Federated States of Micronesia, 2002

I would like to take this

opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your

election. My Government hails the selection of a leader

with such esteemed qualifications, and we are

confident you will lead the work of this body in the

same distinguished manner as that of your predecessor,

His Excellency Mr. Han Seung-soo of the Republic of

Korea.

The tragic events just over one year ago in this

great city and elsewhere in the United States have

transformed the nature of life throughout the world,

reaching the farthest corners of the planet. My country,

far removed from the devastation of that fateful day in

September 2001, reaffirms its full support for the

efforts to bring those responsible to justice. More

broadly, we extend our unwavering support for all

measures necessary to combat terrorism and one day,

we hope, to eliminate it.

We in the Federated States of Micronesia are

doing our part to work towards a more effective global

antiterrorism network by putting in place measures to

interdict the movement of terrorists and their funds

through our region. We look forward to the work

planned in that regard for this session of the General

Assembly.

The meetings of the Pacific Islands Forum this

year were dominated by security considerations in the

wake of those events. We note with full support the

Nasonini Declaration, which enhances existing regional

security measures. Likewise, speaking as Chairman of

the Standing Committee of the Pacific Islands

Conference of Leaders, I am confident in saying that

every island leader is personally committed to seeing

that our region serves no useful purpose for the dark

forces of terrorism.

The realm of international security has seen

fundamental and beneficial change in the past year.

Sadly, the same is not true for most other primary

issues on our agenda, notably the elimination of

poverty and stemming the tide of environmental

degradation.

On those issues, as a developing country, we

share the concerns and positions of other developing

countries. We have all made powerful statements and

set lofty goals through the Rio Declaration 10 years

ago, the Millennium Declaration two years ago and,

most recently, the Monterrey Consensus and the

Johannesburg Declaration. Of special interest to my

delegation, I would note that the same holds for the

Declaration of Barbados on the Sustainable

Development of Small Island Developing States. Yet it

is true that progress has been slow in addressing the

needs of the world's poor. Likewise, 10 years after the

Rio Summit, the quality of our environment and its

ability to sustain future generations still diminishes

daily.

At the World Summit on Sustainable

Development, held in Johannesburg, the Federated

States of Micronesia joined the other Pacific Island

countries in proposing a number of umbrella initiatives

that provide a framework for partnerships with

developed countries to assist us in implementing

sustainable development. Those initiatives reflect our

common concerns but recognize the uniqueness of each

of our island nations. We hope that those practical

proposals will help to turn decades of pronouncements

into action. We are encouraged that some of our Pacific

neighbours, such as New Zealand and Australia, have

already come forward with specific partnership

proposals, and we look forward to the support of the

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United Nations system as well. Such developments

convince us that Johannesburg will be remembered as a

landmark on our long journey.

We appreciate the international community's

decision to hold the next Barbados review conference

in 2004, and we look forward to adopting concrete

goals and timetables at the international level by that

time.

Development and the environment are inexorably

linked. That truth has been reaffirmed in each of these

Declarations. We all know that there cannot be

sustainable development without environmental

protection, and there cannot be environmental

protection without sustainable development. Nor can

the world hope to support 6 billion people at the level

of consumption we now see in the developed world.

The future will require sacrifice: sacrifice on the part

of the North, to adopt more sustainable living practices,

and by the South, which must recognize that the past

development paths followed by the North unfortunately

do not lead to a sustainable future.

It is this body, above all others, that will grapple

with those painful realities. We must realize that they

present issues even more complex than some of our

more familiar geopolitical concerns.

Among other things, new attention must be given

to the reform of the United Nations, because we must

address more than just structural adjustments in the

representational format of our body. This reform must

take due account that the entire world is reassessing

our accustomed ways of living. Still, there must be a

start. First and foremost, we call on all nations to give

fresh consideration to reform of the Security Council to

better reflect today's realities. In that regard, we

reiterate our support for permanent seats for Japan and

Germany and for a system that ensures more equitable

representation by developing countries.

