Tonga

May I first take this opportunity to congratulate the President on his election to lead the work of the General Assembly. Let me also reassure him of Tonga’s support and full confidence that the sixtieth session of the General Assembly will be fruitful and successful under his very able leadership. I would also like to give due recognition to the sterling work of his predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Gabon, during the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. I also join others in commending Secretary- General Kofi Anan for his leadership of our Organization. As we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of our Organization, we can pause and reflect on where we are, and on the basis of our experience in the past and the opportunities available for us in the future. We can chart a roadmap that will ensure that we, the Member States, deliver on our commitments to the purposes and principles of the Charter and international law, which are indispensable foundations of a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. Tonga shares the concerns voiced by several other delegations that business cannot proceed as usual, as this will continue to affect the role and relevancy of our Organization and the important place of multilateralism in accomplishing its aims. The Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change delivered the landmark report expected of it. The Panel’s far- reaching findings and recommendations laid a firm foundation for what our Foreign Minister described last year as “constructive engagement”. Tonga remains optimistic that the level and intensity of engagement among Member States can still produce a lasting legacy of improvement and the necessary changes for our Organization and its important work. Last Friday, at the conclusion of the historic High-level Plenary Meeting, heads of State and Government adopted the outcome document, which provides multilateral solutions to the problems in development, peace and collective security, human rights, the rule of law and the strengthening of the United Nations. The baton has now been passed on to us to begin the implementation phase of the summit’s outcome, and we need to rise to the challenge to make good on our promises. The development agenda remains the first priority for small island developing countries, including Tonga. Over three decades, we have accumulated experience in national and integrated regional development planning and have, therefore, fully embraced our primary responsibility for our own development. The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals has been incorporated into our wider development efforts. The financing of these development programmes, however, continues to depend on bilateral and multilateral official development assistance (ODA), as well as on concessionary loans from regional and global financial institutions. In this regard, we welcome the proposed increased resources that will become available as a result of the establishment of timetables by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) for ODA by 2015. We congratulate those countries that have already fulfilled their commitment in meeting the required target. The recent efforts and initiatives to enhance the quality of aid and to increase its impact, including the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, are also welcome steps. ODA, while necessary, will be insufficient on its own and would have to be complemented by active promotion of foreign direct investment, improving trade access and effective development partnerships. The outcome document emphasizes that one of the critical challenges to economic growth is to ensure that the necessary internal conditions are put in place for mobilizing domestic savings. Tonga embarked on a public sector and economic reform programme in 2002. To date, several important pieces of legislation have been enacted through the Legislative Assembly, including the Public Finance Act of 2002, to modernize the way the Government manages its finances and to provide for more transparency; the Public Service Act of 2002, to modernize employment and remuneration methods; and the Public Enterprise Act of 2002 to provide for increased accountability by public enterprises. A programme of reform of Tonga’s system 29 of taxation is also under way to bring it into conformity with international norms and bilateral and multilateral obligations. Tonga welcomes the recognition in the outcome document of the special needs and vulnerabilities of small island developing States and the commitment to address those needs and vulnerabilities through full and effective implementation of the Mauritius Strategy adopted by the International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. Energy continues to play a crucial role in Tonga’s sustainable development strategies, and maintaining a fine balance between energy, the environment and the economy is a national priority. Tonga’s increasing reliance on imported petroleum products to satisfy its energy needs means that it is particularly vulnerable to external events that affect the price and availability of petroleum products. In this regard, Tonga reiterates its concern over the continuing escalation of the price of oil and its negative impact on its economy. Concerted efforts will have to focus on research and development for alternative sources of energy. Tonga recognizes the need to promote gender equality with the implementation of its National Policy on Gender and Development, which was approved in 2001. Remittances are a welcome source of foreign exchange, and Tonga is recorded as one the countries most dependent on them as they amount to 39 per cent of gross domestic product. We therefore acknowledge the important nexus between international migration and development and the need to deal with the challenges and opportunities that migration presents to countries of origin, destination and transit. We also look forward to the General Assembly’s high-level dialogue on international migration and development, to be held in 2006. We join with others who have voiced their regret at the failure of the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference and reiterate the importance of implementing the three pillars of the Treaty. Tonga supports the call to establish the mandate, modalities, functions, size, composition membership, working methods and procedures of the new Human Rights Council as soon as possible during the current session of the General Assembly. We fully recognize that post-conflict peacebuilding is vital to achieving sustainable peace and support the establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission by the end of 2005. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purpose, as it constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. We also look forward to the successful conclusion of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism during the present session of the Assembly. Tonga continues to support the work of the Counter- Terrorism Committee and has progressed well in drafting domestic legislation to put into effect all of the 12 counter-terrorism conventions to which we have acceded. We applaud the efforts and proposals for a comprehensive package of reforms to revitalize the General Assembly and to strengthen the Economic and Social Council, to enable them to fulfil their mandates as envisaged in the Charter. We also support the ongoing work of the Secretary-General to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Secretariat. Perhaps one of the more intense engagements among our membership involves the reform of the Security Council. Tonga maintains its support for Japan’s proper and permanent place on any enhanced Council. The emergence, in particular, of prospective permanent members and novel ideas on criteria has made this issue more deserving of further patience, poise and pragmatism. However, momentum and advances on readily agreeable aspects of our reform agenda should proceed to fruition. The ever-changing landscape of the Middle East continues to present hopeful signs suggesting that an enduring peace is possible. Genuine gestures, like that involving Gaza, by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, offer a platform upon which mutual borders might be secured and upon which statehood might flourish. Regional organizations play an important role in supporting and complementing the interests of member countries in various fields, and Tonga acknowledges the role of the Pacific Island Forum in that regard. At a regional level, Tonga is fully committed to its 30 obligations in ensuring peace in the region and continues to support the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands with the third deployment by the Tonga Defence Services currently in operation in the Solomon Islands. The Pacific Plan, which was articulated by our Pacific Forum leaders for the realization of their vision through deeper and stronger regional cooperation and integration in the areas of economic growth, social development, security and environmental protection, will be tabled for consideration by the leaders in October of this year. Tonga, therefore, welcomes the call for support of a stronger relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations. The Kingdom continues to observe a “one-China” policy that recognizes Taiwan as an integral and inalienable part of China. An essential component of that policy properly acknowledges that common and mutual issues are ideally left to an across-the-Strait framework dialogue, as opposed to any multilateral formula, however well conceived. Tonga continues to develop and strengthen its “Look East” policy, in particular with China. Earlier this year, the Kingdom established a diplomatic presence in Beijing to give strong voice to its interests and impetus to its exploration and pursuit of mutually relevant and beneficial ventures, including tourism, trade, aviation and security. The world is watching us. Let us not renege on our commitments but push forward on the reforms that are essential to ensuring that multilateralism remains the most efficient and effective way to address global problems and issues.