YouSaid · the spoken record

Elias Camsek CHIN

lines on the record: 30
first: 2006-09-24
most recent: 2008-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“Though that extension of time for submission is welcome, it is only half the battle. We still need the resources and the technical expertise necessary to make a full submission, and we request the assistance of the international community in helping us to achieve that goal. Palau was the last country to emerge from the United Nations trusteeship system. The United Nations helped to return our sovereignty after four colonial administrations. We are thus particularly proud to advance the objectives of this unique institution and look forward to working together to achieve them during this session of the General Assembly. In closing, let me thank the Assembly in my country’s native language: Kom Kmal Mesulang.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Urgent attention should be paid to Security Council reform. Without it, there can be no genuine United Nations reform. Japan has demonstrated its concern for and commitment to Palau and all its Pacific neighbours, and should be a permanent member of the Council. Likewise, India, the world’s largest democracy, is a developing nation with a deep sense of involvement in Palau and the rest of the Pacific. We have supported and continue to support the principles of the draft resolution proposed by the Group of Four countries. We have worked very hard to change the dates for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The new submission regime will allow developing countries to preserve our claims to the resources contained in our extended continental shelf.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Unfortunately, the efforts of the Directorate have been insufficient. Our experience has been that the capacity- building efforts of the United Nations have focused on helping countries draft and adopt legislation. That is an excellent first step, but an insufficient one, as the best- designed legislation is meaningless without enforcement. We hope that, during the sixty-third session of the General Assembly, the United Nations will take the next step and help smaller countries that have the drive but not the means to operationalize the laws and regulations they have in place to fight terrorism. We urge the establishment of a voluntary trust fund that would allow small States to develop effective counter- terrorism initiatives. We thank the United States and 31 08-51845 Australia for the counter-terrorism assistance they have given us.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Since Palau joined the United Nations in 1994, we have highlighted our concern that the Organization has no presence in our country. We were pleased therefore when the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Children’s Fund announced that eight new joint offices would open in Pacific island countries, including Palau. We welcome that historic accomplishment and await the opening ceremony. Palau is an active participant in the efforts of the international community to combat terrorism and has made every effort to improve its anti-terrorism capacity. We have met with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate to advance our requests for assistance, particularly in the area of combating money-laundering and terrorism financing.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The North Pacific is home to some of the world’s best remaining fisheries. Their diversity is a key reason for the Micronesia Challenge, whereby the countries and territories of Micronesia joined together to conserve 30 per cent of near-shore marine resources and 20 per cent of land resources by the year 2020. This project is the first of its kind in the world. It covers 6.7 million square miles of ocean and helps to protect 10 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, including more than 60 threatened species. We thank the General Assembly for its recognition of this programme at its sixty-second session, in resolution 62/215 on oceans and law of the sea and thank our development partners, including Turkey, the Global Environment Fund, the Nature Conservancy and Conservation International for their support.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The oceans that surround Palau are the backbone of our nation’s existence and are integral to our continued viability as an independent nation. At the sixty-first session we banded together to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems from deep sea bottom trawling, a destructive fishing practice responsible for 95 per cent of the worldwide damage to seamounts. We congratulate the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation for adopting interim measures that are a substantial step towards eliminating bottom trawling. We urge all other regional fisheries management organizations and flag States to follow this example, and we remind everyone that the deadline to take action, 31 December 2008, is fast approaching. Palau has been active on the issue of bottom trawling because of its effects on ocean ecosystems.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The number of projects on energy efficiency and renewable energy has been increased, and we thank our donor partners for their support. We appreciate the support of Italy and Austria in supporting development cooperation with respect to energy for sustainable development. We also thank the European Union for their ongoing assistance in the area of renewable energy. We sincerely hope that Taiwan will be able to participate in the specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Republic of China’s meaningful participation in those agencies, such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization, would help promote peace and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, enhance important dialogue and help all peoples.