Vanuatu, 2003

Allow

me to convey to this Assembly the heartfelt greetings

of the Government and people of the Republic of

Vanuatu. I should like first of all to sincerely

congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the

Presidency of the fifty-eight session of the General

Assembly. You have assumed the Presidency at an

extremely difficult, unsettled and complex time. A

series of regrettable events have imperilled the political

and ideological authority which is the universal

foundation of the United Nations ability to work for the

maintenance of peace and security in the world. Given

the enormity of the challenges that now face us, my

delegation — and I personally — would like to

solemnly assure you of our support and full

cooperation.

The job of the Secretary-General is one of the

most difficult jobs, in particular when the very

founding principles of the Organization are being

compromised or simply discarded in favour of the

interest of some Members. The Government of Vanuatu

admires the outstanding authority and clear-sightedness

as well as the diplomatic qualities of Mr. Kofi Annan,

the Secretary-General of the United Nations. His

wisdom and his persistence have enabled Member

States to step up their efforts to make the work of the

United Nations more effective and better adapted to the

maintenance of peace throughout the world, while

keeping the focus on development priorities such as, in

particular, the small economies of island States such as

Vanuatu.

Quite frankly, we are participating in this meeting

somewhat confused about the future of our

Organization, since a minority of Powers are

influencing the system to advance their own interests

and to the detriment of the principles and mandates

which are the prerogatives of the United Nations. The

United Nations mission, inter alia, is to work for

peaceful coexistence among peoples and nations. But

the United Nations is being thwarted because of the

unilateral initiatives of certain Powers. This is the

responsibility of its Members, and this situation has to

be addressed in order to restore the central role of the

United Nations in conflict settlement.

We cannot conceive of any unilateral action in the

future without the risk of paralysing the Organization

itself. The decline of order and justice and the various

conflicts that are occurring throughout the world are

particularly disquieting. If the international system

continues to be influenced by certain Powers, the

future will remain uncertain, notwithstanding the

individual efforts made by Member States and despite

the countless resolutions adopted by this Assembly.

In recent years, the international geopolitical

environment has been dramatically shaken.

Irresponsible actions have unleashed much hatred and

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bitterness, which jeopardizes world peace and

harmony. The fundamental principles that justified the

existence of the United Nations are now being called

into question and we are duty-bound explicitly and

clearly to redefine the new objectives and to strengthen

the founding principles of the United Nations.

Many tragic events have occurred and countless

innocent lives have been destroyed. These are the facts

of the world today. I would like to take this opportunity

to pay tribute to the members of the Secretariat who

tragically lost their lives in the line of duty and to

convey condolences to the United Nations Secretariat

as well as to the families of the victims of that brutal

and horrendous act. That barbaric and inhuman act of

violence saddens us all. I join with previous speakers

in condemning that brutal act.

Unfortunately, some of us have contributed to the

current situation. A brief overview of past events

definitely shows that various world conflicts, wars,

famines, droughts, epidemics, poverty and

environmental degradation are on the increase. Many

developing countries are facing a variety of

development difficulties, such as the increase in

unemployment that contributes to the degradation of

societies. In many cases, the destruction of social and

cultural progress, caused by globalization and

modernization, has increased feelings of hatred and

bitterness. The main outlines for future development

have been mapped out but the success of the

implementation of this remains dependant on political

will, particularly the financial commitments of the

industrialized countries. However, I am still optimistic

and I trust in your wisdom, Mr. President, to guide us

to a better future.

While counter-terrorism and normalization in

some countries are on the agenda, we should not divert

our attention from the development issues that can

undermine the future of developing countries.

Considerable resources will be devoted to security

questions, when only a tiny share of this amount would

be enough to meet the needs of the developing

countries.

The environment is another area of concern. We

support previous statements by representatives of the

island States of the Pacific, and we continue to

encourage countries that have not yet done so to ratify

the Kyoto Protocol as soon as possible.

How can we explain to our peoples that certain

international obligations are priorities only for the

small States, whereas the super-Powers seem hardly to

be concerned about them, or are even hostile to them,

and yet do not hesitate to impose a series of conditions

which contribute to the underdevelopment of small

States and which we could describe as political and

economic interference?

