YouSaid · the spoken record

Enele Sosene SOPOAGA

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100

first

2006-09-24

most recent

2018-09-24

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5

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un-general-debate

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1. “All countries should advance together — though at a different pace, but progressively nevertheless. Each country must drive its own pursuits, in tune with its own capabilities and circumstances. Fundamental gaps exist in the achievement of our Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in the least developed countries that are also small island developing States, like my own country, Tuvalu. While poverty indices in our countries may have improved, our atoll nations will forever encounter development difficulties, and our level of vulnerabilities and fragility will continue to present us with unique challenges, however well-intentioned and well-planned our actions may be. Accordingly, special windows of opportunity for SIDS and the least developed countries are needed.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

2. “Te Kakeega III is based on a theme entitled “Protect and save Tuvalu” and on the principles of local ownership, leadership, development and inclusiveness in decision-making, as well as on mutual trust and respect in working with our partners. We acknowledge the invaluable contributions of our development partners: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the European Union and the Republic of China on Taiwan, together with all other bilateral and multilateral partners. The ultimate focus of Te Kakeega III is to fortify the resilience of Tuvalu and to reduce the vulnerabilities specific to its land territory, territorial waters, biodiversity and, most important of all, its people, through education, training and capacity-building. Tuvalu welcomes durable and genuine partnerships with the international community.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

3. “Our 2030 Agenda must deliver in ensuring the fundamental rights and welfare of all citizens in current as well as future generations. Our unity is founded on diversity. The United Nations can only be as effective as the sum of all positive national and regional actions put together. We are grateful for the work resulting in the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway (Samoa Pathway) and believe that, for SIDS like Tuvalu not to be left behind, it is critical that the Samoa Pathway be fully implemented, and that proper provision for SIDS be made in all United Nations agencies and programmes. Tuvalu has recently launched its own national strategy for sustainable development. It is called Te Kakeega III — meaning “progress” in Tuvalu — and reflects the 2030 Agenda.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

4. “The United Nations must act in this matter and find a workable solution to give autonomy to the indigenous peoples of West Papua. We are pleased that we now have a united front with respect to development, our 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is underpinned by the key principles of interdependence, universality and solidarity. No country big or small, rich or poor, can achieve its SDGs alone. We must collaborate in durable and genuine partnerships on all the Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit of all. Our urgent focus, however, must be on the individuals at the margins of our societies, who can easily be left behind. We are indeed their beacon of hope. We must find practical and timely remedies that remedy the basic inequities and insecurities that persist.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

5. “Taiwan is already involved in the work of many specialized United Nations bodies, such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. We therefore truly believe that Taiwan deserves international recognition and to become an active member of and participant in all the bodies of the United Nations system. In the same vein, the principle of self-determination must also be respected and honoured. This great body cannot continue to ignore the ongoing violations of human rights in West Papua and that territory’s desire to achieve self-determination. It must take them into account. It must not be blinded by the actions that are being carried out under the guise of the principles of non-interference and sovereignty.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

6. “We are also concerned about the continuing denial of the right of the 24 million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan to be readmitted to United Nations membership so that they can participate in the work of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. We need to recognize that Taiwan is a vibrant democracy, which has recently elected and inaugurated a new President. Taiwan’s genuine efforts in supporting various developmental and humanitarian undertakings, including in Tuvalu and many developing countries, need to be recognized as well. As we embark on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Taiwan’s direct and indirect support will greatly help in leveraging existing partnerships.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

7. “However, we believe that it is important for the sake of peace and security that those relations be pragmatically translated into other areas of cooperation. We should recognize, of course, Cuba’s humanitarian support and contribution — including its support to Tuvaluans in the form of scholarships and training, from which we have tremendously benefited. The provocative actions displayed by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea against the Republic of Korea and their potential implications for peace and security in the world, including in our own Pacific Ocean region, are totally unacceptable. We deplore those actions and urge that urgent steps be taken to completely suspend them at the earliest opportunity.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

8. “However, as noted in the Secretary-General’s report, there is a real need for urgent actions to address the growing multiplicity and complexity of global challenges. It is vitally important that we address gender inequalities and ensure the rights of people with disabilities. As regards peace and security, we applaud the work of the United Nations on many fronts and encourage further work to find long-lasting solutions to the long drawn-out conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and other troubled spots of the world. The loss of precious lives and misery are totally unacceptable and must be stopped. We also encourage and welcome the normalization of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

9. “We need a legal framework to that end, and Tuvalu has proposed a United Nations resolution facilitating the establishment of just such a framework. On behalf of Tuvalu, I pay tribute to the Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his steadfast stewardship and his commitment to the noble principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the peoples of the world. We have made tremendous strides under his leadership. As he leaves the United Nations, I wish him and his family well in their future plans. The work of the General Assembly at its seventy- first session is no different than at past sessions, except for its urgency. Tuvalu welcomes the Secretary- General’s report (A/71/1) and pledges its support to the theme, entitled “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”.”

