Solomon Islands, 2005

I bring warm

greetings, Sir, from the Government and people of

Solomon Islands, and I wish to congratulate the

President on his election to lead the General Assembly

at its sixtieth session. I would like to assure him of

Solomon Islands’ support and cooperation during his

term in office as he guides the work of the Assembly

over the next 12 months.

My delegation would also like to commend and

register its deep appreciation to his predecessor, our

colleague, the Honourable Jean Ping, Foreign Minister

of Gabon, for his invaluable contribution and able

leadership of the proceedings of fifty-ninth session of

the General Assembly.

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Solomon Islands also extends its gratitude to

Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his vision,

dedication and leadership in making the United

Nations relevant and responsive to today’s threats.

This Organization rose out of the ashes of the

Second World War with the sole purpose of ensuring

that never again would the world allow crimes against

humanity to flourish. Sixty years on, genocide,

terrorism, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and hunger

continue to claim millions of lives annually. According

to a recent World Health Organization report,

preventable disease, such as malaria, claims more lives

than today’s conflicts put together. Of 300 to 500

million clinical cases annually, 1.5 to 2.7 million lives

are lost. In this connection, Solomon Islands suffers

higher rates of malaria and maternal mortality than any

other country in the Pacific region. My delegation is

pleased to see the summit agree on the establishment

and implementation of “quick win” initiatives, such as

free distribution of treated bed nets and antimalarial

medicines. But more needs to be done; a

comprehensive malaria eradication programme on

public and environmental health must be initiated and

implemented simultaneously.

Despite these overwhelming facts, the world

continues to spend even more on military programmes

and equipment. The lack of progress on disarmament

and non-proliferation, with the continuing threat of

terrorism, begs the question as to whether the world

has indeed become safer, more stable and protected, as

the founders of the United Nations Charter envisioned.

It further raises the question whether international

frameworks and cooperation agreements have, in fact,

contained today’s threats.

Solomon Islands condemns terrorism in all its

forms. In this regard, we are embarking on a legislative

process, with New Zealand’s support, to increase our

national capacity in enhancing regional security

arrangements through the Nasonini Declaration on

Regional Security and the Honiara Declaration on Law

Enforcement Cooperation, particularly as concerns

threats posed by international terrorism and

transnational crimes.

In keeping with this year’s theme, “For a stronger

and more effective United Nations: the follow-up and

implementation of the High-level Plenary Meeting in

September 2005”, we are faced with the challenge of

continuing the reform process. As my Prime Minister

pointed out last week during the high-level summit, we

must not solve today’s problems with yesterday’s

solutions, but rather with a new vision that will build a

stronger multilateral system to confront threats and

challenges in the twenty-first century. Solomon Islands

notes and supports the Summit Outcome (resolution

60/1) as a starting point for change.

Current reforms to rejuvenate the multilateral

system must occur at three levels — international,

regional and national. The forthcoming Doha process,

beginning in December of this year, will provide

another opportunity for the international community to

equitably spread the fruits of globalization, take to task

the imbalance that exists within the economic

international system and address the challenges of

vulnerable and fragile States. The Doha development

agenda must accord stable and predictable market

access to all least developed countries’ products,

technology transfer and human resources development.

For Solomon Islands to share the fruits of the

multilateral trading system in a meaningful way, it

must first address the domestic bottlenecks that impede

its full participation, such as supply-side restraints and

other “behind-the-door” complementary policies that

are not conducive to a business-friendly environment.

The Brussels Declaration and the Programme for

Action for the Least Developed Countries will be

reviewed beginning next year. The lack of

implementation of the Brussels Programme speaks of

the international community’s commitment to 700

million of the world’s most vulnerable persons.

Solomon Islands is off track in terms of meeting its

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) obligation;

however, as a least developed country in the Asia/

Pacific region, it is committed to meeting its MDGs

and seeks international support and attention in this

endeavour. Poverty has no boundaries, and we

acknowledge and support the Jakarta Declaration. For

the MDGs and other benefits to be realized and

sustained, Solomon Islands will need to grow its

economy. Solomon Islands also calls for a greater in-

country presence on the part of the United Nations to

work in partnership with us to meet the Goals.

Solomon Islands supports the proposal to

establish the Peacebuilding Commission. The

Commission will play a difficult and important role in

assisting countries that are emerging from conflict

situations to reintegrate, reconstruct and rebuild State

institutions in order to maintain peace, security and

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economic stability. In that light, the Regional

Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is

a shining example from which the Commission could

draw lessons. It has demonstrated that, with courage

and determination, the principles and institutions of

democracy and human rights can be safeguarded and

protected. A two-pronged approach of law and order

complemented by economic security and carried out in

the spirit of true partnership will create an opportunity

for peace to prosper. Solomon Islands also welcomes

the Assembly’s endorsement of the concept of the

responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war

crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, as

contained in the summit’s outcome document.

Solomon Islands would like to express its deep

appreciation to Australia, New Zealand and our good

friends and neighbours, the Pacific Island countries for

their continued support and contribution to Regional

Assistance Mission. We could not have done it without

them, and I thank them.

Solomon Islands needs to progress beyond the

initial crisis of law and order, but the challenge

remains to nurture the country and build an economy to

sustain it. Per capita income in Solomon Islands has

currently dropped to more than 20 per cent below the

1995 level. To repair that situation, Solomon Islands

must address harmful past policies of economic

mismanagement, a lack of fiscal discipline, faulty

governance and capacity constraints at all levels.

