Marshall Islands, 2009

I bring the greetings and

best wishes of the people of the Republic of the

Marshall Islands. I congratulate the President on his

election to chair the Assembly at this session. He has

our confidence and support.

I offer my gratitude to the United Nations for its

continuing role in coordinating and leading the world’s

efforts to meet challenges affecting the interests of all

nations. The United Nations Joint Presence Office in

the Marshall Islands has brought the ideals of the

Organization closer to our people and country. Our

hope is that other United Nations agencies — including

the World Health Organization, the United Nations

Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Food

and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations

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Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the

Pacific — will follow suit and make their presence felt

more prominently, producing concrete results on the

ground.

I wish to acknowledge the personal commitment

of the Secretary-General to meeting the challenges of

climate change. His reminder to take our best to the

table in Copenhagen in service of a higher calling to

save the planet is well noted. His call for a clear moral

imperative for bold and decisive urgent action and his

recognition of the duty of the larger economies to the

most vulnerable have not gone unnoticed by us small

island States. Although some may consider as

insufficient the Group of 8 commitment in Italy this

year, I believe it is an encouraging and a necessary step

forward.

We cherish the hope that the increasing

participation of the United States in debates on issues

relating to climate change is a signal of its intention to

take its rightful place at the forefront of the global war

against climate change. Likewise, we are encouraged

by Japan’s bold and new commitment to address the

adverse effects of climate change.

Let me express my appreciation to the Alliance of

Small Island States (AOSIS) for its leadership in

assisting small island developing countries to prepare

for negotiations in Copenhagen. We assure AOSIS of

our unwavering support.

Full of expectation, the world has its eyes on

Copenhagen. It will be an event of historic significance

where, despite our differences, everyone can now view

the entire planet through a common perspective.

Now, a few weeks away from Copenhagen, I feel

moved to ask what it is that we want to see happening

in there. What kind of outcome do we expect? How

should we and future generations judge the success of

Copenhagen?

The answer, it seems to me, is a matter of

perspective. Major economies will no doubt be

watchful that Copenhagen does not disturb too much

an established way of life and all its benefits. I ask

these nations to consider the implicit moral obligation

that comes with their privileged and affluent status.

For the small island States, however, the question

is whether Copenhagen will diminish or enhance their

security and their chances of survival, whether the

populations of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau

and others should make haste to evacuate and head to

safer regions, as foreshadowed in a recent warning

from the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees.

Therefore, our message to the leaders in

Copenhagen is clear: we appeal to them to strive with

every fibre of their being to increase their level of

commitment to combating climate change, to show the

world by their deeds — not words — their unbending

commitment to secure an effective post-Kyoto global

agreement. We appeal to them to be as unrestrained as

the wind and set the limit on the increase in global

average temperature above the pre-industrial period at

a level that will ensure our survival. We appeal to them

to be fair-minded and to act with determination to

reduce global emissions from 1990 levels by at least

85 per cent by 2050. We appeal to them to ensure that

global emissions peak no later than 2015. Finally, we

appeal to the leaders of all nations to construct in

Copenhagen the ark of salvation in which all nations

and peoples will find shelter.

I believe that the success of Copenhagen will be

ultimately judged by the extent to which small, low-

lying island States — the most vulnerable — will feel a

sense of guaranteed safety and security. For, in our

interdependent global community, the moral duty of

the collective must always be the protection of the

weak and the most vulnerable.

Short of that, however, Copenhagen will be no

more than the continuation of the law of the jungle, the

survival of the strongest. It will be a moral and

political failure. For Copenhagen is not about

mathematics. It is not about raw power; it is not

competition for the survival of the few. It is about

unleashing the moral and political forces and synergies

inherent in the collective body of nations for the good

of all. What else does political will mean but this?

Failure in Copenhagen will make a mockery of

the Millennium Development Goals, for their

achievement will be beyond our capacity to attain. It

will question the ability of the Charter of the United

Nations to safeguard our pre-existing sovereign rights.

