Kiribati, 2011

I bring warm greetings from the

people of Kiribati, on whose behalf I address the

Assembly. I wish to join previous speakers in

congratulating you, Mr. President, on your election to

the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-

sixth session.

We gather here every year as world leaders to

represent our peoples and to discuss issues of concern

to the global community. At this session our theme is

the role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by

peaceful means, which is appropriate in its reminder to

us that peace and security are indeed crucial to the

continued harmonious existence of mankind on this

planet.

As a global community we constantly face many

challenges to our political, social and economic

stability. Natural and human-induced disasters have

caused much suffering in different regions of the

world. Countries and peoples are facing all kinds of

security threats from armed conflicts, terrorism, human

trafficking, economic recession, climate change and its

associated impacts. As a result, many communities

suffer daily from increasing poverty, hunger and

dislocation.

But how can all this be happening in a

supposedly rational world community under the

scrutiny of this global body? Is our existing

Organization in its current form equipped to deal with

these emerging issues, or is it time to review the

structure and effectiveness of our international

governance system?

The lack of progress on climate change

negotiations clearly demonstrates the wide divergence

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of positions on the issue. I believe that unless we can

approach any mediation with trust and commitment,

we will be caught in the vicious circle of starting with

our differences, in our obsession to protect what we

perceive to be our critical national interests.

I would like to thank the Secretary-General for

his comments based on his experience during his recent

visit to Kiribati. His views are those of an independent

observer who came, who saw and who believed. His

comments are a powerful endorsement of what we, the

most vulnerable countries, have been saying over the

years, and my hope is that this will communicate the

need for urgent action to all who possess a sense of

moral responsibility. Climate change will remain the

curse of our planet. Most nations perceive it to be a

future event, but for the very few it is already reaching

disastrous levels.

Some will argue that climate change does not fall

within the conventional definition of a security threat,

but that is simply because it may not be so for them at

this point in time. In Kiribati, many young people go to

sleep each night fearing what may happen to their

homes overnight, especially during very high tides.

The accelerated and continued erosion of our shoreline

is destroying settlements, and as I speak, some

communities are relocating on the island. I was glad

that the Secretary-General was able to understand and

feel for himself the sense of threat that our people and

those of similarly vulnerable countries experience on a

daily basis.

In the international climate-change forums there

is ongoing dialogue and negotiation in an attempt to

find amicable solutions to this threat. But there is an

ongoing disagreement on how to address this global

challenge. The question is: how much longer must we

continue to argue about this? When are we going to do

something about it? Our people and our children,

whose lives and future are under serious threat, look to

us for leadership. The urgency of the need for action

cannot be overemphasized.

At Cancún, it was my understanding that there

was agreement on the need for an urgent package to

address the situation of the most vulnerable countries,

which are now being seriously affected by the adverse

impacts of climate change. Next year, we will gather

again as world leaders to take stock of what we have

done since the Rio Summit in 1992. It is my fervent

hope that, in the light of current scientific evidence and

based on the experiences of the most vulnerable

countries, we as a global community will embark on

bold and innovative initiatives to address the climate

change challenge. I acknowledge with gratitude the

adoption of resolutions 63/281 and 65/159 on the

possible security implications of climate change and

the protection of our global climate for present and

future generations. And I thank those who saw and

supported the need to classify climate change as a

security issue.

In December, there will be another United

Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban. I

acknowledge that climate change negotiations will take

several years to conclude, but I also believe that there

is common ground on which there is no real debate.

The urgent need for the flow of adaptation funds to

address the more urgent adaptation needs of the most

vulnerable countries is a matter on which I believe

there is general consensus. But what is the point in

consensus if no concrete action follows? Kiribati was

one of the countries that did not sign the Copenhagen

Accord because of what we saw as its serious

shortcomings, but we were subsequently persuaded to

associate ourselves with it on the premise that doing so

would trigger the flow of much-needed adaptation

funds that had been pledged. Today, we continue to

await those funds.

We all want to achieve sustainable development.

We are grateful to those who have continued to assist

and partner with us on this journey, but our efforts at

achieving sustainable growth will continue to be

frustrated by external factors. Ongoing uncertainty in

the global economic climate and rising food and fuel

prices remain major challenges to our sustainable

development efforts. On top of all that, our increasing

preoccupation with the impacts of climate change will

progressively dominate our national agenda.

It is no surprise, therefore, that we continue to be

off track in the achievement of most of the Millennium

Development Goals and the implementation of our

sustainable development agenda under our national

development plan. Every step we take forward we are

knocked back two or three due to the many challenges

we face. It is therefore imperative that climate change

adaptation funds be mobilized at the earliest

opportunity. Otherwise, we will be forced to divert

development resources towards the most urgent

adaptation needs. Therefore, as we move towards

Durban, it is our hope that the Green Climate Fund can

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be operationalized as soon as possible to allow the

most vulnerable countries to attend to their adaptation

needs from new resources.

In the same vein, we believe that all nations and

peoples — including Taiwan — that play a role in

international affairs, including contributing to climate

change, should also be part of the solution. During

these difficult times, and facing challenges to our

existing world order, we can ill afford to isolate any

nation that has the capacity to assist in our struggles.

I believe that, as a global community, we must be

united in our efforts to address any security threat to

international peace and security, be it within States or

between States. We need to forge consensus in our

collective action to promote and maintain our

collective security. Let us work together as a global

community to address the many conflicts and disputes

that are posing serious security challenges to our well-

being, before they consume and condemn our

civilization to oblivion.

In closing, I share our traditional blessing of

health, peace and prosperity.