Marshall Islands, 2000

I would like first

of all to congratulate the President, on his assumption

of the office of President of the fifty-fifth session of the

United Nations General Assembly. I wish him every

success in this difficult and inspiring task. I would also

like to express my sincere appreciation to his

predecessor, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, for his exceptional

leadership during the fifty-fourth session.

Allow me to include in this tribute the SecretaryGeneral for his efforts and crucial role in maintaining

and promoting the role of this Organization, and for his

inspiration in strengthening its effectiveness and

credibility with respect to peace, security, justice and

development in the world.

I wish to add a few comments to the statement

made earlier by the representative of the Federated

States of Micronesia on behalf of the Pacific Islands

Forum countries.

Let us pause for a moment to recognize the

contribution of the founding fathers and framers of the

United Nations and its Charter. They produced a

document which, in large measure, has contributed to

an ever-increasing consciousness of the prerequisites

necessary for world peace. Today we should celebrate

the existence of the United Nations and its

accomplishments, both of which offer us the

opportunity to reflect on how collectively we can better

chart our path and articulate our goals more clearly for

the next millennium. President Kessai Note's address

to the Millennium Summit reaffirmed the adherence

and commitment of the Republic of the Marshall

Islands to the principles enshrined in the Charter for

the collective good of all people.

I take great pleasure in reiterating the Marshall

Islands' warm welcome to the Government and peoples

of Tuvalu, as the 189th Member of this Organization.

Indeed, the admission of new Member States adds to

the legitimacy of the United Nations.

On the other hand, the denial of membership in

this Organization to the 23 million people of the

Republic of China on Taiwan, who have made a

significant and meaningful contribution to international

development, is contrary not only to the true spirit of

the United Nations Charter, but also to its principle of

universality and to the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights. We must strengthen the vital role of the

Organization in achieving the goals of conflict

prevention, maintenance of peace, regional stability,

promotion of fundamental human rights and

development of democracy and international progress,

and in fulfilling the aspirations of peoples to selfdetermination and engagement, because the United

Nations is the only Organization that can bring that

shining light to those 23 million people. Furthermore,

the United Nations is the only forum for Member

States to build mutual trust and to resolve issues

through peaceful dialogue. The guiding principles of

democracy, respect for human rights and the right of

peoples to self-determination must, in conformity with

the principles of justice and international law, continue

to underpin our collective aspirations. This will require

our concerted action in this new millennium.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands applauds

and commends the unprecedented efforts made by the

leaders of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea

and the Republic of Korea, who have engaged in a

dialogue that may help chart a course towards lasting

peace in that peninsula. I wish to state also that the

Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands

encourages the leaders of Israel and Palestine to seize

the historic opportunity that is within reach to

peacefully conclude a framework agreement towards

lasting peace in the Middle East. I wish to commend

the efforts of the United States of America in this

regard.

The immutable law of change makes it necessary

for the United Nations to continue to critically examine

its performance and structures in search of practical

and timely solutions. This it must certainly do, because

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the current political landscape is vastly different from

the one that prevailed 50 years ago. It is characterized

by a more than threefold increase in the number of

nations with membership in the United Nations, and by

a heightened spirit of generosity and desire on the part

of civil society and corporations to become more active

players in the process of change. It is imperative,

therefore, that those elements and structures which are

antiquated, those which have ceased to promote the

welfare of nations and those which no longer minister

to the needs of a continually changing humanity be

swept away and relegated to the pages of history.

A more comprehensive review and restructuring

of the Security Council, in line with the spirit of

achieving a broader base for decision-making through

consensus and confidence-building, is clearly long

overdue. Other critical issues in the reform process

deserve further examination, with a view to restoring

that body's dignity and legitimacy and strengthening

the confidence and trust of the international

community. Enlarging both the permanent and nonpermanent categories while ensuring an equitable

geographical distribution seems to be the way forward.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands remains

committed to supporting the efforts by the SecretaryGeneral and others to reform and streamline the

mandates and activities of the United Nations and its

other organizations and agencies. While the

peacekeeping and general fund scales seem to be

outdated, the process of reform must take seriously into

account the limited responsibility and capacity of small

island developing States such as the Marshall Islands to

sustain their obligation in both categories. Also, now

that this Organization stands at 189 Member States, 14

of them from the Pacific Region, the reconfiguration of

our electoral grouping should be an additional matter to

be placed on the table. It may be a complex one, but

through our collective inspiration it can be an

achievable goal, to be considered without further delay.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is keen to

further develop its ongoing active role and cooperation

with the United Nations specialized agencies and

programmes. In the view of the Marshall Islands, those

bodies' efforts to make their operational activities more

effective and responsive to the special needs of small

island developing States will undoubtedly play a key

role in the new millennium. The expansion of the

Resident Coordinator programme — which brings it

closer to home, where it belongs — is a case in point.

