YouSaid · the spoken record

King Tupou VI

lines on the record

53

first

2013-09-24

most recent

2019-09-24

sittings or episodes

4

sources

un-general-debate

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1. “May Almighty God guide and bless the President of the General Assembly, all the States Members of the United Nations and their respective Governments and peoples.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

2. “Tonga is also pleased to continue in its capacity as an elected Vice-President of the Assembly of the Small Island Developing States Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Initiative, on behalf of Pacific SIDS members. Finally, sustainable development, whether it be through good health and well-being, climate action, life below water or affordable and clean energy, inter alia, can be realized only through the achievement and maintenance of international peace and security. We continue to look to the Security Council to protect the innocent from threats to international peace and security in all their forms, be they traditional threats such as armed conflict or newer threats such as climate change, rising sea levels and health epidemics, to ensure that no one is left behind.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

3. “We would like to acknowledge Italy’s ongoing partnership with Tonga through the joint committee in strengthening our capacity in the field of the environment and the ocean. We also acknowledge the work of the secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Pew Charitable Trust on the regional deep-sea minerals treaty. Tonga’s priority nationally determined contribution is to achieve 50 per cent renewable energy by 2020. We have been able to negotiate the funding required to achieve this goal and would like to thank our partners that assist Tonga through public and public-private financing to accelerate my country’s transition to renewable energy and resilient infrastructure in support of Sustainable Development Goal 7 and its associated targets.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

4. “As Tonga was also privileged to host the first International Seabed Authority regional workshop for the Pacific in February, it also remained engaged with the Authority’s Abyssal Initiative for Blue Growth and attended related workshops for sponsoring States in Nauru and Kiribati last month. We look forward to continuing our collective work in the Cook Islands and in Tonga in the coming months, before the second Ocean Conference in mid-2020. Tonga commends the work of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. We are grateful for the Commission’s recommendations on our first partial submission last month. We look forward to its eventual consideration of our second partial submission in good time.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

5. “Together with other members of the Authority, Tonga remains committed, including in its capacity as an elected member of its Council, to continuing to work towards the finalization of the important draft exploitation regulations to ensure an appropriate balance between the need to conserve and protect the marine environment and the sustainable use of deep-sea mineral resources. Importantly, we must ensure our work is appropriately informed and properly concluded in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14. The presidency of the Council of the Authority will rotate to the Asia-Pacific Group in 2020 for the twenty-sixth session, and Tonga has presented its candidature for election to that important position.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

6. “We look forward to the next revision of the draft instrument, with the hope that the ongoing convergence of understandings by Member States engaging in the process will find completion at the fourth, and final, session of the Conference early next year. We also welcome the establishment of the Friends of BBNJ Capacity Development, which is the cross-cutting issue tying together all elements of the Convention. Tonga also continues its engagement at the International Seabed Authority.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

7. “Important issues of baselines that determine our maritime boundaries, once established under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, should not be affected and should remain unchanged, despite the effects of sea-level rise. Our sovereignty must not be compromised by the effects of climate change, and we continue to welcome and support the work of the International Law Commission on this critically important and timely issue for consideration of the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly. Tonga has continued its engagement in this year’s second and third sessions of 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 (BBNJ).”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

8. “The fact that climate change is an existential threat and a matter of international peace and security was again endorsed by Pacific leaders through their decision to develop the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. We continue to support the work of the Group of Friends on Climate and Security. We continue to recognize the important nexus between the climate and the ocean, and furthermore continue to note with concern the devastating impacts of climate change on our marine environment. We look forward to deliberations on this link in Chile, at the twenty-fifth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, later this year.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

9. “Pacific leaders in Tuvalu last month endorsed the strongest statement to date on climate change. The Kainaki II Declaration declared a climate-change crisis in the Pacific Islands region and called for urgent action to reduce global greenhouse-gas emissions and prevent catastrophic global warming and disasters. Extreme events like cyclones and typhoons, flooding, drought and king tides are increasingly more intense, inflicting damage and destruction on our communities and ecosystems and putting the health of our peoples at risk. At this time, we are thinking of our fellow islanders in the Bahamas, as they work to recover after the devastating impacts and destruction in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. Climate change is not only a political issue for us, but also one of survival.”

