Let me start by
congratulating His Excellency Ambassador Nassir
Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election as President of the
sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, and
assuring him that he will have the fullest cooperation
of the Icelandic delegation.
In recent weeks, we have witnessed the worst
hunger crisis of this century in the Horn of Africa. It is
a devastating reminder that fighting poverty and
hunger is still the most important and challenging
undertaking of our times. Our collective duty and
responsibility is to help our weakest brothers and
sisters. As wealthier nations, we must do better in
providing relief. We must act with more speed and
more generosity to help those who are deprived of the
basic necessities of life — food and water. I can say,
my friends, that in Iceland, we have indeed decided to
do so.
I am quite happy to be able to tell the Assembly
today that the Icelandic Parliament has unanimously
agreed to substantially increase our contribution to
developing nations in the coming financial year. It has
also accepted a plan to raise our aid to the goal of
0.7 per cent of our gross national income. That is our
pledge, as agreed by every political party in the
Icelandic Parliament.
The fight against hunger and poverty is the same
struggle as the one we wage to protect our planet from
the ravages caused by the greed of our own species. All
Members know that, next year, we will celebrate the
twentieth anniversary of the bright new vision
introduced at the historic Earth Summit in Rio. Over
these past 20 years, deep concern for the environment
has indeed moved to the forefront of the global agenda.
But the Assembly also knows the sobering truth, which
is that the ambitions of Rio are still a far cry from
being realized. Actions are still needed. If ever there
was a time to act boldly, that time is now.
The key theme of Rio next year will be the “green
economy”. I assure the Assembly that my country has
expertise to offer that can help to fuel a green
revolution. Renewable energy, marine health, the
sustainable use of land and, not least, gender equality,
which have always been at the core of the Icelandic
foreign policy, are the four issues that we shall bring to
Rio next year. What we really need is indeed a
revolution, a green revolution. We need a seismic shift
from fossil fuels to renewable energy. That is the only
way to turn the ship.
In Iceland, we have some cutting-edge
technology on geothermal energy that we want to
share. That splendid form of renewable energy is the
most undervalued and overlooked source of cheap
power in the world. Of course, geothermal is most
11-51390 4
certainly not a silver bullet, but it needs to be a part of
the portfolio that we must develop to solve emissions
problems. Many members know that Central and South
America, East Africa and South-East Asia are home to
vast areas literally brimming with geothermal potential.
Icelandic know-how, coupled with outside financing,
could go a long way in making those areas self-
sufficient in terms of green energy.
As one of the largest fishing nations, Iceland has
always been deeply protective of the health of the
oceans. Today, climate change threatens to place the
fisheries of the world under a new strain. As we speak,
the acidification of the oceans resulting from human
carbon emissions is affecting the health of the marine
environment. This is especially true in the Arctic and
its vicinity, which is my home. As a marine biologist, I
fear that, more likely sooner than later, this may affect
the world’s fishing stocks, which are a vital source of
protein for more than 1 billion people. This is just one
more argument why we so urgently need to conclude a
post-Kyoto agreement later this year on the reduction
of greenhouse gases.
Every day, the Arctic bears silent witness to the
impact of climate change. The snow that I experienced
as a child is today fast becoming a rare event for my
two teenage daughters. The sad truth is that the Arctic
glaciers and the Arctic sea ice are melting at a much
faster rate than anyone ever anticipated. It is of course
true that the disappearance of the sea ice will open up
new and shorter transport routes from the Pacific to the
North Atlantic via the Arctic Ocean. We most certainly
will also see huge areas open up for the exploitation of
oil and gas resources.
This will come at a price, however. Climatic
changes are forcing the peoples of the Arctic, such as
our neighbours in Greenland, to change their living
habits. These changes will also melt the tundra, which
acts as a carbon buffer against the climate system, and
thus further accelerate the warming of the planet. The
already-fragile ecosystem of the Arctic will become
even more brittle.
Let us remember what happened in the Gulf of
Mexico and let us be aware that oil breaks down very,
very slowly in the extreme cold of the Arctic. We
should not allow the exploitation of the Arctic without
applying the strictest rules. That must be the
precondition for every human move into Arctic
resources.
I am often asked whether a country like Iceland,
which is not geographically small but has, admittedly,
slightly fewer people than most, can have any say in
action on issues of global concern, be it in Rio or in
New York. Well, to lift a phrase from a famous
statesman who spoke from this very podium a few days
ago: “Yes, we can”.
Twenty years ago, in 1991, we in Iceland watched
a television broadcast of thousands of brave Latvians,
Lithuanians and Estonians taking their destiny into
their own hands. They reached out to the international
community, among them the people of Iceland, and
asked for help in breaking the ice that was impeding
their international recognition.
The great British statesman, Lord Palmerston,
once made a famous statement to the effect that there is
no such thing as eternal friendship between nations and
that only eternal interests could determine how nations
reacted towards each other. That well-known mantra is
still taught today in every bad school of political
science. My friends, if Palmerston’s words had
prevailed, Iceland would have turned a deaf ear to the
call of the freedom fighters in the Baltics. We did not.
In the historic year of 1991, Iceland became the first to
recognize the restored sovereignty of the Baltic States.
We did that out of respect for the principles that are so
vitally important to small nations: the right to choose
your own destiny, to carve out your own future — the
undeniable right of small nations to be independent.
Principles do matter in politics.
Based on the same principle that led Iceland to
recognize the Baltic States in 1991, today we support
the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Based on that
very same principle, Iceland feels that the international
community should welcome Palestine as a new
Member State in the United Nations, based on the
pre-1967 borders — exactly the same criteria as those
laid down by the European Union, the Quartet and
lately, also by President Barack Obama in his strong
speech in May.
I have been to Gaza. I have talked to the people:
the fishermen who no longer can ply their trade, the
young people who are unemployed, the families that
need a roof over their head. I have also been to the
West Bank. I have seen with my own eyes how the land
of the Palestinians has literally been cut to pieces by
horrible walls of separation. That is wrong. That is
5 11-51390
unjust. That is against every moral code that Iceland
has ever stood for as a guardian of human rights.
We must remember that Palestine today is really
doing just the same thing as Israel did in 1947, and
Iceland and so many other States at the time supported
Israel’s action. Israel took its case to the United
Nations and emerged with statehood. Palestine
deserves the same. And I think it is hypocrisy to
suggest otherwise. In the middle of the democratic
revolution brought on by the fresh breeze of the Arabic
Spring and inspired, not least, by women and young
people, it would be foolish to deny Palestine its right to
statehood. Such denial would act against reconciliation
in the region.
It will, perhaps, not come as any surprise to
Members here, but Iceland will therefore vote “yes”,
when a resolution on Palestinian statehood comes to a
vote in the General Assembly. Furthermore, the
Icelandic Government is determined to fully recognize
Palestine and will next week submit to the Parliament
of Iceland a resolution on the recognition of Palestine
as a sovereign and independent State.