Federated States of Micronesia, 2011

Let me begin by extending my

warm congratulations to Mr. Al-Nasser as President of

the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. His

strong leadership will continue the high standard set by

his predecessor. I wish also to express to the Secretary-

General my deepest appreciation for his many

contributions and accomplishments, one of which is his

recent visit to the South Pacific island countries. I

congratulate him and wish him well in his second term.

Last July, the Security Council took a giant step

with the adoption of a presidential statement

(S/PRST/2011/15) during its debate on the issue of

climate change and its security implications. We were

encouraged by that bold step.

As a member of the Pacific small island

developing States (SIDS), we appreciate the

unprecedented action taken by the Security Council as

we continue to face the threat to our existence and the

loss of territorial integrity and sovereignty resulting

from the adverse impacts of climate change and sea-

level rise. The concerns expressed by the Council in

connection with climate change, in particular

concerning sea-level rise as a security threat, is an

important step.

We cannot but notice, however, the persistent

failure and reluctance by some countries to address the

security aspect of climate change, even in the face of

overwhelming scientific evidence. We believe that

those who opposed the debate in the Council and those

who doubted the security implications of climate

change simply ignored the obvious.

We respectfully ask those members who opposed

the debate and those who are still in doubt to fulfil

their responsibilities under the Charter of the United

Nations. We also take note of the positions of those

who aspire to membership in the Council, and we

thank those countries who supported our cause. I

strongly urge the Security Council, and for that matter

the whole United Nations system, to utilize innovative

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ways to address the concerns of the most vulnerable

Members of this Organization.

We are grateful for the historic visit by Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon to our region on the fortieth

anniversary of the Pacific Islands Forum. It was also

the first time in the 66-year history of this body that a

Secretary-General has ever visited any Pacific small

island developing State — on this occasion, Kiribati

and the Solomon Islands. We are confident that the

Secretary-General’s visit will give a greater sense of

urgency to the issue of climate change.

Climate change is no longer a hypothetical issue

but a real tragedy, as we in the Pacific region are

already experiencing its adverse effects. These impacts

will continue to worsen until countries like mine

disappear, unless immediate and decisive actions are

taken by this body to mitigate climate change at first

evidence.

It is imperative that we immediately begin to

reduce emissions of long-lasting greenhouse gases like

carbon dioxide. We must complement the action on

carbon dioxide by reducing short-lived climate forcers

such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and

hydrofluorocarbons in order to prevent an additional

increase of as much as one degree Celsius in global

warming over the next decades. Reducing these short-

lived agents is one of the surest ways to protect some

of the Earth’s most vulnerable regions such as the

Federated States of Micronesia.

I therefore call upon the international community

to join this strategic approach to meeting the challenge

of climate change. The time to act is now.

More than 60 years ago, my island country, the

Federated States of Micronesia, drew world attention

as a battleground in the Pacific conflict. Today, the

remnants of approximately 60 shipwrecks from that

conflict are posing threats to the lives of our people,

our environment and the marine ecosystem.

Approximately 32 million litres of oil contained in the

bellies of the wrecks are a ticking environmental time

bomb. Leading experts on underwater corrosion have

warned that the shipwrecks will collapse, and when

they do, we believe that oil from these wrecks could

create a spill on a massive scale, with an impact

comparable to the disaster last year in the Gulf of

Mexico.

Oil from these shipwrecks in my state of Chuuk

has already started leaking. Any disaster could have a

devastating effect on the environment, our food chain

and the surrounding reefs that serve as breeding

grounds for many fish species. It would also adversely

impact our tourism industry, which depends largely on

coral and shipwreck diving. Thus to avoid a major

environmental disaster, I am now appealing to the

international community for immediate assistance.