   2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

10. “My country engaged fully in that seminal gathering of leaders to again give prominence to the threats posed by climate change, with its direct links to international peace and security, and thereby to our sustainable development aspirations, in support of SDG 13 and its targets. The 1.5°C limit is the heart of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and, although my country, along with our Pacific small island developing States neighbours as a whole, contributes not even close to 1 per cent of global warming, we remain committed to the Agreement. Securing climate financing is the main priority for Tonga, as without it no action on our nationally determined contributions is possible. We welcome the announcement by the United Kingdom of its intention to double its contribution to the Green Climate Fund.”

    2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

11. “We once again recognize the important contribution to our efforts by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. We are also grateful for the enhanced engagement in Tonga by the United Nations Office for Project Services through our recently concluded host country agreement. Tonga welcomed the convening of the Climate Action Summit earlier this week.”

    2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

12. “The Government’s sustainable development priorities remain aligned with 13 of the 17 SDGs, namely, Goals 1 to 4, 6 to 9 and 13 to 17. Tonga’s first voluntary national review report, presented at the United Nations High-level Political Forum on sustainable development, held in July, spoke to the localization of the SDGs and the SAMOA Pathway through Tonga’s strategic development framework. A whole-of-government approach for coordinated and coherent service delivery continues to be a priority.”

    2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

13. “We welcome the President’s recognition of the challenges faced by small island delegations, such as ours, to ensure we are able to contribute equitably and effectively to the many important high-level meetings to be convened during this session. With five summits this week alone in addition to our general debate, we are grateful for his particular attention to enabling smaller delegations to participate fully. Tonga continues its commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, including the small island developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway. We are pleased to participate at the high-level midterm review of the SAMOA Pathway tomorrow to ensure its goals are being met at the halfway point of its implementation.”

    2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

14. “Tonga fully supports the ongoing work he is undertaking on reform of the United Nations to ensure its relevance and utility for all Member States. My delegation and I congratulate the President on his four priorities to guide our work during this session, namely, promoting international peace and security, in particular conflict prevention; strengthening global action to tackle climate change, which is integral to the effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); accentuating inclusion, human rights and the empowerment of youth and women; and promoting partnerships for advancing the achievement of the SDGs, which are interlinked, very timely and relevant to addressing, during his tenure, the challenges of our time, which we fully support.”

    2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

15. “I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Muhammad-Bande on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session. I assure him that the delegation of the Kingdom of Tonga will fully support his able leadership. I also express our gratitude to his predecessor, Her Excellency Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, for her successful presidency of the Assembly at its seventy-third session, under the theme “Making the United Nations relevant to all people through global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies”. I also commend His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres for his inaugural visit to the Pacific Islands region in May and his continued stewardship of the Secretariat.”

    2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)

16. “May Almighty God guide and bless the President of the General Assembly, all the States Members of the United Nations and their respective Governments and peoples.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

17. “The system relies on the timely provision of disaster-risk information, guidance on how to act on warnings and ensuring a constant state of preparedness. Sustainable development is possible where there is peace and security, and sustainable development is key to peace and security. Finally, we urge all leaders to focus and reflect on the best ways to ensure that their power and legitimacy can benefit their own people and the entire world. We appeal for a speedy resolution to the current tensions on the Korean peninsula, which are affecting global peace and security. I congratulate the Secretary-General on the recent establishment of the High-level Advisory Board for Mediation, designed to advise him on specific initiatives and related efforts around the world.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

