YouSaid · the spoken record

Anote TONG

lines on the record: 145
first: 2004-09-24
most recent: 2014-09-24
sittings or episodes: 9
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

“One is the issue of the extreme economic vulnerability of small island developing States. Current indicators focus on improved performance on per capita income and human assets. Due consideration should be accorded to the special economic vulnerability to external shocks such as rising world food and fuel prices. While it is not currently a graduation indicator, we believe that environmental vulnerability should be taken into account when considering the cases of small island developing States such as Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, which are among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change and extreme weather events — which, in turn, pose major challenges to their sustainable development efforts.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We appeal to them to assist the most vulnerable members, such as Kiribati, with their food and energy security strategies. In that regard, we acknowledge with appreciation the assistance provided to our energy security strategy by our development partners, including Japan and Korea. With regard to graduation from the list of least developed countries, the Committee for Development Policy will meet early next year to prepare the 2009 review of countries that are deemed eligible to graduate under the methodology and indicators of the United Nations. Kiribati is one of three least developed countries of the Pacific — the others being Tuvalu and Vanuatu — being considered for graduation. We believe there are pertinent issues that warrant proper consideration by the United Nations with regard to this process.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We invite Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, members of the private sector and individuals to join us in this worthwhile and ambitious initiative. The recent hike in food and fuel prices is being felt by all, but more acutely by those living in drought- prone, resource-poor and infertile small island developing States like Kiribati, who as a consequence depend highly on imported food. Our isolation from major markets means that the cost of transporting food items to our country is becoming more and more expensive. In addition, the cost of providing basic services to our people, who live on widely scattered islands, is also becoming a real challenge for all of us in similar situations. We acknowledge the ability of certain members of the Organization to address this global challenge.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Our declaration of the Area is in part a contribution towards meeting that target, as well as a statement by which we are saying that sacrifices must and can be made. The preservation of those islands and the surrounding ocean is our gift to humankind, of which we are a part. Even now, as we confront the possibility that our islands will become uninhabitable within the century due to the rising sea levels, we recognize the value of protecting something that we believe to be the common heritage of us all. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the invaluable support and contribution of the New England Aquarium and Conservation International, our partners in this endeavour.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Kiribati is proud to be home to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, the largest marine protected area in the world. That was the result of a collaborative effort and partnership between Kiribati, the New England Aquarium and Conservation International. The Phoenix Islands Protected Area covers an area of around 410,500 square kilometres, making it, for now, the planet’s largest marine protected area. The Area covers over 11 per cent of our extensive exclusive economic zone of over 3 million square kilometres, while the land comprising the Area is over 3.5 per cent of the total land mass of Kiribati. The Phoenix Islands are some of the most isolated islands on Earth and are largely untouched by man. In 2002, the countries of the world made a commitment to significantly reduce the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In that connection, I commend to the Assembly the draft resolution on climate change as a security issue and a threat to international peace and 21 08-51845 security. My colleagues from the Pacific have already alluded to it, and I commend them for their support. I also wish to applaud the excellent efforts by our Pacific ambassadors in New York, as well as their leadership on the draft resolution. I am also grateful to those who have supported the draft resolution so far, as well as those who we hope will do so in the future. We in the Pacific have been strong supporters of the fight against terrorism. We now turn to those with whom we have partnered in the fight against terrorism to partner with us in our fight against climate change.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It is indeed most gratifying to note that climate change is finally being given due recognition as a security issue. We welcome that development, as we believe that it is time the United Nations focused its attention on the human dimension of climate change. Discussions about carbon trading, the post-Kyoto Protocol era and even concerns over the future of polar bears have been, or are being, held. We welcome those discussions but, at the same time, we wish to express our deep concern that there has never been any discussion of the fate of humans, whose very existence is being seriously undermined by climate change. That is the challenge that I propose that this body, the President and the Secretary-General address during this session.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The bilateral Kiribati- Australia Nursing Initiative is another example of a programme that supports that long-term strategy. We welcome them all indeed. At the regional level, in August, the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum adopted the Niue Declaration on Climate Change. That is a reflection of our concerted regional efforts to respond to the adverse impacts of climate change, which have been severely felt across our region. As the first-ever high-level climate document in our part of the world, the Declaration is indeed a milestone. It calls for collective efforts to fight the growing threat posed by climate change to many aspects of our lives and to our future as nations. At the international level, we have been following closely the issues currently taking precedence on the United Nations agenda.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We hope that they will be received by their adoptive countries not as burdens or refugees, but as worthwhile members of the community with something to contribute. We have already started implementing that strategy and we are indeed encouraged by, and grateful for, the support for that approach among our regional partners in the Pacific. Under its Pacific Access Category Scheme, New Zealand randomly picks a certain number of people from certain Pacific island countries, including Kiribati, to migrate to New Zealand every year. Recently, Australia launched the Australia Pacific Technical College, which aims at training Pacific people with Australian standard qualifications that will allow them to access regional and international labour markets.