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“08-51845 30 It is for this reason that the Pacific Small Island Developing States submitted a draft resolution at the sixty-second session of the General Assembly requesting that the Security Council honour the Charter of the United Nations and actively continue its consideration of the security implications of climate change. We were gratified by the positive response from the international community and thank our many co-sponsors for their support. We will reintroduce our resolution in the sixty-third session and look forward to Assembly action this fall. In the meantime, we cannot wait. While Palau contributes little to greenhouse gas emissions, we are taking significant steps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel, despite the detrimental economic consequences to us.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The post-2012 regime must address mitigating the impacts of climate change on small island developing States. As the text of the President’s opening address states, Member States “must be guided by a single consideration: saving those small island States that today live in danger of disappearing entirely as nations”. Never before in all history has the disappearance of whole nations been such a real possibility. As we noted in Niue, Palau and the members of the Pacific Islands Forum are deeply concerned about the growing threat that climate change poses not only to our sustainable development, but in fact to our future survival. This is a security matter that has gone unaddressed.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“On behalf of President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., and the people of Palau, I offer my congratulations to the President on his election. I assure him and all Member States that the United Nations will have my Government’s full cooperation and support in the coming year. Our existential challenge is climate change. To quote the text prepared for the President’s address at the opening of this session, we “cannot accept, under any circumstance, proposals for mandatory emissions reduction targets that take for granted sacrificing the homelands of entire peoples”. We must reach an agreement on a set of quantified emission reduction targets for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. These targets must reflect the urgency of the circumstances.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We were disappointed that the Secretary-General failed to follow the Charter and the rules of the Security Council by refusing to transmit and circulate Taiwan’s membership application to the Security Council and the General Assembly. Ultimately, legitimate democracies must be recognized and supported across the breadth of our planet no matter how large or small the country. On behalf of Palau, a small and peaceful island nation in the wide Pacific Ocean, let me thank all of you in my country’s native language: Kom Kmal Mesulang.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Japan has demonstrated its concern for and commitment to the Pacific and the international community. It should be a permanent member of the Security Council. That is true too of India, the largest democracy among developing nations, whose contributions to global security have earned it the right to a permanent seat on the Security Council. We have supported and continue to support the draft resolution of the Group of Four and hope that the Assembly will address the resolution this year. We also note our disappointment that Taiwan continues to be excluded from this Hall. The world would benefit from Taiwan’s membership in the United Nations and other international institutions.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“These emission reduction targets must be ambitious, must reflect the urgency of our collective circumstances and must be consistent with a mitigation framework that protects the most vulnerable parties to the Convention, in both the short and the long-term. It is imperative that the effectiveness of the post-2012 regime address the issue of mitigating the impacts of climate change on small island developing States, as the key benchmark of its adequacy and effectiveness. We note too the ongoing debate on General Assembly reform and join our voices with others who note the need for concrete results on Security Council reform. Without Security Council reform, there can be no genuine United Nations reform. The early conclusion of the discussion is essential.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“While eliminating bottom trawling and establishing protected areas are certainly important actions, they will be fruitless if rapid progress on climate change cannot be made at the international level. We are no longer in total control of our destiny. When temperatures increase, our corals bleach, the seas rise and the oceans acidify, threatening to demolish our marine biodiversity, jeopardizing our livelihoods and eventually destroying our identity. In the light of the high vulnerability of small island developing States to the impact of climate change, we stress the absolute need to reach an agreement on a set of quantified emission reduction targets for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We encourage all other regional fisheries management organizations and flag States to follow this example, and we remind them of the deadlines to take action. Palau has been vocal in its crusade to end bottom trawling because of its effects on ocean ecosystems. The North Pacific is home to some of the world’s best fisheries. Their diversity is the key reason for the Micronesia Challenge, an initiative launched by President Remengesau, whereby countries and territories of Micronesia have joined together to conserve 30 per cent of near-shore marine resources and 20 per cent of land resources by the year 2020. This project is the first of its kind in the world. It covers 6.7 million square miles of ocean, and it will help protect 10 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, including more than 60 threatened species.