18. “Tonga reiterates the call made under the Samoa Pathway for genuine and durable partnerships that can help to ensure that no one is left behind. A very credible partnership mechanism between the 12 Pacific SIDS and Italy, Austria, Luxembourg and Spain is exemplified through the Joint Committee. It has been ably co-chaired by Italy and the Chair of the Pacific SIDS every year since 2006. Tonga has therefore benefited thanks to projects related to renewable energy, water, the strengthening of young Government officials’ capacities and, more recently, protected maritime areas. We welcome the establishment of the India-United Nations Development Fund through the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, which launched a project implemented by UNDP for establishing early warning systems in Tonga and other Pacific island countries.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

19. “Tonga congratulates the Secretary-General of the Authority in his first year in office as he works with member States to develop important exploitation regulations, which must strike the appropriate balance between conservation of the natural environment in which mineral resources exist and its sustainable use. The consultations must be transparent and inclusive if such a balance is to be achieved. Tonga continues its engagement as a member State of the Authority and will seek re-election to the Council at the Authority’s twenty-fourth session in 2018. A Tongan national, together with other members of the Legal and Technical Commission, provides expert views for facilitating the work of the Commission in developing an important financial mechanism for ensuring the fair and equitable distribution of returns from seabed mining.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

20. “We acknowledge the completion of the work of the Preparatory Committee established by General Assembly resolution 69/292 on the development of a 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. Tonga maintains its support for the commencement of an intergovernmental conference to initiate negotiations on a substantive text as soon as possible. We embrace the ongoing work of the International Seabed Authority in its administration and management of resources in that area in accordance with the common heritage of mankind.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

21. “We need strong political will for a whole-of-Government approach to mainstreaming ocean-related actions from international, regional, and national development plans and strategies, in order to ensure the inclusive participation and efforts of all stakeholders, including local communities and the private sector. Tonga joined the international community in endorsing the call-for-action outcome document (resolution 71/312) of the Ocean Conference in June, which includes almost 1,400 voluntary commitments by stakeholders, including eight from Tonga. It is a foundation for the development of a blue economy or “blue charter”, as proposed by the Commonwealth secretariat. It is urgent that we begin working to develop practical guidelines and toolkits to assist States in delivering on all the targets under Goal 14 in an integrated manner.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

22. “Through a far-sighted royal decree in 1978, His Majesty the late King Tupou IV had already banned whaling in Tongan waters four years before the international ban on whale hunting came into effect. That was reaffirmed during the April 2017 international conference on “Whales in a changing ocean” that we were honoured to host. We may be a small island State, but all small island developing States are large-ocean States. For us and our people, the successful implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 is critical to our pathway towards sustainable development and its interconnection with other goals, such as those related to food security, water and sanitation, health, economic growth, and sustainable production and consumption.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

23. “It is a partnership that includes the Pacific Community, the Government of Austria, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the SIDS Sustainable Energy Initiative, among others. The General Assembly acknowledged the Centre at its adoption in July of the biennial resolution entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum” (resolution 71/316). However, we continue to experience the negative effects of ocean degradation on our livelihoods and culture, owing to anthropogenic activities and the devastating interrelated effects of climate change. We are already actively contributing to the implementation of SDG 14, and look forward to a strong collaboration with all interested parties. This year we hosted an international whaling meeting.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

24. “Enhanced access to modern and clean sustainable-energy services, energy efficiency and the use of economically viable and environmentally sound technology and research play a critical role in our sustainable development. Mitigation efforts are also essential to overcoming the challenges of excessive dependence on imported fossil fuels. To further strengthen international and regional cooperation, the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency was established in Tonga in April. The Centre provides valuable support to Pacific island countries and territories in advancing their various priorities and commitments in achieving sustainable energy and contributing to SDGs 7, 9 and 13.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

25. “We note the role of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank in making disaster finance and other financial tools available to all SIDS. While we acknowledge their work on expanding the definition of fragility, we urge for further refinement of operational financing decisions so as to include the drivers of vulnerability that the Pacific islands region experiences, particularly natural disasters and adverse economic shocks. We reiterate our call for the appointment of a special representative for climate and security to ensure that the United Nations system has the appropriate tools to respond effectively and efficiently to climate change as an existential threat and a mounting security challenge for SIDS and the entire international community.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

