Samoa, 2009

The value of the

United Nations to humanity has not diminished with

the passing of time. Our Organization remains as

relevant today as when it was established 64 years ago.

Its status as the world’s pre-eminent body will be

diminished if we as leaders do not accord it the respect

our Organization deserves and observe its etiquette.

Recent crises have not only validated our global

sustainability, but highlighted our interconnectedness

and interdependence. These crises, from those in food

and energy security to the global recession and

pandemic, have adversely affected all Member States

to varying degrees. Although they have resulted from

the decisions and actions of a few, the crises have not

differentiated in impact between developed and

developing countries or between the rich and the poor.

The costs of these crises in terms of human suffering

and social upheaval have been considerable, and

justifiably required the collective and concerted global

action that now seems to be working with a good

degree of success.

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These crises are eminently solvable and short-

term when compared to the great and grave threat the

world faces from environmental degradation and

climate change. This week’s summit of the Alliance of

Small Island States and the Secretary-General’s high-

level meeting both underscored the predominance and

urgency of the climate change challenge. Their core

messages were unambiguous. Climate change is not a

future phenomenon; it is real and already occurring in

Pacific countries and low-lying islands elsewhere. It is

no longer a question of when, but rather of how severe

the magnitude of its impact will be. The full cost

society must bear is becoming a stark reality that we

can no longer ignore today.

Climate change is not a concern of small island

developing States alone. Our vulnerability to climate

change should not absolve those responsible for its

causes in the past or now, nor should it be used to shift

the burden of leadership and responsibility away from

the main carbon emitters. Developed and emerging

economies will all be affected one way or another.

Sadly, the human and financial costs will be borne

disproportionately by small island developing States.

A Copenhagen climate pact is therefore a must. It

requires a new brand of cooperation and a broad

outlook. The narrow pursuit of self-interests and the

use of economic and political expediencies should be

set aside and must not be allowed to derail the goal of

concluding an ambitious and binding agreement.

Climate change is also everyone’s job. While

acknowledging historical responsibility is legitimate,

allowing it to get in the way of making decisions to

reach a comprehensive agreement would be a grave

mistake. Reaching a climate change agreement is

therefore a test of multilateral solidarity.

Time is running out. The impacts of climate

change are getting worse daily. Playing the blame-and-

shame game, or waiting to be led but not being willing

to lead, are no longer options. For no single nation, no

single group of nations and no single organization can

win the war against climate change on its own. The

divergent yet inextricably linked interests of Member

States demand that we seal a deal in Copenhagen.

The cost of adaptation and mitigation at the

national level can be prohibitive because most of our

people and infrastructure are found along the coastal

areas. Relocating them inland would be costly due to

our rough and rugged terrain and the number of people

involved. However, that has not deterred us. Using our

resources and by partnering with the international

community, we continue to support the global effort to

build our resilience against climate change. Our

plantation access roads programme is one such

initiative. It facilitates relocation and helps boost

agricultural production as a response measure to

climate change and to food security.

The shadow of the financial crisis envelops us

still. As with climate change, most developing nations

are victims forcibly drawn into the maelstrom of the

crisis through its consequential impact on the global

economy. Although remote from the epicentres of the

crises, our small and vulnerable island economies have

not been spared. Indeed, it has been acknowledged by

the Group of 20 that the global recession impacts the

vulnerable and poorest countries disproportionately.

International acceptance of the collective responsibility

to provide assistance to help those countries mitigate

the impact of the global recession has also been very

important.

That undertaking to provide assistance is simply

critical for small and open economies like that of my

country. The global recession has contracted our small

economy, and our narrow Government revenue base

has taken some hard hits that have made it impossible

to provide on our own the kind of stimulus package

that would meaningfully mitigate the impacts of the

recession, let alone reignite growth in the economy.

In the circumstances, the effective assistance

needed by our economy at this time is direct budgetary

support, which should be necessary only for the short

term to sustain expenditure, allow us breathing space to

rebalance our finances, and put the economy back onto

the path of growth. We acknowledge with appreciation

the readiness of our development partners and of

international financial institutions, such as the World

Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to

sympathetically consider our requests in that regard.

