Marshall Islands, 1997

I wish to take this

opportunity, on behalf of the Government of the Republic

of the Marshall Islands, to congratulate Mr. Hennadiy

Udovenko on his election and to commend the President of

the fifty-first session of the General Assembly for a job

well done.

My delegation has stressed the importance of

sustainable development ever since we first became a

Member of the United Nations. Our convictions and our

support were most recently reiterated by His Excellency

The Honourable Imata Kabua, President of the Republic

of the Marshall Islands, at the special session of the

General Assembly to review Agenda 21. It is, and will

remain, the cornerstone of the Government’s policy, but

I must recall the sentiments that we have often voiced:

sustainable development is not the easiest path to travel

for a small country like the Marshall Islands. There are

numerous obstacles which we must face and which are

impeding our progress. Please let me try to put this into

better perspective.

Population growth in the Marshall Islands and in

many parts of the Pacific is of great concern to our

Governments. It has been as high as 4.2 per cent but now

appears to be slowing down to 3.5 per cent. This is

nevertheless far too high a figure for our small country to

sustain. With rather limited resource bases to begin with,

it is difficult to imagine what job opportunities will have

to be created for new generations. We are already facing

problems with layoffs in the public sector. Granted, it was

much too large. It was at one point almost 60 per cent of

the work force but is now down to 43 per cent. This is

still a very high number, and we are looking into all sorts

of methods of increasing private sector investment to

increase private sector employment.

But population growth also has a negative impact on

our local environment. There is a growing trend of

migration to the two main urban centres of the Marshall

Islands — Majuro, the capital, and Ebeye, close to the

United States base at Kwajalein. These areas are

becoming increasingly crowded, and there is an urgent

need to find local solutions. There is a great need to

improve urban conditions, but at the same time we also

wish to reduce the rate at which the urban centre

population grows.

In a democracy like ours, it is difficult to try to

impose any restrictions; instead, we have tried to look

into incentives. One idea that has been tried is job

creation in the outer islands. We have long been aware of

the potential that the outer islands could have if there

were only more investment in sustainable development

projects.

Population growth is causing difficulties for the

country in many diverse fields, but Government and local

authority action is making some progress. Our youth and

church groups in particular are taking up this issue as a

main concern for the future. But this is only one of many

problem which we have to face.

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We have by no means given up on the struggle to

achieve sustainable development and the improvement of

living standards in the Marshall Islands. On the

Government side we are first of all looking at how existing

structures can be reformed and how better to utilize our

resources. We are interested in any innovations that could

help us. But it is increasingly clear that if we are to break

out of destructive cycles and move away from

unsustainable patterns, then we must all work together.

There will continue to be a need for external assistance to

the Republic of the Marshall Islands, but this can and must

be channelled in a more appropriate manner.

Last year we reported that the damage caused by

nuclear-weapons testing in the Marshall Islands was far

more extensive and devastating than previously understood.

We now know that many more islands and groups of

people were affected. The testing programme in the

Marshall Islands helped the international community

understand the effects of nuclear weapons on people and

the environment. This knowledge was a contributing factor

to the prevention of nuclear war during the cold-war era. In

the Marshall Islands, we believe that we played a

significant role in bringing about the end of the cold war.

We share the commitment of the United Nations to world

peace, security and disarmament.

There is little question that the nuclear-testing

programme in the Marshall Islands was the defining

experience of the Marshallese people in this century. The

67 nuclear-weapon tests conducted in our country and the

tests conducted on our neighbouring Pacific islands

contaminated every inch of our environment and exposed

each one of our citizens to radiation. As a result, my

Government is desperately seeking resources to address the

direct medical and environmental consequences of radiation

exposure, since we do not have sufficient funds. We are

also struggling to deal with the indirect problems of the

displacement of, and the lack of adequate medical care for,

the affected population. It places an additional burden on

our already constrained medical care resources.

We cannot solve these problems on our own, and we

feel obliged to appeal to the international community. We

certainly appreciate all efforts to address our problems

made by our former administering authority, and we are

encouraged by recent indications that the United States is

willing to address outstanding concerns. Yet present efforts

to address lingering consequences are inadequate.

Marshallese people have the basic human right, like all

people throughout the world, to a healthy and clean

environment. We are justified, therefore, in asking

assistance in restoring our lands and returning our

displaced populations to a safe environment.

In this regard the United Nations has an important

role to play. We are encouraged that the International

Atomic Energy Agency is in the process of conducting a

survey in the northern areas of the Marshall Islands. But

another body, the United Nations Scientific Committee on

the Effects of Atomic Radiation, could in our view have

a much greater role. We have noted the terms of

reference of that Scientific Committee, and we see no

reason why it cannot undertake studies that could in the

future assist those populations that are suffering from the

effects of atomic radiation. In our view it must go beyond

a simple academic understanding and have a role that

would allow more interaction with affected countries. I

was also a little puzzled by the brevity of the Scientific

Committee’s last report — only one page. We would like

to request that the Committee expand its scope of work,

to see how it could look into areas, like the Marshall

Islands, affected by nuclear tests. We would be willing to

assist the Scientific Committee in obtaining, for its

consideration, documents and declassified information

pertaining to nuclear testing and its effects on people. My

delegation intends to review this issue in the Fourth

Committee.

