YouSaid · the spoken record

Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama

lines on the record: 135
first: 2014-09-24
most recent: 2022-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Following the cyclones, we are rebuilding our infrastructure to a higher and far more resilient standard. We are working to protect communities that face unacceptably high risks of flooding. Fiji also became the first emerging market to issue a sovereign green bond to fund such activities. However, no Government can combat climate change alone. The challenge is simply too great. That is why, from the beginning of Fiji’s presidency of COP-23, I have sought to build a grand coalition of Governments, the private sector, labour forces, religious groups and civil society to take initiatives and come up with ideas and solutions, both great and small.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“They simply will not get us to the goal agreed in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, that of reducing the rate of global warming to well below the 2°C target, let alone the more ambitious target of 1.5°C. What matters now is action. Fiji will press for more action on climate change and ocean health in every forum that it is a part of. We cannot simply wait for the rest of the world to come around, because the effects of climate change are already bearing down on us. We are already taking steps to boost our resilience. Fiji has begun a project to improve access to sustainable water supplies and sewerage services for approximately 270,000 Fijians. We will provide cyclone insurance coverage for low-income households. We are relocating entire villages and communities to escape the rising seas.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The same can be said of the enormous stresses on our oceans arising from acidification, overfishing, warming and plastic refuse. The time to debate those facts is long past. As the Fijian Prime Minister, I have met thousands of Fijian women, men and children every year who have suffered from the latest wave of climate-related impacts, such as cyclones, flooding, prolonged droughts and steadily rising seas. I have met with farmers whose crops have been washed away, teachers and students who have lost their schools, and families whose homes have been destroyed. They want their Prime Minister to demand that the world take action on their behalf. The commitments that we have all made through our nationally determined contributions fall woefully short of the mark.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I am proud to say that my Government has given grants worth $32.4 million to small and micro-enterprises, and we have been rewarded with explosive growth and extraordinary innovation in that sector. Free people need an economic structure that serves them and makes them optimistic. That is one of the basic pillars of democracy. Fiji is coming to the end of its presidency of the twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-23), part of the United Nations ongoing climate negotiations among the nations of the world, but the struggle to fight global warming and end the degradation of our oceans will continue to be Fiji’s highest priority. The many disastrous effects of climate change that we are seeing in the South Pacific and around the world are well documented.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“People who take risks and mount successful businesses should enjoy the fruits of their hard work, but they must also do their part to sustain the nation. Tax cheating is an offence against the people, and we will root it out and penalize it wherever it exists. We have also reformed our State enterprises to make them profitable and efficient. The people of Fiji and the employees of those companies have been the main beneficiaries, because better capitalization and better management has produced better services, increased investments and higher wages. We also see small and medium-sized enterprises as important ways of promoting growth and lifting people out of poverty.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“When people see that they have opportunities, can obtain justice, speak their minds and be heard, and that their hard work will be rewarded, they invest their money and their sweat in their future and in greater possibilities for their children. They stay at home and contribute rather than emigrating, and they feel free to let their hopes and ambitions soar. That is what drives a thriving economy. However, that optimism must be nurtured and supported through intelligent Government action. In Fiji we have reformed the tax laws to make them simpler and more just. In that connection, we have begun to rigorously enforce our tax laws to ease the burden on those who have little and to ensure that whoever should pay pays a fair share.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Moreover, over those 40 years we have witnessed at first hand the way intolerance embraces and leads to repression, violence and mass migration. We have experienced intolerance in Fiji, which was an ugly experience that corroded our trust in each other and our sense of who we are as a people. We must remember that experience so that we do not repeat it, and we will never stop working to ensure that it stays in our past. I am proud to stand before the Assembly and report that Fiji is in its ninth year of strong economic growth. I believe that that is due in no small part to the democratization that has taken root in our country and is flourishing. Democracy is based on a belief in the people and the belief that everyone is capable of great things if they are given equal opportunity.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Fiji looks to a future free of racism, nepotism and privilege, a future where the rights of all persons are guaranteed and enforced by a robust constitutional framework that reaffirms and protects civil and political rights, as well as social, cultural and economic rights. Our value to the Human Rights Council is also underpinned by our long experience in peacekeeping. It was exactly 40 years ago that Fiji first participated in United Nations peacekeeping. Over those 40 years, which have seen Fijians serving in Africa, the Sinai, East Timor and throughout the Middle East, we have come to identify ourselves as a peacekeeping nation, which makes us proud. That is something that we offer to the global community and our fellow human beings.