Kiribati

Every year, we gather in this General Assembly Hall to take stock of our achievements in the pursuit of a more peaceful, more secure and a better world for all citizens of the global community. As it emerged from the ashes of devastating world wars, the United Nations heralded a new era and a new world order of international cooperation in the pursuit of international peace and security. It is premised on the principles of sovereign equality and peaceful coexistence. Taking stock of what we have achieved since then, we can say today that we have been successful in preventing many of the scourges that have challenged humanity, including world wars and widespread disease. But as we rid our global society of those injustices, new and emerging forms of injustices now threaten our global security. I believe that climate change remains the greatest moral challenge of our time. While it affects all nations of this planet, the irony is that it is the poorest and smallest countries, which have made the least contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, that are paying the ultimate price in order that the lifestyles and development agenda of some countries may be maintained. Where is the justice in that? The Copenhagen Conference failed to meet the expectations of many, but especially of those countries on the front line for which the threat of climate change is no longer a matter of speculation but one of survival, and therefore of great urgency. There is a tendency in much of the world to view climate change as a distant and gradual process whose harmful effects are remote possible and not worthy of much attention. I have said in various forums that, for low-lying island countries like Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Maldives and the Marshall Islands, among other similarly vulnerable countries, climate change is a matter of survival and of increasing urgency. Already we are witnessing major damage to infrastructure and property as a consequence of higher- than-normal tides and storm surges. Coastal erosion in heavily populated areas is occurring at a rate that exceeds the Governments’ capacity to respond. Lack of resources is exacerbating the situation. Coastlines continue to be eroded and homes and properties continue to be damaged. Long before our islands are inundated by the rising seas, they will become uninhabitable as freshwater aquifers are contaminated by saltwater intrusion from rising tides. Increasing demand for resources to undertake effective responses to climate change impacts will become a dominant feature of our development agenda. I truly hope, therefore, that I can during this session communicate the deep sense of urgency and growing sense of despair besetting our people in the face of this oncoming catastrophe. On the basis of current scientific projections, the Copenhagen Accord does not provide the means to guarantee our future survival, and therefore we did not sign it in Copenhagen. We have subsequently associated ourselves with the Accord, essentially for the following reasons. First, we are of the belief that the Accord at least represents a positive step towards 7 10-55109 an international governance system on climate change. Secondly, we have the expectation that further, forthcoming scientific evidence will unequivocally determine the targets to be agreed upon. Finally and most importantly, we believe that our support for the Accord will ensure the flow of urgently needed adaptation funds. I regret to say that, to date, we have not been able to access any of the fast-start funds pledged. I acknowledge that many elements of any international regime on climate change will take several years to conclude, but I also believe that there is common ground on which there is no real debate. The urgent need for the flow of adaptation funds to address the more urgent adaptation needs of the most vulnerable countries is a matter over which there is general consensus. It is not a matter to negotiate or procrastinate over; if we do, it will be too late for some countries and any subsequent agreement will be meaningless. It is also important that adaptation funds not be regarded as additional development funds by either development partners or recipient countries, but be provided and applied for the sole purpose of adaptation to climate change. I believe that we need to modify our approach to Mexico if we are to succeed. I believe that we have a moral obligation to reach agreement on a legally binding framework that regulates our ability to pursue policies that harm others. For very obvious reasons, I do not believe that any country should have the right to exercise sovereignty over its greenhouse gas emissions. In my view, any alternative to a legally binding framework is simply unacceptable and would have potentially destabilizing consequences. The experience at Copenhagen taught us that if we are to make any progress, we must acknowledge our differences and discuss ways around them rather than allow them to dominate the international agenda behind the process. In this regard, we believe that trust and mutual respect are indispensable to the process. Climate change offers the international community an opportunity to reflect upon the future direction of our relations as sovereign nations. I believe that the climate change challenge provides us with the opportunity to be more innovative in our concept of international governance. Our current arrangement is similar to that of State Governments not accepting federal authority within a federal system. One can imagine the chaos. While other countries are focusing their efforts and resources on their sustainable development, we, the