   2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

10. “It would be shameful for humankind to allow such an eventuality. It would be shameful of us if we who are sitting in this Hall were not to take action to stop that from happening. Tuvalu therefore appeals to all States to ensure that our collective efforts under the Paris Agreement keep the global temperature increase to below 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels, not only to fulfil the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, but to save us all and ensure our future survival. We pray that, through the United Nations, our humble voice will prevail on the conscience and goodwill of humankind to take real and urgent action. We must also ensure that we take account of the protection of the human rights of those people displaced by the impacts of climate change.”

    2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

11. “Tuvalu applauds the strong leadership of the United States of America, other major greenhouse-gas emitters and the small island developing States (SIDS) — all of them, from the Pacific islands to other regions like the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean — to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change. But that is not enough. We must ensure that the Paris Agreement enters into force. It must be fully elaborated and operationalized as early as possible in order to achieve real adaptation and mitigation. Atoll nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Maldives, Tokelau and all other SIDS — Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Samoa — are already suffering the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise. Many predict their total extinction if nothing is urgently done. That cannot and must not be allowed to happen.”

    2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

12. “Tuvalu is immensely encouraged by the actions of world leaders in the past week, by the strong leadership of our Secretary-General and by the goodwill of humankind that continues to prevail. The adoption of the New York Declaration on the Movement of Migrants and Refugees (71/1), the compounding commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the many countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change have given us hope and renewed trust and confidence in the work of the United Nations and its ability to fulfil our hopes for the security, progress, and protection of our human rights. And now we must deliver on our words.”

    2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

13. “We very much hope that, as a result of the action of the United Nations, peoples of all races and creeds, of all countries big and small, particularly those whose very existence is threatened by human-induced strife, conflicts and especially by the impacts of climate change, will be saved. Over the past few days, the leadership of the Organization has been put to the test. Will we as leaders be able to provide a vessel, a canoe, buoyant enough to protect and save even the smallest islands of the planet? Will the canoe of the United Nations enable us to rise with the tide of progress and to sail through the surges of environmental insecurity and climate change, or will it sink us?”

    2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

14. “On behalf of the Government and people of Tuvalu, I bring greetings to the United Nations. We offer our prayers for those affected by the tragic loss of lives resulting from acts of violence here in our host country, the United States of America, and worldwide. Let me now add Tuvalu’s commendations to the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Peter Thomson of Fiji, who takes the helm at this session. While we appreciate the enormous task placed upon Fiji, we also have full confidence in the ability of Mr. Thomson and Fiji to steer us through the troubled waters of global oceans. As the smallest Member of the United Nations family, Tuvalu continues to hold dear the noble values and principles of the United Nations.”

    2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)

15. “For if we save Tuvalu, we save the world.”

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

16. “Taiwan supports scholarships and capacity-building for experts, students and officials from Tuvalu and many developing countries. Finally, I want to say the following in clear and unambiguous terms. We are at a turning point for the future of small island nations such as Tuvalu. We can create MDGs and design sustainable development goals but, unless there is a global commitment to those goals, particularly against climate change, we will have failed humankind. Unless we stop greenhouse gas pollution, we will have failed future generations. The future is ours to create. Let us be bold. Let us take heed of the strong and loud message from those on the front line that we have heard here in this very Hall. Let us be seen as the ones that created a future for all — a future that includes saving human beings and saving the children of Tuvalu.”

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

17. “The Government of Tuvalu reiterates its position that the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba runs counter to the need to promote dialogue and to fulfil the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which calls for solidarity, cooperation and friendly relations among all nations. Tuvalu also fully supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in United Nations specialized agencies and mechanisms, including the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We recognize the cooperative spirit shown by Taiwan in its involvement in the post-2015 development agenda dialogue. We recognize the need to include Taiwan in the global fight against climate change. We also recognize Taiwan’s role as a regional peacemaker.”