26. “We commend the President of the Economic and Social Council for his initiative in devoting adequate time to underscore and examine the complex sustainability challenges facing SIDS, as a special case, and thereby enhancing efforts to implement the commitments called for in the Samoa Pathway. The High-level Political Forum remains an important way to assess the follow-up, monitoring and accountability of commitments to SIDS, which are essentially linked to the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We fully support Fiji’s presidency this year of the twenty-third Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with a view to strongly addressing the adverse impacts of climate change and the urgent need for innovation in adaptation for SIDS.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

27. “We also note the Secretary-General’s new senior-management appointments and welcome the appointment of the first woman from Tonga and the Pacific islands region to shepherd the important advocacy and facilitation work in the years ahead for the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. We fully support the goal of gender parity, including at all levels in the Organization. The 2017 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development enabled us to review seven of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 3, on good health and well-being; Goal 5 on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and Goal 14 on the ocean and its resources.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

28. “The close partnership between the Government of Tonga and the United Nations system for effectively implementing the integrated Tonga strategic development framework and the 2030 Agenda is reinforced, through the coordination of United Nations Pacific Strategy 2018-2022, by the United Nations Joint Presence Office delivering as one, led by UNDP in Tonga. It is strategically positioned to provide technical advice to the Government, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

29. “In contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including the internationally agreed blueprint for the sustainable development of small island developing States (SIDS) and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, Tonga has established a national monitoring mechanism, for which we would like to acknowledge the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2013-2017 will conclude at the end of this year. The five-year programme cycle for 14 Pacific island countries, the United Nations Pacific Strategy 2018- 2022, which was signed in August 2017 at the UNDP Pacific Office, will commence after that.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

30. “We send our message of solidarity and sympathy to the people of Mexico and to their families and friends affected by the devastating earthquake, as well as to the millions of people in the Caribbean and all those affected in recent weeks by the ravages of successive hurricanes. My delegation and I welcome the timely and relevant theme of this year’s session — “Focusing on people: Striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet”. It essentially emphasizes the peaceful well-being of all people and the conservation and sustainable use of our global resources for present and future generations. What is now crucial is implementation, through sincere partnerships, to collectively achieve the targets, goals and objectives set under international law and the internationally agreed outcomes.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

31. “I would like to congratulate Mr. Lajčák on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-second session and to assure him that the Tonga delegation will fully support his able leadership in revitalizing and enhancing the crucial role of the United Nations. I am grateful to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson, a distinguished son of the Pacific islands region, for advancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and successfully convening the inaugural Ocean Conference this year. I also commend His Excellency Secretary-General António Guterres for his sterling stewardship since he began his first year at the helm of the United Nations. The Tonga delegation will fully support his important reform work.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

32. “Finally, for future generations to live in a better world, we must work harmoniously to fulfil our responsibilities and ask the Almighty to guide us through our growing challenges.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

33. “Tonga associates itself with those Member States that have appealed for a meaningful approach, going beyond the rhetoric, to reforming the Security Council through an intergovernmental process in order to make it more representative and inclusive. We also support the request of Heads of State and Government in the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 55/2) that its goals include the important work of revitalizing the General Assembly. That general reform process must continue if we are to ensure greater efficiency, representativeness and transparency throughout the United Nations system as a whole, thereby enabling this great institution to be better prepared to respond to the realities we live with today.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

34. “Tonga applauds the convening of the high-level event on combating climate change, and it would like to recall here that Pacific island countries were among the first to raise the alarm on the implications of climate change for security, both regionally and generally. In that regard, we support the call to the Security Council to reconsider its stance and to recognize the links between climate change and international peace and security. We also support the call to the Secretary- General to appoint a special representative on climate and security to research those links and report back to Member States.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