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The sooner we act, the less stressful and the less painful it will be for all concerned. That is why my Government has developed a long-term merit-based relocation strategy as an option for our people. As leaders, it is indeed our duty to the people we serve to prepare them for the worst-case scenario. The strategy involves upgrading the skills of our people to make them competitive and marketable in international labour markets. We want to target labour markets where skills or labour gaps exist and provide labour for them. We believe that offers a win- win situation for all. We will be able to provide countries with labour and those countries will be able to provide potential new homes for our people. The strategy provides our people with an option so that when they choose to migrate, they will migrate on merit and with dignity.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Mitigation efforts therefore will not be able to reverse our situation — a situation that we have recently acknowledged and to which my Government has provided a long-term strategy for our people’s future and survival. At the previous session of the Assembly, a question was raised regarding what we are to do when people start fleeing their countries, not because of political persecution but because of environmental catastrophe. That is the question that I want to put forward as a challenge to this session, and to which I wish to provide a possible answer, at least from the perspective of a country whose very existence is under serious threat. The relocation of the 100,000 people of Kiribati, for example, is not something that can be done overnight. It requires long-term forward planning.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We also welcome Japan’s Cool Earth Promotion Programme and the European Union’s Global Climate Change Alliance, which support practical measures to address the impacts of climate change in the Pacific island countries. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also states that the concentration of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue the momentum of climate change, regardless of any substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation efforts. That effectively means that low-lying small island developing countries like Kiribati are on the frontlines of the climate change calamity.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Adaptation measures, such as moving inland and to higher ground, are impractical for us. We cannot move further inland due to the narrowness of our islands, nor is there any higher ground to which we can escape from the rising seas. It is encouraging indeed to follow the emergence of many climate change initiatives. It gives us hope to see that humankind is beginning to do the right thing. We have been following developments on those fronts. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Australia’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and its 08-51845 20 recent announcement of its climate change programme. New Zealand has also announced its pledge to increase financial support for climate change.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Its mitigation efforts would therefore have an insignificant impact on the global climate change situation. Nevertheless, we will do our part and explore appropriate renewable and efficient energy technologies, as well as promote replanting in our islands. While we also require adaptation strategies, our adaptation options are extremely limited, particularly given the nature of our islands. We are a country of low-lying coral atolls, with most islands rising no more than two metres above sea level. Coastal protection through seawall construction is the main adaptation measure currently being undertaken by the Government, but it is limited to the protection of public infrastructure. We simply do not have the resources to extend protection to private properties and assets.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“With the projected sea-level rise, Kiribati could be looking at 50 to 60 years before that happens. Presented with those findings, we have had to adopt a pragmatic approach and to formulate options for our people. We do so with a great deal of regret and a deep sense of frustration. Mitigation and adaptation strategies are and will continue to be integral components of our response to climate change. It would indeed be naive to suggest otherwise. Those strategies provide only short- and medium-term solutions. Ultimately, low-lying island countries like Kiribati will have to face up to the reality of their islands being unable to support life and to plan accordingly beyond existing adaptation strategies. Kiribati is not a major emitter of greenhouse gases.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“While the members of the international community continue to point fingers at each other regarding responsibility for and leadership on that issue, our people continue to experience the impact of climate change and sea-level rise and practical solutions continue to elude us. The science on climate change is irrefutable. The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected an increase in sea level of 0.4 metres within this century. While that may sound minimal to most, it is quite alarming for low- lying small island developing States like Kiribati, whose elevation is no more than two metres above sea level and whose main source of water is underground aquifers. Before our islands are inundated by the rising sea, saltwater intrusion into our freshwater lens will render the islands uninhabitable.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Every year, we come together as citizens of the international community to reflect on and discuss possible solutions to the daunting challenges that continue to face us individually and collectively. Climate change and sea level rise, environmental protection, food and fuel price increases and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are among the challenges that I wish to focus on, in the interests of time and brevity. For many years, we have tirelessly appealed to the Organization to do something about climate change and to provide solutions for those seriously affected by its detrimental impact, especially those whose very existence is being threatened. Those appeals have failed to produce practical solutions for people living in low-lying small island developing States like Kiribati.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I bring warm greetings from the Government and the people of the Republic of Kiribati, on whose behalf I am honoured to address this body this morning. Let me, at the outset, congratulate Mr. D’Escoto Brockmann on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty- third session. I am confident that he will provide efficient and effective leadership in guiding this session towards a productive and concrete outcome for all. I would also like to thank his predecessor for his able and effective leadership during the past session. I should also like to acknowledge the election of Solomon Islands as a Vice-President of the General Assembly at this session. We are indeed very proud to have a Pacific brother in that position.