Vanuatu, 2009

I begin by joining others

in congratulating Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on

assuming the noble and high responsibility of the

presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth

session. Let me wish him well in his leadership as the

United Nations makes its way through the myriad

evolving challenges on the global agenda. I also take

this opportunity to commend the Secretary-General for

his vision and for the initiatives that he has resolutely

pursued in the interests of all humanity.

The theme of the sixty-fourth General Assembly

session will serve to focus the attention of the

international community on the critical importance of

building partnerships for more equitable and

sustainable development. My delegation shares the

belief that sustainable development is the responsibility

of everyone, and that its realization requires strong

partnerships at all levels. I firmly believe that equity

and sustainable development are mutually reinforcing

goals, for it would be difficult to support peace,

security and growth in any process of development that

left much of humanity behind.

One of the major goals of my country’s

comprehensive reform programme, introduced during

the mid-1990s, is to promote social equity, especially

in terms of integrating the needs of our culturally

diverse people and geographically remote communities

into our national development priorities. I am glad to

say that we are still pursuing our nationwide policy

consultation processes, aimed at developing and

maintaining sound policies and frameworks for

delivering services to our people at the grass-roots

level.

We in the Pacific are grateful to all our

development partners for their continuing support and

their commitment to working closely with us in

developing mechanisms for strengthening development

coordination, improving development outcomes, using

available resources effectively and ensuring

inclusiveness in our approach to development.

We are very much aware of the fact that despite

continued high levels of development assistance over

many years, the economic and development

performance of island States in the Pacific region

remains weak. Many countries in our region, including

Vanuatu, are not on track to achieve all the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Vanuatu will

therefore remain firmly committed to the principles of

the Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development

Coordination in the Pacific. We are committed to

working closely with the Pacific Islands Forum

Secretariat and other multilateral agencies to ensure

that all resources made available to the region are

focused on the aim of achieving real progress towards

the MDGs. We are also committed to work with our

individual donor partners to ensure that they support

our national development priorities that are linked to

our overall efforts to achieve the MDGs.

However, Vanuatu is aware that commitments to

strengthening development coordination in the Pacific

region are being made against the backdrop of the

global economic crisis. My delegation therefore wishes

to renew our call to international financial institutions

to assist Pacific island countries in responding to the

international economic crisis. Vanuatu is very

concerned that its recent high economic growth

performance, which rose above 6 per cent between

2006 and 2007, will fall sharply as a result of the

global economic recession. International Monetary

Fund and Asian Development Bank growth estimates

forecast that Vanuatu’s economy will grow at a slower

41 09-52470

pace in 2008 and 2009, averaging between 3 and 4 per

cent. Growth prospects for the future continue to be

uncertain. Maintaining strong economic growth over

the next few years will be critical if Vanuatu is to

succeed in sustained delivery of such basic services as

education, health and infrastructure development to its

80 scattered islands.

In the light of these concerns Vanuatu is pleased

that in February 2010 it will be hosting a Pacific-

United Nations Conference on The Human Face of the

Global Economic Crisis in the Pacific. Discussions of

the organizational arrangements for this important

event are under way between my Government, United

Nations specialized agencies actively engaged in the

Pacific region and Pacific regional organizations. We

all look forward to the outcome of the conference,

especially in terms of guidance and support for

building Pacific regional partnerships that can assist us

in addressing the impacts of this and future global

economic crises on the livelihoods of our people.

The complex and challenging circumstances in

Fiji have led to international condemnation and

pressure for early elections to be held. Further

international pressure has been brought to bear on the

Government of Fiji in view of more recent

developments. While Vanuatu is part of the Pacific-

wide regional calls for an early return of democracy in

Fiji, my Government believes that continued

engagement of the Fiji Government by the

international community will be critical. Under

Vanuatu’s chairmanship, the Melanesian Spearhead

Group has continued to maintain high-level dialogue

with the Government of Fiji, primarily to ascertain that

Government’s views and to put forward the concerns of

neighbouring States.

Vanuatu welcomes the recent establishment of a

full-fledged department to oversee the implementation

of the framework for change that the Fiji Government

introduced recently and to facilitate a nationwide

process of reconciliation and dialogue. As the closest

neighbouring island State, Vanuatu continues to plead

that the process of returning Fiji to democracy and

parliamentary legitimacy should be driven by peaceful

dialogue and genuine concern for the socio-economic

well-being of the people of Fiji. Any punitive measures

would not be in the economic and social interest of the

good people of Fiji or the region of the Pacific as a

whole. We are all too aware of the unprecedented

challenges that small island developing States like

Vanuatu have come to be faced with today. Man-made

or linked with such phenomena as climate change,

these challenges pose unacceptable implications for the

social, economic and political structures of our small

island States and often have grave security

implications.

Vanuatu would like at this juncture cordially to

applaud the tireless and collective efforts of all the

island nations, large and small, in cooperating and

working together towards the adoption by the General

Assembly this past June of resolution 63/281 on

climate change and its possible security implications.

This is indeed a historical milestone for Pacific small

island developing States, such as my own country,

because for the first time the security implications of

climate change were brought to the attention of the

international community. Over the years differing and

conflicting views have stalled the strenuous efforts of

the small island countries in convincing the world that

the impact of climate change was irreversible. Inherent

in many of the arguments that needed to be overcome

was the idea that there was still time.

At this point I wish to reiterate that the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

must be the principal forum for addressing climate

change. Given our vulnerabilities and geographic

realities, we in the Pacific region have been among the

first fully to accept the security implications of climate

change. I would like to stress here that no country,

small or large, developed or developing, will be able to

avoid the security implications of climate change,

which are already affecting the livelihoods of our

people, as the international community struggles to

come to terms with the idea that climate change poses

a real threat to the future survival of mankind. Unless

all the relevant organs of the United Nations intensify

their efforts to consider and address the issue of

climate change, no word will be more appropriate to

the global situation under this particular crisis than the

word “doomed”. The momentum seen today forces

upon us the realization that these threats are real and

therefore require urgent attention.