The Federated States of Micronesia is engaged on

all issues before this body that affect us. But, given our

unique circumstances, we have no choice but to place

top priority on protection of the oceans and the climate.

Global ocean policy has been a bright spot in recent

years, particularly as it relates to the Pacific. Pacific

island Governments recently concluded work on a

regional ocean policy, and they have developed a

number of positive new initiatives on fisheries and

other related matters. Yet those positive

accomplishments in ocean policy are threatened by

continued violation of our sovereignty in the form of

illegal fishing and trans-shipment of hazardous

materials.

Only a few weeks ago, in defiance of

international obligations, several of the world's largest

industrial powers collaborated once again in yet

another extremely dangerous shipment of radioactive

material through our region. Without prior notice or

assurance of compensation for damage, this shipment

passed within 30 miles of the capital of the Federated

States of Micronesia. Our expressed objections to this

violation of our exclusive economic zone were flatly

ignored. Effective regulation of ocean-based trans-

shipment of these dangerous materials must find its

way into the priorities of this body.

Similarly, with regard to climate change, we

welcome the positive accomplishments in the

negotiating arena under the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change, most notably the

Kyoto Protocol. We applaud those nations that have

joined us in ratifying the Protocol, and we welcome

with anticipation its imminent entry into force. But the

sad reality is that 10 years have passed since the

Framework Convention became effective 10 more

years of damage to the earth's climate.

A handful of countries have succeeded in

continuing to stall progress in the reduction of global

greenhouse gas emissions. Again I ask these nations, as

I have on each occasion when I have appeared before

this body, to reconsider their policies and to recognize

the international implications of their inaction.

I call upon those nations to remember the wise

words of United States President Franklin D.

Roosevelt, who said that

`liberty does not permit an individual citizen or

group of citizens to commit acts of depredation

against nature in such a way as to harm their

neighbours, and especially to harm future

generations of Americans.'

Let us not lose sight of the fact that there is now

universal recognition of the reality of the problem of

climate change and its causes. In the light of that

recognition, it is not enough that most nations are

willing to take action. All must work together to

develop effective mitigation strategies to prevent

further damage, and to define and implement

adaptation measures for the most vulnerable.

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We have just over 100,000 citizens in the

Federated States of Micronesia. We have no natural

sources of fossil fuel. We have become far too

dependent on imports of fossil fuels during the past

half-century; even so, our contribution to global

emissions of greenhouse gases is negligible. Looking

to the future, we have committed to a reduction and

eventual elimination of fossil fuel for energy

production. But we must rely on Western technologies

if we are to move in the direction of renewable sources

of energy. Thus, we are disturbed by the policies of

developed countries that give little more than lip

service to development of renewable energy

technologies.

We are alarmed at the continuing refusal of some

nations even to begin to acknowledge the nature of the

climate problem, let alone to take progressive action to

fight it. Also distressing is the fact that, at the same

time, some of those nations are reducing their aid

presence in developing countries. Some feel that, just

when the need is greatest, the world community is

closing in upon itself, in a cocoon of self-interest.

It is inconceivable to us that global champions of

equity and democratic ideals nations whose

principles we seek to emulate could assume a

position on the most crucial social issues of our time

that succumbs to private interests. These private

interests, for obvious reasons, insist that, to the extent

any problem exists, it can be addressed in good time,

on a voluntary basis. My people find it very difficult to

reconcile such private influences with the principles

those nations promote.

This fifty-seventh session provides a genuine

opportunity for the world community as a whole to

take note of our recent conferences, to seize the

initiative and to set a course towards tangible progress

on the issues we all agree to be of common concern.

In conclusion, our deepest sympathies are

extended to the victims of war, terrorism, political

injustice, environmental degradation and economic

want throughout the world. We hope and pray that our

actions here might, in ways large and small, lead to a

better world for them and for us all.

The Federated States of Micronesia is a small

force within the community of nations. Nevertheless,

we pledge our full assistance and cooperation towards

the attainment of this goal. We take to heart the words

of British statesman Sir Francis Bacon, who once said:

`He makes the greatest mistake who decides to do

nothing because he can do so little.'