Seychelles, 2009

On behalf of President

James Michel of Seychelles, leader of one of the

smallest nations of this Assembly, I congratulate you,

Sir, on your election as President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.

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With a population of just over 85,000, we are

painfully aware of our vulnerability as a nation at the

mercy of the ebb and flow of global tides. Our

vulnerability is all the more acute in this age marked

by economic and other crises and the increasingly

destructive effects of climate change. However,

precisely because of that, our citizens are aware of our

responsibility as a nation within the community of

nations. We are aware that the solutions to our

problems do not lie solely within our borders. As

an assembly of nations, we must take into account

more than ever the responsibility that we have and that

we share. That is our responsibility to our peoples and

to humanity as a whole.

The international community has not shirked that

responsibility in the face of the world financial crisis,

for example, as every nation has had to react in one

way or another. In Seychelles, our inherent

vulnerabilities and economic imbalances, which had

accumulated over time, meant that we had to act earlier

than many other States to face up to the crisis. We

entered into a Standby Arrangement with the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) and are also

discussing debt rescheduling through the Paris Club.

The process has been difficult for every

Seychellois, but we are seeing the results, and our

nation is emerging stronger and more resilient. We still

have a long way to go, but we, and our multilateral and

bilateral partners, have all been surprised at how

quickly we have emerged and managed to improve our

economic situation. The process has also marked a

milestone in the relationship between multilateral

financial institutions and a small island developing

State. It has proved to us that, although the voices of

the smaller States are often drowned in the tumult of

the international arena, the instruments of the global

economy can be adapted to meet the needs of a smaller

partner.

Our specificities and vulnerabilities have been

recognized throughout the discussions with our

multilateral and bilateral partners. Seychelles would

like to salute the role played by the IMF, the World

Bank and the African Development Bank in that

process. We would also like to express our appreciation

to our bilateral partners and other organizations that

have supported us in one way or another in facing up to

the crisis. It is an example of a responsibility shared.

Through shared responsibility, a crisis can be

contained. Through shared responsibility, what

appeared to be impossible has become achievable.

It is our duty in this Assembly to use the principle

of shared responsibility in solving our global problems,

especially in offering solidarity and assistance to those

States in need of outside support. We have all heard

how the unrest in Somalia has spilled beyond its

borders to manifest itself as piracy on the high seas.

Seychelles is one of the States directly affected and

heavily impacted by that scourge, as pirates prey on

shipping and lay siege to the yachting, tourism and

fishing industries of the Western Indian Ocean.

The long-term effects are much broader: as

insurance premiums for shipping increase, the cost of

transporting essential goods rises correspondingly.

Also, we have often seen that economic desperation,

coupled with long-term political instability, can lead to

a breeding ground for terrorism.

Seychelles is pleased to note the increasing

engagement of many States in the fight against piracy

in the Indian Ocean. We share the responsibility to

ensure peace and stability in the region; as always, this

is the prerequisite for progress. We must take action in

three areas to effectively tackle the piracy situation.

The root cause of the problem lies within Somalia. The

long-term solution lies in establishing peace, stability,

progress and the rule of law within Somalia. Through

enhanced coordination and the sharing of information,

we must ensure that piracy is not economically viable.

We must share information to ensure that, by keeping

vessels beyond their reach, we are always ahead of the

pirates.

We must ensure that there is enough deterrence in

terms of military assets in the region. Seychelles alone

has an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million square

kilometres to patrol and protect, which we would not

be able to do effectively without the help of friendly

countries.

Nowhere is our shared responsibility more

needed than in protecting and nurturing our shared

environment. For the small island developing States

(SIDS), the preservation of our environment is about

our safety, our security, our economy and, ultimately,

our survival. Thus, the battle against climate change is

for a battle for our survival. Small island States and

other particularly vulnerable nations, such as the least

developed countries, cannot look at that issue in any

other way.

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The fight against climate change is a fight based

on our undeniable human right to exist not only as

nation States, but as peoples and communities. For

example, the Arctic peoples and other indigenous

peoples are also suffering from climate change first

hand. Their voices, just like those of us in the SIDS

and other particularly vulnerable States, need to be

heard by the world’ s leaders.

Nothing is more critical to our survival as States,

as nations, as peoples and as communities than an

urgent, coherent and effective response to the effects of

climate change. But the response thus far has been

sorely lacking. Weeks before Copenhagen, we are still

unsure as to what type of an agreement we will get

there. Furthermore, there are indications that if an

agreement is made, it will not suffice to save many

island States.

As the last small island developing State to speak

in this general debate, Seychelles therefore feels it has

a duty to remind the international community that in

the coming weeks before Copenhagen, the Alliance of

Small Island States will continue to steadfastly call for

that which is necessary to our survival. That includes

stabilizing long-term atmospheric greenhouse gas

concentrations at well below 350 parts per million;

ensuring that average global surface temperature

increases be limited to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius

above pre-industrial levels; and requiring global

greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2015 and decline

significantly thereafter. Furthermore, greenhouse gas

emissions should be reduced by more than 85 per cent

by 2050. Annex 1 greenhouse gas emissions should be

reduced by at least 45 per cent by 2020 and by 2050, at

least 95 per cent of 1990 carbon dioxide levels should

be reduced. Non-Annex 1 emissions should also

demonstrate significant deviations from baseline over

comparable time periods.

Before concluding, Seychelles must salute the

United Nations for the body of work it has contributed

to advancing our understanding of how climate change

is damaging our planet. Seychelles also thanks

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his leadership in

ensuring that climate change, and especially the plight

of the particularly vulnerable such as the small island

developing States, get the attention they deserve.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

has shown us that climate change is a disaster very

much in the making. It is a disaster which, unlike

previous global disasters, is not occurring in one

sudden instant, but rather is gaining in pace and

destructive power over time. It is also a disaster which

is man-made, which is to say that it is our fault. As

such, it is a disaster that we have a duty and a

responsibility to prevent and that we can prevent.

We cannot afford to leave any nation behind in

Copenhagen, no matter how poor, how weak or how

small. Once again, this is our shared responsibility that

we must assume.