Tuvalu, 2005

The people of Tuvalu, on

whose behalf I have the honour to speak, join me in

extending our warmest congratulations to the United

Nations on the occasion of its sixtieth anniversary.

I wish to put on record our profound gratitude to

every single member of this great body for the

immense achievements of the United Nations. The

Organization’s noble values and principles have indeed

ensured that even small and isolated nations such as

Tuvalu can enjoy the goals of self-determination and

statehood with dignity and hope. We are proud to be a

member of this great family of Nations.

We also wish to join others in congratulating you,

Sir, on your election to the presidency, and to assure

you of our full support and cooperation.

Last week the world — our families and our

children — heard from us that the time for stating

principles and defining problems and actions on the

complex challenges of development, security and

human rights has long passed. It is now time to take

action. But how the rhetoric gets translated into actions

to improve standards of living for each nation, and for

our families, for women and children in our

communities and villages, in an equitable and fair

manner, is now the main challenge. The United Nations

must play the central role in managing that process.

Tuvalu is greatly encouraged by the prevailing

goodwill to fulfil the many international development

targets. The commitments made, by the European

Union and others, to meet the United Nations target of

0.7 per cent of gross national product for official

development assistance is very welcome. We also

welcome new and innovative initiatives on financing

and good governance, including the global Democracy

Fund, the French initiative and others. The

commitment of the United States of America to its

Millennium Challenge Account initiative is also very

welcome.

As a small island developing State and a least

developed country which has consistently taken a

prudent and responsible approach to its own national

development, Tuvalu is very encouraged, in particular,

by the renewed recognition by the international

community of the special vulnerabilities of small island

developing States, of the needs of least developed

countries and of the imperative to address them.

Increased international cooperation to ensure the

full and effective implementation of the Mauritius

Strategy for small island developing States and the

Brussels Programme of Action, particularly with

regard to the provision of adequate financing, capacity-

building and technology development and transfer, is

critical to supporting the poverty reduction and

sustainable development efforts of the least developed

countries and small island developing States like

Tuvalu. There is now a clear need to establish clear

vessels of connectivity from international

commitments to national strategies, plans and actions

on the ground.

In this regard, I am pleased to announce the

launch, last Friday here in New York, of Te Kakeega II —

Tuvalu’s national sustainable development strategies

for 2005-2015 — a commitment to action by the

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Government and all stakeholders, including non-

governmental organizations and island communities.

We sincerely appreciate the support of our friends

in New York, bilateral partners and United Nations

agencies, and we look forward to working closely with

the international community in advancing appropriate

partnerships as a result of those strategies. In the same

vein, the important role played by regional bodies,

especially those in the Pacific region, such as the

Council of Regional Organizations for the Pacific, in

supporting national efforts ought to be given

recognition and support. We therefore strongly support

the remarks by Samoa and Papua New Guinea on the

importance of regional arrangements, such as the

Pacific Plan.

Security challenges continue to create worldwide

havoc, fear and uncertainty. Terrorist acts the world

over, including the recent bombings in London and

elsewhere have proven the continued existence of

forces bent on undermining the United Nations

founding goals of freedom, peace and security. They

have also underscored the urgency with which we, the

United Nations, must collectively combat these forces.

Tuvalu is fully committed to joining the fight

against international terrorism, as required by Security

Council resolutions. But we would need to seek the

assistance of the United Nations and the international

community to help us fulfil the requirements,

particularly on reporting, of these resolutions and of

the international anti-terrorism conventions.

The threat of the impact of climate change, sea

level rise and variability on the entire global

environment continues to be a matter of serious

security concern to all. For small island and low-lying

coastal countries like Tuvalu the situation is

devastating, threatening lives, human rights and our

long-term survival. The impacts are real and already

happening. They demand urgent actions by the

international community. As correctly underscored by

the Secretary-General in his report, “In larger

freedom”, “Without action, [small island developing

States] will pay a bitter price for the actions of others”

(A/59/2005, para. 60). There cannot be a more true

assertion.