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“If people believe in the courts, they will go to the courts to settle their disputes and trust the courts to adjudicate without fear or favour. There is no doubt that the Fijian people have a strong and abiding love for freedom. We want to live freely, and we see freedom, democracy and, perhaps most important of all, tolerance as powerful forces for peace in the world. It is with that clearly demonstrated vocation for personal freedom, tolerance and social justice that Fiji is running as a candidate for membership in the Human Rights Council during this session of the General Assembly. We have thought hard about human rights and have taken actions to be a better nation — a nation that encourages respect for the dignity of every person. We look forward to bringing that point of view to the critical work of the Council.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“They include the right to a high-quality education, the right to receive treatment and medication when our people are ill, the right to decent housing, the right to clean water and electricity, and the right to affordable and accessible transportation. We have also strengthened our independent institutions — our judiciary and the independent commissions that protect consumers, fight corruption, provide legal assistance, advocate and promote human rights and carry out many Government activities that must be free of political considerations. I may be disappointed when my Government loses a case in court, but those defeats are signs of strong, independent institutions, which we must support and reinforce. They serve to strengthen the people’s belief that everyone in Fiji can get justice.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“More than 90 per cent of girls in Fiji complete 15 years of secondary education and just under 90 per cent of our boys do the same. We are building our future on that firm foundation of education. We have also reformed our welfare programmes not only to provide a stronger safety net but also to create greater opportunities for the most vulnerable in our society. While we provide free medicines and subsidized electricity, we also award grants to micro-businesses as a way of lifting people out of poverty and rewarding and encouraging self-reliance and entrepreneurship. That approach goes beyond mere Government programmes for the disadvantaged. It is based on the fundamental principle that the socioeconomic rights of all Fijians must be protected.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“That is the great promise of the 2013 Fijian Constitution, which has been the beacon for our progress through its vast array of political and socioeconomic protections for every Fijian. Today and forever, in Fiji we make and will make no distinctions based on ethnicity, social status or religion, and we enforce and will enforce our laws guaranteeing equality. We have reinforced our democracy by passing laws to empower girls and women and protect them from violence. We have reformed our education system so that it provides real opportunities for all Fijians, regardless of income, gender or whether they live in the capital or on the most remote islands. This year we achieved a literacy level of over 90 per cent.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We have been a willing and energetic presence in peacekeeping efforts around the world, and we are now proudly putting every ounce of energy that we have into the fight to save this planet and its people — all of us — from a catastrophic warming of our climate. Fiji will soon celebrate national elections for the second time since our return to democracy. I say “celebrate” with a purpose, because truly free elections are the very starting point for democracy and freedom. If the people cannot choose their Government freely, their other freedoms are always in jeopardy. I am proud of what we have accomplished in our Fijian democracy. The shell of democracy that once existed has now been pierced, bringing the Fijian people into a genuinely inclusive society in which minority rights are respected and all citizens are equal, in name and in fact.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Bula, and a very good day to all. Allow me to congratulate the President on her assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. Every year brings fresh challenges and new crises, even as the crises of last year and the year before await some resolution, or even some respite. This Organization, the United Nations, is continually challenged to stand between parties in conflict, ease the suffering of refugees and migrants and continue its work to build a more peaceful, just and equal world. The Fijian people have always been proud of our nation’s full engagement with the United Nations.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“To all the nations that have yet to ratify the Paris Agreement, I say, please do so. I appeal to the nations of the world and to all the leaders of the grand coalition for their support. I draw my power as COP President from them and I will do everything in my power to use it wisely.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I have no doubt that the role that I have embraced as COP-23 President is the most important ever undertaken by a Fijian leader. I appeal to my fellow Pacific leaders to support me as we tackle the greatest challenge that our region and the world have ever seen. I want to acknowledge the work of the past 30 years of the Alliance of Small Island States, which has consistently looked after the interests of our peoples and reminded the world that our interests are the interests of every global citizen. We are all in the same canoe, which is why we will have a Fijian ocean-going canoe — a na drua — in the main hall in Bonn to remind everyone of the need to fill its sails with the collective determination to move this process forward and deliver on the promise we made to each other in Paris.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“But we must make special provision for those who are most vulnerable and have the fewest resources for coping with the catastrophic consequences we are witnessing all around us. We are pleased to be part of a serious engagement with Governments and the private sector aimed at securing innovative and more affordable access to insurance so that those affected by disasters can recover more quickly. It is a question of fairness and economic development, because without insurance, many nations and communities find restoration and rebuilding simply too great a burden. We are also encouraged by the rapid development of clean, affordable alternative-energy solutions for countries across the world, which offers great promise that we can achieve the 1.5°C target and prosper.