most vulnerable countries, continue to spend the limited resources we have on fighting the continuous onslaught of the rising seas and storm surges on our homes and livelihoods. It is no surprise therefore that we are off-track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals and the implementation of our sustainable development agenda under our national development plan, the Pacific Plan and the Mauritius Strategy. For every step we take forward, we are knocked back two or three due to the challenges we face, which are exacerbated by climate change. In this regard, it is imperative that the pledges made at Copenhagen for fast-start funds to assist vulnerable countries like Kiribati to adapt to the impact of climate change and sea-level rise be mobilized at the earliest possible opportunity. This is a matter of great and increasing urgency. We acknowledge the critical role of our environment as the pillar of sustainable development. Maintaining the health of our biodiversity within our oceans and ecosystems faces the very same challenges that we have so far failed to address in respect of our atmosphere. It is imperative, therefore, that we undertake the commitment to put in place now the measures needed in order to avoid the mistakes we have made with climate change. In pursuit of this, we in Kiribati have designated the largest marine protected area and marine World Heritage Site, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. It covers an area of more than 400,000 square kilometres, representing some 11 per cent of our exclusive economic zone. The Protected Area is the result of a collaborative partnership with Conservation International and the New England Aquarium. It provides a natural breeding ground for tropical fisheries and ocean ecosystems. It is a natural laboratory for the study of such ecosystems and the impact of climate change in a pristine area virtually untouched by human activity. The preservation of that Area is our gift to humanity and our contribution to international biodiversity conservation efforts to significantly reduce biodiversity loss in this International Year of Biodiversity. Even now, as we confront the possibility that our islands will become uninhabitable within the 10-55109 8 century due to the rising sea level, we recognize the value of protecting something that is the common heritage of humanity. Kiribati and the Pacific are committed to the sustainable conservation and management of their ocean ecosystem through the Micronesia Challenge, the Coral Triangle Initiative, the Nauru Agreement and the many other national efforts throughout the region to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. At its meeting last month in Vanuatu, the Pacific Islands Forum endorsed the Pacific Oceanscape Framework, which promotes collaboration and cooperation among marine protected areas in the Pacific region. Initiatives such as the Pacific 2020 Challenge and a novel Pangaea World concept of green development through knowledge economies link those initiatives to the countries of the Pacific Rim and beyond. Our message to the international community is that the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems in the Pacific is not important only to the sustainable development of Pacific peoples. It is also of vital significance to the rest of the world. Support from the international community in protecting ecosystems in the Pacific, and indeed elsewhere, should not be viewed as a handout, but as an investment for future generations of this planet. Last year, we all called for a new world order. We all acknowledged that our great Organization must evolve to reflect the realities of our time — a time in which new and emerging security threats and injustices such as climate change are challenging the credibility of our international system of governance; a time in which the future survival of some nations is seriously in question; a time when all those countries with the ability to do so must contribute to the prevention of that calamity or be forever judged in history. We note that tensions remain high in certain regions, notably in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula. For the sake of those of us on the front line of the major global challenges, let us pray that great understanding and stability will prevail. For while we, as small nations, may seem not to be affected by such events, they serve to distract the focus of attention away from the real challenges facing the international community and our planet today. It is gratifying to note the easing of tensions and improvement of relations across the Taiwan Straits — no doubt, a most welcome development for all in that region. We also welcome the inclusion of Taiwan in the World Health Assembly, and we hope that similar understanding will prevail in respect of other international institutions in which Taiwan can participate and contribute meaningfully for the good of humanity. As we chart the path towards a new world order, we must address the fundamental threats to the very existence of the units that make up our Organization. As the so called community of nations, we must be able to guarantee the survival of members of our community by addressing this defining challenge of our era. Climate change must be addressed before it is too late for those nations on the front line and for the whole of humanity. At this time, we need compassionate, visionary and responsible leadership to direct our path towards a more secure and more just world. We need to share the solution, and we need to act as one in Mexico. We owe it to our future generations to act, and to act now. Maintaining the status quo is simply not an option.