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

18. “We have adopted and implemented national policies on financial management, women and gender development, people with disabilities, young people and the protection of families, as well as on other sectors of national priority, such as climate change, energy, food security, fisheries, information technology, health care, education and outer islands development. Much needs to be done in order to properly deliver on those policies. We are committed to doing that. We call for support from our international partners through mutual partnerships with us in Tuvalu. The future we want is one of inclusiveness, where all partnerships are important.”

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

19. “As for my own country, despite our negligible greenhouse gas emissions, we are committed to employing 100 per cent renewable energy for our electrification by the year 2020. We are already well on the way to achieving that target, thanks to the generous support of international partners, including the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Italy, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the International Renewable Energy Agency. Tuvalu is also a party to the Majuro Declaration. Tuvalu has made steady progress towards the achievement of its MDGs, with strategic complementary assistance from the donor community. We have designed a road map for development to move forward from the MDGs, and to the sustainable development goals in general.”

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

20. “We therefore urge all parties to work urgently to negotiate a new protocol, to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to keep the average temperature rise well below 1.5°C. The protocol must include loss and damage and insurance mechanisms for SIDS against climate change and must provide adequate and accessible financing for adaptation support to SIDS, such as Tuvalu. There is no time for half-measures, such as we witnessed in Copenhagen in 2009. It is also critical that the new Green Climate Fund and the other existing climate change funds be adequately resourced and that access by SIDS be simplified for expedient action on the ground. We all must step up and commit to reducing our emissions and to supporting those who are vulnerable.”

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

21. “Tuvalu highly commends the Secretary-General for his strong leadership and welcomes the annoucements made by those Heads of State and Government who contributed to actions against climate change during the Summit. We commit to building on that momentum and that of the recent SIDS meeting up to the Lima meeting later this year and onwards in Paris in 2015. Tuvalu fully supports a stand-alone sustainable development goal on climate change. We urgently need a commitment from all countries to supporting a new climate change protocol, to be concluded in Paris in 2015. We must urgently address climate change in a legal and forward-looking manner. Otherwise, our post-2015 agenda will be meaningless and many will be left behind.”

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

22. “We cannot continue along that path. The Secretary-General’s Climate Summit, held earlier this week, which, on behalf of Tuvalu, I was honoured to co-chair with the President of Bolivia, gave us yet another opportunity to hear from young people, women and community leaders on the front line of the impacts of climate change from every region of the world, including my own Pacific region. Their message from the front line is simple, loud and clear: leaders of the world, do it! Save us! Time is running out, and it would be grossly immoral, extremely irresponsible and even illegal to pretend that we did not hear the alarms and voices of those who are suffering at the forefront of climate change.”

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

23. “The seriousness and urgency of the need for action to combat climate change have been reaffirmed, not only by the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change but also by world leaders, and was strongly echoed by youth leaders this week in this very Hall. What more do we need to hear to stop the denial of the need for action against climate change? In Tuvalu, we are experiencing unprecedented, life-threatening effects of climate change. As a low- lying country with an elevation of barely two or three metres above sea level, like our fellow atoll island nations of Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Maldives, Tokelau and all other small island developing States, Tuvalu is finding that its security and survival, and the future and human rights of its citizens, are being seriously compromised.”

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

24. “With Tuvalu’s 24 square kilometres of land juxtaposed against 900,000 square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, the sea has always been our people’s lifeline to food and economic growth. As a custodian of the Pacific Ocean, Tuvalu fully supports a sustainable development goal on oceans, as we do the Palau Declaration on oceans issued by the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum. We call on the United Nations to honour the health of the oceans, because they are the Earth’s life-support system. To that end, we also support the commencement of negotiations towards an implementing agreement under the law of the sea that can better protect the oceans.”

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

25. “A small island developing State may achieve a high per capita gross national income and a high human development index, but it will always be a small island developing State; one cannot graduate from the natural constraints and environmental vulnerabilities of being a small island developing State. Recognizing the call made in the SAMOA Pathway and given the ambiguity surrounding the recommendations for Tuvalu’s LDC graduation, Tuvalu seeks further deferral of that graduation until a thorough assessment and review of the application of LDC graduation is done, taking full account of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s recent Least Developed Countries Report 2013 and other studies dealing with Tuvalu.”

