Samoa, 2006

Forty-four years ago,

Samoa became independent, and when we joined the

United Nations it was a reaffirmation of our support for

the principle of multilateral cooperation which the

United Nations embodied. It was also our statement

that all States matter, that none was too small and weak

to be represented in the United Nations on equal terms

with the large and strong nations of the world. Those

sentiments underpinned Samoa’s belief in the United

Nations as an expanding global family and its Member

States as the custodians entrusted with the future of our

world and the generations to come.

In essence, lasting peace and the sustained

prosperity of the world depended on harmonious

cooperation and effective global partnership amongst

all nations. Those were the ideals that motivated us to

be part of the united family of nations, and they remain

relevant and valid for our country today.

A year ago, we met here in an act of solidarity, to

chart a new course for our Organization that is aligned

to meet the emerging challenges confronting our world

today. Our Summit Outcome document was not just a

road map to guide the work of our Organization. While

it mirrored the intergovernmental nature and diverse

membership of our Organization, the document,

ultimately, was a reminder of the cooperative and

shared interests we all have regarding issues vital to

the United Nations and its Member States. It also

brought to bear the importance of global partnerships

in these times of interdependence, for the achievement

15 06-53005

of sustainable development and peace and security for

our peoples.

In less than twelve months, we have transformed

rhetoric into reality. Solid progress has been made in

the implementation of the Summit document. The

Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding

Commission are now operational; credible reforms in

the Secretariat and management have been

implemented; a Central Emergency Response Fund has

been set up; and a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

had been unanimously adopted. But, as we well know,

that is just the start; the real work lies ahead. In our

view, it is imperative that even in the early stages of

their work, those bodies must immediately adhere to

the guiding principles of respect, integrity, credibility

and professionalism to ensure that the objectives of

relevance, efficiency and transparency envisioned for

the Organization are delivered.

Development, security and human rights are the

three pillars of the United Nations. All are mutually

reinforcing. The United Nations commitment to the

achievement of these goals, particularly for the least

developed countries (LDCs) and the developing

countries, is set out in a number of internationally

agreed initiatives such as the Brussels Programme of

Action for the Least Developed Countries, the

Johannesburg Plan of Action, the Millennium

Development Goals, and the Mauritius Strategy for

Small Island Developing States.

Those development frameworks provide for

global partnerships for the achievement, in small and

vulnerable economies, of economic growth, sustainable

development and the resilience to endure external

shocks. Samoa looks forward to the implementation of

the partnerships indicated in the development

frameworks approved by the United Nations.

In Samoa’s case, the implementing framework for

the partnerships of the Government with the donor

community, civil society and the private sector are

designed to address the development priorities of our

country as set out in the Strategy for the Development

of Samoa. It is through such partnerships that we look

too, for the effective delivery of programmes that

address major health challenges such as HIV/AIDS and

the potential threat of the avian bird flu. Similarly,

there is the collaborative work with our partners to

support the empowerment of our women.

As to security and the specific context of stability

and harmony within communities, I cannot

overemphasize the importance of global actions to

control and limit the availability of small arms

weapons. These weapons in the hands of the wrong

people can easily destabilize communities and plunge

small nations into deadly conflict. We therefore renew

our call for the early implementation of the Programme

of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit

Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its

Aspects.

During the review of the Brussels Programme of

Action this week, I shared with Member States the

challenges that continue to confront my country.

Samoa is both a least developed country and a very

small island developing State. The United Nations has

received a proposal for Samoa to be graduated from the

list of LDCs. However, the vulnerabilities and the

fragility that characterize our small island economy, as

reflected in Samoa’s poor ranking under various

economic vulnerability indices have, not gone away.

Working closely with our traditional development

partners, we have tried our best to develop and manage

our economy, and we have made good strides in

improving the welfare of our people. But we know

very well from grim past experience that it takes just

one devastating disaster to wipe out our modest

achievements and set back the economy for years. Our

request, therefore, is for Samoa’s graduation from the

list of LDCs to be deferred and reconsidered when

Samoa has met the graduation threshold according to

the economic vulnerability index.

Last week we broke new ground with the

discussion for the first time in the United Nations

context of the multidimensional aspects of

international migration and development. The

enthusiasm to consider migration and development as a

priority concern in the United Nations agenda was well

supported. The concrete outcomes that emerged from

that initiative will ultimately depend on the willingness

of the source countries and the destination countries to

work out imaginative and humane arrangements

beneficial to both.

