YouSaid · the spoken record

Tommy Esang Remengesau Jr.

lines on the record: 108
first: 2013-09-24
most recent: 2020-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“Climate change is the greatest challenge of our generation. Only this month we once again saw the damage that record-breaking cyclones cause vulnerable countries, as Super Typhoon Mangkhut did the Philippines. Building the resilience of vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change must be an urgent global priority. Palau has developed a climate change policy framework with the aim of undertaking effective adaptation measures to deal with the expected effects of climate change, strengthen our capacity to prepare and minimize disaster risks and mitigate climate change by working towards low-carbon emission through clean energy initiatives. Meanwhile, we continue to work with our global and regional partners to build capacity and mainstream climate change into our national planning and budgeting process.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Palau is also seeking a strong outcome to the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, which will be an important complement to our domestic actions. Further out on the horizon, my country will be proud to play host to the Our Ocean 2020 Conference. That same year, Portugal will host the United Nations Ocean Conference. We must identify our priorities and catalyse new coalitions so that the year 2020 will indeed come to be remembered as a year of action. My Government also takes very seriously its contribution to the Paris Agreement, which is also integral to our plans for achieving SDG 13 and other relevant goals.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“This year, in response to that call for help, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and I, together with representatives of the Governments of Australia, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Namibia and Portugal and the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, launched the High-level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. The Panel seeks solutions for building a transformative political agenda for ocean action and the development of a platform to deliver the management and tracking of commitments, initiatives and partnerships, including science-based monitoring of the ocean, featuring national and private-sector leadership.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“For that reason, we have moved aggressively to implement our national marine sanctuary, a no-take zone that covers 80 per cent of our exclusive economic zone. It is Palau’s contribution to the global effort to achieve SDG 14. The marine biodiversity endemic to Palau is priceless. We are therefore eager to work with the scientific community to identify more ways to build the resilience of our coral reef ecosystem. We are proud of our domestic efforts but international action remains essential. Last year, the world gathered here in this great Hall and declared that the ocean was sick and needed our united global assistance to restore it to good health (see resolution 71/312).”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“However, in the case of tuberculosis, I am very happy to report that the incidence of tuberculosis has been minimal and well under control for the past few years. For my country, the ocean is our livelihood, our culture and our identity, which is why achieving SDG 14 is so critical for us. The ocean is also the foundation of our booming tourism industry, which will continue to be the largest provider of jobs in the country. We have launched a new campaign, Pristine Paradise Palau, which makes sustainability a top priority. I firmly believe that our environment is our economy and our economy is our environment. Preserving our magnificent coral reefs and abundant fisheries will ensure that tourism continues to grow, as well as protecting our food security for generations to come.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The rise in the incidence of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other NCDs is attributed to unhealthy diets, insufficient physical activity, the excessive consumption of salt, sugar and fat and alcohol and tobacco use. NCDs are now the leading cause of death in Palau and, sadly, throughout the Pacific region. As many as 75 per cent of us will die prematurely from NCDs. The crisis has prompted a strategic shift in focus at Palau’s Ministry of Health towards increasing preventive services in an effort to improve the health and livelihoods of our people. We are encouraging a return to traditional diets and increasing our local food production, as much of the problem stems from imports of unhealthy junk food.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Palau’s core priorities are health, oceans and climate change, through which the rest of our development objectives, through genuine and durable partnerships, will be realized. Palau has declared 2018 as a Year of Good Health. At home we are implementing a number of actions to raise awareness and to cultivate healthier lifestyles so as to respond to the deadly problem of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Palau is one of the 10 countries with the highest rates of obesity in the world. I am sorry to say that, while in other parts of the world people are dying of hunger and poverty, in our corner of the Pacific we are dying from overeating and a poor diet.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Annan was the living embodiment of our mission to create peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies. This year we also celebrate the legacy of Nelson Mandela, which continues to inspire the poor and the oppressed to demand equal rights. In honour of the centenary of his birth, the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit (see A/73/PV.4 and 5) was a historic opportunity to reaffirm our faith in the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations. The Republic of Palau is committed to promoting peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies both at home and internationally. We see the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the most important framework for achieving that objective. The path that each country takes to achieve its goals will be unique, but we recognize that all are interlinked and reinforce one another.