. But it is with
great pleasure and deep honour that I stand here today
and say: our national compass has finally been reset.
Under the new Constitution, we are heading towards
Fiji’s first genuinely democratic elections by September
2014 and a much brighter future as one nation.
With every month that passes, we are building
the foundations of our new parliamentary democracy.
Unlike in the past, we are building a credible and fair
system that will guide that process. Four political
parties have registered thus far under the new laws,
which create transparency and accountability, and
close to 540,000 Fijians — out of an estimated 620,000
eligible voters — have registered for the 2014 election.
Many modern, stable democracies have gone
through their own turbulent periods. Some have gone
through decades of instability and bloodshed, while
others have had a single defining moment. Those
events changed the course of history. They turned
their countries from bastions of elitism and oppression
into nations of freedom, equality and true democracy.
The United States has its Bunker Hill and Civil War.
France has the storming of the Bastille and the French
revolution. Australia has the Eureka Stockade, and
Britain has had a bloody history as it struggled to
establish a constitutional monarchy. We Fijians have
also had our share of turbulence.
Regrettably and to our great disappointment, some
of our oldest friends had no faith in us. They abandoned
us and sought to punish us with sanctions. We sought
their assistance and understanding, but they turned
their backs on us. They chose to support a form of
democracy, governance and justice in Fiji that they
would never have accepted for themselves. We hope
that they see now that we were true to our word. All
nations struggle over time to overcome their unique
challenges, to correct historic sins and to be worthy of
the principles on which they were founded. We in Fiji
are no different. Our isolation led us to seek out new
relationships, which have proven fruitful. Now, our
standing in the world has never been stronger.
A key principle that has guided Fiji’s political
development and foreign policy and is soundly
grounded in the Charter of the United Nations is
that we determine our own destinies as sovereign
States. At the same time, we recognize the necessity
of collaborating with all Member States of the United
Nations with the aim of supporting sustainable world
peace, substantive justice, dignity and respect for all. It
is that spirit of collaboration that has inspired us to go
beyond parochial interests and reach out to help others.
That spirit enjoins us to be loyal to common ideals,
goals, values and principles. They remain our guiding
beacons as we navigate our way in this millennium.
The theme set by the President to guide the general
debate at this sixty-eighth session, which is “The
post-2015 development agenda: setting the stage,”
is most fitting for the juncture at which the United
Nations stands. In the midst of increasing poverty and
underdevelopment and during an era of unprecedented
wealth accumulation and technological advances, the
rift that divides the rich and the poor zones of the world
ever widens. We must therefore not lose focus on one
imperative of our time: equality among nations, big and
small, is central to the relevance, credibility and even
survival of this global Organization.
In that regard, we are encouraged by the progress
made thus far in the General Assembly towards
expeditiously launching the follow-up mechanisms
agreed at the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. Throughout
the course of this year, the Group of 77 and China
has emphasized that the road map towards a post-
2015 development agenda needs to address the
implementation gaps of the Millennium Development
Goals, with poverty eradication remaining an
overarching goal. The new development agenda must
be universal, applicable and relevant to all Member
States. Let me also stress that the new development
agenda should be centred on economic development
that supports both social inclusion and environmental
sustainability.
Our common desire for a transformative global
development agenda beyond 2015 can best be achieved
through collective efforts and an enhanced global
partnership. Such efforts must place the development
and well-being of people at its core. If the international
community and national Governments seriously
commit to an agenda for meaningful transformation
at the structural, institutional and normative levels,
the post-2015 development agenda has the potential of
achieving a paradigm shift in global conditions.
Fiji’s commitment to being a good global citizen
is manifested through our ongoing engagement with
the United Nations and its associated agencies and
secretariats. Our decision to take on the mantle of
chairing the Group of 77 and China for the year 2013
was informed by the fact that Fiji embraces its rights
as an equal Member of the United Nations and that we
must therefore also carry all the due responsibilities
expected of us within this great family of nations.