While the human rights achievements recorded in

the 50 years since the proclamation of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights must be acknowledged,

there is a sense that much remains to be done before

the world can truly claim that the Declaration has

become a common standard of achievement. The

Millennium Summit is a significant acknowledgement

of the need for all States to work together, in a spirit of

unity and cooperation, to ensure that the fruits of

global development are shared and made more

equitable and just for the benefit of humanity at large.

Within the mandate of its Charter to promote

economic and social progress, peace and security, and

sustainable development and prosperity, the United

Nations is the only fully representative Organization

capable of harmonizing our collective aspirations for a

peaceful, stable and prosperous global village. The

Republic of the Marshall Islands endorses SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan's report, “We the peoples: the role

of the United Nations in the twenty-first century”.

At the turn of the century, achievements have

been realized, and this trend should be encouraged. Yet

we are living under many threats. Acts of terrorism do

not recognize national boundaries, and infectious

diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis

are poised to spread quickly throughout the world. Our

decisive and collective response is therefore more than

ever required. In many developing countries, poverty

and the deprivation of basic human rights, especially as

concerns women and children, seem directly linked to,

and escalate, crime.

We must also strive to eliminate weapons of mass

destruction, especially nuclear weapons. The

universality of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a major concern.

Trafficking in drugs and small arms represents a

considerable challenge and a major threat for small

islands such as the Republic of the Marshall Islands,

because of its geographic isolation and the fact that it

lacks the required resources and capability to combat

these phenomena. Our collective effort towards the

creation of an effective global response to address all

of these threats is urgently required.

We realize that global environmental degradation

is of our own creation. The issue of global warming is

a real threat to all, particularly to the Marshall Islands

and to all small island developing States. There is no

39

doubt that the survival of populations and cultures is at

stake.

The Marshall Islands has already lost metres of

usable and habitable land due to climate change and

sea-level rise, and the rate of loss is increasing. This is

a matter of life and death. Implementing the legally

binding commitments agreed in the Kyoto Protocol is

the only significant step forward on the path of

ensuring effective global action to combat climate

change. There will be a terrible tragedy unless there is

international cooperation. How will displaced

populations — whatever the reasons for their being

displaced — be able to enjoy and sustain their basic

human rights for generations to come? Will their

cultures and livelihoods be able to survive for the

benefit of future generations?

Education and health are of paramount

importance to every country in the world. Education is

the key to the progress of any nation. We must

collectively strive to ensure that an educated

population makes up a healthy and prosperous society.

I am pleased to report that the Government of the

Republic of the Marshall Islands has taken some bold

steps, by allocating the greatest amount of its limited

resources towards the improvement of its education

and health systems. I take this opportunity to appeal for

the interest and support of the international community

in joining us in this endeavour. I am particularly

pleased to convey the deep appreciation of the

Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to

the Government of Italy for its generous support for

our efforts to implement the Barbados Programme of

Action. The first phase of the Marshall Islands solar

energy project would not have been implemented

without its support, through the United Nations Trust

Fund for New and Renewable Sources of Energy. The

interest in and support of the international community

for the implementation of the other phases of the

project would be highly appreciated.

The Marshall Islands National Nutrition and

Children's Council has been very active since its

inception. In addition to establishing task forces on

food and nutrition, suicide prevention, substance abuse,

neglect and disability, it made another significant

contribution with the agriculture, food and nutrition

policy, as the Marshall Islands strives to meet its

obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the

Child. Existing policies specifically aimed at the rights

of the child are under review as we consider making

the Convention a part of the Republic of the Marshall

Islands legal system. A representative Commission on

Sustainable Development has been established with the

mandate of ensuring that the Barbados Programme of

Action is implemented in all its aspects. Other

legislation to curb illegal financial transactions will

soon be introduced in the Parliament's current session.

These are some of the efforts being made by the

Republic of the Marshall Islands as it strives to meet its

treaty obligations and enhance the life of every citizen

of the country. We cannot do it alone, and we appeal

once again to the international community for support.

Let us have a United Nations that will meet the

challenges of the twenty-first century.