The significance of international migration,

whether permanent or temporary, as a development

option for our region has not escaped the attention of

Pacific leaders. It is also an option that raises difficult

issues that touch on the welfare and humanitarian

06-53005 16

treatment of migrants, as well as on sensitive

considerations on the part of receiving countries.

In just six years into the millennium, it has

become more and more evident that many of the

challenges we face have significant global dimensions.

They are borderless, do not discriminate between

developed and developing countries and have no

respect for national sovereignty. Those global

concerns, imaginatively called problems without

passports, include climate change, epidemics,

humanitarian concerns, conflict containment, security

concerns and terrorism. By their very nature, the

successful resolution of those challenges requires a

collective and concerted effort of the whole United

Nations membership, because no one country or group

of countries is capable of tackling them alone.

Terrorism, in its various forms and

manifestations, is responsible for the horror and fear

that has gripped the world’s attention in recent years.

No country is immune to the reaches of terrorism and

we are all affected in varying degrees. We must

continue to be resolute in our fight against terrorism.

Let us reiterate in the strongest terms possible that

terrorist acts, committed under whatever pretext or

purpose, can never be justified as morally acceptable.

Equally, countering terrorism does not confer

immunity from the rule of law, nor the abandonment of

the principles of a civilized society.

The unanimous adoption of a United Nations

Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy two weeks ago was

both a condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and a

commitment by Member States to take concrete

preventative measures, collectively and individually.

The work ahead is to turn commitment into

implementation.

The Middle East conflict continues to defy

attempts to usher in a new era of trust and hopeful

beginnings for the region. Sustainable peace remains

an elusive goal, permanently out of our Organization’s

reach as long as the root causes of the problem are not

addressed. Too much is at stake.

Let us not forget the voiceless majority,

unwillingly caught in the crossfire of the conflict, who

yearn for a lasting peace. We should, therefore, not be

judgmental or partisan in our approach. Ultimately, the

Palestinian people need a permanent and an

independent State, living in peace, with a secure Israel.

The Security Council, by responding decisively to

recent developments in the Lebanon-Israel conflict,

gives us hope that perhaps an eventual resolution of

that long drawn-out conflict is finally within sight.

The humanitarian and security situation in Darfur

is a cause for concern. The recent resolution adopted

by the Security Council will, we hope, be agreeable to

all the parties with a genuine desire to expeditiously

resolve the issue.

We continue to hope that the elected

Governments of Iraq and Afghanistan will ultimately

succeed in achieving conditions that will allow their

peoples to live meaningful lives and consolidate the

democratization of their societies.

Many other countries in different parts of the

world are also still mired in tragic conflict and look to

the United Nations and its stronger Members for

peacekeeping arrangements that can give time for those

communities in strife to re-establish and find lasting

solutions. Samoa, despite our small size, will continue

to support that important work. At present we

contribute police personnel for the United Nations

Missions in the Sudan, Liberia, Timor-Leste and in the

Solomon Islands.

Climate change issues remain a priority for the

Pacific region. In our small islands, natural

catastrophes are capable of destruction that devastates

the entire country. They bring great pain and upheaval

to the lives of our people, as well as set back the

national economy for years. We know that from

repeated past experience. The need, therefore, for good

early-warning systems for natural disaster alerts in our

Pacific region is a priority. The willingness of our

partners to assist and share expertise in that area is

most welcomed.

The Global Environment Facility Trust Fund —

recently replenished for the fourth time —

demonstrates very well the joint partnership between

the developed and the developing countries in

implementing programmes to address environmental

problems.

Samoa continues to strongly support international

and regional efforts to combat global warming and

environmental degradation. In our view, the evidence

of global warming and its causes are well established.

Apportioning blame and point scoring should no longer

be allowed to deflect efforts at effective and collective

responses. We now know that concerted action should

17 06-53005

have been taken much earlier and further delays would

simply make the size of the problem greater and the

solutions more costly.

Good progress has been achieved in the efforts to

reform our Organization. I would like to pay tribute to

the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his

inspirational work in balancing the interests of Member

States, which did not always coincide, and for his

influence that made it possible for agreement to be

reached on the reform agenda. I thank the Secretary-

General for his courage and leadership, so that even in

the face of great controversy, the United Nations

remained relevant to the crises and challenges that our

world and the Organization has faced during his watch.