Tuvalu, 2003

The people of Tuvalu,

on whose behalf I have the honour to speak, wish me

first of all to convey their warmest greetings to the

fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly. We

express congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your

election. Coming from a small island country as well,

we hold your election in high regard and wish you

success in your presidency. We also commend the

outgoing President, Mr. Jan Kavan, for his excellent

leadership in the General Assembly this past year.

A year ago, we reflected on the events of 11

September 2001. On the eve of this session, we were

horrified yet again by the brutal terrorist attacks on the

United Nations in Iraq, which killed some of the

Organization's finest, including its Special Envoy, Mr.

Sergio Vieira de Mello. Tuvalu strongly condemns

those acts and has joined in the great number of

condolences to the Secretary-General, to his staff and

to the families of the victims.

The recent wave of terror attacks and the havoc

they have created worldwide have instilled a sense of

fear and uncertainty. They have not only proved the

existence of forces bent on destroying the very

foundation of the United Nations, they have also

underscored the urgency with which we must

collectively combat those forces. As a small island

developing country, Tuvalu's greatest fear is that, in the

wake of such events, developed countries will lack the

resolve to address as well the developmental and

environmental issues that are so fundamental to lasting

international peace and security.

In Tuvalu, and the Pacific in general, our

isolation, fragmentation and lack of infrastructure and

manpower leave us vulnerable to terrorism. This

threatens our security, especially the security of our

traditional and cultural practices upon which our very

existence depends. Likewise, this also threatens the

security of the world. We are therefore grateful for the

anti-terrorism efforts of the United Nations in

cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum and through

direct contact with national authorities.

For our part, I am pleased to say that Tuvalu is

committed to acceding to the United Nations

Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and

its three protocols, as well as United Nations

conventions against terrorism, including the

Convention on the Safety of United Nations and

Associated Personnel. In this spirit, we are also

committed to regional security arrangements, as set out

by the Pacific Islands Forum.

But to fulfil our international obligations on anti-

terrorism, we need technical and financial assistance.

More importantly, capacity-building through

appropriate education and human development, for

which we seek the support of the international

community, is vitally important to strengthen our

resilience in the face of such vulnerabilities.

Conflict prevention is vital to national, regional

and world peace. Tuvalu shares the view that conflicts

are best resolved through dialogue and mutual

understanding of the root causes. The United Nations

must continue to address the underlying causes of

conflicts and be the common forum where nations

resolve their differences. Attempts to resolve conflicts

by unilateral means outside the United Nations

inevitably result in ongoing mistrust and instability.

The stakes are too high to allow this to happen. We

must continue to engage in constructive dialogue.

Let me briefly speak on a related matter. Each

year, highly radioactive and toxic material passes

through the Pacific by ship on its way to and from

north Asia and Europe. It is known that some of the

materials are weapons-grade. We are concerned about

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these shipments because of the massive threat they

pose to the Pacific Ocean a vital source of our

livelihoods and economic development. We would like

these shipments to cease for the sake of the inhabitants

of the islands and stability of the broader Pacific basin.

We believe the United Nations has a very

important peacekeeping role to play, and are therefore

grateful for the progress made by the United Nations in

restoring peace in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

We hope that the United Nations will continue its

support there, to ensure meaningful opportunities and

peace for the people of Bougainville.

Tuvalu noted, however, the manner in which the

United Nations has handled the conflict in the Solomon

Islands. As a small island and a least developed

country, similarly susceptible to instability, we strongly

feel that the United Nations must better respond to

Member States' concerns, irrespective of political

affiliations. The United Nations is a body for all

nations, and all nations should be afforded the

assistance required of it.

In the same spirit, Tuvalu places significant

importance on the need to treat everybody equally, as

enshrined in the Charter. Accordingly, Tuvalu believes

that to deny representation at the United Nations to the

23 million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan,

who are active and responsible participants in world

affairs, especially in trade, commerce and international

development, is unjust and morally wrong. Their

significant contributions to technology and their own

need for access to international support to combat the

challenges of terrorism and health epidemics such as

HIV/AIDS and severe acute respiratory syndrome

(SARS) cannot be continually ignored.

In our view the United Nations, which prides

itself on the protection of fundamental human rights,

including the right to self-determination, and which

upholds the dignity and worth of the human being,

cannot continue to turn a blind eye to ignore the

obvious realities of the situation. Just as the people of

Taiwan have so responsibly contributed to international

development, they also need the support of the

international community. Their continuing isolation

could potentially give rise to serious conflicts.

Tuvalu would therefore like to call on this august

body to seriously and urgently consider the issue of

membership of the Republic of China on Taiwan in the

United Nations and its agencies.