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Let me begin by congratulating Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on her recent assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session, becoming only the fourth woman to take that seat and the first to represent her region. Palau welcomes her to that prominent role. I have no doubt that, as our captain on our voyage towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, she will steer this canoe in a unique and effective way. Let me also express my gratitude to His Excellency Minister Miroslav Lajčák for his exceptional service during his recently completed term. I would also like to pay my respects to a great leader and humanitarian, our former Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan. A friend and ally to all, Mr.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“At no time in the history of my country or, indeed, the history of the world has the need for a strong global partnership of countries, organizations and people, through a single binding assembly of nations been more important. The United Nations has the potential to reconcile our global issues if — and only if — its Members are willing to recognize those issues and take the necessary action to develop and implement appropriate solutions. My small country — despite its size — is willing to act in concert with the other nations of this great Organization to achieve a better life for our children, grandchildren and all future generations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We would also like to recognize the very broad list of partners across the world who make our efforts to achieve a sustainable future possible, including the Republic of China on Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Monaco, Italy, the Netherlands, the European Union, private organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society, among many others. At the end of the day, our success will depend upon the development and maintenance of genuine and durable partnerships at every level of society. The issues that we face are becoming increasingly severe, dangerous and global in scope. They cannot be dealt with at the national or regional level alone.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Palau also would like to acknowledge the great friendship that it has with Japan and the very significant economic support that we have received from that country over the years. We continue to express our support for the expansion and reform of the Security Council and Japan’s permanent membership on the Security Council. We wish to express our sincere thanks for the Nippon Foundation’s generous support to enhance partnership and collaboration in our marine surveillance and enforcement efforts.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Fortunately, my country has a long history of strong partnerships. The United States continues to support Palau in its development and movement towards economic independence. We have a shared history and over the decades have become close friends. We recognize the unique relationship that we share. In these difficult times, we support and participate in the efforts of the United States, on behalf of the world community, to combat terrorism, bring closure to the hostilities in Syria and reduce the nuclear threat emanating from North Korea. We also thank the United States for its ongoing support for our efforts to establish our national marine sanctuary. We look forward this year to completing our compact of free association agreement with the United States, which will reflect that close and special relationship.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“At the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, Palau also called on other countries to join it in becoming parties to the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, an international treaty that will help stop the transfer of illegally caught fish and marine life through our ports. I would like to make the same appeal here today. In our work to save our oceans, we welcome the appointment of His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson of Fiji as the first Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Oceans, which promises to bring greater attention to one of our most urgent priorities. Palau extends its congratulations to its close friend from Fiji. Those types of commitment require the strong support of a broad alliance of partners.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Within that context, we emphasize our support for a new implementing agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. We have also supported resolution WCC-2016-Res-050, entitled “Increasing marine protected area coverage for effective marine biodiversity conservation”, adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2016, which promises to work towards designating and effectively setting aside at least 30 per cent of coastal States’ national waters as marine protected areas by 2030. In addition, we have committed to addressing and taking action with regard to marine pollution in all its forms.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I would like to congratulate my colleague from the Pacific His Excellency Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji on his imminent ascension to the presidency of the upcoming twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In order to strengthen his efforts, Palau is seeking the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General for climate and security. The appointment of a Special Representative would significantly aid us in our preparations to confront that multifaceted challenge and would enhance United Nations reform proposals. My country, although small, is very proud of its commitment to achieving our Global 2030 Agenda. To help protect our oceans, we have established one of the largest protected areas in the world.