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I certainly carry with me the authority of the Pacific to pursue that objective, and at this point I would like to pay heartfelt tribute to a Pacific islander whom we have just lost but whose legacy will live on in these negotiations. Two years ago, Tony deBrum of the Marshall Islands took a very powerful slogan to Paris — “One point five to stay alive”. We intend to honour Tony’s legacy, and I intend to draw on his spirit during my presidency. In addition to ensuring decisive action to limit global warming, we must also do a lot more to make nations and communities more resilient where the effects of climate change are concerned. We know that we are all going to have to adapt.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I am especially grateful to Governor Jerry Brown of California, whom I have appointed to help me as Special Envoy for States and Regions and who heads an impressive list of political leaders around the world who are part of the Under2 Coalition. As we all know, the Paris Agreement calls for global warming to be kept well under 2°C above the average temperature of the industrial age and as close as possible to 1.5°C. A year ago I stood here, before my appointment as President of COP-23, and called for 1.5°C to be our target (see A/71/PV.8). I meant it then and I mean it now. Fixing that number as our objective is urgent, and we must do it as soon as possible.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In our experience, it is the best way of getting things done, especially in difficult circumstances. It embodies engagement that is respectful, honest and cooperative and acknowledges that none of us, no matter how powerful, can solve the climate challenge on our own. For humankind to survive, flourish and prosper, we have no alternative but to cooperate. We have already established a solid foundation for our efforts in the presidency. The formal negotiations are progressing, and we are looking forward to welcoming ministers and their delegations and representatives of civil society to Fiji next month for our pre-COP meeting. We are already delighted to see the energy and sense of purpose of the leaders in our grand coalition.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I am counting on them to help me get the message across that only by working together can we move the process faster and further. In the climate action zone — the Bonn zone — Fiji and Germany are bringing together all those who have a part to play in making our grand coalition a great transformation, including climate activists, companies at the cutting edge of technology, artists, creative people, dancers and performers. We will be stamping the zone with the Fijian bula spirit of optimism and inclusiveness that has made our islands famous throughout the world. In the formal Bula zone, we want the nations of the world to embrace what we in Fiji and some other Pacific countries call the spirit of talanoa, characterized by dialogue based on trust, empathy and the collective good.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I am reaching out to governors, mayors and leaders of every sort across our societies, people of faith, people on the front line in the climate struggle, women and the young people who represent our future. We are going to do things differently in Bonn. The formal proceedings will be led by our chief negotiator, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, and I will play a roving role. I will be on hand to resolve any difficulties that arise in the formal negotiations. In order to reflect the importance of our grand coalition, I will be travelling between the two zones in Bonn, that of the formal negotiations and the climate action zone, along with my good friend and our climate champion, Mr. Inia Seruiratu, as well as my fellow Pacific leaders.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We simply could not have staged an event of such size and complexity in Fiji. Out of necessity, we have forged a bond with Germany that is an example to the world of how countries at opposite ends of the Earth and of vastly different means and size can work effectively for a common goal. We did it with Sweden at the Ocean Conference in June, and we are equally proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Germany to deliver on the goals that the Paris Agreement has outlined. Fiji is deeply conscious that Governments alone cannot overcome the challenge at hand. That is why we are placing such emphasis on the notion of a grand coalition of Governments at every level with civil society, the private sector and ordinary citizens moving the agenda forward.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That is why I took on the role of President of COP- 23 and why I have eagerly embraced the opportunity to be the first Pacific Islander to do so. It is about ensuring that my own people flourish and prosper, now and in the future. By collaborating with the other nations of the world through the process, we will ensure that together, humankind can flourish and prosper. Morocco will pass the ball to me and the Fijian team in Bonn in November, and we thank the Moroccan presidency of COP-22 for making such great strides towards the goal of fully implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Next year, Fiji will pass the ball to Poland. I want to assure the Polish presidency of COP-24 that Fiji will be supporting it throughout the entire process. Our own presidency would not be possible without Germany’s wonderful assistance.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“What will the consequences be for global and regional security if nations begin to compete for safe land or have conflicts over the movements of climate refugees? It is obvious that we need to cooperate. We need to learn from each other and use the world’s considerable resources to do the greatest possible amount of good for the greatest possible number of people. We need to continue to create prosperity and ensure the well-being of the nations and ecosystems of the world. If we view the process as some sort of negotiation in which each country tries to preserve its narrow national interests, we will all lose. We will be powerless to protect our own people from the consequences of climate change. Collective action is the only way forward. Wise men and women will understand that.