Samoa

The value of the United Nations to humanity has not diminished with the passing of time. Our Organization remains as relevant today as when it was established 64 years ago. Its status as the world’s pre-eminent body will be diminished if we as leaders do not accord it the respect our Organization deserves and observe its etiquette. Recent crises have not only validated our global sustainability, but highlighted our interconnectedness and interdependence. These crises, from those in food and energy security to the global recession and pandemic, have adversely affected all Member States to varying degrees. Although they have resulted from the decisions and actions of a few, the crises have not differentiated in impact between developed and developing countries or between the rich and the poor. The costs of these crises in terms of human suffering and social upheaval have been considerable, and justifiably required the collective and concerted global action that now seems to be working with a good degree of success. 19 09-52586 These crises are eminently solvable and short- term when compared to the great and grave threat the world faces from environmental degradation and climate change. This week’s summit of the Alliance of Small Island States and the Secretary-General’s high- level meeting both underscored the predominance and urgency of the climate change challenge. Their core messages were unambiguous. Climate change is not a future phenomenon; it is real and already occurring in Pacific countries and low-lying islands elsewhere. It is no longer a question of when, but rather of how severe the magnitude of its impact will be. The full cost society must bear is becoming a stark reality that we can no longer ignore today. Climate change is not a concern of small island developing States alone. Our vulnerability to climate change should not absolve those responsible for its causes in the past or now, nor should it be used to shift the burden of leadership and responsibility away from the main carbon emitters. Developed and emerging economies will all be affected one way or another. Sadly, the human and financial costs will be borne disproportionately by small island developing States. A Copenhagen climate pact is therefore a must. It requires a new brand of cooperation and a broad outlook. The narrow pursuit of self-interests and the use of economic and political expediencies should be set aside and must not be allowed to derail the goal of concluding an ambitious and binding agreement. Climate change is also everyone’s job. While acknowledging historical responsibility is legitimate, allowing it to get in the way of making decisions to reach a comprehensive agreement would be a grave mistake. Reaching a climate change agreement is therefore a test of multilateral solidarity. Time is running out. The impacts of climate change are getting worse daily. Playing the blame-and- shame game, or waiting to be led but not being willing to lead, are no longer options. For no single nation, no single group of nations and no single organization can win the war against climate change on its own. The divergent yet inextricably linked interests of Member States demand that we seal a deal in Copenhagen. The cost of adaptation and mitigation at the national level can be prohibitive because most of our people and infrastructure are found along the coastal areas. Relocating them inland would be costly due to our rough and rugged terrain and the number of people involved. However, that has not deterred us. Using our resources and by partnering with the international community, we continue to support the global effort to build our resilience against climate change. Our plantation access roads programme is one such initiative. It facilitates relocation and helps boost agricultural production as a response measure to climate change and to food security. The shadow of the financial crisis envelops us still. As with climate change, most developing nations are victims forcibly drawn into the maelstrom of the crisis through its consequential impact on the global economy. Although remote from the epicentres of the crises, our small and vulnerable island economies have not been spared. Indeed, it has been acknowledged by the Group of 20 that the global recession impacts the vulnerable and poorest countries disproportionately. International acceptance of the collective responsibility to provide assistance to help those countries mitigate the impact of the global recession has also been very important. That undertaking to provide assistance is simply critical for small and open economies like that of my country. The global recession has contracted our small economy, and our narrow Government revenue base has taken some hard hits that have made it impossible to provide on our own the kind of stimulus package that would meaningfully mitigate the impacts of the recession, let alone reignite growth in the economy. In the circumstances, the effective assistance needed by our economy at this time is direct budgetary support, which should be necessary only for the short term to sustain expenditure, allow us breathing space to rebalance our finances, and put the economy back onto the path of growth. We acknowledge with appreciation the readiness of our development partners and of international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to sympathetically consider our requests in that regard. Samoa will graduate from the list of least developed countries in December 2010. The intervention of the financial crisis was unanticipated and not taken into account when the decision was made to advance our country to the transitional period. An extension of the transitional period is therefore both necessary and justified. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be reviewed next year. Our scorecard on all eight 09-52586 20 Goals gives us guarded optimism, although meeting every one of them in the time frame allowed remains a challenge. Our needs are not matched by the resources at our disposal. Hence, central to our efforts to realize the MDGs is the implementation of Goal 8 on achieving durable global partnerships for development. But some aid donors either take their time to respond or do not do so at all. That is cause for justifiable alarm because if they are not forthcoming with relatively modest resources to help us achieve the MDGs, then the prospects for an effective global response to climate change will all but vanish. The Pacific is a region of relative peace. We have been spared the scars of war and conflict, and nature has gifted us the sea and land for our livelihood. While we have challenges and differences, they tend to be localized. Our development needs, individually and regionally, are modest by world standards. However, belying that tranquillity is our acute economic vulnerability. Given our credentials as a region of relative stability with needs that are not as large as those of other parts of the world, one would expect the international donor community to be jostling for opportunities to assist our development efforts. On the contrary, that has not been borne out in the general experience of the region. Some development partners seem unconcerned as to where and how their development aid is spent; whether it is in war-torn, devastated and unstable regions or as a front to support military-related industries at home appears to be of no consequence. Then, there are those who engage in posturing and rhetoric that are devoid of tangible or real action on the ground. Sustainable partnership is based on mutual trust and respect. That has been the foundation of Samoa’s relationship with our main development partners: Australia, China, the European Union, Japan and New Zealand. All have supported us and continue to do so at every step of our development journey. Italy, Austria and Turkey are our newest partners, assisting in the renewable energy field, and we would like to engage countries at the cutting edge of renewable energy technology, such as China, Germany, Japan and the United States, to assist us in that key sector. The One United Nations Initiative is a timely project that reduces the costs and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of aid delivery by the United Nations system. Resources saved through that Initiative should flow back to benefit Member States. A permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to be an elusive goal, and seems a lost cause. President Obama’s relaunching afresh this week of the stalled Middle East peace talks will hopefully be the catalyst that brings about renewed impetus in achieving a secure State of Israel living alongside a Palestinian State. Mr. Christian (Ghana), Vice-President, took the Chair. International terrorism is a global menace. It creates an atmosphere of collective fear and intolerance. It preys on the innocent, vulnerable and defenceless and disrupts any progress towards peace and development. Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations should always be condemned unreservedly. Individual actions by States cannot in and of themselves provide a solution. We must shoulder our responsibility to act together to meet the threat through concerted multilateral action, which underpins the spirit of our Organization. Wars are futile and serve no useful purpose. They will not end unless disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and illicit small arms and light weapons are brought under effective control. The task of building peace lies with every nation. That is why we welcome the decision by the United States to move forward with the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We remain hopeful that the Treaty will enter into force soon. The United Nations cannot survive unless it constantly adjusts and adapts to changing times. After 18 years, Security Council reform has finally entered the intergovernmental negotiating process. Samoa continues to support the expansion of the membership of the Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. Countries such as Japan have the credentials to assume permanent member status. United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world have brought relief and hope to victims in conflict areas. Samoan civilian police officers are currently serving in three peacekeeping missions side by side with officers from other Member States. In our own region, Samoa is a contributor to the Regional 21 09-52586 Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands under the umbrella of the Pacific Islands Forum. Let me conclude by wishing the President well in the formidable challenges facing his presidency. When nations stand united and firm in pursuit of the goals of the Organization’s Charter, the world can look to the future with confidence.