35. “That vulnerability was demonstrated by our first category-5 cyclone earlier this year, which devastated our central island group, displacing thousands and resulting in millions of dollars’ worth of damage. However, and fortunately, it caused only one fatality. Today, that same central island group is experiencing an unseasonable drought. Tonga has used a whole-of-country approach — through its joint national action plan on climate-change adaptation and disaster-risk management — to establish a base from which to move forward with adaptation measures. In terms of mitigation, we are gradually reducing our fossil-fuel consumption.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

36. “In the spirit of sustaining international cooperation, we support the urgent call for States to address the adverse impacts of climate change. The collective response will depend on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations being conducted through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Nevertheless, it should be based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibility, as enshrined in the Convention. The principles and overall objective espoused by the Convention must be fully observed if the threat of climate change is to be effectively addressed and overcome for our common benefit. The Global Risks Report 2013 ranked Tonga as the second most vulnerable country in the world to natural disasters.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

37. “For the first time, Tonga sought election to a seat on the relevant body established under UNCLOS, the Council of the International Seabed Authority, and was elected by acclamation by its member States. This year, Tonga passed legislation related to seabed mining activities within Tonga’s jurisdiction and under the provisions of UNCLOS. We joined our Pacific Island neighbours in supporting the call for launching negotiations by September 2015 on an international agreement under UNCLOS on the management and conservation of the ocean and its resources, both within our national jurisdiction and in areas beyond. Tonga commends the Secretary-General’s initiative in convening the recent Climate Summit as a forum for world leaders to deliver bold announcements on climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

38. “Tonga is a joint custodian of the Pacific Ocean, whose natural resources form the bedrock of economic, social and environmental development in the Pacific islands. The well-being of the Tongan people is therefore premised on the sustainable development, management and conservation of the ocean and its resources. The management of seabed exploration and exploitation is an important facet of Tonga’s interests in the oceans, and we have worked diligently through the relevant institutions established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to ensure that activity within the area located in the Pacific Ocean is managed appropriately for the benefit of humankind.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

39. “In order to guarantee harmony in our implementation of the development agenda, Tonga agrees that each country should take primary responsibility for its own economic growth, social development and environmental sustainability. However, that can be fulfilled only with the active engagement of all relevant stakeholders through genuine and durable partnerships. We look forward to working together towards the summit in September 2015 when Heads of State and Government will adopt a post-2015 development agenda that will be inclusive and people-centred. It will be a historic event, adding further meaning to the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. This year, the Pacific island leaders endorsed the Palau Declaration on “The Ocean: Life & Future”, which is concerned with charting a course to sustainability.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

40. “The proposed sustainable development goals on oceans, seas and marine resources and climate change are woven intimately and intricately into the fabric of the very survival of Pacific small island developing States. Without them, our joint aspirations for sustainable development and economic growth will not be achieved, and we will be left behind. The Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway, known as the Samoa Pathway outcome document, was endorsed by SIDS leaders and their partners earlier this month. It is a blueprint for the sustainable development of small island developing States for the next decade and should therefore be integrated into the form and substance of the post-2015 development agenda.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

41. “My delegation and I welcome the theme of this year’s general debate, “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda”, and we look forward to the three high-level thematic debates and the high-level event to be held next year. As we work together to formulate a historic post-2015 development agenda, we are cognizant that we must be ambitious and transformative in our approach in order to ensure tangible benefits for our people. Responsive access to financial resources is essential if we are to cement the adoption of a meaningful development agenda and its full implementation. Tonga supports the consensus that the report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals should be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda, with a global commitment to eradicating poverty by 2030.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

42. “I would like to congratulate you warmly, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, and to assure you that the Tongan delegation will fully support the crucial work ahead under your able leadership. I would also like to thank your predecessor, Mr. John Ashe, for his sterling conduct of the previous session, especially his championing of issues relating to small island developing States (SIDS). And I pay tribute to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his exemplary stewardship in advancing the commitment of the United Nations to building a more peaceful and prosperous world amid the diverse and complex issues it faces today.”

