Fiji, 2013

At the outset, I wish

to congratulate President Ashe on his election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth

session and express my confidence that under his able

and wise guidance, the Assembly will successfully

accomplish its many tasks. I would also like to pay

tribute to the tireless efforts of last year’s President, His

Excellency Mr. Vuk Jeremi., and extend my appreciation

for the effectiveness with which he directed the work of

the Assembly at the previous session.

Fiji reached a pivotal moment in its history earlier

this month, when His Excellency the President of

the Republic of Fiji promulgated the nation’s new

Constitution. This Constitution introduces the first

genuine democracy that Fiji will enjoy since we gained

independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. Forty-

three years and three Constitutions later, we finally

have a Constitution that is worthy of the Fijian people.

It is a Constitution that meets the test of a genuine

democracy, that upholds the legal and moral basis of a

common and equal citizenry without denying anyone’s

individuality or culture.

The 2013 Fijian Constitution enshrines principles

that are at the heart of all the world’s great liberal

democracies: an independent judiciary, a secular State

and a wide range of civil, political and socioeconomic

rights. It recognizes the indigenous peoples of Fiji and

their customary practices, protects the rights of the

predominantly indigenous landowners and those of their

tenants, demands accountability and transparency from

Government officials, builds strong and independent

institutions and replaces our old weighted electoral

system with one based on the principle of one person,

one vote, one value. That historic achievement is the

culmination of a path that Fiji embarked on in 2007

to establish a modern and stable society that can be a

proud and responsible part of the global community.

For years we struggled to be a nation under a system

that created different classes of citizens and in which

the votes of some Fijians counted more than others.

How could we be one nation when our fundamental law

said that we were not one people? The very idea of a

just and equal society, of an accountable Government

and of loyalty to the nation State was being eroded from

within. There were too many elites who thought the

best way to entrench their own privileges was to sow

the seeds of division and undermine our independent

institutions. The removals of the Government in 1987

and 2000 were the most radical expressions of that

dysfunction.

As a result, tens of thousands of Fijians suffered,

and many made the decision to leave their home

forever — to leave Fiji. As I have said before, that is

one of the most shameful episodes of our history, and

I am determined that it must never, ever happen again.

We must never allow a fellow citizen to be second class

or to be less than an equal of his neighbour. Surely, such

a basic principle as that deserves the full support of all

nations that would never accept any less for their own

people.

So we have set out to make a change for the good, a

permanent change that would set the nation on a straight

course and allow Fiji to finally reach the potential

it had when we so enthusiastically embraced our

independence. It has been a long journey, and we have

faced numerous challenges along the way. But it is with

great pleasure and deep honour that I stand here today

and say: our national compass has finally been reset.

Under the new Constitution, we are heading towards

Fiji’s first genuinely democratic elections by September

2014 and a much brighter future as one nation.

With every month that passes, we are building

the foundations of our new parliamentary democracy.

Unlike in the past, we are building a credible and fair

system that will guide that process. Four political

parties have registered thus far under the new laws,

which create transparency and accountability, and

close to 540,000 Fijians — out of an estimated 620,000

eligible voters — have registered for the 2014 election.

Many modern, stable democracies have gone

through their own turbulent periods. Some have gone

through decades of instability and bloodshed, while

others have had a single defining moment. Those

events changed the course of history. They turned

their countries from bastions of elitism and oppression

into nations of freedom, equality and true democracy.

The United States has its Bunker Hill and Civil War.

France has the storming of the Bastille and the French

revolution. Australia has the Eureka Stockade, and

Britain has had a bloody history as it struggled to

establish a constitutional monarchy. We Fijians have

also had our share of turbulence.

Regrettably and to our great disappointment, some

of our oldest friends had no faith in us. They abandoned

us and sought to punish us with sanctions. We sought

their assistance and understanding, but they turned

their backs on us. They chose to support a form of

democracy, governance and justice in Fiji that they

would never have accepted for themselves. We hope

that they see now that we were true to our word. All

nations struggle over time to overcome their unique

challenges, to correct historic sins and to be worthy of

the principles on which they were founded. We in Fiji

are no different. Our isolation led us to seek out new

relationships, which have proven fruitful. Now, our

standing in the world has never been stronger.

A key principle that has guided Fiji’s political

development and foreign policy and is soundly

grounded in the Charter of the United Nations is

that we determine our own destinies as sovereign

States. At the same time, we recognize the necessity

of collaborating with all Member States of the United

Nations with the aim of supporting sustainable world

peace, substantive justice, dignity and respect for all. It

is that spirit of collaboration that has inspired us to go

beyond parochial interests and reach out to help others.

That spirit enjoins us to be loyal to common ideals,

goals, values and principles. They remain our guiding

beacons as we navigate our way in this millennium.

The theme set by the President to guide the general

debate at this sixty-eighth session, which is “The

post-2015 development agenda: setting the stage,”

is most fitting for the juncture at which the United

Nations stands. In the midst of increasing poverty and

underdevelopment and during an era of unprecedented

wealth accumulation and technological advances, the

rift that divides the rich and the poor zones of the world

ever widens. We must therefore not lose focus on one

imperative of our time: equality among nations, big and

small, is central to the relevance, credibility and even

survival of this global Organization.

