YouSaid · the spoken record

Bob Loughman

lines on the record: 40
first: 2020-09-24
most recent: 2021-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“We must leave our differences and disagreements aside and renew our collective commitment to multilateralism. We must combine our efforts to address our global challenges and make sure that no one is left behind. I thank you!”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“President, Amongst many other issues facing our world today, COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly an imminent and common threat to humanity. To ensure global recovery and building back better together, global cooperation on vaccines is very essential to allow for faster normalization of activity in all countries. The world is only resilient as the least resilient country. The theme of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly is very fitting and points us to the very essence of the United Nations. As imbedded in the United Nations Charter, the system was designed to be flexible to allow a myriad of challenges and unforeseen issues to be urgently addressed. To recover from the pandemic, we need international cooperation to build back better for a sustainable, inclusive and just recovery.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Recognizing the incomplete process for the decolonization of Vanuatu, we hope that the UN-led process draws a clear pathway to achieve peaceful settlement of these disputed islands. Mr. President, There are widespread human rights violations around the world. In my region, the indigenous people of West Papua continue to suffer from human rights violations. The Pacific Forum and ACP Leaders among other leaders have called on the Indonesian Government to allow the United Nations Office of the Human Rights Commissioner to visit West Papua Province and to provide an independent assessment of the human rights situation. To date there has been little progress on this front. I hope the international community through appropriate UN-led process takes a serious look at this issue and address it fairly. Conclusion Mr.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Drawing attention to the principle of “equal rights and self-determination of peoples” as stipulated in the UN Charter, it is important that the UN and the international community continue to support the relevant territories, giving them an equal opportunity to determine their own statehood. With recent referendum results in New Caledonia, in comparison to the 2018 results, there is now a narrower margin of votes between those voting for and against independence. It is therefore important that the referendums remain free, fair and transparent and continue under the supervision of the United Nations. It is in this connection that we continue to remind ourselves the people of Vanuatu of our strong cultural connection with the Umaenupne and Umaeneag islands, commonly referred to in English as Matthew and Hunter Islands.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Here, regional UN organizations like ESCAP could continue its support to graduating LDCs in preparing for Smooth Transition Strategies and scale up its technical assistance to graduated countries in implementing and monitoring the strategies. Human Rights and Decolonization Mr. President, As we look ahead to the future we want, we must picture a world of freedom; one that is free from predominance of colonial rule, persecution and human rights abuses. In my region, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and West Papua are still struggling for self-determination.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The Graduation Support Facility by UNDESA offering dedicated capacity development support services as new measures of support to graduated and graduating LDCs is an excellent example. The facility being piloted by UNDESA in Vanuatu is supporting us to implement our Smooth Transition Strategy. Vanuatu will share its experiences to inform the services of the facility to other graduating LDCs. I want to also highlight the need for UN agencies to improve monitoring mechanisms for graduating and graduated countries, and provide better incentives for countries to participate in that mechanism as many face capacity challenges.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I wish to also acknowledge support from the international community to successfully get a United Nations General Assembly resolution which extended the International Support Measures cut-off date for Vanuatu to December 2025. This extension gives us ample time to fully recover from the impacts of TC Harold and ensuring also the full implementation of our smooth transition strategy, particularly in the targeted areas of trade, aid for trade and participation in international forums. We need the international community to strengthen and expand the international support measures both for graduating and graduated countries. This is especially important given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to build resilience in these countries to ensure smooth transitions.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We have done so because we believe it is the right thing to do which propels Vanuatu in a positive ‘can do’ attitude that we will rise up and do all we can with courage, boldness and determination to address and cope with the natural characteristics of our existence and most importantly the unique nature of the COVID-19 pandemic that is still unravelling. We wish to acknowledge the invaluable backing from UNESCAP, UNDESA, UNCTAD, EU, the Government of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China and other development partners who are supporting the implementation of Vanuatu’s Smooth Transition Strategy. With their support, Vanuatu will transition smoothly beyond graduation — with new vigour, new thinking and new pathways of development and partnerships towards equality, resilience and environmental sustainability.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The Government is ramping up efforts across the country, providing awareness to educate the citizens on benefits of the vaccines and mobilize the masses to get vaccinated. We thank our major development partners who assisted us to making vaccines available through the COVAX facility. Vaccine access remains the most critical issue for the global recovery. Global cooperation on vaccines is required to help prevent renewed waves of infection and the emergence of new variants, to end the health crisis sooner, and allow for faster normalization of activities in all countries. Mr. President, Vanuatu has also taken a bold step to graduate out of the LDC category on December 4, 2020 despite TC Harold and in the midst of COVID-19.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Recognizing our development partners’ support, the Government has spent over 4 billion vatu for this program and may require further prudent fiscal measures to sustain the economy if the COVID-19 situation persists. We have re-negotiated and re-established the seasonal workers program with Australia and New Zealand, a bilateral arrangement where Vanuatu exports labour to work in farms, hospitality and meat processing factories in New Zealand and Australia. The program has proven to be a success with more than 5000 Ni-Vanuatu workers recruited in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We started the COVID-19 vaccination roll out program towards the end of May this year and at this point we have only vaccinated about 10 per cent of the eligible population.