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I must give credit to the leaders of my country, who, more than 30 years ago, recognized the threat of nuclear weapons and banned the use, testing and storage of nuclear weapons in Palau’s Constitution. In their honour, I signed that Treaty yesterday. If we are to find success in achieving our 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, we are going to have to face the hard reality that the costs are very significant. Success will require all available partnerships and the development of the necessary means of implementation in line with the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action, known as the Samoa Pathway. In the area of climate change, we must continue to work to achieve the full implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We must also support the Secretary-General’s efforts to revamp the United Nations architectures and procedures for peace and security development and management as a significant component of the overall reform of the Organization. The Pacific small island developing States (SIDS) face a unique set of security and development challenges. However, the United Nations presence in the region is quite limited. In shepherding that process, I urge the Secretary-General to recall the guiding principle that was so successful in delivering the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: leave no country behind. Taking into account the recent actions by North Korea, we must take seriously the long-term need to ban nuclear weapons. A good place to start would be by acceding to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“These are the issues that our global focus is centred upon: a decent life for all and a sustainable planet. I believe that we can all agree that, in terms of peace and security, inclusive sustainable development frequently prevents conflicts and sustains peace. However, peace is not always achievable, and when that is the case, the United Nations must facilitate efforts to respond to aggression and violence. Palau therefore supports all efforts and United Nations resolutions aimed at bringing North Korea to the negotiating table. The threat posed to the innocent people of Guam is a threat to us in Palau and the entire region. Palau also reaffirms its support for international efforts to eradicate terrorist organizations, such as ISIS and Al-Qaida.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) is pushed back from its strongholds in Syria and Iraq, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been firing missiles and detonating atomic and possibly hydrogen bombs, thereby threatening worldwide peace and harmony. At the same time, migrants throughout the world are forced to flee their countries to escape the ever-increasing levels of violence. Those are issues that must be dealt with globally through strong multinational institutions and partnerships. If those efforts are to be successful within the framework of the United Nations, the United Nations must be strengthened so that all of its members can believe in the fairness and effectiveness of the overall international negotiation and dispute-resolution process.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Through the creation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, we finally recognized that the oceans are a resource that belong to and serve all the peoples of the world and must be protected as such. By coming together and finally agreeing on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, we established a global commitment to begin the process of reducing greenhouse gases to acceptable levels. Yet even as we worked hard to respond to that global environmental crisis through joint actions, we have found other issues of security and peace taking the forefront in our international conversation.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In this modern world, we must continue to expand our cooperation at every level — private, public, not- for-profit and political — within the context of a global network that establishes fair and transparent guidelines that prescribe how to act and react to those dynamic topics. The only body that can fill that essential void is the United Nations. With respect to sustainable development, we recognized, in 2015, through the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, that a global rights- based regime was necessary in the context of a global partnership, if we are to successfully eradicate poverty, address universal inequalities and provide economic and social opportunities to all for the peoples of the world.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Palau, in the Pacific, has experienced at first hand the impact of climate extremes. For us, those super- storms are akin to ticking time bombs: no one knows when or where the next one will detonate, but we are keenly aware that they can wipe out years of progress in the span of hours. The President’s clear determination to focus future efforts on conflict prevention, peace, migration and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet is certainly timely and well attuned to the realities of our generation. In fact, his attention to those very different yet related issues demonstrates a clear understanding of the complex times in which we live and the need to connect the dots between the causes and the effects of the interrelated challenges that we face.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I would like first to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on his election to lead our work in the General Assembly at its seventy-second session. I would also like to thank his Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson for his exceptional service during his recently completed term as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session. At the outset, the people of Palau extend our deepest condolences to those who have had their lives devastated by the recent spate of hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes and other natural disasters across Asia and the Americas. We must not forget that many do not have the resources necessary to rebuild. The international community must work harder to ensure that they are not abandoned. Such record-breaking storms are a harbinger of worse to come on a hotter planet.