Samoa will graduate from the list of least

developed countries in December 2010. The

intervention of the financial crisis was unanticipated

and not taken into account when the decision was made

to advance our country to the transitional period. An

extension of the transitional period is therefore both

necessary and justified.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

will be reviewed next year. Our scorecard on all eight

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Goals gives us guarded optimism, although meeting

every one of them in the time frame allowed remains a

challenge. Our needs are not matched by the resources

at our disposal. Hence, central to our efforts to realize

the MDGs is the implementation of Goal 8 on

achieving durable global partnerships for development.

But some aid donors either take their time to respond

or do not do so at all. That is cause for justifiable alarm

because if they are not forthcoming with relatively

modest resources to help us achieve the MDGs, then

the prospects for an effective global response to

climate change will all but vanish.

The Pacific is a region of relative peace. We have

been spared the scars of war and conflict, and nature

has gifted us the sea and land for our livelihood. While

we have challenges and differences, they tend to be

localized. Our development needs, individually and

regionally, are modest by world standards. However,

belying that tranquillity is our acute economic

vulnerability.

Given our credentials as a region of relative

stability with needs that are not as large as those of

other parts of the world, one would expect the

international donor community to be jostling for

opportunities to assist our development efforts. On the

contrary, that has not been borne out in the general

experience of the region. Some development partners

seem unconcerned as to where and how their

development aid is spent; whether it is in war-torn,

devastated and unstable regions or as a front to support

military-related industries at home appears to be of no

consequence. Then, there are those who engage in

posturing and rhetoric that are devoid of tangible or

real action on the ground.

Sustainable partnership is based on mutual trust

and respect. That has been the foundation of Samoa’s

relationship with our main development partners:

Australia, China, the European Union, Japan and New

Zealand. All have supported us and continue to do so at

every step of our development journey. Italy, Austria

and Turkey are our newest partners, assisting in the

renewable energy field, and we would like to engage

countries at the cutting edge of renewable energy

technology, such as China, Germany, Japan and the

United States, to assist us in that key sector.

The One United Nations Initiative is a timely

project that reduces the costs and improves the

efficiency and effectiveness of aid delivery by the

United Nations system. Resources saved through that

Initiative should flow back to benefit Member States.

A permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict continues to be an elusive goal, and seems a

lost cause. President Obama’s relaunching afresh this

week of the stalled Middle East peace talks will

hopefully be the catalyst that brings about renewed

impetus in achieving a secure State of Israel living

alongside a Palestinian State.

Mr. Christian (Ghana), Vice-President, took the

Chair.

International terrorism is a global menace. It

creates an atmosphere of collective fear and

intolerance. It preys on the innocent, vulnerable and

defenceless and disrupts any progress towards peace

and development. Terrorism in all its forms and

manifestations should always be condemned

unreservedly. Individual actions by States cannot in

and of themselves provide a solution. We must

shoulder our responsibility to act together to meet the

threat through concerted multilateral action, which

underpins the spirit of our Organization.

Wars are futile and serve no useful purpose. They

will not end unless disarmament, nuclear

non-proliferation and illicit small arms and light

weapons are brought under effective control. The task

of building peace lies with every nation. That is why

we welcome the decision by the United States to move

forward with the ratification of the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We remain hopeful that the

Treaty will enter into force soon.

The United Nations cannot survive unless it

constantly adjusts and adapts to changing times. After

18 years, Security Council reform has finally entered

the intergovernmental negotiating process. Samoa

continues to support the expansion of the membership

of the Council in both the permanent and

non-permanent categories. Countries such as Japan

have the credentials to assume permanent member

status.

United Nations peacekeeping operations around

the world have brought relief and hope to victims in

conflict areas. Samoan civilian police officers are

currently serving in three peacekeeping missions side

by side with officers from other Member States. In our

own region, Samoa is a contributor to the Regional

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Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands under the

umbrella of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Let me conclude by wishing the President well in

the formidable challenges facing his presidency. When

nations stand united and firm in pursuit of the goals of

the Organization’s Charter, the world can look to the

future with confidence.