Fiji’s commitment to United Nations peacekeeping
remains unwavering. It is a source of great pride
that, for a nation of our size, we are able to make a
meaningful and significant contribution. For the past
three decades, we have always responded to the call
of the United Nations to serve, including in the most
difficult circumstances around the world. While we
fully recognize the risks involved, Fiji’s confidence in
its peacekeepers prompted us to provide troops to the
Golan Heights this year to assist the United Nations in a
time of need. The many years of service of Fijian troops
in the Middle East region, particularly in Lebanon,
Iraq and Sinai, are an asset that our troops take with
them to that mission. Fiji also sees police peacekeeping
and contributions in the corrections and justice sector
as important in building local State institutions that
can be run by local authorities once peacekeeping
missions end, and we are building on our many existing
commitments in that regard in Liberia, Darfur and
South Sudan.
It is up to us in the General Assembly to ensure
that all support possible is given to troop- and
police-contributing countries serving on the ground,
including through clear and appropriate policy
guidance. For the good of the countries concerned,
we must not abdicate that responsibility. I urge us
all to work together in the United Nations to provide
such concrete policy guidance, particularly as we see
peacekeeping missions evolve into multidimensional
and complex missions that differ greatly from early
United Nations peacekeeping missions.
As a Pacific island nation, Fiji reaffirms its support
for the efforts of small island developing States (SIDS)
to achieve sustainable development. Not only are SIDS
acutely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such
as sea-level rise, ocean acidification and the increased
frequency of extreme weather events, but for some of
us the threat is to our very existence. Our response
to the plight of those most at risk must therefore be
characterized by a requisite sense of urgency.
The convening of the third International Conference
for Sustainable Development of SIDS in 2014 will be
critical to addressing, in a very specific and concrete
manner, the many challenges faced by SIDS. It is
an opportunity for the international community to
renew its commitment to the implementation of the
decisions and agreements pertaining to SIDS. As
the international community discusses the post-2015
development landscape, including a successor to the
Hyogo Framework for Action, we must ensure that a
new model accounts for and addresses the risks we
face. This is particularly relevant for SIDS, where
hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses
occur as a result of so-called natural disasters every
year. Protecting development gains and investing in
disaster resilience is vital to sustainable development.
The United Nations efforts to eradicate colonialism
must forge ahead within the context of the Special
Political and Decolonization Committee, of which
Fiji is a member. Through the Pacific regional body
known as the Melanesian Spearhead Group, Fiji works
together with other members of the Fourth Committee
to accelerate the process of decolonization.
In reforming and developing its information and
communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, Fiji
has adopted a comprehensive approach by combining a
national framework for ICT development with effective
and pragmatic policies and initiatives to deliver results
directly to the Fijian people. That approach is bearing
fruit. Fiji has achieved 95 per cebt mobile coverage,
including 3G; concluded one of the region’s first open
auctions for the 4G spectrum; and is implementing a
number of innovative initiatives to increase affordable
access and improve services, including in the most
remote parts of our country.
The International Telecommunication Union, in its
annual review of more than 150 countries’ delivery of
ICT infrastructure and services to their populations,
gave special recognition to Fiji as a developing country.
Fiji tied for the third largest improvement of any
country and is ranked fourth globally in percentage
terms, having improved by 14 per cent.
As the first country to ratify the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, Fiji has kept its
oceanic obligations at the core of its foreign policy.
While some disconnect exists between what is
contained in international instruments and what is or
is not implemented, we need a commitment to clear
steps to turn words into actions in order to facilitate the
sustainable management of ocean resources and make
equitable the share of benefits from their utilization.
Fiji hosted the inaugural Pacific Islands
Development Forum (PIDF) last month. Its formation
makes the PIDF the only South-South organization in
the Pacific region that provides for a multi-stakeholder
platform where Governments, the private sector and
civil society can discuss what we Pacific Islanders need
to do to achieve sustainable development.
We look forward to a productive sixty-eighth
session of the General Assembly. Let me reiterate our
full support and cooperation with President Ashe and
all members with a view to advancing the objectives
of the United Nations and the aspirations of the global
community.