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Taiwan has also remained able and willing to make significant contributions to the collaborative efforts to secure global peace, security and prosperity. We also believe that, whatever the views are on the question of whether Taiwan is a domestic issue or not, there can be no justification for supporting threatening initiatives, such as the so called anti- secession law, which could have such far-reaching effects on regional and global stability. I am confident that, under your leadership, Sir, we will work with unity of purpose and perhaps with less posturing to address the challenges before us.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We will continue to contribute to that regional effort as long as there is need. Kiribati is also interested in contributing civilian police to peacekeeping missions of the United Nations. Kiribati supports an expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council. In our view, those countries, such as Japan, that are significant contributors to United Nations programmes promoting peace, security and development merit a permanent seat on the Security Council. As we consider reform of the United Nations and as we celebrate 60 years of the United Nations, we believe that now is also the time to consider the issue of Taiwan and its 23 million people. Taiwan is a country where democracy thrives, where the rule of law prevails and where human rights are respected.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The environment in which the Organization now operates is so very different from that of 1945. Reform must take place to ensure that the Organization continues to be a relevant institution for its Member countries. Terrorism threatens all. Kiribati condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we support the global fight against terrorism. We have noted with increasing alarm the globalization of terror. We cannot afford to be complacent about terrorism and will contribute, within our resource constraints, to the war against terror. We seek support from those able and willing in the implementation and enforcement of counter-terrorism legislation we have passed in compliance with our obligations as a member of the global community. Kiribati has contributed to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Environmental issues and, in particular, climate change and sea-level rise are security issues for countries comprising low-lying coral atolls, such as Kiribati. A global and concerted effort, including stronger political commitment, is required to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We are appreciative of the support we have received and continue to receive in developing adaptation measures to climate change and sea-level rise. We nevertheless acknowledge the need now to seriously consider the option of having to relocate our peoples when necessary — an option that can be meaningfully addressed only within this forum. Kiribati fully endorses the need for comprehensive reform in the United Nations.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Therefore, the need to accelerate the development of alternative sources of energy, including clean and renewable energy, is now greater than it ever was. We firmly believe that our fishery resources can provide us with the basis for achieving a sustainable future, but in order to be able to do so, we shall need the assistance of our development partners in providing the necessary incentives through the provision of credit schemes to those investors who are able and willing to develop onshore facilities within resource-owning countries. But before we can achieve that, and if we are to achieve our Millennium Development Goals, we shall continue to be reliant on the official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income being met.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Concerted efforts to promote effective family planning have been given greater focus in our national development strategies. The growing number of unemployed youth brings with it new social issues. We are committed to directing the energy of our youth to productive and worthwhile pursuits. Employment opportunities abroad for both men and women, such as the arrangements in place with foreign shipping companies, fishing companies and cruise operators, will be expanded and new opportunities explored. The New Zealand Government's Pacific Access Category scheme is a very welcome model that merits closer scrutiny by other countries. The spiralling cost of fuel is an issue of grave concern to us. The impact of rising fuel costs has been hardest on the least developed countries, which are also the least able to afford it.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Having taken stock of progress over the past 60 years, the challenge now is to consider measures by which we can collectively and through the United Nations address the needs and concerns highlighted during the High-level Plenary Meeting. Of particular concern are the special needs of the least developed countries and small island developing States. While Kiribati may be categorized as a least developed country and a small island developing State, the people of Kiribati have a genuine desire to develop themselves and at the same time to develop their country. As their elected representatives, we have a clear mandate and duty to make our best efforts to meet their development aspirations. 2 Population issues are a major challenge in our development efforts.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“While we recognize and fully endorse the need for reform in the Organization, we are concerned that many of the shortcomings in terms of the promotion of sustainable development in Member nations, in particular in the small island developing States, are the result of our inability to deliver on commitments made in the past. Individual Member nations have the prime responsibility for achieving sustainable development within their borders, but with globalization and the increasing interdependency of our world, individual nations cannot achieve sustainable development acting alone. To attain sustainable development in small island developing States, the need for external cooperation and support is understandably more pronounced.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Please accept my congratulations, Sir, on your election to the presidency, and my assurances that Kiribati will support you during your term of office. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing President, Mr. Jean Ping, for his able and effective leadership during the fifty-ninth session. During last week's High-level Plenary Meeting, we discussed, among other issues, the future of this Organization and what we expect from it. We heard about the achievements made by our Organization over the past 60 years. We express our gratitude to all nations for the cooperation and support that led to those achievements. I would like to congratulate the Secretary-General as well as his staff, for his leadership of our Organization at these difficult and trying times. We also heard about the shortcomings of our Organization.