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The means of implementation in terms of oceans, climate change, biodiversity and all of the other issues that require global solutions are therefore a recurring and central issue. Without effective partnerships, change will simply not occur, and without legally binding commitments with respect toour oceans and climate change, we will not make the transformative changes that we need to make in the next generation. As a small island developing State and a member of the Pacific community, I am ready, willing and able to commit to doing my share. I am even willing to lead. But let us not fool ourselves. The only way to make a difference in this modem global era is to go beyond our self-centred mentality. By standing together, we can indeed craft a sustainable future for our children and for generations to come.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Finally, we would like to recognize the very broad list of partners around the globe that make our efforts to ensure a sustainable future possible, including New Zealand, the European Union, private organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society. Partnerships such as those are commitments. We would not be where we are today without them. In the post- 2015 development environment, we must all recognize that our actions as individuals, States, nations and regions have an impact on all our partners on planet Earth. If we are to save our oceans and if we are to stem the tide of greenhouse gases, we must establish a long- lasting system of global partnerships and respect. At the end of the day, we must recognize that some of us are developed and some of us are not.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I would also call upon the United Nations to support Taiwan’s broader participation in the United Nations specialized agencies and regional economic integration mechanisms, as its participation in the World Health Assembly, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership would demonstrate its ability to contribute to global and regional initiatives. We also would like to express our thanks to the Australian Government for its ongoing partnership, its annual aid assistance focused on education and its commitment to providing $2 billion to the Pacific region to replace its aging marine surveillance fleet.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We also are hopeful that Japan will continue to support and enhance public and private assistance to our exclusive economic zone surveillance efforts and our continued efforts to develop our National Marine Sanctuary. In addition, Palau would like to thank the Republic of China on Taiwan for its friendship and economic support in assisting Palau to achieve our Millennium Development Goals and would urge the United Nations system to involve Taiwan in the process of developing and implementing the post-2015 development agenda.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We wish to give special thanks for President Obama’s support for oceans and the expressed intent to set aside 10 per cent of our global oceans as marine protected areas. Finally, we thank the United States for past and future technical and financial assistance in our efforts to implement our National Marine Sanctuary. We continue to look forward to finally completing our Compact of Free Association agreement, which reflects this close and special relationship. Palau would also like to acknowledge the very significant economic support that we have received over the years from our good friend, Japan. We are hopeful that the Security Council expansion and reform process will result in Japan’s permanent membership on the Security Council.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Since its independence, Palau has been blessed with strong partnerships. For over 50 years, the United States has provided its support and friendship. Without its support to Palau’s transition, revenue independence and infrastructure development, we would not be where we are today. Palau stands strongly behind the United States in its ongoing efforts to guide the international response to the horrific situation in Syria and Iraq and its actions to respond to the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham. Let us not forget that global peace and stability are critical if we are to achieve our development agenda and respond to the issues of climate change and ocean regeneration.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Within our discussions, migration should not be an option. As the young mother Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner from the Marshall Islands put it so beautifully on Tuesday, “No one is moving. No one is losing their homeland. No one is becoming a climate change refugee”. Our small island nations, which are the first to feel the impacts of climate change, the first to feel the impacts of diminished marine resources and the first to wet our feet in sea-level rise, are ready and willing to lead. We do not call for action from developed nations that we are not willing to take ourselves. Last year, my country committed, under the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership, to a 20 per cent contribution of renewable energy to the energy mix and a 30 per cent reduction in energy consumption by 2020. We are well on the way to achieving those goals.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Our world leaders, whether from developed or developing countries, must overcome the failures of our own lost generation. As the Secretary-General said, the race is on, and now is the time for leaders to step up and steer the world towards a safer future. A temperature increase of 3.6 degrees is simply not acceptable. If that is the best objective that our global leaders can agree on, we may as well throw in the towel and stop having children, because there will be no future for them. By the end of 2015, our global leaders must announce a new direction with new and realistic commitments and practical actions, supported by a greatly enhanced financial commitment both to mitigation and to adaptation. Those commitments must include the ratification of the second amendment to the Kyoto Protocol.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“By recognizing the ocean as a joint and primary asset of every citizen on our planet, we can move towards the global management of our global ocean exclusive economic zone. We must never shift from the need for a global climate change initiative that addresses the threat to all people of all nations. Climate change is our planet’s silent war. It must not remain on the back pages of our minds and our global commitments. We must move it to the front page, alongside global conflicts, so that it receives the attention and the financing that it deserves. And we must understand that, in terms of public health, climate change is a defining issue for our century. Climate change affects the air that we breathe, the food that we eat, the water that we drink and the infectious diseases that find their way into our homes.