    2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)

43. “Tonga joins other delegations of the international community in urging a swift and peaceful resolution to the situation in Syria. With respect to pertinent regional issues, Tonga endorses the views expressed in the Marshall Islands communiqué, that is, the outcome document of the annual meeting of Pacific Island Forum leaders, held earlier this month. May God continue to bless and guide the States Members of the United Nations as they take their crucial work forward.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

44. “The following five key interventions have been prioritized in Tonga to combat non-communicable diseases: increase the local food supply and create income-generating opportunities for women and vulnerable groups; provide curative health services in hospital settings, screening for disease-specific risk factors; review legislation, subsidiary legislation and policies affecting food, tobacco, kava, alcohol and physical activity; advocate healthy lifestyles through churches and workplaces; and support resources. Tonga’s Millennium Accelerated Framework report is completed and ready for launching and, moreover, is aligned with the call of SIDS for non-communicable diseases and other emerging health issues to be highlighted in the post-2015 development agenda.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

45. “Oceans are a thematic priority and should also be prominently featured in the context of sustainable development goals and the post-2015 agenda. The Government of Tonga has adopted the United Nations Development Programme Millennium Development Goals Acceleration Framework and has chosen to apply it to MDG 6, on combating non-communicable diseases, with applications to MDG 1, on poverty, and MDG 3, on gender equality.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

46. “The three objectives of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative — universal energy access, increased efficiency and renewable energy — can provide a solid framework to build on further, while keeping them fully adaptable to different circumstances and priorities at the regional, national and local levels. Tonga commends the Secretary-General for his laudable initiative to convene a high-level summit meeting on climate change in 2014 and joins other SIDS in urging the leaders of developed countries to enhance their mitigation ambition to bridge the pre-2020 gap in a timely and effective manner. Furthermore, Tonga joins other SIDS in calling for the inclusion of climate change as a cross-cutting issue in terms of sustainable development goals.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

47. “The Pacific Regional Data Repository for Sustainable Energy for All has an ambitious goal of implementation whereby the Pacific small island developing States, with the assistance of their developing partners, will gift to the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, to be held in 2014 in Samoa, a documented process under which this has been achieved and which may be shared by all regional groups of the United Nations. I therefore urge all relevant stakeholders to work together to develop and establish a common global goal on sustainable energy for all as part of the post-2015 development agenda. A set of related targets and indicators supporting the goal should encompass all three dimensions of sustainable development.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

48. “The concept of establishing a Pacific Regional Data Repository for Sustainable Energy for All is aimed at focusing on all energy-related projects to be sourced, including all projects implemented in the Pacific, reflecting best practices as well as those that have not been so successful. The lack of bankable data in the region causes a disconnect from the true value of assistance from our development partners, whereby 60 per cent of project financing is absorbed by technical assistance, pilot projects, pre-feasibility studies and only 40 per cent, and in some cases less, on hardware.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

49. “Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity and an environment that allows the world to thrive. Sustainable energy is central in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including many development goals that extend far beyond the energy sector — eradicating poverty; increasing food production; providing clean water; improving public health; enhancing education; creating economic opportunity; and empowering women — as well as an integral part of creating sustainable development, including environmental sustainability. A shift towards more sustainable energy sources is also essential in addressing environmental sustainability while tackling climate-change challenges.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)

50. “The Conference showcased the achievements of the Pacific region in accessing opportunities for Internet users and demonstrated how Tonga can best develop its own investment strategy for the new cable submarine Internet system. The thematic debate on partnership deserves high praise, in particular with the aforementioned Samoa Conference focusing on the overarching theme of the sustainable development of small island developing States through genuine and durable partnership. The second thematic debate, on the establishment of stable and peaceful societies, is also welcome, given the current chaos we are experiencing in the international community. The third thematic debate, on the roles of water, sanitation and sustainable energy, is equally crucial to the development agenda for the post-2015 period.”

    2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)