Twenty years ago my country gained membership

in the Organization, just in time to become a part of the

movement known as the Rio process. Out of that

process, the principle of sustainability became a

mandate for development. For the United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20),

Micronesia and other small island developing States

have been calling for recognition of what we term the

“blue economy”. As island nations with millions of

square miles of the blue Pacific, we naturally have

particular affinity and concerns for the ocean.

Our ocean’s resources have enormous strategic

value. We depend on them for our subsistence living

and cultural identity as seafarers of the Pacific. The

blue Pacific has opened up new horizons in sustainable

economic development activities. As custodian of these

resources, we welcome the participation of our partners

in the utilization of these resources, but for too long we

have not received an equitable and fair share of our

ocean bounties.

The development of our ocean resources is

severely hampered by the continuous selfish

behaviours of illegal, unreported and unregulated

fishing. If unabated, these kinds of behaviour will

continue to deprive our people and our nascent fishing

industries of millions of dollars in revenues every year.

The fishing industry is further adversely affected by

ocean acidification caused by climate change.

Conservation and sustainable management of

oceanic resources is important, because we will

continue to depend on the ocean in the years ahead. It

is for that reason that we have committed to various

conservation activities in the Micronesian region. One

in particular is our support for the establishment of

shark sanctuaries. The Federated States of Micronesia

has joined Palau and other countries in committing a

vast area in our Micronesian region to be a sanctuary

for sharks.

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The current mechanisms for follow-up on the

implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action

and the Mauritius Strategy for Further Implementation

are unlikely to provide the momentum necessary to

take concrete steps as part of a results-oriented

approach. New and additional measures to address the

unique and particular vulnerabilities and development

of SIDS are required.

Along with the Pacific SIDS, we are advancing a

proposal for Rio+20 to consider a third Global

Conference on the Sustainable Development of SIDS.

We must build upon the momentum of Rio+20 to

convene a third Global Conference to refocus and

develop new and additional measures that are results-

oriented to support the sustainable development of

SIDS.

A special category for small island developing

States is imperative if the United Nations is to improve

the lot of the disadvantaged peoples of SIDS. After all,

realities demand it. I therefore reiterate the call made

last year by my own country and other small island

developing States for the creation of that special

category.

I am grateful for the attention paid by the United

Nations High-level Meeting on Non-communicable

Diseases (NCDs) held earlier in the week.

It is a major concern for us in the Pacific SIDS

that non-communicable diseases have reached

epidemic proportions. If allowed to continue unabated,

NCDs could potentially undermine our labour supply,

productivity, investment and education, with

devastating consequences for our economic

development. I echo the sentiments on NCDs expressed

by Pacific leaders regarding the importance of

immediate and decisive actions by Governments, the

private sector, civil society, regional and international

organizations and development partners to work

together to address what is now a human, social and

economic crisis for us in the Pacific.

At the beginning of the current session, we

witnessed history of another kind unfolding in the Hall.

For the first time, a female President stood at this

podium to open the general debate. I join other world

leaders in congratulating Her Excellency Ms. Dilma

Rousseff of Brazil on her many achievements. The

challenge for this body is to continue to encourage

women from all nations to participate on an equal basis

at all levels of political decision-making processes.

After all, women are equal partners in families.

In joining the debate on the Israeli-Palestinian

issue, my country urges the international community to

remain steadfast in upholding the principles of peaceful

coexistence as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

We continue to support Israel’s right to live within

secure and recognized borders, free from the fear of

terrorism. We also acknowledge Palestine’s right to

statehood, which can be achieved only through a

negotiated settlement between the two parties. I agree

with President Obama that there are no shortcuts to

solving this problem.

Just halfway into the year, people everywhere are

experiencing the impact of natural disasters, making it

the costliest year on record. They have caused not only

property damage but also the loss of human lives. I

want to extend my people’s sincere sympathies for the

lives lost and the suffering everywhere.

On the twentieth anniversary of my country’s

admission to the United Nations, we pledge to do our

best to support the goals of this Organization for the

benefit of our people and all peoples around the world.