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In my country, in the next several months, we will formalize the establishment of a national marine sanctuary, which will include a complete prohibition on purse seine fishing that covers 100 per cent of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a “no-take” marine sanctuary that covers 80 per cent of the Palau EEZ; a highly regulated fishing zone that covers approximately 20 per cent of the EEZ and will provide for Palau’s domestic fishing needs alone; and a prohibition on commercial fish exports. Through our global actions and our partnerships between developing and developed nations and between the private and the public sectors, we can achieve a transformational shift in the way we think about the use of our Earth’s natural assets.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is now time to complete the work on the remaining half and to continue to improve both the level and the responsiveness of our financing mechanisms. We must also ensure that the bulk of the financing reaches those that need it most and that their share is not a mere drop in the bucket. In the Pacific, we believe action must begin in one’s own backyard.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“However, while we are strongly in favour of that critical SDG, we are concerned that the post-2015 development dialogue may be too broad. We must remember that an agenda of everything is effectively an agenda of nothing. Above all, our goals and targets must be realistic, practical, simple, transparent and measurable. In that context, we must continue to focus on the vulnerable countries and the people most in need. To accomplish that objective, we must recognize that one size does not fit all and that we must continue to concentrate on a common but differentiated response. Our international community has years of experience of what does and does not work with our Millennium Development Goals.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That is why Palau, Kiribati, the Cook Islands, New Caledonia, the United States of America, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are currently in the process of declaring and establishing protected marine areas of different sizes and requirements to reverse the current trends of overuse and overexploitation and thereby ensure a healthy ocean for our children. That is why we are committed to ensuring the launch of negotiations by September 2015 for an international agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction. That is why we are calling upon the United Nations to ensure a stand-alone sustainable development goal (SDG) on oceans.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Within that theme and Declaration, the Pacific leaders highlighted the fact that, in order to survive, we will have to continue to play a central role in the stewardship of one of the greatest endowments of the world — the Pacific Ocean. That is because, in our short lifetime, we have experienced a dangerous combination of human impacts that threaten the foundation of our Pacific livelihoods. That is why we have called on the global community to support the efforts of the Forum countries to sustainably use their ocean resources and to conserve their valuable underwater heritage.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We can continue business as usual along our current course and wait for the horizons to clear the global haze or we can choose a different road, one that will give our critical habitats the chance to recover and thereby ensure their continued ability to sustain us. Am I a foolish dreamer or a simple pragmatist? I guess that only time will tell. However, I will say one thing. My country, small as it is, will not go down without a fight, using every available tool, nor will the Pacific region, whose people comprehend first-hand the real and current impacts of climate change and recognize that their oceans are becoming polluted and their fish stocks depleted. That is why the Pacific leaders at this year’s Pacific Islands Forum supported the Palau Declaration under the theme “The ocean: life and future”.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Without trying to be melodramatic, I believe that my country, the Pacific region and the world have reached a crossroads. In this International Year of Small Island Developing States, leading up to the climate change negotiations at the twentieth and twenty-first Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the third International Conference on Financing for Development and the impending adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, viewed within the context of our rising oceans, the Ebola crisis in Africa and the apparent societal inferno in progress in the Arab world, we find our societies, our cultures and our economies under serious attack, never before experienced on so many fronts.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We strongly support Taiwan’s expanded participation in the United Nations system, acknowledge the expansion of its meaningful participation in United Nations specialized agencies and mechanisms, and call on the United Nations system to accept Taiwan’s participation as a valuable contributor to our collective efforts. Beginning with the leadership of those assembled here, and working down to every level of international action and cooperation, we can respond, in a timely and expedited fashion, to the real emergencies we face. But the time for excuses is over. It is now time for leaders to lead.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Palau would also like to acknowledge the significant support we have received over the years from our friend Japan. We are hopeful that expansion and reform of the Security Council will result in permanent membership of the Council for Japan. In addition, we would like to thank the Republic of China on Taiwan for its friendship and economic support in helping Palau to achieve its Millennium Development Goals and move on to the post-2015 development agenda through grants and technical assistance in the areas of infrastructure, food security enhancement and human capacity.