Seychelles, 2007

Allow me to first

extend to all of you the fraternal greetings and best

wishes of President Michel of the Republic of

Seychelles, the Government and the people of

Seychelles on the convening of the sixty-second

session of the General Assembly. Seychelles is proud

to be here today, as a partner and an ally, to further our

international efforts, to address the challenges that are

central to the future of all humanity and that pose a

threat to global political and economic stability and

security.

I join previous speakers in congratulating

Mr. Srgjan Kerim on his election to the presidency of

the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. His

election to the helm of this Assembly is a testimony to

the high esteem in which the international community

holds him and his country, the former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia. I take this opportunity, too, to

express my country’s sincere appreciation to his

predecessor, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of

Bahrain, for her outstanding stewardship of the work of

the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.

Allow me to commend and to renew Seychelles’

strong support to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for

the determination and strong will he has shown since

the beginning of his tenure in office, in strengthening

the role of the United Nations.

Seychelles remains unwavering in its support of

the United Nations. Our commitment has not changed

since we joined this Organization 31 years ago. More

than ever, we believe that the world needs strong and

effective multilateralism. Indeed, we are convinced

that the most effective means of advancing our

collective interests is through the United Nations.

Seychelles is pleased that the overarching theme

of this year's session is responding to climate change,

as the General Assembly of the United Nations is the

forum for concerted and comprehensive action in

addressing a defining issue of our time.

Fifteen years ago, in 1992, Seychelles, a small

island developing State, was the second country to

accede to the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change (UNFCCC). We were convinced

then, as we are now, that the Convention’s primary

objective of reducing the dangerous levels of carbon

dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the earth’s

atmosphere must be realized in order to protect the

environment and avoid serious socio-economic

disruptions. Six years later, in 1998, Seychelles

reiterated its commitment to the ideals of the UNFCCC

by adopting the Kyoto Protocol. However, the attempts

of the international community to act on those

international agreements have been modest at best.

The challenge of development has never been

higher on the international agenda. However, the

adverse impacts of climate change are a major barrier

for the achievement of sustainable development goals

in many countries, especially small island developing

States, which are recognized as being most vulnerable

to climate change.

We must emphasize again that for the majority of

small island developing States, agriculture, fisheries

and tourism have for a long time been the mainstay of

survival and economic development. Let us not forget

that small island developing States are home to a

sizeable proportion of the world’s biodiversity and that

the majority of the species are endemic and

increasingly under threat because of climate change.

In Seychelles, the fisheries sector is a key pillar

of our economy. It is expected that changes in climate

may cause migratory shifts in tuna aggregations to

other locations, thus depriving our country of one of its

main sources of income. Moreover, inshore and

traditional fishing, the mainstay of local fishermen and

a major source of food, is also highly threatened. Food

security on islands is at stake.

The impacts of climate change on the tourism

sector are also expected to be significant, and that is

why we believe that support for economic

diversification towards other revenue-generating

sectors in small island States is more than necessary.

Climate change is also a security issue. But it is

not merely a matter of narrow national security it

has a new dimension. It is a question of our collective

security and responsibility in a fragile and increasingly

interdependent world, where the notion of borders has

undergone a powerful symbolic transformation.

It is now up to politicians, businessmen and civil

society to continue the work accomplished by

scientists. The peoples of the world are increasingly

looking to their leaders to take action, and the time is

now. A week ago, at a meeting of the Global Island

Partnership in Rome, our President, James Michel,

launched the Sea Level Rise Foundation, as an attempt

to ensure that island nations have the capacity to adapt

to climate change. Together we are mobilizing

leadership, gathering resources and sharing skills,

knowledge, technologies and innovation in a cost-

effective and sustainable way that will catalyse action

for conservation and sustainable livelihoods on islands

and low-lying areas in the face of climate change.

We count on the valuable support of the

international community for ensuring the success of

this noble and important endeavour. We call on the

developed countries to take a strong lead and

commitment in combating climate change. Aspirational

global emissions reduction goals are not sufficient. We

believe that the Kyoto Protocol paves the way forward

for Annex I countries to fulfil their commitments under

UNFCCC. We urge those parties to commit to their

legally binding targets and to translate them into

concrete actions for the reduction of their gas

emissions.

We believe that a United Nations-based

multilateral approach that builds on the Kyoto Protocol

framework is the only decisive way of moving forward.

There cannot be any doubt as to the major importance

of the first steps taken at Kyoto and of the quantum

improvements brought about by the provisions of the

Protocol. The size and urgency of the problem requires

that we take bold initiatives and compromises.

However, as the globe suffers because of climate

change, it is essential that the international community

as a whole be formally and unequivocally reminded

that neither the efforts made thus far in implementing

UNFCCC, nor the emissions reduction targets, set on

average at 5.2 per cent, adopted in Kyoto represent an

adequate effort to stabilize greenhouse gas

concentrations in the atmosphere at safe levels. We

know that we need to do much more. In that regard, we

would like to take this opportunity to praise the recent

work accomplished by the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change in urging the need for deeper cuts in

greenhouse gasses of 25 per cent to 40 per cent below

1990 levels by 2020. Moreover, we would like to

extend our heartfelt appreciation for the determination

shown by our Secretary-General in facilitating the

international dialogue to address the problem.

