Solomon Islands, 2004

At the outset,

allow me, on behalf of the Government and people of

Solomon Islands, to convey to you our warm and

sincere congratulations on your election as President of

this session of the United Nations General Assembly.

May I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to your

predecessor, our colleague, the Honourable Julian

Hunte, Foreign Minister of Saint Lucia, for his able

and sterling stewardship in making the Assembly’s

fifty-eighth session proactive and responsive to the

challenges it has faced over the last 12 months.

I also wish to express our deep appreciation to

the United Nations Secretary-General, His Excellency

Mr. Kofi Annan, for his focused leadership in steering

the work of the Secretariat through difficult and

sometimes uncharted waters over the past year.

Only four years into the new millennium, the

complexity of ongoing and new challenges has

redefined the international system, resulting in

uncertainty and imbalances in certain parts of the

globe. Ensuing debates over multilateralism versus

unilateralism in the resolution of crisis situations have

epitomized the complex nature of events during the

past year. This makes the call two years ago by our

Secretary-General for institutional reforms more urgent

now than ever before.

Solomon Islands looks forward to the

recommendations of the High-level Panel of Eminent

Persons, in particular, to proposals that will revitalize

and give new momentum to the United Nations. These

reforms must ensure that the United Nations is flexible

and responsive to the needs of our time. To this end,

Solomon Islands fully supports the proposed

enlargement of the Council and reaffirms its call for

Japan and Germany to become permanent members of

the Council. We believe that the enlargement should

affect both the permanent and non-permanent

membership categories. It is also our fervent hope and

desire to see that the Secretariat reflects the diversity

of its membership. In this regard, while it should

continue to recruit the best available candidates,

opportunities within the Secretariat must be made

available to small island countries on the basis of in-

country, rather than externally conducted, assessment

examinations.

As you are aware, this year the United Nations

family marked the tenth anniversary of the ethnic

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genocide in Rwanda. The occasion called on the United

Nations to play a more proactive role towards ensuring

that such tragic events are never allowed to happen

again.

No more than four years ago, my own country,

Solomon Islands, experienced the hardship of a

conflict situation when tensions erupted between two

of the many ethnic groups in the country. In response,

Solomon Islands sought assistance from every possible

institution, including the Security Council. In this

regard, I am pleased to say that my region, through the

Pacific Islands Forum under its security mechanism as

enshrined in the Biketawa Declaration, responded to

that “911” call.

The Pacific Islands Forum regional security

mechanism is in harmony with the spirit of Chapter

VIII of the United Nations Charter. The Regional

Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), led

by our bigger regional neighbour, Australia, strongly

supported by New Zealand and other Pacific Islands

Forum member countries, went beyond the mere

restoration of law and order and security. In a spirit of

Pacific cooperation and partnership between Solomon

Islands and Pacific Islands Forum member countries, a

long-term approach of strengthening the country’s

State institutions was set in place, thus allowing the

process of healing, reconstruction, rehabilitation and

nation-building to continue the course of unifying the

country and its less than half a million, but diverse,

inhabitants, who speak some 80 different local

languages.

The success of the Regional Assistance Mission

to Solomon Islands in promptly stabilizing the country

within a period of three months, collecting some 3,700

weapons without a shot being fired, presents a fine

example of the importance of regional cooperation in

resolving conflict situations. On this note, I wish to pay

tribute to all our Pacific neighbours and to the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the

Commission for Human Rights, the World Health

Organization (WHO), the European Union (EU), the

Republic of China, Japan, the United Kingdom, the

International Red Cross and the civil society; they have

assisted and are continuing to assist in the process of

our country’s ongoing recovery and rehabilitation.

I must also underscore my belief and conviction

that in order for peace to be achieved it must be

desired; moreover, I would add, there must be a

workable mechanism to ensure its realization and

sustenance. In this regard, my Government is fully

convinced that the positive results of our partnership

with RAMSI could be sustained through our recently

adopted National Economic Recovery, Reform and

Development Plan (NERRDP), which provides a

blueprint for an integrated process of development and

nation-building for the common good of our people.