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It challenges us to understand that the only way for every nation to put itself first is to lock arms with every other nation and move forward together. Anything else is self-destructive for the world and for each nation. It may be tempting for political leaders to show that they are protecting some national industry or near- term economic goal, but we must ask at what cost. Wise leaders must work hard to convince their peoples to embrace the path that we know that we must take. There is no choice to be made between prosperity and a healthy climate, for how prosperous can we be if we must devote our resources to relocating entire populations or reinforcing major cities? How much does it cost to find new places to farm?”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The entire villages that we are moving out of the way of rising seas, the loss of our ancestral burial grounds, the salinity affecting our crops and the constant threat of destruction to homes and infrastructure of the kind that we experienced last year are all evidence of that. The reason that our hearts go out to the people of the Caribbean right now is not only because we can empathize with them but because we fear the same fate. I implore the nations of the world to imagine a third of their gross domestic product being destroyed in the space of a year or so. Imagine another cyclone scoring a direct hit and wiping out decades of development. It is clear that global warming changes our very understanding of what our national interests are.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Millions of people are already on the move because of drought and the changes to agriculture that threaten their food security. History has taught us that human beings will always fight over access to water. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of climate change, we already know that some places will become unlivable 17-29407 23/29 and others will disappear altogether. In my own region, three of our neighbours are at risk, which is why Fiji has offered to give refuge to the people of Kiribati and Tuvalu in the event of a worst-case scenario in which their homes sink beneath the waves. For the Fijian people, climate change is real. It affects our lives in every way.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Next year will mark the fortieth anniversary of Fiji’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping. As a small nation, we have suffered a great deal of pain from the loss of some of our finest troops on peacekeeping duties over the years. But our contribution is a very important part of how we see ourselves as a nation, with our men and women in uniform serving the global community by protecting ordinary people in troubled parts of the world. For 40 years, we have helped make the world more secure. And now we are determined to make a successful contribution to the wider security of the planet through our leadership of COP-23. There is no escaping the fact that climate change is as great a threat to global security as any conflict.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Ambassador Thomson carried out his role with great distinction, and I especially want to thank him for the role he has played in bringing the parlous state of our oceans to global attention. The Ocean Conference that Fiji co-hosted with Sweden in June was an unqualified success. As a global community, we have begun the massive task of restoring the health of our oceans and tackling the overfishing that is stripping them of marine life and depriving millions of people of a precious resource, now and in the future. I salute the United Nations for appointing Ambassador Thomson as Special Envoy for the Ocean. It is an honour for Fiji to have one of our own leading an effort that is so vital to ensuring the implementation of a crucial Sustainable Development Goal.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Last year, we lost 44 of our own people and a third of our gross domestic product when Fiji was struck by the biggest cyclone in its history. So, as the incoming President of the twenty- third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-23), I am deeply conscious of the need to lead a global response to the underlying causes of such events. The appalling suffering in the Caribbean and the United States reminds us all that there is no time to waste. I would also like to pay tribute to the new President’s predecessor, Mr. Peter Thomson, the first Fijian to occupy the presidency of the General Assembly.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I want to begin by congratulating Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on assuming the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy- second session and by wishing him every success in the upcoming year. As we all know, the global community faces a great number of challenges, of which climate change is only one. But I am sure that we all want to send a message of solidarity and sympathy tonight to the millions of people in the Caribbean who are suffering from the ravages of Hurricane Maria. It is an especially cruel ordeal so soon after Hurricane Irma paved a path of destruction through the Caribbean and the southern part of the United States. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected. The Fijian people share a special sense of solidarity with those who have lost either loved ones or their homes and possessions in such events.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Congratulations again on your appointment. I thank you for bringing such honour to our nation. Every Fijian — indeed, the entire community of nations — wishes you well as you preside over the deliberations of this seventy-first session and the great issues of our time on which the future of the world depends.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As part of our wider commitment to human rights, we are seeking membership in the Human Rights Council for the two-year term that commences in 2018. We would be the first Pacific nation to serve on the Council, and I ask all member States to support our bid. Fiji will continue to play a disproportionate role in the international community in relation to its size, whether it be our continuing commitment to United Nations peacekeeping and sending our men and women in uniform to protect ordinary people in troubled parts of the world, or our lead role in drawing global attention to the urgent need for action on climate change. It is certainly a proud moment for me, as the leader of our small nation, to stand here before the nations of the world with you, Sir, behind me, as President of the General Assembly.