Samoa, 1999

Mr. President, you assume

the presidency at a historic moment and during the most

challenging of times. Most warmly do we congratulate you.

Samoa welcomes your leadership and pledges to you and to

Namibia our fullest support.

This Assembly is an especially happy one for the

Pacific: we now have in our midst three more South Pacific

Forum States, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of

Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. Ancient in tradition and

long in the business of political independence, each

represents the variety and uniqueness of our region. They

make more real the goal of universality, as I know their

contribution will enrich the work of the Organization. In

the name of my country, I extend to the Governments of

Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga the warmest of greetings.

Let me, at the outset, pay a tribute to the

stewardship of our Secretary-General and acknowledge

the remarkable work of the United Nations — remarkable

in terms of what is being done and achieved, at times

against extreme and appalling odds.

The twentieth century has been marked by violence

and tragedy throughout. Millions have died in countless

conflicts worldwide. Millions more continue to perish

from poverty and disease.

The Secretary-General’s report on the work of the

Organization (A/54/1) is thoughtful and challenging. Our

world is one of trouble and insecurity. The range and

complexity of the issues are worrying, in some respects

seemingly overwhelming. Ordinary aspirations are not

being matched by effective action. Far too many are

embroiled in the brutalities of war. Fundamental human

needs and rights are being denied.

I believe we should all pay much more attention to

the reports of the Secretary-General. There is much there

to confirm, and much to test our own perception of events

and trends: directly, and in my view rightly, the

Secretary-General has drawn attention to the place of

sovereignty in the context of our contemporary common

interest and asks how and by what means we are to defend

that common interest. These questions go to the heart of the

matter; the answers to them will define the role of the

United Nations in the next millennium. There will, of

course, be variance in perspectives. The experience of the

United Nations itself in recent times does not yield

satisfactory answers.

Yet there are challenges that need to be met, seriously

and urgently. I would agree with the Secretary-General that

it is critical to set clear criteria for international action and

intervention. It is the United Nations, with its multilateral

setting, that is best placed to determine such criteria; it is

the United Nations that has been invested with the global

ideals to deal with interventions, but, alas, there have been

failures and there has been inability.

We should now look more deeply into the causes of

those failures and lack of ability and in so doing we must

balance competing rights and values. The very essence of

the Organization is thus brought into focus: we need to

ensure that the United Nations is able to function

effectively in the new century, that we have a United

Nations strengthened by commitment and reform. Above

all, we need to bear in mind the essential connection

between peace, development and human rights. We ignore

any one to the fundamental detriment of all, although peace

is the ultimate measure of our common interest, indeed, of

our common future.

We think it is time to move to a more definitive phase

in the current efforts to reform the Security Council. The

issues are clear, and have been clear for some time: points

of argument are now being repeated, or repackaged.

Substantive changes are required: the current structure does

not reflect the facts and realities of today; suffers from

imbalance and inequities. Membership of the Security

Council should be enlarged: we have said before that Japan

deserves to be a permanent member. Provision for this

should be made.

We appreciate the procedural changes made to the

working of the Council, and we would encourage more of

them: it would not be desirable to seek to resolve the

unfairness of representation in one category without proper

attention to the other. We share the view that Security

Council reforms must necessarily be comprehensive and

must address all aspects as a whole, including the power of

veto. The veto is a central issue which must be resolved in

the context of the current reforms. We think there is a

proven case for the power of veto to be curtailed, and

restricted to Chapter VII matters.

Samoa fully supports the ongoing efforts to

modernize and strengthen the Organization. Reform

measures must provide for the serious and early review of

the regional groupings. The current arrangements are

more representative of the past than the present. There is

a need for reconfiguration to reflect natural geographies

and to ensure equitable representation of subregions.

The anomaly of Australia and New Zealand being

counted outside their geographical area should be

corrected. They form a natural part of the South Pacific

subregion of the Asian Group. Samoa adds its voice to

the call made by Fiji and Papua New Guinea during this

session for such regional reconfiguration. The matter

should figure in the reform of the Organization and

should be taken into account in reforming the structure

and membership of the Security Council.