My country, all low-lying atolls, with no mountains,

is also facing a most serious threat of sea level rise.

While we are here discussing this issue, the effects of

erosion, storms and tide surges are already being felt in

the Marshall Islands. We are of the firm opinion that the

scientists working with the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) have by now made such a

convincing argument about this troubling issue. This

consensus has been reflected in the acceptance by all

Governments concerned of the Second Assessment Report

of the IPCC. As a result of this acceptance of the

scientific proof, we would have expected, at the very

least, that the developed countries would agree to

undertake so-called no-regrets measures. Such measures

seek to improve efficiency and reduce waste, and to

develop alternative sources of energy. My Government

fully supports such initiatives, as they seem to us to be a

perfectly sensible way to begin addressing climate change.

But we are finding that there is resistance even to such a

modest idea aimed at trying to halt this irresponsible

waste of natural resources and fossil fuels. I have been

hearing reports that in the negotiating process there are

still those countries that seek to undermine the process

itself for their own short-term gains. I can only say that

my Government is saddened by these countries’ attitude.

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For this reason, a Pacific regional expert group has warned

that we may have to look at our migration options, rather

than adaptation options. Are we willing to see the

disappearance of whole countries for the sake of short-term

economic gain?

A recent newspaper ad campaign here in the United

States has further attempted to add confusion and doubt in

regard to the scientific evidence, and is also spreading

alarmist doomsday scenarios for the economies of the

developed countries. This is simply a misrepresentation of

what is being discussed and of what has been proposed, as

well as what is likely to be the result if we do not act now.

I was further amazed at seeing television ads stating similar

misleading information. The question that appears to be

raised is that the developed countries will pay a heavy

financial price for ineffective measures. The suggestion here

is that climate change is a preposterous plot by developing

countries to dominate the industrialized economies. But

climate change would be costly to us all. The destruction of

small island developing States and other low-lying areas

will only be the first marker as the flood gates open for

full-blown climate change. There should be no

misconception that there is any other option except action

to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I wish to

state our position, supported by scientists, economists and

concerned people, that inaction will result in a disaster for

mankind. What we need as the first step are significant,

legally binding cuts in the greenhouse gas emissions of the

industrialized world.

Please allow me to state our gratitude to and full

support for the Secretary-General in his efforts and

proposals to reform the United Nations. His report has been

studied by our officials, and we have concluded that we

must give the Secretary-General our full backing on his

vision for a reformed United Nations. I have some

experience with the difficulties of bringing reform to an

unwilling system, and we understand fully what he is going

through. But reform is crucial if we are to have a forward-

looking and effective United Nations, a United Nations that

can assist us developing countries in our search for

sustainable development. All the national efforts of

countries like the Marshall Islands require an international

support structure that is conducive to sustainable

development goals. The United Nations has a crucial and

vital role, and we must maintain its leadership and

coordination function.

Reform of the United Nations requires that the

Member States recommit themselves to their treaty

obligations to negotiate in good faith and find the mutually

beneficial steps that we need to take. I wish to reiterate

the support which my Government has given to the

proposals that have come out of the Committee on

Contributions as a good starting point for financial

reform. Let us take these modest first steps, and then in

the next phase we can finish the reform.

Reform will also have to involve the expansion of

the Security Council. We have stated our support for

various proposals in past general debates, and we have

been involved in the working groups. Last week the

Prime Minister of Fiji reiterated their proposal to give

more prominence to the Pacific as a subregion of the

Asian Group. This is an idea that we wholeheartedly

embrace. It has captured a very important facet of the

reasons why we need to have expansion — that is, to

facilitate the participation of all countries in the Security

Council. Our countries would feel much more

comfortable with the decisions of the Security Council if

we had a better opportunity to be a member. There is also

a need to review the use and extent of the veto power,

and whether there should in fact be any new permanent

members of the Security Council. It may well be that a

more equitable rotation structure would suffice.

These are some of the most pressing issues before

this session of the General Assembly. The connection

between what occurs in the international community and

the impact the results have on individual countries should

be made clearer. The sustainable development process

that we wish to work towards requires a great effort on

the part of the Marshall Islands Government and

citizenry.

Similarly, the international community as a whole

must be involved in charting a more democratic and

cooperative future in this singular world organization. We

feel that we deserve the support of the international

community for our own efforts, and we pledge to work

constructively with the United Nations system and donor

community.