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“These include, above all, adherence to international law and adherence to human rights and human dignity, along with other shared values such as mutual respect, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the resolving of disputes by peaceful means and non-interference in one another’s internal affairs. This change of direction will not be sudden. It is certainly not going to produce a dramatic change in the international company that Fiji keeps. But we are definitely seeking closer relations with nations that share our values and basic outlook, especially those nations that respect human life and the rights and dignity of their citizens, adhere to the principle of social justice, uphold the rule of law and insist on equality and respect for all human beings, as we in Fiji do.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Our diplomats and trade commissioners will be instructed to make it a priority to work more closely with Fijian exporters to promote the Fijian-made brand, as well as to access goods and services of international standards from new and old trading partners that benefit Fijian consumers. More broadly, we are rethinking some of our foreign policy positions and objectives. This includes a re-evaluation of the central principle of Fijian foreign policy for some years of being “friends to all and enemies to none”. Of course, we seek friendly relations with all nations and are certainly not in the business of making enemies. But we intend, in future, to choose our friends in a more discerning manner and to align ourselves more closely with those countries that share our underlying values and principles.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“First and foremost, we are going to place trade at the centre of our foreign-policy effort, with the promotion of the impressive collection of quality products and services under the Fijian-made brand. Some of these products and services are already making a global impact, but we believe we can do a lot more — whether it is our water, our cosmetics, foodstuffs and other manufactured goods, the more efficient marketing of Fiji as a prime holiday destination, or by spreading the wings of our boutique national airline, Fiji Airways, flying to other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. We intend to immediately boost the level of collaboration between our Foreign Ministry and our Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, which have too often operated in isolation.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As many in the Assembly are aware, we have had considerable challenges through the years in forging a common identity and producing an equal and just society for every citizen, but I am here to say that those days are over. As Fiji approaches its first half-century as an independent nation in 2020, we are finally one nation, one people, with a great sense of national optimism and a great deal to look forward to. To reflect our new-found confidence, we are also in the process of re-evaluating our relationships with the rest of the world. Last week, I assumed the position of Foreign Minister as well as Prime Minister, and I intend to steadily reform this Ministry and to refine certain aspects of our foreign policy to give it a new direction and a renewed sense of purpose.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We also have our pristine environment, spectacular islands, coastlines and waters. In addition, our standard of hospitality has made the Fijian people famous the world over. We market ourselves to the world as a holiday destination with the slogan “Fiji — where happiness finds you”. Whatever the challenges of Cyclone Winston, I can confidently say that the Fijian people have never been happier. The joy that erupted when our world-champion rugby sevens team won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics was shared by every Fijian. It has brought us together in celebration and seen us more unified in recent weeks than at any other time in our history. It has also inspired us to imagine what else our small nation can do if we put our minds to it.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Not only are our people being given more opportunity than at any time in our history, not only are we creating a more equitable society, which includes targeted assistance for the vulnerable and the country’s first pension scheme, but Fiji is also currently experiencing a record period of economic growth, with seven straight years of expansion. Even in the wake of Cyclone Winston, we expect to see growth of nearly 3 per cent this year. Our message to the world is simple: Fiji is open for business. Fiji has attractive incentives for investment and some of the most favourable corporate and personal tax rates in the Pacific region. We have state-of-the-art communications and an educated, English-speaking work force. We are investing in new roads, airports and other infrastructure and have dramatically improved the efficiency of our ports.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We are providing free schooling for the first time and have established our first tertiary loan scheme and more scholarships for gifted students in order to open up a gateway of unprecedented opportunity to our universities and a new network of technical colleges. We have set our sights higher than ever before to become a smarter, more dynamic country at the hub of the Pacific, the crossroads of our region, and to evolve into a modern nation State that is a beacon to our neighbours and respected around the world. I am pleased to report that we have made a strong start as a nation on the long but determined journey to achieve that goal.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We intend to raise our living standards by other means, especially by making things that other people want to buy and by providing services they want to access. We are taking the Fijian- made brand of quality products and services to the four corners of the Earth and managing our economy responsibly in accordance with international best practices, with a particular emphasis on infrastructure development, service delivery and providing for the less fortunate. Of prime importance is our education revolution, by which we are equipping Fijian young people with the knowledge and skills to have satisfying, sustainable livelihoods and contribute to our nation’s progress.