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“With renewed commitments and with a common resolve to work in close cooperation and in support of each other, we can succeed in creating a more secure, a more prosperous and a more just world for all in this millennium.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In this era of tension and conflict we should discard the present exclusionary practices and adopt a more embracing environment where all countries willing and able to contribute to the international community’s efforts to promote world peace and stability are welcomed as equal partners. Taiwan has made and continues to make notable contributions to the development of many developing countries and has the capacity to contribute constructively to the good work of the United Nations. It is therefore regrettable that the desire of the 23 million people of Taiwan to again become a part of that global community of nations continues to be rejected. The challenges that confront us at this point in time are indeed daunting, but they are not insurmountable.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We note that some countries, including Japan, have consistently committed substantial resources towards the maintenance of global peace and security, and we believe that they should be accorded permanent membership on the Security Council. 4 We attach great importance to our membership in this noble Organization, and we reaffirm our commitment to upholding the noble values and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. The Charter epitomizes our hope for achieving justice and equality and the safeguarding and promotion of fundamental human rights of all peoples. Within that context, we believe that the exclusionary principles applied to Taiwan in its bid for United Nations membership go against the very values and objectives of the Charter that we all strive to uphold.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We encourage greater collaboration on HIV/AIDS research and the mobilization of resources for prevention activities and for better medical care for affected patients. We believe in the continuing relevance and importance of the role of the United Nations and its ability to respond to the challenges of our contemporary world. In this regard, Kiribati welcomes and fully supports the efforts to reform this Organization to enable it to better respond to the challenges of this era. Given the crucial role of the Security Council in the promotion of international peace and security and the importance we attach to that issue, we see the necessity for Security Council reform, including the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council. Expansion is required to better reflect the realities of our world today.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We welcome the United Nations support for the convening, early next year in Mauritius, of the International Meeting for the 10-Year Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. Like other small island developing States, we attach great importance to that review. With the continued support and commitment of our development partners to the process, we can be assured of important outcomes that will go a long way in making a real difference to the quality of life for our peoples. We share the concerns of the international community about the spread of HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact as both a health crisis and a development concern. We welcome the recent developments in the search for affordable drugs for HIV/AIDS victims in developing countries.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The reality is that a large proportion of the world’s population, most of whom live in developing countries, continue to live in poverty and are marginalized in trading arrangements and market access opportunities. The promise of globalization and open trading as a positive force for economic growth, and social progress continues to elude the many. Much work needs to be done to ensure that the many also enjoy the benefits of globalization. Kiribati supports the findings of the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization. We urge that the findings of the report be taken into consideration and incorporated into the work of the Assembly, especially for the 2005 high- level review of the outcome of the Millennium Summit.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Accordingly, we urge the flag States of those fishing interests to encourage their industries to explore the mutual benefits to be gained from collaboration with resource owners in establishing on-shore facilities that will add value to the commodity. We believe that such a model will also result in easing the pressure on fish stocks and ensure conservation of the resource for the sustainable benefit of mankind. The entry into force in June this year of the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Convention represents a major development in the management of the western and central Pacific tuna fishery. In this age of rapid globalization, advances in information technology and trade liberalization, it is regrettable that, while some are reaping the full benefits of those advances and developments, significantly more remain on the fringes.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In this connection, I would like to express our appreciation to all our development partners, who, over the years, have contributed meaningfully to the realization of our development aspirations. While we are grateful for the assistance extended by our development partners, there is scope for us to achieve more for our peoples — and to do so without development assistance. Kiribati has a large exclusive economic zone that has an abundant fisheries resource. Those resources are presently being harvested by vessels from distant-water fishing nations under license arrangements. However, the return from these licensing arrangements is negligible, at only around 5 per cent of the landed value of the catch. Naturally, we would like to see greater returns from that resource. Our ability to achieve sustainable economic development depends on it.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Such linkages and partnerships can only result in the more effective, coordinated and harmonized delivery of assistance to member countries. Making progress with regard to the development aspirations of our peoples is a high — if not the highest — priority for many of us who are here today. Our national policy objective is to achieve the 3 equitable distribution of development benefits to all our peoples, based on the principles of good governance. We are committed to the Millennium Declaration and are on track in our national efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The Goals have been integrated and mainstreamed into our national development strategy. We are committed to pursuing those goals as the basis of sustainable development.