Palau, 1999

Let me first congratulate

you, Sir, on your unanimous election as President of the

General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. We likewise

extend our appreciation to Mr. Didier Opertti, the

President of the Assembly at its fifty-third session. We

wish also to convey our appreciation and thanks to His

Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan for his leadership in

promoting the objectives and the mission of the United

Nations.

I wish to convey the warm greetings of President

Kuniwo Nakamura, the entire leadership and the people

of the Republic of Palau to the Assembly on the occasion

of the fifty-fourth session. On behalf of the Government

and the people of Palau, I extend our sincere appreciation

to the members of this body for their assistance.

Since attaining membership of the United Nations in

1994, the Republic of Palau has benefitted greatly from

a variety of United Nations-sponsored programmes and

from international cooperation, which have helped us play

our role in promoting peace and democracy in our region.

This year, on 1 October, we proudly celebrate the fifth

anniversary of our independence, which came about as a

result of a unique and very successful political treaty with

the United States of America under the Compact of Free

Association. Diplomatic relations and economic

cooperation with a growing number of members of this

body assure stability and promise great economic

potential for the future.

Before I proceed, let me take this rare opportunity to

welcome three of our regional neighbours — the Republic

of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of

Tonga — and to congratulate them on joining this

important Organization.

Palau also expresses its appreciation and support for

the efforts of the Security Council in promoting peace,

security and the protection of human rights and democracy

throughout the world, and especially in troubled areas in

need of United Nations intervention.

Today we have less than 100 days left before entering

the new millennium — 97 days to be exact. There are

indeed many global issues and problems that certainly

deserve our attention. The existence of the Earth in the next

millennium may, however, be in great jeopardy if the

environment and nature's forces can no longer support the

human population. Global warming or climate change may

merit the upmost attention and our concerted effort. I call

upon every Member State, large and small, developed and

developing, rich and poor, to work cooperatively to find

meaningful solutions and preventive actions for this

growing international problem and challenge. I am

confident that through sharing information on climate

change we can learn from one another and take the

necessary steps to meet this very dangerous global problem.

Let me share a Palauan proverb with the Assembly,

one that foreshadows climate change. In Palau the winds

are mainly from the east or from the west. When there are

easterly winds, the sky is not so telling before the rain. As

the rain commences, one may think it is just a light shower.

However, it actually comes in a downpour. In the old days

our raincoat was simply several leaves sewn together and

put over our heads. So we would get soaked through and

through during this downpour. The message is: do not

underestimate the easterly winds, or you will get deluged

with water.

That is our message from yesterday, and it is our

message today: do not take climate change lightly, or there

will be dire consequences. Climate change for small island

nations such as the Republic of Palau has great

consequences because of our fragile ecosystem. To expand

on just a few examples, the El Niño phenomenon, which

impacted many communities throughout the globe, had far-

reaching and devastating effects in Palau as well. At least

one third of all our hard coral communities died. Our reefs

are home to over 500 species of corals and 1,500 species of

fish, and are vibrant with marine life. The loss of our coral

communities effects our entire ecosystem and eventually

our people and their economic livelihoods. The El Niño

phenomenon also caused extreme drought that dried up

our main water reservoir and destroyed over 1,400

patches of our most important root crop, taro, which of

course added another burden to our daily lives.

Palau and our Pacific region are also suffering from

unusually high rises in tide tables, causing our farmlands

to be infiltrated with salt water that eventually will have

dire effects on our crops. This high sea level rise has

literally caused islands to disappear, and others are in

imminent danger of disappearing. Abnormally warm

ocean temperatures have also caused extensive coral

bleaching, and rising atmospheric temperatures devastate

agriculture. According to the 1999-2000 World

Development Report, a 1 metre sea level rise due to

climate change would force about 70 million people to

move, and would have a dramatic effect on food security

in central Asia and the Pacific. Many other examples

exist, I am sure.

These few examples, and examples in other

countries, beg for global cooperation on climate change.

The Republic of Palau recognizes the link between

climate change and biodiversity, and is committed to

preserving our biodiversity. Protecting our forests is one

of the most effective mechanisms to slow climate change.

Forests, as we know, are carbon sinks, which absorb

carbon dioxide rather than releasing it as a harmful

greenhouse gas. Because of this, the destruction of forest

has a dramatic impact on climate change. The Republic

of Palau has taken responsibility for its forests through

the National Forest Act and Mangrove Management Plan.

Progress is being made on national regulations requiring

protective vegetative zones along our wetland and coastal

areas. The Republic of Palau sponsors a summer tree

planting programme for our children in order to teach our

youth the importance of our natural resources. We are

taking steps necessary to ensure that our forests and reefs

are available for future generations.

The Republic of Palau has incorporated the grave

issues of climate change and rises in sea level into long-

term strategic planning. Instruments for accession to the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change and the Kyoto Protocol are in transmission, and

we humbly request international assistance to develop a

comprehensive vulnerability index that encompasses

economic and environmental factors like climate change.

We enthusiastically support efforts to adjust energy

prices to accurately reflect the environmental

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consequences of fossil fuel use. Alongside climate change,

energy conservation is critical to Palau's economy and the

environment. We have established a national policy, the

National Energy Goal, to subsidize renewable energy

programmes, and have audited all Government facilities for

energy efficiency. At our national hospital we replaced

standard incandescent lights with energy efficient compact

fluorescent lamps. Solar panels provide lights for our outer

islands and isolated villages. Solar beacons light our reef

channels. Our national energy programme and public utility

corporation are in partnership with the Million Solar

Rooftops initiative to educate the public about renewable

energy applications. Let us start off the new century with

a dynamic move away from fossil fuels and towards a

commitment to environment friendly energy alternatives.

Entering into relevant agreements and conventions

which target international response to environmental issues

is another responsibility that our Republic has to its people

and this world community. It is one that we are fulfilling as

time goes on, being a signatory and party to eight

international agreements, including the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Republic of Palau views climate change as being

in the forefront of issues that need to be addressed, and that

can only be effectively addressed if all Member States

meaningfully contribute on the basis of common but

differentiated responsibilities. The use of the Kyoto

mechanisms is an integral component of a global solution

to the issue of climate change. Therefore, it is critical that

no artificial restrictions be placed on the use of these

mechanisms. If we can all come to terms with the intent of

the Kyoto mechanisms and develop a fair and realistic

approach to their use, there will be no sufficient reason why

we cannot enter the new millennium with positive remedies

to the issue of climate change. Maybe we can even enter

the new millennium with a breath of fresh air.

As we travel towards the new millennium, let us move

forward with the tools that we have developed as an

international family, so that the benefits, although they may

go unseen in our generation, may be fully appreciated by

our children and their children. These initiatives shall be

our imprint, our assurance of a healthier environment for

generations to come.