Tonga, 2010

I too offer

you, Sir, my warmest congratulations upon your

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

this our sixty-fifth session. Let me assure you, as

always, of the cooperation and support of the Tongan

delegation. I also express my gratitude to your

predecessor His Excellency Mr. Ali Treki for his

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recently concluded term as President at our sixty-fourth

session.

I wish to also thank the tireless Secretary-

General, Ban Ki-moon, for his resolute leadership of

the Organization during these times of unprecedented

and challenging global events. We also acknowledge

the enduring work of the Organization’s Secretariat and

its agencies, and in particular those who have made the

ultimate sacrifice in the furtherance of that work.

A decade on, the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) continue to reflect our firm global resolve to

ensure a durably improved quality of life for all of our

peoples — a global pursuit of happiness, if you will. It

is no surprise, then, that the MDGs are now a core

component of our national development planning.

Tonga has recently produced its second national

MDG report, which highlights positive results across

the eight Goals. With regard to MDG 1, on the

eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the report

suggests that, while the international community

acknowledges that Tonga does not suffer from extreme

poverty or hunger, there are some households that do

suffer hardship, and their needs are being addressed.

With regard to Goal 2, the net enrolment ratio in

primary education for 2008 was 93 per cent, indicating

that Tonga has almost achieved universal basic

education. Goal 6, as it relates to halting and reversing

the incidence of non-communicable diseases by 2015,

and Goal 5, as it relates to universal access to

reproductive health, both remain challenges.

Yet despite the continuing uncertain global

economic and financial climate, Tonga remains

committed, in the five years remaining until 2015, and

beyond, to making further strides towards achieving

the MDGs. We look forward to completing one such

stride on MDG 6 next year, in 2011, with the timely

convening of a high-level meeting of the General

Assembly on the prevention and control of

non-communicable diseases.

The MDGs, in our view, as much as marking the

advent of the twenty-first century, reflect our

aspirational goals for this millennium beyond 2015.

Much of any future progress for Tonga will be

contingent on our determination and ability to rely on

our own domestic efforts, complemented by the actions

of our development partners and the international

community.

At the annual meeting of the Pacific Islands

Forum leaders held in Port Vila last month, leaders

adopted the Port Vila Declaration on Accelerating

Progress on the Achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals, wherein they drew linkages

between the attainment of the MDGs and the state of

progress in the 19 focal areas of the Mauritius Strategy

for Implementation.

If the landmark Barbados Programme of Action

placed small island developing States (SIDS) firmly on

the global agenda, then the linkages between the

MDGs and the Mauritius Strategy +5 Review (MSI+5)

serve as an accurate compass for charting the direction

that small island developing States, their development

partners and the international community need to take

to ensure progress. We join others in thanking the good

Ambassadors of Luxembourg and Singapore for

brokering the consensus outcome of the MSI+5.

Like others, Tonga calls for the creation of a

formal SIDS category within the United Nations

system that not only improves the internal linkages and

infrastructure within the system but ultimately

improves its ability to better relate to and respond to

the needs of SIDS. Without some measure of

adjustments to the manner in which the United Nations

system addresses SIDS and SIDS issues, progress will

remain stilted.

Climate change properly continues to dominate

the majority of statements we have heard this week and

last. In the end our collective ability as States could not

adequately meet the burden of global expectations in

Copenhagen, and many States like Tonga were left to

look for what little positive outcome the Copenhagen

Accord represents. Therein lies the potential for all of

us to reach beyond our narrow national and regional

interests in Cancún and embrace our collective

responsibility and duty to each other as nation-States,

particularly to those States that are most vulnerable,

least responsible for this situation and least able to

address the capricious whims of climate change.

In taking forward the work of the Pacific SIDS on

the consensus resolution entitled “Climate change and

its possible security implications” (resolution 63/281),

we would join others in strongly encouraging current

and prospective members of the Security Council to

seize the moral imperative and follow the momentum

by taking positive and proactive action on the

resolution. As the final arbiter of international peace

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and security, the Council must ensure it positions itself

in an active leadership role on this issue.

Tonga continues to follow the course of the

ongoing exchanges among our membership on the

reform of the Security Council and the limited progress

that has been made to date. An organization such as

ours that wishes to retain its broad relevance and

global primacy in this day and age has to be open and

willing to seriously reconsider those elements that give

it a unique and distinctive quality. In our view, the

Security Council and its composition constitute one of

those elements.

