Solomon Islands, 2002

On

behalf of the Government and people of Solomon

Islands, I wish to congratulate the President on his

election to the presidency of the fifty-seventh session

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of the General Assembly. I am confident that, under his

experience and skilful leadership, we will reach

positive results for this Organization and for all

peoples of the world.

I also thank His Excellency Mr. Han Seung-Soo,

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic

of Korea, for his distinguished service in presiding

over the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

In the same manner, I thank His Excellency Mr.

Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, for his good and

untiring efforts and his dedication aimed at realizing

the principles and purposes of the United Nations.

Like others who have spoken before me, I also

wish to congratulate East Timor, our close Pacific

neighbour that is soon to be a member of the United

Nations, and Switzerland as a new member of the

United Nations. Solomon Islands looks forward to

developing further relationships with those two

countries through bilateral and multilateral means.

As we journey into this new millennium,

challenges facing the international community are more

daunting. Human ingenuity and technological advances

complicate those challenges. Acts of terrorism and

armed conflicts proliferate in many parts of the world.

Prospects for progressive economic and social services

and security, and improved living standards for the vast

majority of the world's population have become mere

unrealized dreams.

Nonetheless, as an international instrument for

the promotion and the betterment of human life, the

United Nations has considerable ability and experience

in pursuing what is best for the common good of all

peoples around the world, including guaranteeing

world peace and security through the Security Council.

Today I reaffirm the commitment of Solomon

Islands to the principles of the Charter. I also wish to

place on record the appreciation of Solomon Islands for

the worthy assistance from other United Nations organs

and agencies, including the Economic and Social

Council, the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO),

the World Health Organization (WHO), the United

Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) and the Commission on

Human Rights.

Solomon Islands also upholds its faith in the

Security Council and acknowledge its important role in

the maintenance and promotion of international peace

and security. At the same time, we recognize the

changing scene in the international political and

security environment. Those changes must be reflected

in our Organization as well. The reform of the Security

Council must continue, including a review on the

relevance of the provisions of veto power accorded to

permanent members. Moreover, Solomon Islands

supports the expansion of the permanent membership

of the Council to include Japan and Germany. Those

two countries have so much influence in the global

political and economic arena and therefore they are

better placed to contribute constructively and positively

to world peace and security.

For a small island nation like Solomon Islands,

the United Nations is the foremost institution to turn to

in time of trouble and need. My predecessor stated that

from this rostrum last year. At that time, he elaborated

on the circumstances of the conflict that had erupted in

Solomon Islands between November 1998 and October

2000.

Today, we are still struggling with the outcome of

that devastating conflict. We have lost much. We have

to do much more to reconstruct the destroyed fabric of

our country. That is the course my Government has

charted, in order to maintain our sovereignty with

dignity and to show integrity and respect as a Member

of the United Nations family.

The mandate to lead the country was clearly

given to me through the democratic process when

Solomon Islands held its post-conflict general election

on 5 December 2001. The polls returned a new

Parliament of 50 duly elected members, charged with a

clear working majority of 29 out of the 50 members.

The national coalition Government for peace, unity and

reconstruction assumed office and undertook the

challenging task of rebuilding Solomon Islands.

The foremost strategy that my Government has

adopted is to pursue four policy areas: first, the

restoration of peace and security; secondly, education;

thirdly, health and medial services; and, fourthly,

productive sectors.

We began this important work during the first 100

days of entering into office. We have since

consolidated our efforts, notwithstanding practical

difficulties that emanate from the lack of financial and

the absence of other relevant resources.

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Our second strategy is the formulation of a

national economic recovery plan. That plan focuses on

strengthening agriculture, fisheries, forestry, mining,

manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure development

sectors. Besides giving closer attention to the

promotion of health and education services, the plan

also addresses population growth and ensures

promotion of responsible environmental management.

I am happy to state that, at present, we are also

working on a sustainable development plan for our

country. An integrated financial package for this

strategy has been submitted to our development

partners. Thus far, the responses received, while

encouraging, still raise questions that require serious

and genuine consideration in view of our present

circumstances. It is here that we sincerely look to the

United Nations for assistance in facilitating closer

consultation and constructive engagement with the

World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the

Asian Development Bank.

The huge amount of debt that burdens poor

countries is real, and it continues to afflict most third-

world countries, including small States such as

Solomon Islands. This is a real challenge that my

people and country face as we make our best efforts

and endeavours to rebuild our nation and maintain our

independence and sovereignty with dignity, integrity

and respect during these difficult times and in the

future. On this important point, the United Nations

should consider supporting debt forgiveness for

countries that are debt-strapped. Solomon Islands can

be included in this category.

A few days ago, the people of the City of New

York, the United States of America and the rest of the

world paid moving tributes to the thousands of

innocent lives tragically lost through the cowardly and

senseless acts of terrorism committed on 11 September

2001. The heroic men and women who perished at that

sad time now deserve a special place in our hearts and

in the annals of history.