In preparations for the coming conference in

Copenhagen, leaders of the Alliance of Small Island

States have agreed this week that more action is

required from members of the international community

in living up to their commitments. While globalization

and interdependency have brought with them both

opportunities and challenges for the small island

09-52470 42

States, the challenges predominate and are ominous.

The gathering of world leaders at the Summit on

Climate Change at this year’s General Assembly was a

reaffirmation that climate change presents a security

threat to all our nations and peoples.

Consisting of volcanic and coral islands, Vanuatu

is one of the smaller island nations in the South Pacific

region and in the world. Because of Vanuatu’s rapidly

growing young population and low economic growth

rate, the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP) assessment, until very recently, ranked it as

one of the poorest countries in the South Pacific

region. This degree of underdevelopment drastically

limits its capacity to effectively curb threats associated

with the adverse impacts of climate change.

More than 80 per cent of the people of Vanuatu

live off the land through subsistence farming, which

constitutes their contribution to the national economy.

Vanuatuan traditional farming practices have been

shaped by farmers’ subsistence needs and climatic

conditions. Land has always been precious to the

Ni-Vanuatu; rights to its ownership and use form a

central part of their culture and traditional governance.

The rapidly growing population of Vanuatu places

increasing pressure on access to a finite amount of

farmland. This issue is likely to be compounded by

probable losses of arable land owing to the adverse

effects of climate change. Such possible losses raise

serious economic, political and security implications

for Vanuatu.

Not only is Vanuatu among the least developed

countries, but it remains one of the most disaster-prone

nations among the small island States. It is highly

susceptible to cyclones, coastal erosion, river flooding,

earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic

eruptions.

Without doubt these are challenging times. We

followed with great interest the recent Conference on

the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its

Impact on Development. Vanuatu is deeply concerned

that the world financial crisis, like climate change, is

caused by external forces beyond our control, and yet

its rippling effects are quickly reaching our nation’s

most vulnerable populations. Children, women, the

disabled and the working poor will be the hardest hit

and the least able to cope with dramatic changes.

Vanuatu is indeed being hurt by a variety of

economic realities, such as decreasing trade, erratic

commodity prices, increased borrowing costs and

strains on official development assistance. One of the

reasons for this downturn is that we are quite

dependent on external financing, in the form of both

aid and trade. Furthermore our foreign-exchange

earnings and our Government revenue rely on a small

number of commodities. However, we are confident

that we will be able to counteract those weaknesses in

our economic situation by introducing progressive

microeconomic policy mechanisms, improving

Government structures and striving to maintain

political stability. This plan is in line with working to

implement the Millennium Development Goals and to

achieve country targets by the year 2015.

Vanuatu emphatically concurs with the premise of

the upcoming Copenhagen conference that climate

change is one of the most fundamental challenges ever

to confront humanity. No issue is more fundamental to

long-term global prosperity, and no issue is more

essential to our survival as a species. I strongly feel

that a fair and comprehensive global deal in

Copenhagen will represent a step forward for all us, for

nations small or large, developing or developed.

Mutual cooperation, respect and trust will be the key

political driving forces for a successful deal in

Copenhagen.

While we commend recent efforts to reform the

United Nations, Vanuatu shares the view of many other

countries that to ensure a stronger and more effective

Organization we need to reconsider the membership of

the Security Council sooner rather than later. If the

Council’s membership better reflected the world’s

geography and better represented currently

underrepresented groups, the United Nations would

build a stronger sense of common responsibility and

collective responsiveness. A more representative

Council would bring openness and transparency, create

confidence and ameliorate understanding and

cooperation.

Still, any reform must be implemented in a way

that does not affect the authority of the Council. Of

course there are diverse vested interests among us. But

our common interests and the United Nations role in

furthering them must continue to hold a central place to

ensure the continuity of the international legal

framework. Negotiations must therefore be conducted

in an atmosphere of inclusion and through constructive

dialogue and positive engagement. Diatribes offer no

solutions. We must remain resolute in our defence of

43 09-52470

the United Nations; the necessity of this Organization

is continuously made clear by the horrors that the

scourges of armed conflict, disease and famine inflict

on people, especially women and children.

On a more administrative level, the highly

bureaucratic procedures and accession mechanisms

established by the United Nations system for much

needed funds have placed unnecessary strain on local

capacities. As the burgeoning climate crisis looms on

the horizon we need to identify ways of simplifying

procedures, such as those for accessing climate change

mitigation funds, and to consider revising delivery

modalities, including exploring direct access

possibilities. The blueprint for international

cooperation may be in place but it must be followed up

by action.

Finally, my delegation welcomes Security

Council resolution 1887 (2009) on non-proliferation of

nuclear weapons and disarmament. The presence of all

the leaders of the Permanent Five at the meeting (see

S/PV.6191) demonstrates a commitment to control the

spread of weapons of mass destruction. Maintaining

international peace and security will always remain

humanity’s greatest challenge, and there is hope.

Despite all our differences and diversities, human

security for all is our main objective. We recognize the

efforts of the Secretary-General and commend the

manner in which he has pursued the mobilization of

political momentum for Copenhagen with the relevant

bodies of the United Nations. Saving the Earth and

humanity remains our ultimate goal.

In conclusion, we go to Copenhagen with

optimism. The future is in our hands. Let us not

deprive future generations of their right to live in a

world of peace and stability.