Tonga, 2014

I would like to congratulate you

warmly, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of

the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, and to

assure you that the Tongan delegation will fully support

the crucial work ahead under your able leadership. I

would also like to thank your predecessor, Mr. John

Ashe, for his sterling conduct of the previous session,

especially his championing of issues relating to small

island developing States (SIDS). And I pay tribute to

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his exemplary

stewardship in advancing the commitment of the United

Nations to building a more peaceful and prosperous

world amid the diverse and complex issues it faces

today.

My delegation and I welcome the theme of this

year’s general debate, “Delivering on and implementing

a transformative post-2015 development agenda”,

and we look forward to the three high-level thematic

debates and the high-level event to be held next year.

As we work together to formulate a historic post-2015

development agenda, we are cognizant that we must be

ambitious and transformative in our approach in order

to ensure tangible benefits for our people. Responsive

access to financial resources is essential if we are to

cement the adoption of a meaningful development

agenda and its full implementation.

Tonga supports the consensus that the report of

the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development

Goals should be integrated into the post-2015

development agenda, with a global commitment to

eradicating poverty by 2030. The proposed sustainable

development goals on oceans, seas and marine

resources and climate change are woven intimately

and intricately into the fabric of the very survival of

Pacific small island developing States. Without them,

our joint aspirations for sustainable development and

economic growth will not be achieved, and we will

be left behind. The Small Island Developing States

Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway, known as

the Samoa Pathway outcome document, was endorsed

by SIDS leaders and their partners earlier this month. It

is a blueprint for the sustainable development of small

island developing States for the next decade and should

therefore be integrated into the form and substance of

the post-2015 development agenda.

In order to guarantee harmony in our implementation

of the development agenda, Tonga agrees that each

country should take primary responsibility for its

own economic growth, social development and

environmental sustainability. However, that can be

fulfilled only with the active engagement of all relevant

stakeholders through genuine and durable partnerships.

We look forward to working together towards the

summit in September 2015 when Heads of State and

Government will adopt a post-2015 development

agenda that will be inclusive and people-centred. It

will be a historic event, adding further meaning to the

celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the United

Nations.

This year, the Pacific island leaders endorsed the

Palau Declaration on “The Ocean: Life & Future”,

which is concerned with charting a course to

sustainability. Tonga is a joint custodian of the Pacific

Ocean, whose natural resources form the bedrock of

economic, social and environmental development in the

Pacific islands. The well-being of the Tongan people

is therefore premised on the sustainable development,

management and conservation of the ocean and its

resources. The management of seabed exploration and

exploitation is an important facet of Tonga’s interests

in the oceans, and we have worked diligently through

the relevant institutions established under the United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

to ensure that activity within the area located in the

Pacific Ocean is managed appropriately for the benefit

of humankind.

For the first time, Tonga sought election to a seat

on the relevant body established under UNCLOS, the

Council of the International Seabed Authority, and

was elected by acclamation by its member States.

This year, Tonga passed legislation related to seabed

mining activities within Tonga’s jurisdiction and under

the provisions of UNCLOS. We joined our Pacific

Island neighbours in supporting the call for launching

negotiations by September 2015 on an international

agreement under UNCLOS on the management and

conservation of the ocean and its resources, both within

our national jurisdiction and in areas beyond.

Tonga commends the Secretary-General’s initiative

in convening the recent Climate Summit as a forum

for world leaders to deliver bold announcements on

climate change mitigation and adaptation. In the spirit

of sustaining international cooperation, we support the

urgent call for States to address the adverse impacts

of climate change. The collective response will depend

on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations being

conducted through the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change. Nevertheless, it should

be based on the principles of equity and common

but differentiated responsibility, as enshrined in the

Convention. The principles and overall objective

espoused by the Convention must be fully observed

if the threat of climate change is to be effectively

addressed and overcome for our common benefit.

The Global Risks Report 2013 ranked Tonga as

the second most vulnerable country in the world to

natural disasters. That vulnerability was demonstrated

by our first category-5 cyclone earlier this year,

which devastated our central island group, displacing

thousands and resulting in millions of dollars’ worth

of damage. However, and fortunately, it caused only

one fatality. Today, that same central island group is

experiencing an unseasonable drought. Tonga has

used a whole-of-country approach — through its joint

national action plan on climate-change adaptation and

disaster-risk management — to establish a base from

which to move forward with adaptation measures. In

terms of mitigation, we are gradually reducing our

fossil-fuel consumption.

Tonga applauds the convening of the high-level

event on combating climate change, and it would like to

recall here that Pacific island countries were among the

first to raise the alarm on the implications of climate

change for security, both regionally and generally. In

that regard, we support the call to the Security Council

to reconsider its stance and to recognize the links

between climate change and international peace and

security. We also support the call to the Secretary-

General to appoint a special representative on climate

and security to research those links and report back to

Member States.

Tonga associates itself with those Member States

that have appealed for a meaningful approach, going

beyond the rhetoric, to reforming the Security Council

through an intergovernmental process in order to make

it more representative and inclusive. We also support

the request of Heads of State and Government in the

2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 55/2) that

its goals include the important work of revitalizing

the General Assembly. That general reform process

must continue if we are to ensure greater efficiency,

representativeness and transparency throughout the

United Nations system as a whole, thereby enabling this

great institution to be better prepared to respond to the

realities we live with today.

Finally, for future generations to live in a better

world, we must work harmoniously to fulfil our

responsibilities and ask the Almighty to guide us

through our growing challenges.