I am further convinced, that the Pacific Plan

recently adopted by the Pacific Islands Forum leaders

in Apia, Samoa, represents a regional road map for

cooperation that could complement national efforts

aimed at building an improved and secure livelihood

for the diverse people of the region. Through its

creation of stronger and deeper links between countries

in the region and resource-sharing, including

governance and aligning of policies, the Pacific Plan

could assist our countries to address challenges and

issues that sovereign member States may lack the

ability and capacity to address individually as a result

of our countries’ smallness and inherent limitations

caused by economies of scale.

Solomon Islands notes the positive developments

that have taken place in the peace process on

Bougainville. We recognize the important role played

by the United Nations in the peace process there and

would urge its continuing involvement to see the

process through. Solomon Islands, for its part, has

signed a number of bilateral agreements with Papua

New Guinea, which will support the good work that

has already been undertaken towards peace.

On the issue of Palestine, my delegation

subscribes to the view that the resolution of the Middle

East conflict can only be possible through negotiations.

It is in this spirit that we call upon all parties to abide

by the Quartet’s road map for peace, and we urge a halt

to all acts of aggression.

Turning to the global fight against terrorism, the

recent terrorist attacks, especially in Iraq, Indonesia,

and the Beslan school in southern Russia manifest the

continuing menace and evil of terrorism at large. We

have witnessed many innocent lives, including those of

women and children, being lost due to these senseless

terror attacks. My delegation offers its deepest

condolences to those who have lost loved ones during

these unforgivable incidents. Solomon Islands

condemns in the strongest possible terms such acts of

terror and fully support international efforts to combat

this scourge. In this regard, I wish to join others in

calling on the global community to support small

States to build their national capacities towards

ongoing efforts aimed at combating transnational

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crimes, such as arms smuggling, drug trafficking,

people smuggling, money laundering and terrorism.

The United Nations Charter promotes the

economic and social progress of Member States,

especially those facing special development problems.

For a country recovering from a post-conflict situation,

Solomon Islands considers international frameworks

such as the Brussels Programme of Action for the

Least Developed Countries, and the Barbados

Programme of Action for Small Island Developing

States as vehicles for enhancing peace and achieving

the Millennium Development Goals. Solomon Islands

is a small island developing State and a least developed

country, where its development challenges are

multifaceted in nature. Unfortunately, the level of

international cooperation envisaged for the

Programmes either have not materialized or have been

minimal. Despite this, my Government is undertaking

reforms that include the appointment of a national

focal point for the Brussels Programme of Action.

Hence, we are hopeful that, with better coordination,

Solomon Islands can take full advantage of and

maximize all opportunities the Programme has to offer.

The issue of debt-servicing continues to present

challenges, and even obstacles, to the development

programmes of many poor developing States. Debt

burdens continue to divert attention in national budgets

away from the development of necessary

infrastructures and the delivery of basic and essential

social services. Solomon Islands therefore calls on the

international community to give greater attention to

debt issues.

Solomon Islands attaches much importance to the

Millennium Development Goals, and these have been

mainstreamed into our NERRDP. While we will use the

2005 high-level event mentioned in the Secretary

General’s 2004 report on the implementation of the

Millennium Development Goals to take stock of our

progress, we are confident that NERRDP can serve as a

road map for the medium to long-term implementation

of our commitments. NERRDP provides a useful

framework within which important issues, such as

economic and institutional reform, good governance,

upholding of democracy and its values of freedom, and

respect for the basic principles of human rights can be

nurtured and harnessed for the betterment and

improvement of the livelihood of our people and

society, including the sustenance of peace in our

country.

Solomon Islands would like to pay closer

attention to the emerging health threats it faces. In

particular, malaria remains the predominant cause of

death of among children in Solomon Islands. The lack

of data on HIV/AIDS presents a threat to the country

and has the potential of creating a devastating impact

on its economy and social structure. With the support

of WHO, the Global Fund to fight AIDS and Japan, we

are determined to put in place appropriate preventive

actions.

Solomon Islands, which is geographically

scattered across some 1,800 kilometres, comprising

almost 1,000 small islands and atolls, has an

agriculture-based economy that is dependent on the

environment. Sustainable management of resources is

essential for guaranteeing the security of future

generations.

