I bring the greetings and
best wishes of the people of the Republic of the
Marshall Islands. I congratulate the President on his
election to chair the Assembly at this session. He has
our confidence and support.
I offer my gratitude to the United Nations for its
continuing role in coordinating and leading the world’s
efforts to meet challenges affecting the interests of all
nations. The United Nations Joint Presence Office in
the Marshall Islands has brought the ideals of the
Organization closer to our people and country. Our
hope is that other United Nations agencies — including
the World Health Organization, the United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Food
and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations
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Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific — will follow suit and make their presence felt
more prominently, producing concrete results on the
ground.
I wish to acknowledge the personal commitment
of the Secretary-General to meeting the challenges of
climate change. His reminder to take our best to the
table in Copenhagen in service of a higher calling to
save the planet is well noted. His call for a clear moral
imperative for bold and decisive urgent action and his
recognition of the duty of the larger economies to the
most vulnerable have not gone unnoticed by us small
island States. Although some may consider as
insufficient the Group of 8 commitment in Italy this
year, I believe it is an encouraging and a necessary step
forward.
We cherish the hope that the increasing
participation of the United States in debates on issues
relating to climate change is a signal of its intention to
take its rightful place at the forefront of the global war
against climate change. Likewise, we are encouraged
by Japan’s bold and new commitment to address the
adverse effects of climate change.
Let me express my appreciation to the Alliance of
Small Island States (AOSIS) for its leadership in
assisting small island developing countries to prepare
for negotiations in Copenhagen. We assure AOSIS of
our unwavering support.
Full of expectation, the world has its eyes on
Copenhagen. It will be an event of historic significance
where, despite our differences, everyone can now view
the entire planet through a common perspective.
Now, a few weeks away from Copenhagen, I feel
moved to ask what it is that we want to see happening
in there. What kind of outcome do we expect? How
should we and future generations judge the success of
Copenhagen?
The answer, it seems to me, is a matter of
perspective. Major economies will no doubt be
watchful that Copenhagen does not disturb too much
an established way of life and all its benefits. I ask
these nations to consider the implicit moral obligation
that comes with their privileged and affluent status.
For the small island States, however, the question
is whether Copenhagen will diminish or enhance their
security and their chances of survival, whether the
populations of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau
and others should make haste to evacuate and head to
safer regions, as foreshadowed in a recent warning
from the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees.
Therefore, our message to the leaders in
Copenhagen is clear: we appeal to them to strive with
every fibre of their being to increase their level of
commitment to combating climate change, to show the
world by their deeds — not words — their unbending
commitment to secure an effective post-Kyoto global
agreement. We appeal to them to be as unrestrained as
the wind and set the limit on the increase in global
average temperature above the pre-industrial period at
a level that will ensure our survival. We appeal to them
to be fair-minded and to act with determination to
reduce global emissions from 1990 levels by at least
85 per cent by 2050. We appeal to them to ensure that
global emissions peak no later than 2015. Finally, we
appeal to the leaders of all nations to construct in
Copenhagen the ark of salvation in which all nations
and peoples will find shelter.
I believe that the success of Copenhagen will be
ultimately judged by the extent to which small, low-
lying island States — the most vulnerable — will feel a
sense of guaranteed safety and security. For, in our
interdependent global community, the moral duty of
the collective must always be the protection of the
weak and the most vulnerable.
Short of that, however, Copenhagen will be no
more than the continuation of the law of the jungle, the
survival of the strongest. It will be a moral and
political failure. For Copenhagen is not about
mathematics. It is not about raw power; it is not
competition for the survival of the few. It is about
unleashing the moral and political forces and synergies
inherent in the collective body of nations for the good
of all. What else does political will mean but this?
Failure in Copenhagen will make a mockery of
the Millennium Development Goals, for their
achievement will be beyond our capacity to attain. It
will question the ability of the Charter of the United
Nations to safeguard our pre-existing sovereign rights.