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Our hope is that during the sixty-second session of the General Assembly, the United Nations will be able to help small countries in addressing this threat and in meeting our Security Council obligations. The Pacific is home to some of the world’s largest and most important biodiversity hotspots. Our ocean ecosystems provide the backbone for Palau’s existence, and we are committed to their preservation. Last year, our nations banded together to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems from deep-sea bottom trawling, a destructive fishing practice responsible for 95 per cent of worldwide damage to seamounts. As a result, the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization adopted interim measures that took a substantial step towards eliminating this unsustainable practice.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“But we believe that the original goals and intentions of the project can be salvaged if there is a will to respond to the needs of small island nations like Palau. We would welcome the intervention and assistance of our partners, as well as the recommitment of the Secretariat to our original shared goals. We note the President’s call to ensure that the United Nations as an organization and we as Member States are properly prepared to confront terrorism. Palau has worked to improve its anti-terrorism capacity. We have also met with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate to advance our requests for assistance, particularly in the area of combating money-laundering and terrorism financing. Unfortunately, the efforts of the Directorate have been insufficient.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In this respect, I wish to announce that Palau will send peacekeepers to Darfur and will play our part in this critical demonstration of international concern. Despite our capacity issues, this will not be Palau’s first peacekeeping deployment. But while we are a responsible and proud Member of the United Nations, we note the continuing lack of a permanent United Nations presence in Palau. Last June, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF announced that eight new joint offices would open in Pacific island countries, including Palau. We welcomed that historic accomplishment, but we are concerned at the fact that the offices have yet to open. Existing mechanisms appear to have blocked progress on the ground.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“On behalf of the President of Palau, Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., and the people of Palau, let me begin by offering my congratulations to the General Assembly President on his election and assuring him of our cooperation in the coming year. We express our appreciation to the Group of Asian States and the General Assembly for the confidence they have demonstrated by electing a representative of Palau as a Vice-President. Palau is the smallest country in the history of the United Nations to have this honour, and we take it very seriously. Palau congratulates the Secretary-General on his leadership on stopping the genocide in Darfur. We were moved by the calls for immediate action that we heard from President Bush and others here at the United Nations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We join the call for the unconditional release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers. It is critical that the reconstructed UNIFIL force be effective and capable of enforcing the arms embargo as called for. On behalf of Palau, a small island nation in the wide Pacific Ocean, let me thank the entire Assembly in my country’s native language. Kom Kmal Mesulang. God bless you all.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We call on all parties in the Sudan to work together to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. As Mr. Jan Eliasson stated on 11 September, 19 06-53317 “we have ... seen the horrors of Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica without taking action. The same tragedy must not befall the people in Darfur or elsewhere. The responsibility to protect must move from declaration to action.” (A/60/PV.100, p. 6 ) Lastly, Palau would like to take this opportunity to express our hope that the Middle East peace process can be successfully restarted. We are hopeful that the expanded United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will bring peace and security to both Israel and Lebanon. We stress the need for full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), including its preamble.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Taiwan has been another steady supporter of Palau’s development. We continue to assert that the world would benefit from Taiwan’s membership in the United Nations and other international institutions. This year, Palau co-sponsored a draft resolution calling for a proactive role for the United Nations in addressing the tensions in East Asia. We were disappointed that the actions of the General Committee prevented a debate on that draft resolution. Palau would also like to recognize Australia’s steadfast commitment to stability in our region, as well as its dedication to capacity-building. Through such initiatives as its patrol boat programme, Australia enables Palau to address illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, which threatens our sovereignty and the marine habitats that surround our island nation.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The GEF programme in the North Pacific has resulted in an effective mechanism to protect our environment through grass-roots projects. Palau has also partnered with a number of countries that have supported our development. First, the United States has provided in-country diplomatic representation and years of support. We acknowledge the generosity of the United States in responding to natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific region. We thank them for that. Japan has also provided invaluable assistance to Palau. The addition of Japan as a member of the Security Council would help inform other Council members that are less familiar with our regional needs and concerns. We have supported, and continue to support, the G-4 draft resolution, and hope that the Assembly will address the draft resolution this year.