In short, the world and the most vulnerable in it cannot

afford the cost of failure.

Closer to home, even though the rate of emission

of the Marshall Islands is insignificant in relative

terms, we have set for ourselves a reduction target of

40 per cent by 2020. Over the years, and subject to

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accessibility of funding, we have been pursuing a

systematic programme of solar power use. Nearly 40

per cent of the households in our outer islands are now

drawing on that power as one of their main sources of

energy. We intend to pursue this initiative until all 33

islands in our country are fully covered. On the

Micronesian subregional front, we are committed to the

goals of the Micronesia Challenge.

Our efforts to adapt continue to suffer from the

lack of adequate funding, compounded by the sheer

complexity in accessing it from the sources.

Simplifying the process by direct access to those

sources could enable us to fast-track some of our

adaptation priorities, such as seawalls, coastal

management and safe water projects.

I now turn to a matter that is very dear to the

heart of every Marshallese. We are deeply encouraged

by the Security Council meeting today, moderated by

President Obama, on the use and testing of nuclear

weapons.

Nuclear weapon testing was conducted on our

islands between 1946 and 1958, at the time when we

were a ward of the United Nations trusteeship system.

Our first-hand experience as victims of nuclear weapon

testing on our islands, and the painful memories that

continue to haunt us after six decades, are nightmares

we would not wish on anyone. The toll in human

suffering and environmental damage has been

devastating. Now, sixty years since the detonation of

some 67 nuclear bombs, the Marshall Islands is still

grappling with the after-effects. Complete recovery in

terms of restoring affected islands to full economic

productivity and adequate compensation of the victims

remains uncertain.

We have not come here to condemn or to point

fingers. However, we are compelled by our moral duty

to humanity to raise our voice in gatherings such as

this and to appeal to the conscience of the world

community. We call for the formulation of a new

perspective by which the spectre of war and of the use

of nuclear weapons may forever be dismissed from the

surface of the Earth.

Banning nuclear weapons will not by itself

remove the root cause of war. Important as it may be, it

does not exert an enduring influence. People are too

ingenious not to invent still other forms of warfare.

Political agreements or good intentions alone are not

enough. The world craves something much more deep-

seated than pure pragmatism. It yearns for permanent

peace that springs from an inner state supported by a

moral attitude.

There is no lack of recognition by national

leaders of the nature of the problem, but there is a

paralysis of will. The stark realities of the experience

of the people of the Marshall Islands have deepened

our profound conviction that, in a world irreversibly

moving towards a global society, it becomes imperative

that we recast our perspective, a perspective in which

national impulses and interests will find their fullest

expression when subordinated to the needs and

interests of the planet, our collective homeland, a

perspective that does not regard that subordination as

being disloyal to the nation.

Amid our deepening economic and financial

woes, the Republic of the Marshall Islands continues to

remain buoyant through the generous support of our

friends and partners. Our special relationship with the

United States within the framework of the Compact of

Free Association provides a unique partnership that is

enduring and stable.

We express our firm support for the efforts of the

United States and its allies in combating terrorism, and

we are proud of our young Marshallese men and

women serving in the armed forces of the United

States. The support also provided by Japan, the

Republic of China (Taiwan), the European Union,

Australia and our other donor partners is sincerely

acknowledged.

The increasing complexity of the management of

evolving global affairs demands a reconstitution of the

membership of the Security Council. Japan’s

distinguished leadership and achievements in the area

of human security match its aspirations to seek a

permanent seat on the Council and thus deserve

favourable consideration. Evidence of progress in the

confidence-building process between China and the

Republic of China (Taiwan) deserves praise and

encouragement from the international community.

Taiwan’s membership in the United Nations

specialized agencies will enable its 23 million people

to play an active part in the affairs of the family of

nations.

Not a single nation can escape the powerful grip

of the challenges of climate change. Its deadly virus is

here already. The remedy is clear: collective and

resolute action, now more than ever. The choice is

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ours. We implore Almighty God to give us courage and

wisdom.