On 1 October, Tuvalu will mark the twenty-fifth

anniversary of its independence. On reflection, we are

grateful for the support of the international community,

particularly from Tuvalu's traditional development and

regional partners over the past quarter century. Guided

by the principles of good governance, respect for the

rule of law and human rights, democracy and self-

determination, to which we are deeply committed, and

with the help of such support, Tuvalu has been able to

prosper and enjoy a peaceful and equal coexistence

with the rest of the world. Our future survival as a

nation is founded on these basic United Nations values.

Despite relative stability, we live in constant fear

of the adverse impact of climate change. For a coral-

atoll nation, sea level rise and more severe weather

events loom as a growing threat to our entire

population. The threat is real and serious, and we liken

it to a slow and insidious form of terrorism against us.

In this respect, Tuvalu is actively participating in

the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and we are extremely

grateful to all the nations that have joined us in

resolving this threat. Nevertheless, we are deeply

dismayed that key industrialized nations do not share

our concern. Climate change affects all nations.

This is not just a problem for small island States

like our own. We believe that all nations must take

positive steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

But we also believe that the industrialized world must

act first. It is the emissions from the past that are

creating the problems of today. Steps must be taken to

account for and redress the emissions of the past. We

implore all nations to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, as this

is the only appropriate process that will bring about

effective collective action to resolve this growing

threat.

As Tuvalu moves into the twenty-first century, we

are also challenged by the many changes that are taking

place in the world, especially those brought about by

globalization. Never before have we faced such

complex challenges. Yet, for Tuvalu and others like us,

while we witness every day the forces of trade,

communications and travel creating a single global

community, the problems of poverty, marginalization

and environmental decline continue to plague many

parts of the world.

The recent breakdown in discussions on

international trade in Cancun, Mexico, clearly shows

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that we live in a very complex world. If nothing else,

the Cancun meeting was a significant step forward for

the voice of the developing world. No longer are the

developing nations willing to accept the rhetoric of

those who want to impose a trade regime that tends to

favour the wealthy and marginalize the poor.

Tuvalu and many island States are in a

particularly weak position to take advantage of the

opportunities presented by globalization. There is a

genuine need to better recognize the special case of

small island developing States and of their need to

participate in a more equitable globalized world.

Sustainable development, particularly for the

most disadvantaged and vulnerable States, especially

for small island least developed countries is crucial. Of

course, we recognize that the primary responsibility for

sustainable development rests with each country, on its

own terms. However, as a poorly resourced small

island least developed countries, even the best efforts

to escape the cycle of poverty and marginalization are

doomed without the support of the international

community, civil society and the private sector.

Tuvalu and those like us are encouraged by the

commitment of the international community to

addressing poverty and development challenges, as

contained in the Millennium Development Goals,

Millennium Declaration and other various United

Nations development frameworks. But these will

remain mere rhetoric unless they translate into real

development that can make a difference on the ground.

In that regard, proper and effective

implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action

for the Sustainable Development of Small Island

Developing States is crucial for the development of

countries like Tuvalu. To that end, conducting a full

and comprehensive review of the implementation of

the Barbados Programme of Action in the lead up to

the International Meeting in Mauritius next year is

imperative. We kindly request the United Nations

Secretariat to undertake this analysis as a matter of

high priority so that we can learn from the past and

move forward in a more positive way.

That said, however, the overall decline in official

development assistance in real terms is cause for

serious concern. Despite pledges at the Monterrey

Conference, major industrialized nations are not

fulfilling the minimum target of 0.7 per cent of their

gross national product. For small island States, that

reluctance translates into lower economic growth, as

well as into widening the gap between the least

developed countries and the industrialized nations.

Tuvalu therefore appeals to the donor countries to

make serious efforts to meet the United Nations

minimum official development assistance target to

enable the least developed countries to attain a better

quality of life for all their peoples.

In conclusion, for atoll island States like Tuvalu,

efforts aimed at sustainable development, peace and

security will be meaningless unless the issue of climate

change is addressed with urgency. As has been warned

by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change in

its Third Assessment Report, the threat of global

warming and rising sea levels is serious business.

Addressing these threats requires a global effort by

both industrialized and developing countries, consistent

with the objectives of, and the commitments made in,

the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Again, Tuvalu's interest in enforcing the Kyoto

Protocol is not self-serving. The consequences of not

urgently enforcing Kyoto will be felt everywhere

around the world. Tuvalu appeals to the countries that

can make the difference to ratify the Kyoto Protocol as

a matter of urgency. As we in Tuvalu celebrate our

Silver Jubilee anniversary, and as we look forward into

the future, it is our hope that out of this great Hall there

will emerge better understanding and good will, to

further solidify the foundation upon which the long-

lasting security and survival of Tuvalu and many others

is built and for peace in the world.