My Government is taking steps to accede to a

number of international conventions relating to

counter-terrorist activities. We have communicated

these important measures to the United Nations. We

seek the assistance of the United Nations and members

of the international community to enhance our efforts.

The increase in armed conflicts and the illegal

trade of small arms are directly linked. Armed conflicts

have increased in most parts of the world. They are

fuelled mainly by the availability of the illegal

manufacture, official sale or supply of small arms, and

this has resulted in the loss of innocent life. Over the

past 50 years, small weapons and landmines have

killed more people than weapons of mass destruction.

Small arms have also found their way into

Solomon Islands, and they have been used in the three-

year conflict which has adversely affected my

country's sociocultural cohesiveness and good

governance. In no uncertain manner, this has crippled

the economy. The continuing presence of small arms in

communities has posed a major threat to the peace,

security and stability of my nation. Any hope of

economic recovery is constantly threatened by

lawlessness. Notwithstanding this, the Government

remains committed, within its limited resources, to

retrieving arms and restoring confidence to our people

in the communities. However, we believe that the

international community, through the United Nations,

has a pivotal role to play in assisting the country to rid

itself of armed threats by taking more ambitious action

to curb the arms culture that is taking root in our

country.

Peace of mind and safety from danger are not

achieved by the mere absence of war. Rather, they are

the product of a nation's ability to achieve sustainable

economic prosperity, better education, and health and

social services for all its people. Peace and security for

every human soul comes down simply to meeting the

most basic needs.

Even with the successful outcome of the World

Summit on Sustainable Development, which included

promises of economic growth and protection of our

environment, Solomon Islands remains sceptical about

the practical outcome of action plans for developing

and least developed countries. We have committed

ourselves to similar action plans for sustainable

development in the past. Agenda 21 of 1992 and the

Barbados Programme of Action for small island

developing States, among others, are valid policy

blueprints for sustainable development. Unfortunately,

we have not lived up to our commitments. We all have

failed. That is why world leaders again assembled, in

South Africa, to take stock of our failures and make

new commitments. And indeed, new commitments

have been made. Now is the time to test the

commitments made in South Africa.

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As The Honourable Laisenia Qarase, Prime

Minister of Fiji and Chairman of the Pacific Islands

Forum, aptly said in his address at the World Summit,

let us turn our words into deeds. Solomon Islands can

only hope that, this time around, there is a will to lead

us eventually to the goals and objectives set at the

World Summit in South Africa.

Solomon Islands is very much aware of its

vulnerability to natural and man-induced disasters.

Like other small island developing countries, we

continue to seek of the international community not

only to recognize the uniqueness of our vulnerability

but also to take concerted action towards achieving

many of our goals and objectives for sustainable

development, collectively as a group and individually

as nations.

The communiquÈ issued by the recent Pacific

Islands Forum summit held last August in Suva, Fiji,

reflects the political, economic, security and

environmental issues that are important to the region.

These need our collective resolve, as well as the

attention and cooperation of the wider international

community.

The adverse impact of sea-level rise is a threat to

the economies and survival of small and low-lying

island countries, in particular in the Pacific, the

Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. Scientific research

and reports, including the Third Assessment Report of

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued

in 2001, have given us all the more reason to be deeply

concerned. Solomon Islands joins other small island

States in calling again on the countries that have yet to

become parties to the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol

to do so, and seriously to commit to reducing their

greenhouse gas emissions.

The least developed countries still grapple with

the harsh realities of poverty, vulnerability to external

economic shocks, debt burden, poor infrastructure, and

poor or limited access to better education, health,

social services and the list goes on. Even with an

increasing commitment to globalization, the situation

of many least developed countries and nation-States

has neither improved nor stabilized. In many instances,

conditions have worsened.

Solomon Islands believes that the renewed

commitment through the Brussels Programme of

Action for the Least Developed Countries for the

Decade 2001-2010, adopted at the Third United

Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries,

is a timely action by all international organizations to

refocus attention and global resources on the neediest

and poorest countries. We support the immediate

implementation of the Programme and note with

satisfaction the progress that has been made so far.

Solomon Islands once again calls upon the United

Nations to respect the expressed wish of the

Government and the people of the Republic of China to

be readmitted as a full and equal member of this

Organization. The world has marvelled at Taiwan's

economic transformation. Within a short span of time,

it has not only established a stable and vibrant

domestic economy, but also has become one of the

world's most influential economies in terms of

international trade, investment outflows and

information technology. Taiwan is a sovereign country

in full control of its own affairs and with influence in

the world economy, and it is unjust to deny its people

the right to stand tall and be counted among the many

nations represented in international institutions.

Taiwan is a willing and able country, ready to

shoulder the obligations of the United Nations and

other international organizations. Taiwan has proved

itself through its international economic cooperation

with many developing and least developed countries.

Solomon Islands is convinced that that there are no

legal barriers to Taiwan's membership in the United

Nations, only political obstacles. Let us therefore cast

aside those political obstacles and take a positive

approach by according the Government and the people

of the Republic of China the membership they deserve

and the opportunity to fully participate in the affairs of

the United Nations under its Charter.