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

26. “It is urgent that we seriously consider the proper integration of the SAMOA Pathway and a special window for SIDS into the post-2015 sustainable development agenda of the United Nations, and into all other programmes in the United Nations and its specialized agencies, in order to achieve their effective implementation, with particular attention to simplified access to climate change financing for small island developing States. The graduation criteria and their application to least-developed countries (LDCs) require proper scrutiny and review, because they are mostly not relevant to the characteristics of SIDS.”

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

27. “At the beginning of this month we congregated in the beautiful and tranquil island of the independent State of Samoa for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, which concluded with an outcome document outlining the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action, or Samoa Pathway, and with the creation of many constructive partnerships aimed at addressing the special needs and circumstances of SIDS. While Tuvalu acknowledges and greatly appreciates the support of the United Nations membership, and the exemplary leadership of the Samoan Government and people, leading to the Conference’s huge success, we also believe that the ultimate measure of success for SIDS is the delivery of tangible action on the ground, reflecting and accommodating their unique, special case.”

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

28. “The new sustainable development goals, with better accountability and transparency measures, must provide economies, big or small, with the capacity to address vulnerabilities and ensure sustainability. They must also help to improve the means of implementation and create governance mechanisms that are inclusive and in which the voices of all countries and all stakeholders, including local Governments and authorities, are heard in decision-making. The dedication of 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is much appreciated.”

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

29. “The United Nations must remain universal and relevant in bringing the real issues and events into focus and keeping the attention of the global community. It should be more responsive and understanding of the diverse circumstances and needs of its membership and the importance of contextualizing its strategic activities, taking into account the variable and special circumstances of each Member. It must also improve its presence in all countries, particularly in vulnerable States like Tuvalu. We must also heed the lessons of the world financial crisis, which reversed some of our hard- earned development advances related to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Those global realities affect even remote, small island countries like Tuvalu, and can further exacerbate their vulnerabilities.”

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

30. “We must remain committed to turning the momentum of the political leadership set in motion this week into real action for a more collective, strategic and pragmatic response to world crises. We must walk the walk, as well as talk the talk, on every front of our human crises if we are to ensure global peace and security. We have talked a lot in the United Nations about designing sustainable development goals and a post- 2015 development agenda. The tentative goals and targets identified are reflective of a membership that is seeking the same high aspirations and honourable goals as those enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, namely, a world of peace, security, opportunity and prosperity.”

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

31. “And do we mean what we say here at the United Nations, in this great Hall? Recently a kindergarten class in Tuvalu asked me this question: “Do we have a tomorrow, and can you, as Prime Minister, save us?” Reflecting on how this body can help respond to those fundamental questions gives me mixed feelings. We are indeed encouraged by the momentum of some strong leadership on climate change, as was displayed at the Climate Summit earlier this week. But we are also discouraged by the lack of concern displayed most conspicuously by the deniers of climate change, including some of our neighbours in the Pacific. Tuvalu believes that the United Nations must not be distracted by them.”

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

32. “The losses resulting from terrorism, poverty, environmental degradation — especially climate change — and Ebola, along with the loss of lives owing to political conflicts in Syria, Israel, Palestine, the Middle East, Ukraine and many other regions of the world, are most disturbing, even for distant countries like my own Tuvalu in the Pacific. Tuvalu shares in the grief of those people. We in the United Nations must work harder to address the root causes of such crises. We support the ongoing reform efforts in the United Nations, and in particular we urge the reform of the Security Council through an expansion of its permanent and non-permanent seats and its agenda, in order to include climate change as a Security Council issue. As we go on, though, one question stares us right in the eyes. Do we leaders really care?”

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

33. “In the same vein, we also congratulate New Zealand on its successful elections. Through the United Nations, we have worked diligently to deliver on the noble visions and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Our shared goals are world peace, security and prosperity. Tuvalu celebrates its thirty-sixth anniversary of independence next week on 1 October, and we remain committed and proud to be a Member of this great body. We must applaud the achievements of the United Nations. But we should not be over-congratulatory. Tuvalu also feels the sadness of the loss of lives and the suffering of fellow human beings from crises the world over.”