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Within that context, we should also recognize that tobacco consumption, which was not included in the MDGs, has a direct impact on worsening NCDs and must therefore be separately targeted. None of our leadership goals can be achieved without strong partnerships. Fortunately, Palau has been blessed over the last half-century with strong regional and international partners. I would first like to acknowledge the more than 50 years of support and leadership shown to us by the United States. We stand with the United States in its ongoing efforts to guide the international response to the horrific actions in Syria. We are also grateful for its very generous economic support over the years, and for being a reliable ally on which we can depend. We look forward to the final completion of the treaty that will renew and reinforce our relationship.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The oceans’ health is undeniably linked to our culture, societies and economies. Yet in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the oceans received no mention. As the MDGs wind down in 2015, we need a new paradigm. It is therefore time to enunciate our commitment to our oceans with a sustainable development goal that deals exclusively with them. Drawing from the lessons learned from the MDGs, we as leaders must create a goal that is resonant, measurable and easily communicated. Failure to do so will leave us naked before the shifting tides. In our sustainable development goals, we must also focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which cause two-thirds of the world’s 57 million deaths annually.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We ask all the nations of the world to move in a similar direction, while recognizing their own unique circumstances, to help protect our planet’s natural resources. An example of one simple action that would have a major impact on saving our shark population would be the prohibition of shark’s fin soup. That is something that everyone in the world can clearly do without. We are at a historic global moment. A year from now, the United Nations will launch the sustainable development goals, in a framework that will define the relationship between our peoples and our planet for generations to come. Through those goals, we must commit to a more sustainable use of the oceans. They cover two-thirds of the world’s surface and connect 90 per cent of its population. A billion people are dependent on their fish.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“In that effort, Palau and other Micronesian jurisdictions have strengthened or established more than 150 protected and managed areas covering more than 680,000 hectares, leveraged more than $20 million in operational funds and inspired other efforts, such as the Caribbean Challenge, the Coral Triangle initiative and the Western Indian Ocean Coastal Challenge. In addition, we have recently sponsored the creation of a Pacific Islands Forum invasive species advisory group to improve regional efforts to reduce the expansion of invasive species throughout the Pacific. Palau has also pioneered the planet’s first shark sanctuary and, finally, recently engaged to pursue our most ambitious commitment to date — establishing the world’s first comprehensive marine sanctuary, which will close Palau’s exclusive economic zone to commercial fishing.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“My country is trying with all its might to embrace its leadership on issues of sustainable development. To date, Palau has committed to providing 20 per cent of its energy through renewable sources by 2020 and to reducing energy consumption through efficiency and conservation efforts. We have also declared and begun to implement the Micronesia Challenge, which commits the Micronesian region to effectively conserving at least 30 per cent of near-shore marine resources and 20 per cent of terrestrial resources by 2020.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Here at the United Nations in New York, we must deal with global warming security issues by appointing a special representative on climate and security to help expand our understanding of the security dimensions of climate change, and by establishing a joint task force, led by the Secretary-General, to assess and expand United Nations capacity to respond to the security implications of climate change. We must make 2014 the year of ambition. As host of the forty-fifth Pacific Islands Forum, Palau pledges to use that summit to build on the Majuro Declaration and to drive greater action. As leaders, we must also come to the Secretary- General’s climate change summit next year ready to discuss the new mitigation actions we are prepared to take and the plans necessary to see that they are fully implemented.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We must therefore use the opportunity of the nineteenth session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Warsaw, and thereafter, to support the technical work needed to fast-track the policies and technologies appropriate to accomplishing our goal; to revive the Kyoto Protocol or develop a more responsive alternative, and deliver and expand on commitments to reduce greenhouse gases; to phase out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that distort world oil prices; and to arrive at a legally binding agreement to respond to and compensate for loss and damage associated with the impact of climate change in vulnerable countries.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It also recognizes the necessity of ramping up climate change responses immediately and provides a platform for country leaders to establish new and realistic reduction commitments. As leaders, we must all respond to global warming in both the short and long term, from the top down and the bottom up, both pre- 2020 and post-2020. We should not forget, however, that the primary responsibility for reducing greenhouse gases still rests with our developed partners.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)