It is now up to us to build the political

momentum needed in order to ensure that a

comprehensive agreement is met at the world summit

on climate change in Bali, Indonesia. There is an

urgent need to ensure that developing nations,

including small island developing States, can continue

to develop and prosper in an equitable manner. Small

island developing States need to be equipped

financially, technically and technologically to adapt to

global climate change and sea level rise without

redirecting their limited resources from sustainable

development.

Allow me to now turn briefly to other issues that

are of particular importance to Seychelles.

First of all, Seychelles recognizes that

globalization has the potential to advance human

development throughout the world. But it is not

automatic, for globalization has also increased our

vulnerability, insecurity and the possibility of

marginalization.

It is internationally recognized that trade can be

an important source of financing for development. In

this particular context, Seychelles strongly believes

that more emphasis should be placed on the

development dimension of small island developing

States in multilateral trade negotiations, in recognition

of their specificities and structural handicaps.

Moreover, in our view, ownership of development

orientations by recipient countries is the precondition

for the emergence of a true partnership in development

cooperation.

Furthermore, it is extremely important that the

whole issue of development policies and cooperation

be monitored closely within the international system.

Decisions affecting development are being taken in

different arenas, forums and agencies. Increasingly,

there is the need to ensure coherence in policies and

programmes. The international system currently does

not have an effective mechanism for conducting such

an exercise. We reiterate our belief that one of the

urgent tasks of the moment is to create a mechanism

within the international architecture that will focus on

trade, finance, technology and development policy in

an integrated manner.

Seychelles remains determined to build its

economy based on our assertion of the principle of

responsibility for our own development. Our efforts at

economic re-engineering have been very dynamic. The

Seychelles Strategy 2017 commits the Government of

the Republic of Seychelles to doubling the gross

domestic product in the next 10 years. The reforms

being undertaken will not only ensure that our

economy continues to grow but also will facilitate the

participation of every Seychellois in wealth creation.

That is the commitment of the Government of

Seychelles. However, owing to our inherent

vulnerabilities, we need the support of the international

community in guaranteeing that the considerable

successes achieved so far in the economic and social

sectors are not lost.

I have spoken thus far on climate and

development issues, which are both closely related to

other critical areas of the international agenda. One

such area concerns peace and security. It is tragic and

painful to witness the continued cycle of violence

around the world. Peace accords and ceasefire

agreements do not, unfortunately, entail a cessation of

hostilities.

We support the strong will shown by the United

Nations, working alongside the African Union, in

ensuring that peace and security are brought to the

people in the Darfur region of the Sudan. Seychelles

associates itself with all those calling and working for

peace in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere.

Against the backdrop of increased violence from

war and terrorism, it is clear to us that violence and the

use of force cannot be the answer. We must embrace

multilateralism and insist that international relations be

guided by the rule of law as the basis for our collective

security.

The United Nations remains a significant partner

and interlocutor of the modern development and

progress of Seychelles. It is with complete faith, as a

small island developing State, that we renew our trust

in the principles of the Charter. We cannot stop

emphasizing the compelling urgency of altering the

design and function of the Security Council, if it is to

fulfil the mandate conferred by the Charter of 1945 in

the realities of the world today.

With regard to the General Assembly, what is

needed is a resuscitation and use of the powers of the

General Assembly and the assertion of its role as the

principal organ of the United Nations. The Assembly is

a forum of equals. Its pronouncements and policy

decisions must carry the stamp of legitimacy as the

voice of the international community. However, we

must emphasize that, irrespective of whatever

institutional arrangements we may devise, in the final

analysis, it is the commitment and political will among

Member States alone that can make the system work.

(spoke in French)

In the demanding context of globalization,

regions are players with which the multilateral

organizations, donors and international investors

devote increasingly sustained attention. The regional

approach is also the best bastion when it comes to

mounting defences against terrorism, insecurity,

banditry, trafficking, pandemics, or to providing an

efficient response to disasters in real time. A region is,

ultimately, for the countries that comprise it, the

strongest legal space in which those countries can

obtain the natural resources and raw materials that they

share.

That is, therefore, the aim of the Indian Ocean

Commission, which strives to defend the interests of all

countries of the Indian Ocean in all areas. What it

represents today and the place that it occupies in the

landscape of regional cooperation organizations is due,

in large part, to the specialized agencies of the United

Nations. I would very much wish for that support to be

strengthened in the coming months, so that the

Commission truly has the means to achieve its

ambitions. The observer status that the Commission

obtained in the General Assembly on 4 December 2006

enabled our regional organization to acquire additional

legitimacy to work with the specialized agencies of the

United Nations. We welcome those new prospects and

paths of cooperation.

The future of generations to come rests not so

much on the vigour of our debate and the declarations

we make in this Assembly at its sixty-second session,

but on the action we take. Our people are demanding

that, collectively, we emerge with a clear vision, that

we display the courage and unrelenting commitment to

build a world of peace, justice and equity that we can

inhabit together in true harmony. Let us here resolve to

build one world where every man, woman and child

can realize the true purpose and fulfilment of life.