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

34. “It is indeed a great honour and pleasure to participate in this General Assembly debate at its sixty-ninth session on behalf of the Government and people of Tuvalu. I extend my congratulations to Mr. Kutesa on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. We wish the Assembly success under his able guidance. I also wish to thank the outgoing President, Ambassador John Ashe, for a successful sixty-eighth session. Likewise, I applaud Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Secretariat and all the specialized United Nations agencies and staff for their tireless efforts and energy. Let me also note for the record Tuvalu’s sincere congratulations to the people and the new Government of Fiji under Prime Minister Bainimarama for the successful holding of general elections.”

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

35. “It cannot fail the world on climate change; it cannot dash our hopes. Please do not let Tuvalu sink. God bless the United Nations family. God bless Tuvalu.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

36. “Finally, we strongly believe that the General Assembly should host, as soon as possible, a summit at the level of heads of Government aimed at bringing forward workable proposals with strong, high-level political endorsement so as to address climate change beyond the year 2012. Our call for urgent action on climate change is not self-serving. Tuvalu and the small island developing States may be the first to suffer from the 06-53958 12 impacts of climate change, but the consequences of not taking real action now will be felt by all around the globe. We all must work together on climate change in a spirit of strong solidarity. The people of Tuvalu have full confidence in the United Nations and in its ability to ensure the achievement by all peoples of its cardinal purposes of development, security and human rights.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

37. “The upcoming twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention and the second meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, to be held in Nairobi, must come up with clear and practical timetables for accelerated action on mitigation and adaptation. It is imperative also to improve access by small island developing States and least developed countries to Global Environment Facility climate-change resources and convention-related funds. The Nairobi meetings must also decide on governance and management arrangements for the Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund to facilitate its early operation.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

38. “We must recognize the “polluter pays” principle and ensure that the countries that are producing the greenhouse gas emissions pay for the damage they are causing to the vulnerable countries. There is also a need to generate considerably more funds to underwrite the costs of adaptation, including international levies to generate income to boost funding for adaptation and insurance in small island developing States. The mainstreaming of the Mauritius Strategy into the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as required under resolution 59/311, is crucial in that regard. Defining the way forward with respect to future commitments and actions in the area of climate change will require strong political will on the part of all countries.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

39. “All countries, industrialized and developing, must do their part, with the industrialized countries taking the lead, including through the full implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. To help developing countries contribute in a committed way, we need stronger incentives to promote the development and distribution of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. We need a global fund to support such efforts. It is disappointing to see some large industrialized countries’ continued denial and the absence of enough political will on their part to support vulnerable countries such as small island developing States to adapt to the impacts of climate change.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

40. “We are frightened and very worried by all these things, which are the result of the actions of others. If nothing is done urgently and we are forced out of our islands, there is no other Tuvalu to which to move. There is still time to act. Once again we appeal to this body for help and for real action. We strongly believe that we have reached a dangerous level of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and that urgent action is required to accelerate the necessary responses. The options are available; what is clearly lacking is political will. Unless climate change is addressed, all our efforts for development, security and protection of human rights will be severely undermined. Clearly it is urgent that the international community take more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gases.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

41. “We urge that immediate peaceful and preventive actions be taken in the Taiwan Strait for the sake of all. No other challenge to global security is more serious and threatening than the impact of climate change. Climate change is a global problem and can be resolved only through global collective action. Addressing climate change must therefore must be placed at the centre of the work of the United Nations. As is well known, small island developing States like Tuvalu are extremely vulnerable to the impact of climate change and sea-level rise, and already evidence of devastation is prevalent in all regions of the small island developing States. Over the past few years, Tuvalu has witnessed unusual flooding of the main islands with seawater and king tides, as well as severe attacks on fresh water, vegetation, foreshores and coral reefs.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

42. “We must therefore collectively continue to make the strongest efforts in our campaign against these forces and be resolute in ensuring effective global anti-terrorism action. We also encourage the continuing role of the United Nations in working towards a solution to the Palestinian question and in ensuring peace for the 11 06-53958 people of Afghanistan, Darfur, Timor-Leste and other regions. Clearly the United Nations has done well in preventing and resolving deadly conflicts throughout the world. But despite those achievements, the non- representation of Taiwan in the United Nations and its agencies remains an issue of great concern. The threats posed by China’s deployment of missiles aimed at Taiwan and the use of force in the Taiwan Strait are real, for the East Asian and Pacific region and for the world as a whole.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