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We commend the tremendous support of our development partners to the implementation of this strategy, especially in this difficult time where impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have imposed great threat to the implementation progress of the country’s National Sustainable Development Plan. The Vanuatu Government also introduced the COVID-19 stimulus package with a focus on preserving jobs, providing Government subsidies and commodity support grant, tuition fee exemption, grants for employment stabilization, stabilizing business and trade activities, tax relief, facilitating rural growth and enabling remittances through labour mobility programs.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We reacted swiftly, imposing international lockdown followed by an extended period of national state of emergency from March 2020 to date as an immediate measure to contain the spread of the virus. We developed a national recovery strategy that is aimed at supporting communities impacted by TC Harold and COVID-19, providing that framework to recover, rebuild and emerge stronger and more resilient. The strategy responds to social, economic and environmental impacts of the compounded disaster. It re-establishes and strengthens the public service to effectively lead and implement recovery in health and education, support and protect people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, in repairing and upgrading infrastructure and strengthening environmental service and resilience.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We know from experience that we are always better off when we are working together rather than in isolation. It was in this spirit that we came together as a nation in July to celebrate our 41st anniversary of political independence. We celebrated our achievements with strong determination, resilience and hope for a better future despite the catastrophe that has been unleashed by the pandemic and natural disasters. We recommitted ourselves as a nation to work towards economic self-reliance with a major focus on the productive sector. In responding to the COVID-19 and TC Harold, the Vanuatu Government has put together policies and strategies, aligned to the National Sustainable Development Plan, to address the impacts of the compounded disaster.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“An internal lockdown would heavily impact private and domestic sector participation in recovery process, add further stress to the economy and deepen the impact on community coping mechanisms. For Vanuatu, rapid closure of international borders in March 2020, meant transitioning from a health threat to an economic emergency. Many businesses, especially those reliant on tourism effectively ground to a halt. No tourist arrivals and a reduced resident community immediately impacted the hospitality and construction sectors, putting at least 8,000 formal jobs in jeopardy and affecting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the informal sector. For more than 1,000 licensed handicraft artisans, their incomes plummeted to near-zero. Mr. President, As a small island nation, we know too well the importance of global solidarity.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The COVID-19 pandemic followed by the category-5 Tropical Cyclone Harold which caused extensive devastation in April 2020 has meant detrimental impacts on the economy, society and communities at an unprecedented level. The path to recovery will be a challenging one to navigate if the pandemic is not contained soon. Like many other small Pacific island countries, Vanuatu has managed to escape the COVID-19 transmission. Swift lockdown on international borders provided a window to prepare on the health side, but these containment measures have crippled the economy. If the Coronavirus did enter Vanuatu, the health focus would immediately need to swing from prevention and preparedness to treatment and containment.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The Pacific leaders during the recent 51st Pacific Islands Forum meeting also acknowledged the challenges that threatens the strength and solidarity of the Forum family and called on leaders to be redirected to the Pacific Way of dialogue to address these challenges. This includes the COVID-19 pandemic, economic challenges, the intensifying climate crisis facing Pacific Island Countries and intensification of geopolitical competition in the Pacific region. Vanuatu situation Mr President, In all countries, the economic shock caused by the pandemic has exposed structural weaknesses, notably in health and social protection systems. For Vanuatu, a recently graduated least developed country (LDC), the challenge was compounded by a natural disaster.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Global solidarity and concerted international cooperation is therefore very essential. For us and other small island developing states especially, our biggest threats are global — most notably climate change, the management of our oceans and of course the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, our solutions too must be global. To recover better together, we need to take comprehensive action at the global, regional and national levels. Effective and sustainable support is now needed more than ever to regain momentum of international cooperation to advancing the 2030 Agenda, while building inclusive economies and resilient societies.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The pandemic represents one of the most profound challenges to socioeconomic development in all countries. There is no doubt that it has a broad humanitarian, social and economic impact in the short to long term and has set back achievements of the 2030 agenda and sustainable development goals. There are increasingly evident effects of climate change, including record- breaking wildfires, flooding and more extreme temperatures. The latest IPCC report provides new estimates of the chances of crossing the global warming level of 1.5°C in the next decades. Unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to near 1.5°C will be beyond reach. These issues are increasingly eluding the control of individual national governments.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Our planet is suffering and we need to get moving again, rebuild communities and join efforts to rescue the planet, recover economies and restore hope. We need to adapt to the new normal to work together towards a better future for ourselves, our children and the future generations to come. The theme for this 76th Session — “Building resilience through hope — to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations” — is very fitting to address the current global challenges that we face and is consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Global Challenges Mr. President, The last two years have been undoubtedly dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has thus far resulted in the death of more than 4 million people worldwide.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I would also like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency Volkan Bozkir, the outgoing President of the 75th Session on his outstanding stewardship of this august body during such a challenging time. Mr. President, Let me join my fellow world leaders by expressing Vanuatu’s sympathy and solidarity to all Governments and peoples around the world who have been gravely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN High -Level Week is convened at a time where we need to scale up our collaborative efforts to find solutions to a myriad of global issues, not least to join efforts in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Disease and despair have characterized the past two years. Inequality, injustice and instability have increased.