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“These plans stipulate that no development whatsoever in Fiji will be permitted unless it can be conclusively demonstrated to be sustainable. We regard the preservation of our natural environment on land and at sea as our number-one priority. We are willing to make sacrifices to fulfil our solemn duty to the Fijian people to preserve their surroundings. Article 40, paragraph 1, of our Constitution gives every Fijian the right to “a clean and healthy environment, which includes the right to have the natural world protected for the benefit of present and future generations”. I make a solemn pledge to my own people and to the wider global community that, while my Government remains in office, Fiji will never be among the ranks of those nations that have compromised their futures for short-term financial gain.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“But as a first step, I appeal to all Member States to ratify the Paris Agreement and to turn away from what I have termed “the coalition of the selfish” — those countries that would see vulnerable nations battered and submerged rather than alter their pampered, carbon-driven lifestyles. I am proud to report that Fiji is heeding the President’s call to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. First and foremost, we have placed sustainable development at the core of our national agenda. The Green Growth Framework for Fiji, which I launched in 2015, is a blueprint for the future direction of our nation. It has been incorporated into our new five-year and 20-year national development plans that we will be unveiling in the coming months.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In common with other small island developing States, we face a nightmare scenario in which a single event scoring a direct hit could wipe out our economy, set us back for decades and make it impossible for us to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Our message from the Pacific therefore is this: the 2°C cap is not enough. We need the world to go one better and embrace the 1.5°C cap that we, members of the Pacific Islands Development Forum, called for in the Suva Declaration on Sustainable Human Development in the Pacific. We also need deeper cuts in carbon emissions and more decisive global action than what we are currently witnessing.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“But we also come with the message that Paris must be merely the first step. We are alarmed by scientific predictions that the 2°C cap on global warming over pre-industrial levels agreed to in Paris is not enough to save us. Seven months ago, the Fijian people were given a terrifying glimpse into the future that the experts say awaits us when we were struck by the biggest tropical cyclone ever to make landfall in the southern hemisphere, Cyclone Winston. Packing winds of more than 300 kilometres an hour, it killed 44 of our people and left many thousands homeless. Mercifully, it spared our main tourism areas — our principal source of income — so our wider community and our wider economy remained intact. But if this is what awaits us as global warming triggers weather events that are more frequent and more extreme, then God help us.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“For a small island developing State such as Fiji, that is as pressing as the need to address the challenges of climate change and deal with the extreme weather events and rising seas that pose such a threat to our way of life in the small island developing States and other vulnerable parts of the world. Many millions of people in maritime and coastal communities the world over are looking to us for decisive action to address the growing crisis of population, pollution, overfishing and the loss of marine habitats.We must not fail them. Fiji also comes to the seventy-first session with a plea to all nations that have yet to do so to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We are proud to have been the first nation in the world to ratify the Agreement and launch the ratification instruments.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“A centrepiece of the seventy-first session and one of our most critical priorities is the high-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, which is to be held in New York next June on the theme “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. Fiji is proud to be co-hosting that gathering with Sweden, and I ask everyone to give that initiative their full support. The world must act quickly and decisively to reverse the environmental degradation of our oceans and seas, and the reckless and irresponsible use of those precious resources.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Fiji fully supports the agenda that you, Sir, have outlined for the coming session, which seeks to persuade the world to begin implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that the 193 Member States adopted last year. As you rightly stated, Sir, when you took your oath of office last week, the seventy- first session must, for integrity’s sake, be the year that we witness the wheels turning. We have collectively pledged to mobilize the global community to end all forms of poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change. And we have pledged that, as we do so, we will leave no one behind, wherever they live on the planet. That is our promise to the 7.5 billion people across the world, whose interests we represent. It is a promise that must be kept — a “universal push to transform our world”, as the theme of this session puts it.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“This is a special moment for Fiji as you, Sir, assume the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session — the first Fijian and the first Pacific Islander to attain this high Office at the United Nations. Your nation is honoured and proud. On behalf of every Fijian, I offer you, Mr. President, my warmest congratulations and wish you every success as you guide our deliberations over the next 12 months. I want to thank those nations that supported Fiji’s bid for the presidency, including our neighbours and friends among the Pacific small island developing States. I also thank Mr. Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark for his leadership during the seventieth session.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)