On behalf of President
James Michel of Seychelles, leader of one of the
smallest nations of this Assembly, I congratulate you,
Sir, on your election as President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.
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With a population of just over 85,000, we are
painfully aware of our vulnerability as a nation at the
mercy of the ebb and flow of global tides. Our
vulnerability is all the more acute in this age marked
by economic and other crises and the increasingly
destructive effects of climate change. However,
precisely because of that, our citizens are aware of our
responsibility as a nation within the community of
nations. We are aware that the solutions to our
problems do not lie solely within our borders. As
an assembly of nations, we must take into account
more than ever the responsibility that we have and that
we share. That is our responsibility to our peoples and
to humanity as a whole.
The international community has not shirked that
responsibility in the face of the world financial crisis,
for example, as every nation has had to react in one
way or another. In Seychelles, our inherent
vulnerabilities and economic imbalances, which had
accumulated over time, meant that we had to act earlier
than many other States to face up to the crisis. We
entered into a Standby Arrangement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and are also
discussing debt rescheduling through the Paris Club.
The process has been difficult for every
Seychellois, but we are seeing the results, and our
nation is emerging stronger and more resilient. We still
have a long way to go, but we, and our multilateral and
bilateral partners, have all been surprised at how
quickly we have emerged and managed to improve our
economic situation. The process has also marked a
milestone in the relationship between multilateral
financial institutions and a small island developing
State. It has proved to us that, although the voices of
the smaller States are often drowned in the tumult of
the international arena, the instruments of the global
economy can be adapted to meet the needs of a smaller
partner.
Our specificities and vulnerabilities have been
recognized throughout the discussions with our
multilateral and bilateral partners. Seychelles would
like to salute the role played by the IMF, the World
Bank and the African Development Bank in that
process. We would also like to express our appreciation
to our bilateral partners and other organizations that
have supported us in one way or another in facing up to
the crisis. It is an example of a responsibility shared.
Through shared responsibility, a crisis can be
contained. Through shared responsibility, what
appeared to be impossible has become achievable.
It is our duty in this Assembly to use the principle
of shared responsibility in solving our global problems,
especially in offering solidarity and assistance to those
States in need of outside support. We have all heard
how the unrest in Somalia has spilled beyond its
borders to manifest itself as piracy on the high seas.
Seychelles is one of the States directly affected and
heavily impacted by that scourge, as pirates prey on
shipping and lay siege to the yachting, tourism and
fishing industries of the Western Indian Ocean.
The long-term effects are much broader: as
insurance premiums for shipping increase, the cost of
transporting essential goods rises correspondingly.
Also, we have often seen that economic desperation,
coupled with long-term political instability, can lead to
a breeding ground for terrorism.
Seychelles is pleased to note the increasing
engagement of many States in the fight against piracy
in the Indian Ocean. We share the responsibility to
ensure peace and stability in the region; as always, this
is the prerequisite for progress. We must take action in
three areas to effectively tackle the piracy situation.
The root cause of the problem lies within Somalia. The
long-term solution lies in establishing peace, stability,
progress and the rule of law within Somalia. Through
enhanced coordination and the sharing of information,
we must ensure that piracy is not economically viable.
We must share information to ensure that, by keeping
vessels beyond their reach, we are always ahead of the
pirates.
We must ensure that there is enough deterrence in
terms of military assets in the region. Seychelles alone
has an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million square
kilometres to patrol and protect, which we would not
be able to do effectively without the help of friendly
countries.
Nowhere is our shared responsibility more
needed than in protecting and nurturing our shared
environment. For the small island developing States
(SIDS), the preservation of our environment is about
our safety, our security, our economy and, ultimately,
our survival. Thus, the battle against climate change is
for a battle for our survival. Small island States and
other particularly vulnerable nations, such as the least
developed countries, cannot look at that issue in any
other way.
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The fight against climate change is a fight based
on our undeniable human right to exist not only as
nation States, but as peoples and communities. For
example, the Arctic peoples and other indigenous
peoples are also suffering from climate change first
hand. Their voices, just like those of us in the SIDS
and other particularly vulnerable States, need to be
heard by the world’ s leaders.
Nothing is more critical to our survival as States,
as nations, as peoples and as communities than an
urgent, coherent and effective response to the effects of
climate change. But the response thus far has been
sorely lacking. Weeks before Copenhagen, we are still
unsure as to what type of an agreement we will get
there. Furthermore, there are indications that if an
agreement is made, it will not suffice to save many
island States.
As the last small island developing State to speak
in this general debate, Seychelles therefore feels it has
a duty to remind the international community that in
the coming weeks before Copenhagen, the Alliance of
Small Island States will continue to steadfastly call for
that which is necessary to our survival. That includes
stabilizing long-term atmospheric greenhouse gas
concentrations at well below 350 parts per million;
ensuring that average global surface temperature
increases be limited to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius
above pre-industrial levels; and requiring global
greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2015 and decline
significantly thereafter. Furthermore, greenhouse gas
emissions should be reduced by more than 85 per cent
by 2050. Annex 1 greenhouse gas emissions should be
reduced by at least 45 per cent by 2020 and by 2050, at
least 95 per cent of 1990 carbon dioxide levels should
be reduced. Non-Annex 1 emissions should also
demonstrate significant deviations from baseline over
comparable time periods.
Before concluding, Seychelles must salute the
United Nations for the body of work it has contributed
to advancing our understanding of how climate change
is damaging our planet. Seychelles also thanks
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his leadership in
ensuring that climate change, and especially the plight
of the particularly vulnerable such as the small island
developing States, get the attention they deserve.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
has shown us that climate change is a disaster very
much in the making. It is a disaster which, unlike
previous global disasters, is not occurring in one
sudden instant, but rather is gaining in pace and
destructive power over time. It is also a disaster which
is man-made, which is to say that it is our fault. As
such, it is a disaster that we have a duty and a
responsibility to prevent and that we can prevent.
We cannot afford to leave any nation behind in
Copenhagen, no matter how poor, how weak or how
small. Once again, this is our shared responsibility that
we must assume.