In short, the world and the most vulnerable in it cannot
afford the cost of failure.
Closer to home, even though the rate of emission
of the Marshall Islands is insignificant in relative
terms, we have set for ourselves a reduction target of
40 per cent by 2020. Over the years, and subject to
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accessibility of funding, we have been pursuing a
systematic programme of solar power use. Nearly 40
per cent of the households in our outer islands are now
drawing on that power as one of their main sources of
energy. We intend to pursue this initiative until all 33
islands in our country are fully covered. On the
Micronesian subregional front, we are committed to the
goals of the Micronesia Challenge.
Our efforts to adapt continue to suffer from the
lack of adequate funding, compounded by the sheer
complexity in accessing it from the sources.
Simplifying the process by direct access to those
sources could enable us to fast-track some of our
adaptation priorities, such as seawalls, coastal
management and safe water projects.
I now turn to a matter that is very dear to the
heart of every Marshallese. We are deeply encouraged
by the Security Council meeting today, moderated by
President Obama, on the use and testing of nuclear
weapons.
Nuclear weapon testing was conducted on our
islands between 1946 and 1958, at the time when we
were a ward of the United Nations trusteeship system.
Our first-hand experience as victims of nuclear weapon
testing on our islands, and the painful memories that
continue to haunt us after six decades, are nightmares
we would not wish on anyone. The toll in human
suffering and environmental damage has been
devastating. Now, sixty years since the detonation of
some 67 nuclear bombs, the Marshall Islands is still
grappling with the after-effects. Complete recovery in
terms of restoring affected islands to full economic
productivity and adequate compensation of the victims
remains uncertain.
We have not come here to condemn or to point
fingers. However, we are compelled by our moral duty
to humanity to raise our voice in gatherings such as
this and to appeal to the conscience of the world
community. We call for the formulation of a new
perspective by which the spectre of war and of the use
of nuclear weapons may forever be dismissed from the
surface of the Earth.
Banning nuclear weapons will not by itself
remove the root cause of war. Important as it may be, it
does not exert an enduring influence. People are too
ingenious not to invent still other forms of warfare.
Political agreements or good intentions alone are not
enough. The world craves something much more deep-
seated than pure pragmatism. It yearns for permanent
peace that springs from an inner state supported by a
moral attitude.
There is no lack of recognition by national
leaders of the nature of the problem, but there is a
paralysis of will. The stark realities of the experience
of the people of the Marshall Islands have deepened
our profound conviction that, in a world irreversibly
moving towards a global society, it becomes imperative
that we recast our perspective, a perspective in which
national impulses and interests will find their fullest
expression when subordinated to the needs and
interests of the planet, our collective homeland, a
perspective that does not regard that subordination as
being disloyal to the nation.
Amid our deepening economic and financial
woes, the Republic of the Marshall Islands continues to
remain buoyant through the generous support of our
friends and partners. Our special relationship with the
United States within the framework of the Compact of
Free Association provides a unique partnership that is
enduring and stable.
We express our firm support for the efforts of the
United States and its allies in combating terrorism, and
we are proud of our young Marshallese men and
women serving in the armed forces of the United
States. The support also provided by Japan, the
Republic of China (Taiwan), the European Union,
Australia and our other donor partners is sincerely
acknowledged.
The increasing complexity of the management of
evolving global affairs demands a reconstitution of the
membership of the Security Council. Japan’s
distinguished leadership and achievements in the area
of human security match its aspirations to seek a
permanent seat on the Council and thus deserve
favourable consideration. Evidence of progress in the
confidence-building process between China and the
Republic of China (Taiwan) deserves praise and
encouragement from the international community.
Taiwan’s membership in the United Nations
specialized agencies will enable its 23 million people
to play an active part in the affairs of the family of
nations.
Not a single nation can escape the powerful grip
of the challenges of climate change. Its deadly virus is
here already. The remedy is clear: collective and
resolute action, now more than ever. The choice is
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ours. We implore Almighty God to give us courage and
wisdom.