Let me begin by extending my
warm congratulations to Mr. Al-Nasser as President of
the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. His
strong leadership will continue the high standard set by
his predecessor. I wish also to express to the Secretary-
General my deepest appreciation for his many
contributions and accomplishments, one of which is his
recent visit to the South Pacific island countries. I
congratulate him and wish him well in his second term.
Last July, the Security Council took a giant step
with the adoption of a presidential statement
(S/PRST/2011/15) during its debate on the issue of
climate change and its security implications. We were
encouraged by that bold step.
As a member of the Pacific small island
developing States (SIDS), we appreciate the
unprecedented action taken by the Security Council as
we continue to face the threat to our existence and the
loss of territorial integrity and sovereignty resulting
from the adverse impacts of climate change and sea-
level rise. The concerns expressed by the Council in
connection with climate change, in particular
concerning sea-level rise as a security threat, is an
important step.
We cannot but notice, however, the persistent
failure and reluctance by some countries to address the
security aspect of climate change, even in the face of
overwhelming scientific evidence. We believe that
those who opposed the debate in the Council and those
who doubted the security implications of climate
change simply ignored the obvious.
We respectfully ask those members who opposed
the debate and those who are still in doubt to fulfil
their responsibilities under the Charter of the United
Nations. We also take note of the positions of those
who aspire to membership in the Council, and we
thank those countries who supported our cause. I
strongly urge the Security Council, and for that matter
the whole United Nations system, to utilize innovative
25 11-51191
ways to address the concerns of the most vulnerable
Members of this Organization.
We are grateful for the historic visit by Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon to our region on the fortieth
anniversary of the Pacific Islands Forum. It was also
the first time in the 66-year history of this body that a
Secretary-General has ever visited any Pacific small
island developing State — on this occasion, Kiribati
and the Solomon Islands. We are confident that the
Secretary-General’s visit will give a greater sense of
urgency to the issue of climate change.
Climate change is no longer a hypothetical issue
but a real tragedy, as we in the Pacific region are
already experiencing its adverse effects. These impacts
will continue to worsen until countries like mine
disappear, unless immediate and decisive actions are
taken by this body to mitigate climate change at first
evidence.
It is imperative that we immediately begin to
reduce emissions of long-lasting greenhouse gases like
carbon dioxide. We must complement the action on
carbon dioxide by reducing short-lived climate forcers
such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and
hydrofluorocarbons in order to prevent an additional
increase of as much as one degree Celsius in global
warming over the next decades. Reducing these short-
lived agents is one of the surest ways to protect some
of the Earth’s most vulnerable regions such as the
Federated States of Micronesia.
I therefore call upon the international community
to join this strategic approach to meeting the challenge
of climate change. The time to act is now.
More than 60 years ago, my island country, the
Federated States of Micronesia, drew world attention
as a battleground in the Pacific conflict. Today, the
remnants of approximately 60 shipwrecks from that
conflict are posing threats to the lives of our people,
our environment and the marine ecosystem.
Approximately 32 million litres of oil contained in the
bellies of the wrecks are a ticking environmental time
bomb. Leading experts on underwater corrosion have
warned that the shipwrecks will collapse, and when
they do, we believe that oil from these wrecks could
create a spill on a massive scale, with an impact
comparable to the disaster last year in the Gulf of
Mexico.
Oil from these shipwrecks in my state of Chuuk
has already started leaking. Any disaster could have a
devastating effect on the environment, our food chain
and the surrounding reefs that serve as breeding
grounds for many fish species. It would also adversely
impact our tourism industry, which depends largely on
coral and shipwreck diving. Thus to avoid a major
environmental disaster, I am now appealing to the
international community for immediate assistance.
Twenty years ago my country gained membership
in the Organization, just in time to become a part of the
movement known as the Rio process. Out of that
process, the principle of sustainability became a
mandate for development. For the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20),
Micronesia and other small island developing States
have been calling for recognition of what we term the
“blue economy”. As island nations with millions of
square miles of the blue Pacific, we naturally have
particular affinity and concerns for the ocean.
Our ocean’s resources have enormous strategic
value. We depend on them for our subsistence living
and cultural identity as seafarers of the Pacific. The
blue Pacific has opened up new horizons in sustainable
economic development activities. As custodian of these
resources, we welcome the participation of our partners
in the utilization of these resources, but for too long we
have not received an equitable and fair share of our
ocean bounties.
The development of our ocean resources is
severely hampered by the continuous selfish
behaviours of illegal, unreported and unregulated
fishing. If unabated, these kinds of behaviour will
continue to deprive our people and our nascent fishing
industries of millions of dollars in revenues every year.
The fishing industry is further adversely affected by
ocean acidification caused by climate change.
Conservation and sustainable management of
oceanic resources is important, because we will
continue to depend on the ocean in the years ahead. It
is for that reason that we have committed to various
conservation activities in the Micronesian region. One
in particular is our support for the establishment of
shark sanctuaries. The Federated States of Micronesia
has joined Palau and other countries in committing a
vast area in our Micronesian region to be a sanctuary
for sharks.
11-51191 26
The current mechanisms for follow-up on the
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action
and the Mauritius Strategy for Further Implementation
are unlikely to provide the momentum necessary to
take concrete steps as part of a results-oriented
approach. New and additional measures to address the
unique and particular vulnerabilities and development
of SIDS are required.
Along with the Pacific SIDS, we are advancing a
proposal for Rio+20 to consider a third Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of SIDS.
We must build upon the momentum of Rio+20 to
convene a third Global Conference to refocus and
develop new and additional measures that are results-
oriented to support the sustainable development of
SIDS.
A special category for small island developing
States is imperative if the United Nations is to improve
the lot of the disadvantaged peoples of SIDS. After all,
realities demand it. I therefore reiterate the call made
last year by my own country and other small island
developing States for the creation of that special
category.
I am grateful for the attention paid by the United
Nations High-level Meeting on Non-communicable
Diseases (NCDs) held earlier in the week.
It is a major concern for us in the Pacific SIDS
that non-communicable diseases have reached
epidemic proportions. If allowed to continue unabated,
NCDs could potentially undermine our labour supply,
productivity, investment and education, with
devastating consequences for our economic
development. I echo the sentiments on NCDs expressed
by Pacific leaders regarding the importance of
immediate and decisive actions by Governments, the
private sector, civil society, regional and international
organizations and development partners to work
together to address what is now a human, social and
economic crisis for us in the Pacific.
At the beginning of the current session, we
witnessed history of another kind unfolding in the Hall.
For the first time, a female President stood at this
podium to open the general debate. I join other world
leaders in congratulating Her Excellency Ms. Dilma
Rousseff of Brazil on her many achievements. The
challenge for this body is to continue to encourage
women from all nations to participate on an equal basis
at all levels of political decision-making processes.
After all, women are equal partners in families.
In joining the debate on the Israeli-Palestinian
issue, my country urges the international community to
remain steadfast in upholding the principles of peaceful
coexistence as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
We continue to support Israel’s right to live within
secure and recognized borders, free from the fear of
terrorism. We also acknowledge Palestine’s right to
statehood, which can be achieved only through a
negotiated settlement between the two parties. I agree
with President Obama that there are no shortcuts to
solving this problem.
Just halfway into the year, people everywhere are
experiencing the impact of natural disasters, making it
the costliest year on record. They have caused not only
property damage but also the loss of human lives. I
want to extend my people’s sincere sympathies for the
lives lost and the suffering everywhere.
On the twentieth anniversary of my country’s
admission to the United Nations, we pledge to do our
best to support the goals of this Organization for the
benefit of our people and all peoples around the world.