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Let us not forget the continuing threat of terrorism. We recognize that terrorism anywhere is a threat to people everywhere. We have looked for assistance to improve our anti-terrorism capacity. Palau has met, and worked with, the Counter-terrorism Executive Directorate to advance our requests for assistance, particularly in the area of combating money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Unfortunately, the efforts of the Directorate have been insufficient. Our hope is that, during the sixty-first session of the General Assembly, the United Nations will be able to help smaller countries in addressing that threat. We would also like to take a moment to thank a few of the many partners that have assisted Palau this past year. The efforts of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme deserve special recognition.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In the same vein, Palau would like to state that difficulties in accessing assistance in claiming our extended continental shelf have made it clear that we will have a hard time meeting the 2009 deadline for submissions. Last year, in this historic Hall, we noted our concern that the United Nations, its offices and organizations did not have a permanent representative in Palau. In June, it was announced that a coalition comprised of the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund would open a total of eight new offices in Pacific island countries, including Palau. We welcome that historic accomplishment. It is a giant step towards harmonization within the United Nations. For Palau, it will give us one of the tools we need most for sustainable development, namely, local capacity- building.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Our future as a nation and the future of our children depend upon the viability of our environment, especially of the oceans. Palau relies on the health of its amazing reefs and waters to provide food for our people and to support our tourism industry. Without those we will not be able to develop a sustainable economy that will allow our children to live and work in their homeland. To provide for them, we look to the United Nations for leadership and support. To that end, Palau remains open to ideas for harmonizing the environmental agencies at the United Nations. We applaud efforts to streamline the process of accessing those agencies; that would make them more responsive to small nations.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We continue to urge the international community to act aggressively to reduce emissions that lead to global warming. 06-53317 18 Palau is a democratic society. Our children know the importance of culture and community. We guarantee human rights in our nation. We also know that flying our flag here at the United Nations carries with it certain obligations, and we have met them all. Palau has deployed peacekeepers to regional and international missions. When natural disasters strike, Palau responds willingly and voluntarily. When the international community called upon countries to preserve biodiversity, Palau came forward with the Micronesian Challenge. That initiative will protect 462 coral species, which represent 58 per cent of all known corals.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In doing so, Palau followed the lead set by Japan, the United States, Norway, Australia and many other responsible countries. It is now time to ensure that similar measures are taken for international waters. That is why Palau has joined with our Pacific colleagues in Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia to propose an interim prohibition on unregulated bottom trawling. Our proposal represents the strong determination of our region to protect the oceans upon which we all ultimately rely. Another issue of great importance is that of global warming. Coral bleaching, a rise in sea level and altered fish migration all threaten the future of Palau and other small island nations. Reversing that trend is one of our top priorities.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“For that we are forever grateful. Palau is often seen as a paradise of swaying palm trees and ocean breezes. But that simplistic view fails to recognize the challenges we face as a small island developing State. In this shrinking world, the actions of distant countries are having a profound effect on us. We come to the Assembly now, asking for its help once again as we face those difficult issues. One of the issues that we hope the General Assembly will act on this year is deep-sea bottom trawling. As the Secretary-General has reported, bottom trawling is responsible for 95 per cent of the worldwide damage to seamount ecosystems. It is an irresponsible practice, and Palau has passed a law banning all bottom trawling within our waters.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Let me begin by offering my congratulations to you, Madam President. We would also like to thank former Assembly President Jan Eliasson for his able leadership over the past year. Our deep appreciation also goes to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has served the Organization with skill and devotion. Palau joins others in welcoming Montenegro, the newest State Member of the United Nations. We look forward to its participation in our debates. Participation in the United Nations has special meaning for Palau. We were the last country to emerge from the United Nations Trusteeship System. During trusteeship, it was the United Nations that showed us that every country, regardless of size, had a role to play. The United Nations provided our nation with a platform from which we could achieve independence and establish our sovereignty.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)