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Regional cooperation has also enabled us to effectively address emerging issues confronting our region; the outstanding success of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands is a clear demonstration of that. We in the Pacific are confident of our ability to steer a course for the future. We have approved work to commence on a Pacific plan that will promote collective action in the areas of security, good governance, economic growth and sustainable development. We envisage that the Pacific plan will result in the delivery of tangible benefits to our respective peoples and communities. We recognize the need for, and welcome, strengthened cooperation and the development of closer linkages and partnerships between the United Nations and its specialized agencies and other organizations, including the Pacific Islands Forum.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Our very existence as a State — indeed, the existence all States similar to Kiribati — is at stake if such thinking continues to prevail. I would like at this juncture to express our gratitude to the many countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol and to appeal to those that have not to do so as a matter of urgency. We have demonstrated remarkable solidarity in the fight against global terrorism. Can we not demonstrate the same solidarity in the fight against climate change and sea-level rise? Regional cooperation has been a very effective mechanism in addressing the many challenges faced by countries in our region. Regional cooperation has enabled many Pacific countries to meet some of the counter-terrorism requirements.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The adverse impact of climate change and sea- level rise is, indeed, a critical security issue for the global community in this new millennium, especially for low-lying island States like Kiribati. That issue must take centre stage with other international security issues. We urge the international community to agree on a unified global response in order to better protect the environment, in the same way that the international community is being encouraged to respond to terrorism and other threats to global security. Our inability as a global community to agree on a unified stand on climate change and sea-level rise is very disappointing indeed, and we deplore the notion that economic growth must take precedence over environmental issues at any cost.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We expect to make further progress on compliance with the counter-terrorism requirements shortly. The progress made so far has revolved primarily around the introduction of legislation. We recognize that this is just the beginning of the process. The implementation and enforcement of the legislation enacted will pose an immense challenge. In this respect, we will continue to count on the assistance and support of the international community. We note with deep regret and concern the loss of life and devastation to property caused by the recent series of hurricanes affecting the Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of the United States. We offer our deep sympathy to those affected by those natural disasters.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We acknowledge the importance of complying with United Nations resolutions and international security arrangements that have been adopted in the fight against terrorism. While we cannot afford to be complacent in our efforts in that regard, it must be recognized that the requirements for compliance with those resolutions and arrangements do pose enormous challenges for countries such as Kiribati. Our limited resources and technical capacity are already committed to providing for the basic and essential social and economic needs of our rapidly growing population, thus placing severe constraints on our ability to make progress in compliance. I would like to note, however, that, with technical assistance from our development partners, we have made progress in enacting important legislation relating to terrorism and transnational crime.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Kiribati supports all non-proliferation efforts and in that respect is party to, among others, the Treaty on the 2 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention. We commend and support the work of the international community and efforts taken at the national, regional and international levels to respond to the challenges of terrorism, recognizing the need for international solidarity in addressing that increasing global threat. Kiribati is committed to the global fight against terrorism. Terrorism knows no boundaries and we cannot claim immunity from it. Indeed, as a small island developing State we have very little capacity to develop any effective countermeasures and are therefore especially vulnerable to terrorism.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Those challenges cast a dark shadow over the commitments made by world leaders at the Millennium Summit held here in New York four years ago, pledging to work collectively to maintain peace and security, to eliminate poverty and to promote development for the benefit of all mankind in the new millennium. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons continue to threaten international security. We must be unified in our approach and address those challenges effectively by strengthening multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and agreements and through closer regional and international cooperation.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We gather again this year amidst the reality of daunting challenges that continue to confront us as individual nations and as a global community. The ongoing conflicts in Iraq and other parts of the world, the scourge of terrorism and the existence of nuclear arsenals, accelerated environmental degradation and the threat of global warming and sea-level rise, hunger and poverty, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other non- communicable diseases, the marginalization of the least developed countries within the global economy and underdevelopment, all continue to pose major challenges that our Organization must address today.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is with great pleasure that I bring warm greetings from the Government and people of Kiribati on whose behalf I have the honour to address the Assembly today. Before I begin, I would like to extend our congratulations to Mr. Jean Ping on his election to the presidency of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. We have every confidence in his able leadership to guide the work of the Assembly and to deliver conclusive outcomes. He has our full support and cooperation in carrying out his work. I wish also to thank the President’s predecessor for the excellent work he has done in steering the work of the Assembly during the past year. My congratulations also go to the Secretary-General for his sterling leadership of our Organization during these trying times and for rising commendably to the challenge.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)