The hurricanes that hit the southern United

States, the Bahamas, Grenada, Haiti and Jamaica in the

Caribbean in the recent past; cyclone Heita, which

devastated Niue in 2003; flooding in Fiji; and

continuous heavy rains in Solomon Islands all bring

home the stark reality of our world’s vulnerability to

natural disasters. We realize the great difficulty and

pain that smaller island developing States face in

mitigating the magnitude and impact of such disasters.

To this end, we extend our condolences and sympathy

for the loss of life and property caused by the recent

hurricanes in Grenada and Haiti and would urge the

international community to assist in relief efforts to

those who are affected.

Generally, Solomon Islands strongly feels that

more could be done by the international community

towards safeguarding our environment. Hence, we

acknowledge the partnership of the Global Fund in

assisting environmental programmes globally, and we

would encourage that the focus of further assistance

should extend to other sectors of sustainable

development, such as energy, water and sanitation.

My delegation has closely followed the review of

the Barbados Programme of Action and the

development of a Group of 77 strategy paper. While

negotiations are still ongoing, Solomon Islands, as a

member of the Alliance of Small Island States

(AOSIS), acknowledges that the strategy paper

strengthens the Barbados Programme and places it as

an action-oriented programme with which we can all

identify. We are hopeful the Mauritius meeting will

revitalize our efforts towards protecting the

environment and enhancing sustainable development.

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Trade remains a significant source of economic

growth and development for many developing States.

Regionally, Pacific island countries have gradually

begun the process of regional integration. South-South

trade cooperation among Forum island countries

culminated in the entry into force of the Pacific Island

Countries Trade Agreement last year, and the

Melanesian Spearhead Group trade agreement is being

reviewed with a view to further broadening its scope

and its markets 10 years after its inception. The Pacific

members of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of

States are negotiating an economic partnership

agreement with the European Union in the framework

of the Cotonou Agreement. Those developments

manifest continuing preparations by small island

developing economies in the Pacific Islands Forum

region for gradual adaptation into the broader process

of the globalization of the world economy.

Solomon Islands notes that the eleventh session

of the United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development, convened in June this year in São Paulo,

built confidence and consensus on ongoing multilateral

trade negotiations. Solomon Islands supports that

process and urges making it more participatory and

inclusive so that no one is left behind, especially the

small and vulnerable island developing economies and

the least developed countries. We are mindful of the

need to recognize the inherent structural problems of

geographical size, isolation from markets and the

constraints resulting from a lack of supply-side

capacities and economies of scale, especially in the

case of small island developing States such as Solomon

Islands. However, as a member of the World Trade

Organization, we are pleased that the Doha round of

multilateral trade negotiations embraces a development

dimension, in particular the recognition of the principle

of special and differential treatment, in its work

programme on small island developing economies.

One of the principles of the United Nations

Charter is to open membership to all States that accept

their Charter obligations. The Republic of China on

Taiwan has registered its interest in being part of the

United Nations family. Solomon Islands once again

calls for the Republic of China to be made a full

Member of the United Nations. Solomon Islands

enjoys warm and cordial relations with the Republic of

China and is mindful of the threats facing the world

today. Threats such as severe acute respiratory

syndrome (SARS) are transnational and transborder in

nature and require the cooperation and engagement of

all countries of the world. To deny one country the

right to participate weakens global mechanisms and

jeopardizes the security of all.

The Republic of China on Taiwan is democratic,

and its vibrant economy is ranked seventeenth globally.

It has the third largest foreign exchange reserves. Its

development experience offers important lessons on

the need to embrace freedom, respect for the basic

principles of human rights, respect for freedom of the

press and the uninhibited functioning of democratic

institutions. The Republic of China’s ability and

capacity to contribute to strengthening the United

Nations should be seriously considered, especially at a

time when the Organization could do with all the help

it can receive.

Solomon Islands calls upon the Assembly to find

a process that will allow the Republic of China on

Taiwan to become a full and equal Member of the

United Nations. The Pacific Islands Forum has a

mechanism that engages both Chinas in our dialogue

process, and we have continuously benefited from that

rich interaction.

To conclude, I call upon the Assembly to get real

and confront the increasingly varied and complex

challenges we face today. The purpose and the role of

the United Nations are ultimately to create a peaceful,

just and prosperous world that offers hope to all. That

requires making the Organization flexible, innovative

and responsive to ever-changing global demands. Thus,

the onus is on us to make bold and tough decisions that

breathe new life into our Organization.