While we are all deeply touched by the human

loss and destruction suffered from Hurricane Katrina

on the Gulf Coast of the United States of America three

weeks ago, the world will be better advised to take

such timely warnings seriously. Tuvalu strongly

believes we must urgently address adaptation and

mitigation actions against climate change in line with

the objectives of the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol

targets to reduce greenhouse gases and advance the

development and use of renewable sources of energy.

On the latter subject, it would be remiss of

Tuvalu not to again sincerely acknowledge the coming

into force of the Kyoto Protocol early this year and to

urge all industrialized countries who have not done so

to ratify it as soon as possible. Not to do so will be to

sign on Tuvalu’s death warrant.

The time is also ripe to initiate dialogue on a

more comprehensive approach for future actions

against climate change where all major emitters of

greenhouse gases will need to participate. The eleventh

session of the Conference of Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to

be held at Montreal in November, must advance

decisions on critical issues on future actions against

climate change.

Unless actions are taken seriously, all efforts for

development, security and human rights for those most

vulnerable to the impacts of climate change will be

severely compromised. We appeal to those with the

capacity to do so to have a heart for islands like

Tuvalu, as well as for the rest of mankind.

On enhancing the relevancy and the role of the

United Nations, we would like to reiterate our strong

support for the reforms for the United Nations, in

particular the expansion of the permanent membership

and working methods of the Security Council. In this

vein we also reiterate our support for the consideration

of Japan, Germany, India and Brazil for permanent

seats on an expanded Council. We strongly feel that the

momentum so far achieved on the issue must be taken

advantage of to finally resolve the proposed reforms by

the end of December 2005, at the latest. We also

believe more equitable representation of the

developing countries for the non-permanent seats of

the Council is vital and long overdue.

Tuvalu recognizes the seriousness of the

HIV/AIDS epidemic on the social and economic

development and security of Tuvalu and other Pacific

island countries. Given our exposure and the level of

mobility of our communities, particularly our seafarers

who serve on merchant ships worldwide, there is an

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urgent need for assistance from the international

community, such as that provided under the Global

Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to

help us raise awareness in Tuvalu to combat the threats

of the epidemic. We need technical and financial

assistance for these efforts.

In terms of natural resources, Tuvalu is really a

big ocean, small island country. The Pacific Ocean that

surrounds our islands provides the vital source of our

livelihoods and economic and social development.

Increasingly, however, we are becoming concerned

with the real threats of illegal, unreported and

unregulated fishing and of pollution to the oceans from

waste, particularly from the trans-shipment of highly

radioactive and toxic materials in our region. We

would need to seek the understanding of the

international community to help us save our oceans and

support fully the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy

adopted in 2002.

An important source of financial flows to

developing countries, particularly also to small island

developing nations such as Tuvalu, is migrant workers’

remittances from developed countries. Indeed remittances

from our overseas workers, and particularly Tuvaluan

seafarers serving abroad, provide a substantive source

of income so vital for social and economic

development in Tuvalu.

Tuvalu fully supports the affording of urgent

attention to the issue of migrant workers’ rights,

including the maintenance of competency on

international standards and migrant workers’ safety and

security, in the international agenda, in order to ensure

sustaining this vital source of capital for small island

developing States.

An issue of continuing concerns to Tuvalu is the

question of the representation in the United Nations.

Regrettably, this august body cannot be said to be

universal without the rightful representation of the 23

million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Tuvalu feels that recognizing the political and

democratic developments in Taiwan, the active and

responsible participation of Taiwan in world affairs,

especially in trade, commerce, health, and international

development, without representation in the United

Nations is unjust and morally wrong. This state of

affairs needs to be corrected. We seek a proper review

by the United Nations of this important issue, as well

as the escalation of tension in the Taiwan Strait

following the enactment by the People’s Republic of

China of its “anti-secession law”.

In conclusion, we want to reiterate that efforts

aimed at the sustainable development of small island

developing States like Tuvalu, will be of no meaning

unless the issue of climate change and sea level is

addressed decisively, and with urgency. Tuvalu’s

interest is not self serving. The more serious

consequences of not acting now on climate change, as

we are already witnessing the world over, will be felt

everywhere.

It is our fervent hope that out of this common

house of our United Nations family, there will emerge

better understanding and goodwill for the long lasting

security and survival of Tuvalu and the whole world.