Kiribati

Please accept my congratulations, Sir, on your election to the presidency, and my assurances that Kiribati will support you during your term of office. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing President, Mr. Jean Ping, for his able and effective leadership during the fifty-ninth session. During last week's High-level Plenary Meeting, we discussed, among other issues, the future of this Organization and what we expect from it. We heard about the achievements made by our Organization over the past 60 years. We express our gratitude to all nations for the cooperation and support that led to those achievements. I would like to congratulate the Secretary-General as well as his staff, for his leadership of our Organization at these difficult and trying times. We also heard about the shortcomings of our Organization. While we recognize and fully endorse the need for reform in the Organization, we are concerned that many of the shortcomings in terms of the promotion of sustainable development in Member nations, in particular in the small island developing States, are the result of our inability to deliver on commitments made in the past. Individual Member nations have the prime responsibility for achieving sustainable development within their borders, but with globalization and the increasing interdependency of our world, individual nations cannot achieve sustainable development acting alone. To attain sustainable development in small island developing States, the need for external cooperation and support is understandably more pronounced. Having taken stock of progress over the past 60 years, the challenge now is to consider measures by which we can collectively and through the United Nations address the needs and concerns highlighted during the High-level Plenary Meeting. Of particular concern are the special needs of the least developed countries and small island developing States. While Kiribati may be categorized as a least developed country and a small island developing State, the people of Kiribati have a genuine desire to develop themselves and at the same time to develop their country. As their elected representatives, we have a clear mandate and duty to make our best efforts to meet their development aspirations. 2 Population issues are a major challenge in our development efforts. Concerted efforts to promote effective family planning have been given greater focus in our national development strategies. The growing number of unemployed youth brings with it new social issues. We are committed to directing the energy of our youth to productive and worthwhile pursuits. Employment opportunities abroad for both men and women, such as the arrangements in place with foreign shipping companies, fishing companies and cruise operators, will be expanded and new opportunities explored. The New Zealand Government's Pacific Access Category scheme is a very welcome model that merits closer scrutiny by other countries. The spiralling cost of fuel is an issue of grave concern to us. The impact of rising fuel costs has been hardest on the least developed countries, which are also the least able to afford it. Therefore, the need to accelerate the development of alternative sources of energy, including clean and renewable energy, is now greater than it ever was. We firmly believe that our fishery resources can provide us with the basis for achieving a sustainable future, but in order to be able to do so, we shall need the assistance of our development partners in providing the necessary incentives through the provision of credit schemes to those investors who are able and willing to develop onshore facilities within resource-owning countries. But before we can achieve that, and if we are to achieve our Millennium Development Goals, we shall continue to be reliant on the official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income being met. Environmental issues and, in particular, climate change and sea-level rise are security issues for countries comprising low-lying coral atolls, such as Kiribati. A global and concerted effort, including stronger political commitment, is required to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We are appreciative of the support we have received and continue to receive in developing adaptation measures to climate change and sea-level rise. We nevertheless acknowledge the need now to seriously consider the option of having to relocate our peoples when necessary — an option that can be meaningfully addressed only within this forum. Kiribati fully endorses the need for comprehensive reform in the United Nations. The environment in which the Organization now operates is so very different from that of 1945. Reform must take place to ensure that the Organization continues to be a relevant institution for its Member countries. Terrorism threatens all. Kiribati condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we support the global fight against terrorism. We have noted with increasing alarm the globalization of terror. We cannot afford to be complacent about terrorism and will contribute, within our resource constraints, to the war against terror. We seek support from those able and willing in the implementation and enforcement of counter-terrorism legislation we have passed in compliance with our obligations as a member of the global community. Kiribati has contributed to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. We will continue to contribute to that regional effort as long as there is need. Kiribati is also interested in contributing civilian police to peacekeeping missions of the United Nations. Kiribati supports an expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council. In our view, those countries, such as Japan, that are significant contributors to United Nations programmes promoting peace, security and development merit a permanent seat on the Security Council. As we consider reform of the United Nations and as we celebrate 60 years of the United Nations, we believe that now is also the time to consider the issue of Taiwan and its 23 million people. Taiwan is a country where democracy thrives, where the rule of law prevails and where human rights are respected. Taiwan has also remained able and willing to make significant contributions to the collaborative efforts to secure global peace, security and prosperity. We also believe that, whatever the views are on the question of whether Taiwan is a domestic issue or not, there can be no justification for supporting threatening initiatives, such as the so called anti- secession law, which could have such far-reaching effects on regional and global stability. I am confident that, under your leadership, Sir, we will work with unity of purpose and perhaps with less posturing to address the challenges before us.