Solomon Islands is well endowed with natural

resources and a young population that can form the

basis of a good labour supply, but it lacks both human

capital and physical capital, with poor infrastructure to

lift productivity and deliver sustainable growth that is

broad-based, rurally focused and people-centred.

That is why the Government is initiating a

strategy to attract and build capital. The strategy hinges

on establishing a stable macroeconomic environment,

creating simple business-friendly tax and regulatory

regimes and improving infrastructure and good

governance. With respect to establishing a credible

fiscal policy, we have returned the budget to surpluses.

Revenues have been enhanced. Expenditures have been

tightened and prioritized. Monetary policies are being

fine-tuned and aligned. State-owned enterprises

continue to be reformed, with steps taken to remove

barriers and improve efficient shipping networks,

which are critical for island nations. Those initiatives

will be coupled with a new draft investment law, a

credible budget for 2006 and the introduction of a fair

and simple tax reform bill, which will be submitted to

the Parliament at its next sitting.

Debt levels remain crippling, amounting to more

than 100 per cent of the gross domestic product of the

Solomon Islands. Talks with creditors have begun to

establish a workable debt strategy. The innovative

approach advocated by the Philippines of a debt-for-

equity swap to finance MDG projects is worth looking

into.

Capacity-building in governance that is free from

corruption is vital for rural development, health and

education. Leadership and governance, which are

critical for stability and economic development, are

being improved by clarifying rules and expectations

and by adopting an outcome-oriented approach. That

will improve the transparency of public processes and

the effectiveness of institutions.

Solomon Islands acknowledges the contributions

of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Japan,

the European Union, Taiwan, the Asian Development

Bank and the World Bank, among other donor partners,

in support of Government initiatives to rebuild our

fragile and shattered State. Solomon Islands must

consolidate the gains achieved in the past two years on

the security and economic fronts and move forward

constructively. Much is yet to be done.

On climate change, the world continues to

experience changing weather patterns and has seen an

increase in the frequency and intensity of natural

disasters. Small island developing States (SIDS), such

as Solomon Islands, are more vulnerable and

susceptible to natural disasters, and we call for the

international community to renew its focus on, and

concrete commitment to, the issue of climate change,

in line with the summit’s outcome document. My

delegation welcomes the entry into force of the Kyoto

Protocol in February this year and calls on those

countries that have not yet ratified the Protocol to do

so at their earliest convenience.

In the light of the Asian tsunami of last

December, it would be cost-effective for the world to

invest in mitigation measures, in particular renewable

energy resources. The Hyogo strategy of the Kobe

Conference and the Mauritius Strategy of January this

year provide an excellent starting point. Sadly,

however, the Group of Eight meeting on climate

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change did not take decisive action. For that reason,

Solomon Islands, as a member of the Alliance of Small

Island States, urges the Group of Eight to reconsider

the issue, because the environment has an impact on

the physical survival of small island developing States.

Closer to home, Solomon Islands wishes to

acknowledge the completion of the United Nations

Observer Mission in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea,

with the successful election in Papua New Guinea’s

newly autonomous province of Bougainville. We wish

our closest Melanesian neighbour every success in

building on the political gains made so far, and we

assure Bougainville of our commitment to all bilateral

cooperative arrangements. Solomon Islands also

acknowledges Papua New Guinea’s ongoing bilateral

assistance to Solomon Islands.

With respect to Security Council reform,

Solomon Islands believes that the membership of the

Council should reflect the political and economic

realities of our time. In that regard, Solomon Islands

supports the expansion of the Security Council and

feels that a country such as Japan, which has strong

bilateral links with Solomon Islands, should be

accorded a permanent seat on the Council. Japan’s

inclusion will contribute to bridging the divide between

the multilateral institutions and Member States.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the

Beijing Platform for Action. The results have been

mixed. Solomon Islands believes that improving the

welfare of women is an indispensable requirement for

sustainable security. At the regional level, issues

relating to the empowerment of women are being

incorporated into the Pacific Plan, which will be

discussed by Pacific Islands Forum leaders in October

this year.

The United Nations was founded on the principle

of maintaining international peace and security. Over

the years, some threats continue to receive more

attention than others. The Anti-Secession Law enacted

by the People’s Republic of China in March this year

has threatened peace and security on the Taiwan Strait.

The situation creates a security vacuum that, if left

unattended, will continue to fester and will put in

question the credibility of this premier multilateral

institution. There is no mechanism to address such threats

within the parameters of the United Nations Charter.

Solomon Islands therefore renews its call to have

the issue debated in the General Assembly. The time

has now come for this body to allow Taiwan, a major

player in the international economic system, to take its

rightful place in the United Nations. The Assembly

cannot continue to ignore the plight of the 23 million

people of Taiwan. Solomon Islands regrets the manner

in which the Assembly has dealt with the issue,

allowing certain countries to dictate the agenda.

With respect to the reform of the Secretariat,

Solomon Islands would like to see the Secretariat

reflect the diversity of its membership. The current

recruitment process of having external, rather than in-

country, examinations has deterred potential applicants

from small island developing States from applying,

given the associated expenses.

In conclusion, Solomon Islands supports

multilateralism, and I assure the President of our

ongoing support for United Nations reform.