The unilateral imposition and maintenance of the

ban on the sale of products containing kava in Europe

is an example of this discriminatory attitude. The

European countries involved do not seem to take

account of the scientific studies establishing the

absence of any link between kava and kidney disease, a

link suggested by the health authorities of some

European countries.

The threat of economic sanctions by the

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) against tax havens in the

Pacific, while excepting European jurisdictions, leaves

no alternative than to accept the conditions imposed

without any consideration of the economies concerned.

Since our acceptance in principle of the OECD

conditions we have received no indication from that

organization of any quid pro quo that it can provide in

the case of economic loss.

Despite the opposition of the Pacific region to the

transportation of nuclear waste in the waters of our

region, certain Powers show a complete lack of respect

for the sovereignty of the small islands States of the

Pacific. It is not only a question of the environment and

of protecting our natural resources against any disaster;

it is much more a question of ethics. In other words, we

regret the complete lack of respect for the small island

States of the Pacific as fully fledged members of the

international community.

It is generally recognized today that trade is the

engine of development. However, like other countries

of similar size, Vanuatu is facing certain tariff and non-

tariff restrictions which are causing our agricultural

products to be inaccessible to, in particular, markets

that are often described as free.

Bringing national laws into line with international

conventions carries costs that are often

disproportionate for the small countries. In almost all

cases, national resource constraints, financial as well as

technical, are ignored, whereas they must be taken into

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account for the success of any programme of action

resulting from international commitments.

We must not lose sight of the basic principle of

the right to self-determination. We reiterate that the

credibility of the United Nations rests on following up

the implementation of any reform aimed at recognizing

the right of peoples to self-determination, in the

context of respect for others and for the United Nations

Charter. We therefore applaud the efforts by the

Government of Indonesia to open and maintain

dialogue with the various social and minority

constituents, as well as those in West Papua, in respect

for human rights and freedom of expression.

We welcome the positive role and efforts of

Australia and New Zealand, after an unprecedented

decision by the countries of the region, to restore and

maintain order, security and peace in the region, and in

particular in the Solomon Islands.

We applaud the French President, Mr. Jacques

Chirac, for having initiated a summit meeting of heads

of State and Government of the South Pacific region,

held last July, in order to strengthen our cooperation.

I trust in your wisdom, Mr. President, to make

sure that all the theories expounded in the Assembly

are followed by concrete, practical action. We have a

duty to work collectively through the multilateral

institutions to help resolve and overcome the

difficulties and challenges that face us. In order to do

that, we need to constantly review the very structure of

the United Nations. The various unilateral initiatives

have highlighted the limits of the current structure

which have caused a weakening of the multilateral

approach. Many super-Powers are unwilling to share

even a part of their authority within the United Nations

and seem to prefer the status quo. The principles of

democratization and transparency advocated by most

Members must be taken into account in the

reorganization and in the Organization’s decision-

making process.

My delegation supports changing the permanent

membership of the Security Council to include Japan

and a representative of the African continent, of the

Middle East and of the Alliance of Small Island States.

This reform would give the Organization greater

transparency, restore confidence in it and improve

international cooperation. My delegation strongly

supports the proposals made, and in particular the

nomination of a group of leaders representing the

various regions and the main categories of economies

in order to launch this important proposal. This long

awaited review will finally come about.

We need to take this great opportunity to renew

and strengthen the United Nations in order to give it

the qualities it needs to meet the challenges of our

time. Strengthening the cohesion and unity of our great

community of nations will be a daunting challenge, one

which we are prepared to meet, while offering our

complete and unconditional support.

We have aired our concerns in order to stress the

injustices and contradictions in the current situation,

but we assure the Organization of our support and our

commitment to seeing the Organization revitalized,

capable of meeting the aspirations of all its Members,

whether large or small, rich or poor, strong or weak.

The contradictions of principle, mounting

terrorism, human suffering, and the emergence of

conflicts in regions that are normally peaceful,

combined with the injustices of globalization, are all

ingredients for a future catastrophe.

In conclusion, my delegation remains convinced

that only a reinvigorated United Nations can contribute

in a lasting manner to world peace and security.