We maintain our support for Council reform. It is

already somewhat self-evident that there should be an

expansion in both categories of membership,

permanent and non-permanent, with certain States —

Japan, Germany, Brazil and India — being worthy of

permanent membership on an enhanced Council. The

permanent membership category must also take

favourable account of seats for Africa.

Tonga remains supportive of the substantive

efforts for direct talks by President Obama and his

Administration, the Quartet and regional neighbours to

find a comprehensive, just and enduring peace in the

Middle East. Despite the pursuit of the seemingly

elusive goal of two States living side by side within

secure borders and in lasting peace and genuine

security, including a viable Palestinian State that can

realize the true potential of its people, we encourage all

parties to continue this fresh round of dialogue with a

renewed sense of purpose and conviction.

Tonga was one of the 13 Pacific SIDS that

participated in an historic summit between Pacific

leaders and the League of Arab States earlier this year

in Abu Dhabi in order to share perspectives on the

current and future challenges faced by our respective

regions. That historic summit and its outcome represent

the ever-expanding development of Tonga’s foreign

policy interests to include countries and regions that

had hitherto not been considered. That development

comes firmly on the heels of our active engagement

with the International Renewable Energy Agency and

our continuing interest in the potential of renewable

energy and the first-time visit to Tonga and a number

of other Pacific SIDS by His Highness Sheikh

Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to develop relations

with our region. In that regard, we acknowledge with

appreciation the Partnership in the Pacific Programme

and its potential to meet the development aspirations of

the peoples of the Pacific.

Earlier this year, Tonga, in compliance with its

obligations under the United Nations Convention on

the Law of the Sea, formally presented its partial

submission to the Commission on the Outer Limits of

the Continental Shelf. One issue of concern that arose

as a result of our formal presentation to the

Commission is the likely lengthy time frame for

consideration of submissions such as Tonga’s. We

encourage our fellow States parties to the Convention

to thoughtfully consider the adjustments necessary for

the Commission to fulfil its mandate with respect to all

States parties in a reasonably timely manner.

Tonga welcomes the successful conclusion of the

2010 review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons, particularly, the continuing

acknowledgement of the concerns of SIDS over the

safe transport of radioactive materials by sea and the

announcement by the United States of its intention to

pursue ratification of the Protocols to the Treaty of

Rarotonga.

When my Prime Minister addressed this body last

year, it marked the tenth anniversary of Tonga’s

admission as a State Member of the United Nations.

Our admission was culmination of a journey towards

statehood that began with tentative steps 135 years ago,

in 1875, with the granting of Tonga’s Constitution by

King George I.

And after 135 years, we realize that our domestic

system of governance needs to be strengthened in ways

that align itself more readily with the strong and

vibrant systems of democratic governance prevalent

today. And so, simultaneous with my delivery of these

remarks here today is the historic closure of the current

session of Tonga’s Legislative Assembly, the last under

the existing system of governance. Elections under the

new system are scheduled to take place later this year,

on 25 November. So while the modalities for

improving democratic representation have been

enhanced, the fundamental values and freedoms

guaranteed in the Constitution continue to protect and

support all Tongans.

As any small island developing State appreciates,

a presence here in New York represents a significant

sacrifice of already scarce resources, but it is made in

the knowledge that despite our size, our remoteness

and our geographical isolation we are not immune to

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the global challenges that beset us all. Therefore we

have a responsibility to our Government and our

people to be more than mere bystanders in the work of

our Organization.

As such, Tonga reaffirms the rights and

responsibilities bestowed upon it by the United Nations

Charter, and we pledge in our own way to continue to

participate actively and constructively to give an

enduring Tongan voice to the global issues of concern

to us all. And while many subgroupings and variations

of States such as the Group of 20 or the Group of Eight

may convene from time to time for a particular purpose

or timely nuance, whether it be reforming the

international financial governance institutions or

reinvigorating international environmental governance,

the pivotal role of the United Nations as a viable

institution remains constant against an ever-changing

backdrop.

Finally, any other 65-year-old might be

contemplating retirement, but our Organization’s

strength rests as much in the principles of the Charter

as it does in the people it must continue to inspire and

remain relevant to, especially our young people.

During this, the International Year of Youth, the United

Nations and all of us must ensure a legacy worth

passing on to the next generation.