43. “For these very reasons, and with a view to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, there is a critical need to ensure a United Nations presence in all Pacific small island developing States. Last month a new Government was elected to power in Tuvalu and has pledged good governance and media freedom as its guiding principles. It has adopted the Tuvalu Sustainable Development Strategy, known as “Te Kakeega II: Vision 2015”, as its framework for development partnerships and looks forward to working with the rest of the world in its implementation. Security challenges continue to create havoc, fear and uncertainty worldwide. Tuvalu strongly deplores terrorism in all its forms and expressions. We in the Pacific are not immune from acts of terrorism.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

44. “We, as both a least developed country and a small island developing State, are grateful to the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States for his dedicated work, and to the development partners for the support Tuvalu has enjoyed over the years. It is certainly our view, however, that it is unrealistic and premature to list for graduation Tuvalu and our Pacific least developed country colleagues that are also small island developing States. We feel strongly that, before any graduation can be recommended, thorough consideration should be given to our unique economic vulnerabilities and that this should be done on an in-country basis, not merely through data analysis carried out at a desk halfway around the globe.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

45. “But devising plans without having access to adequate resources is akin to presenting a menu to hungry people: it may be mouth-watering, but without the necessary ingredients, the dishes it describes will remain unattainable. It is essential that we fully implement the Mauritius Strategy by integrating it into the work programmes of the Commission on Sustainable Development, United Nations agencies, conventions — especially the Rio Conventions — and bilateral cooperation partners. Additionally, the strengthening of the coordination capacity of the Department of Social and Economic Affairs with adequate resources in those areas is imperative. Two weeks ago, in this very Hall, the General Assembly undertook the midterm review of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

46. “To that end, we support the draft resolution of the Group of Four countries on expansion of the Security Council. The President returned to the Chair. Development, security and human rights are the cardinal purposes of the United Nations. The fulfilment of those purposes demands that we shoulder our collective responsibility and engage in united action. The successful conclusion of the World Summit last year was a reaffirmation of our resolve to fight poverty and ensure sustainable development through the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

47. “As a small, peace-loving nation, Tuvalu strongly believes that engaging in open dialogue and working together in a spirit of mutual understanding within United Nations frameworks is the only way to reach our shared destiny in diversity and with respect for one another. Tuvalu takes pride in having been part of the United Nations during the negotiations on its reform and development agenda. The adoption and establishment of the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission and of major innovations in the Secretariat show the benefit of working together. Those bodies must be supported to ensure peace and the protection of the human rights of all peoples and communities. But our work will remain unfinished until we make the Security Council and its operational methodologies truly representative of the United Nations membership.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

48. “But, in the present world of interdependence, where great opportunities are accompanied by great challenges, the need for collective action and multilateral cooperation has never been so pressing and urgent. Victory over those challenges can be won not through political fragmentation, finger-pointing and confrontation, but through cooperation. The showdown of words engaged in by some countries in this Chamber is unfortunate. We must 06-53958 10 never forget that along with wealth and power comes responsibility towards others. The risk is high that this House of humanity will fall apart for lack of responsibility and leadership. There is a call for everyone to consistently display the highest degree of morality, solidarity and respect for one other’s values and concerns. Otherwise, the ideals of the United Nations cannot be served.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

49. “His initiatives on development, security and human rights have taken the United Nations ever closer to all peoples and have made the Organization accessible even to small island States such as Tuvalu. In appreciation, we wish him well and all the best in the future. For my small island nation, joining the United Nations at the dawn of the new century is an expression of hope. Our hope is that, through the noble ideals and principles of this great body, Tuvalu, despite its physical remoteness and insignificance, will be allowed to paddle its canoe in harmony along with super-tankers and to share the common future of a world of larger freedom: a world in which every State, regardless of its size, is recognized in terms of its sovereignty, its independence and the human rights of its people. We continue to hold fast to that hope.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)

50. “Everything has been said; everything has been noted. But while it may be true that many boats will rise with the tide, others are bound to sink unless goodwill prevails in this house. Tuvalu wishes to add its voice of solidarity to the work of the United Nations and to what has been a highly enlightening debate. First, we join wholeheartedly in the high commendations already expressed with regard to the election of Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa as President of the General Assembly and her Bureau, and the sterling efforts of the outgoing President. Ms. Al-Khalifa and her Bureau have our full cooperation. We also wish to join others before us in paying tribute to the work of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.”

    2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)