In that regard, we are encouraged by the progress

made thus far in the General Assembly towards

expeditiously launching the follow-up mechanisms

agreed at the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. Throughout

the course of this year, the Group of 77 and China

has emphasized that the road map towards a post-

2015 development agenda needs to address the

implementation gaps of the Millennium Development

Goals, with poverty eradication remaining an

overarching goal. The new development agenda must

be universal, applicable and relevant to all Member

States. Let me also stress that the new development

agenda should be centred on economic development

that supports both social inclusion and environmental

sustainability.

Our common desire for a transformative global

development agenda beyond 2015 can best be achieved

through collective efforts and an enhanced global

partnership. Such efforts must place the development

and well-being of people at its core. If the international

community and national Governments seriously

commit to an agenda for meaningful transformation

at the structural, institutional and normative levels,

the post-2015 development agenda has the potential of

achieving a paradigm shift in global conditions.

Fiji’s commitment to being a good global citizen

is manifested through our ongoing engagement with

the United Nations and its associated agencies and

secretariats. Our decision to take on the mantle of

chairing the Group of 77 and China for the year 2013

was informed by the fact that Fiji embraces its rights

as an equal Member of the United Nations and that we

must therefore also carry all the due responsibilities

expected of us within this great family of nations.

Fiji’s commitment to United Nations peacekeeping

remains unwavering. It is a source of great pride

that, for a nation of our size, we are able to make a

meaningful and significant contribution. For the past

three decades, we have always responded to the call

of the United Nations to serve, including in the most

difficult circumstances around the world. While we

fully recognize the risks involved, Fiji’s confidence in

its peacekeepers prompted us to provide troops to the

Golan Heights this year to assist the United Nations in a

time of need. The many years of service of Fijian troops

in the Middle East region, particularly in Lebanon,

Iraq and Sinai, are an asset that our troops take with

them to that mission. Fiji also sees police peacekeeping

and contributions in the corrections and justice sector

as important in building local State institutions that

can be run by local authorities once peacekeeping

missions end, and we are building on our many existing

commitments in that regard in Liberia, Darfur and

South Sudan.

It is up to us in the General Assembly to ensure

that all support possible is given to troop- and

police-contributing countries serving on the ground,

including through clear and appropriate policy

guidance. For the good of the countries concerned,

we must not abdicate that responsibility. I urge us

all to work together in the United Nations to provide

such concrete policy guidance, particularly as we see

peacekeeping missions evolve into multidimensional

and complex missions that differ greatly from early

United Nations peacekeeping missions.

As a Pacific island nation, Fiji reaffirms its support

for the efforts of small island developing States (SIDS)

to achieve sustainable development. Not only are SIDS

acutely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such

as sea-level rise, ocean acidification and the increased

frequency of extreme weather events, but for some of

us the threat is to our very existence. Our response

to the plight of those most at risk must therefore be

characterized by a requisite sense of urgency.

The convening of the third International Conference

for Sustainable Development of SIDS in 2014 will be

critical to addressing, in a very specific and concrete

manner, the many challenges faced by SIDS. It is

an opportunity for the international community to

renew its commitment to the implementation of the

decisions and agreements pertaining to SIDS. As

the international community discusses the post-2015

development landscape, including a successor to the

Hyogo Framework for Action, we must ensure that a

new model accounts for and addresses the risks we

face. This is particularly relevant for SIDS, where

hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses

occur as a result of so-called natural disasters every

year. Protecting development gains and investing in

disaster resilience is vital to sustainable development.

The United Nations efforts to eradicate colonialism

must forge ahead within the context of the Special

Political and Decolonization Committee, of which

Fiji is a member. Through the Pacific regional body

known as the Melanesian Spearhead Group, Fiji works

together with other members of the Fourth Committee

to accelerate the process of decolonization.

In reforming and developing its information and

communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, Fiji

has adopted a comprehensive approach by combining a

national framework for ICT development with effective

and pragmatic policies and initiatives to deliver results

directly to the Fijian people. That approach is bearing

fruit. Fiji has achieved 95 per cebt mobile coverage,

including 3G; concluded one of the region’s first open

auctions for the 4G spectrum; and is implementing a

number of innovative initiatives to increase affordable

access and improve services, including in the most

remote parts of our country.

The International Telecommunication Union, in its

annual review of more than 150 countries’ delivery of

ICT infrastructure and services to their populations,

gave special recognition to Fiji as a developing country.

Fiji tied for the third largest improvement of any

country and is ranked fourth globally in percentage

terms, having improved by 14 per cent.

As the first country to ratify the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea, Fiji has kept its

oceanic obligations at the core of its foreign policy.

While some disconnect exists between what is

contained in international instruments and what is or

is not implemented, we need a commitment to clear

steps to turn words into actions in order to facilitate the

sustainable management of ocean resources and make

equitable the share of benefits from their utilization.

Fiji hosted the inaugural Pacific Islands

Development Forum (PIDF) last month. Its formation

makes the PIDF the only South-South organization in

the Pacific region that provides for a multi-stakeholder

platform where Governments, the private sector and

civil society can discuss what we Pacific Islanders need

to do to achieve sustainable development.

We look forward to a productive sixty-eighth

session of the General Assembly. Let me reiterate our

full support and cooperation with President Ashe and

all members with a view to advancing the objectives

of the United Nations and the aspirations of the global

community.