In the coming year, as we move towards an agreed

approach to the Millennium Assembly, my Government

believes that the world community should focus on major

global challenges likely to confront humankind in the next

century. We agree with the Secretary-General that,

alongside war and conflicts, natural disasters are a major

and priority global challenge. Natural disasters remain a

most serious threat to human lives and national

economies. As we have seen in recent times, natural

disasters occur widely and indiscriminately, not stopping

at any border. At this moment, we think especially of

communities whose lives and property have been affected

in Greece, Turkey, Taiwan, the United States and the

Bahamas.

The world has experienced three times as many great

natural disasters in the 1990s as in the 1960s, the year

1998 being the hottest year on record and the worst for

weather-related natural disasters. Yet we learn with

dismay from the Secretary-General’s report that

emergency aid funds have declined by 40 per cent in the

past five years alone. For small island States such as the

Bahamas, these “once-in-a-century” events are occurring

with alarming frequency and severity. They are truly

calamitous in effect. Hurricane Floyd was the fourth-

strongest hurricane measured this century.

My own country has not been spared. We can only

be thankful that our neighbours and traditional friends

come so readily to our assistance at moments of disaster.

Our Pacific neighbours, Australia, Japan and New

Zealand, continue to be at the forefront of emergency and

rehabilitation efforts in disasters affecting our Pacific

region. Countries far from the Pacific, such as those of

the European Union, have also been generous. Even

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developing nations have not been hesitant in coming to our

help. In the major disasters that have devastated our

country, the People’s Republic of China in particular,

despite the severe and regular natural disasters it itself

suffers, has been unstinting in helping our country in those

difficult times.

China last week commemorated the fiftieth anniversary

of the establishment of the Republic. Samoa joins other

nations in congratulating the People’s Republic of China in

reaching this important milestone in its history.

The immediate practical needs are to determine what

preventive action might be available, especially to the small

and vulnerable. Advanced early-warning systems using

satellite-derived data and Internet dissemination would be

essential, as would be the need to train and improve

capacities. Greater efforts to establish contingency planning

and other preparedness measures for disaster-prone

countries are required. In all these, active cooperation at all

levels — national, regional and international — would be

vital. Above all, we agree that we should maximize the

lessons learned from the experience of the International

Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. It is critical for all

countries, especially the most vulnerable, that this work be

continued.

Samoa adds its voice to the expression of outrage at

the violations in East Timor. These are violations of

principles and of Government responsibilities, violations

against the innocent and defenceless. The real lesson of

East Timor is that a people’s aspirations for freedom will

triumph in the end. They cannot be suppressed for ever.

Indeed, their balloted choice is abundantly clear. It is also

the lesson of East Timor that the United Nations is best

placed to safeguard rights and freedoms while ensuring

order and security.

We are relieved that the multinational force is now in

position and we appreciate the ready and effective response

of key States, including our South Pacific neighbours,

Australia and New Zealand. Samoa is especially grateful for

the clear and committed leadership taken by Australia.

The violations to which I have referred reinforce the

need for the world community to move as expeditiously as

possible to complete the establishment of the International

Criminal Court. Those responsible for these unacceptable

acts of violence and crime must be brought to account.

Samoa was able to contribute to the making of the Rome

Statute. We are firmly committed to the early establishment

of the Court, and we will continue to play a role in the

work of the Preparatory Commission. We believe very

firmly that the Court will provide an essential step in the

name of human rights and the rule of law. To this end we

should ensure prompt and widespread ratification of the

Court’s Statute.

Speaking now in Samoa's role as Chairman of the

Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and on behalf of

the forty-three members of our Alliance, allow me, Mr

President, to thank you most sincerely for the time and

effort you have devoted to the special session to ensure

its success.

I also wish to express to all Member States, to the

United Nations agencies and intergovernmental and non-

governmental organizations, our very deep appreciation

for their participation in the twenty-second special session

in the past two days. The AOSIS countries are especially

grateful for the expressions of commitment, understanding

and support.

What we have heard provides additional motivation

for us to make the Barbados Programme of Action one of

real and sustained implementation. There are critical

challenges that require attention. We are determined to

turn those challenges into opportunities. With your

support, we believe there is every prospect for

achievement.