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Mr. President; Excellencies, Heads of State and Governments; Mr. Secretary-General; Distinguished Delegates; Ladies and Gentlemen, Introduction I have the great honour to deliver this address on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Vanuatu. Mr President, At the outset, let me sincerely congratulate you on assuming the presidency of this 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Your Excellency, I assure you of Vanuatu’s committed support during your tenure. We have every confidence that your presidency will successfully guide us in our collective pursuit of the future we want, and rally the spirit of cooperation essential for the United Nations we need.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We hope that by sharing our experiences we can contribute to global learning as we navigate the current crisis and work together in the pursuit of sustained peace and sustainable development. As we emerge from the grip of COVID-19, we should continue to align our national and global recovery to existing commitments to reorient growth models to the ones that are more sustainable and greener in nature. More than ever multilateralism must be defended and respond to the evolving needs of our times. The UN Charter remains our moral compass and continues to remind us of our common duties to serve humanity. I thank you Mr President and God bless you all.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“In our region, the indigenous people of West Papua continue to suffer from human rights abuses. Last year, leaders from the Pacific Islands Forum respectfully called on the Indonesian Government to allow the United Nations Office of the Human Rights Commissioner to visit West Papua Province. To date there has been little progress on this front. I therefore call on the Indonesian Government to please heed the previous call of Pacific leaders. Conclusion Mr. President, The theme of this 75th General Assembly calls on us, the Member States of the United Nations, to come together to frame the future we want. For Vanuatu, this extraordinarily difficult year has been the backdrop to the start of the next phase of nation building, marked by our independence celebrations and culminating with our LDC graduation in a few months.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“For countless generations, the indigenous people of those islands have performed sacred rituals on them. To this day, Umaenupne and Umaeneag continue to maintain a central place in the religious observance of their people. I look forward to their return to the islands, as facilitated by the former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. Furthermore, we are also mindful that some territories continue their struggle for freedom. In our region, New Caledonia will soon face another referendum on the question of independence. It is important that this remains free, fair and transparent and continues under the supervision of the United Nations. Mr. President, We know there are widespread human rights violations happening all around us, and yet it seems the world is taking a selective approach to addressing these.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Although they were integral parts of Vanuatu during its colonial period, France has regrettably and unlawfully claimed them as its own. Beyond representing the failure to complete the decolonization of Vanuatu, France’s actions have impeded the ability of the ni-Vanuatu people to perform their traditional, cultural and religious practices on the islands. This is of particular concern because maintaining our people’s cultural heritage is of the greatest importance to the ni-Vanuatu people, who have endured a long and unfortunate history of colonial exploitation. Although all ni-Vanuatu consider Umaenupne and Umaeneag to be sacred, they have particularly great significance for those who come from the islands of Tanna, Futuna and Aneiytum.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Finally, it is imperative that we ensure every country can get timely, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, which means working cooperatively and not competitively. The UN must especially ensure that all of the most vulnerable countries in the world get access. Until we have the medical break through that we all pray for, we must unite in our efforts to mitigate the drastic impacts that this crisis is having on our people. Human Rights and Decolonisation Mr. President, As we look ahead to the future we want, we must picture a world of freedom; one that is free from persecution and human rights abuses. This year, as my country celebrates our 40th anniversary of independence, we are reminded of our strong cultural connection with the Umaenupne and Umaeneag islands, commonly referred to in English as Matthew and Hunter Islands.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Second, climate financing needs to increase to ensure the recapitalization of financial instruments such as the Green Climate Fund. Again, we call for the processes to access these funds to be simplified and made easier to access in order to allow small island developing states like Vanuatu implement their climate change mitigation and adaptation priorities reflected on various frameworks of implementation including the National Determined Contributions (NDCs). Thirdly, the UN needs to find ways to address the de risking measures adopted by large international banks that have prevented small island developing states especially to set up corresponding banking relationships with our domestic banks.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Building back better also means we can no longer just accept business as usual so I would like to suggest some areas that we, as the United Nations, should focus on to forge a new path to a collectively brighter future. First, COVID-19 has resulted in mounting debts in countries that can least afford to service them. It is essential that the multilateral financial institutions provide debt forgiveness and relief. This should be accompanied with tailored concessional finance packages and grants. These measures should ensure there is adequate fiscal space for countries to weather not only the current crisis, but also to finance the implementation of their sustainable development priorities. I acknowledge that some great work has already gone ahead in this area, however, I believe more needs to be done.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“For us and other small island developing states especially, our biggest threats are global — most notably climate change and the management of our oceans. Therefore our solutions too must be global, and that means it is imperative that the necessary international architecture is in place. With the resources to address our complex challenges becoming scarcer, vulnerable countries such as LDCs and SIDS especially face a daunting future. Put simply, we need a fully functional, working United Nations. We need the UN agencies to be working in solid partnerships with Member States, and with other multilateral organizations. We know there are problems, but we need to find ways to fix these, and not create even greater problems by continuing the trends that are undermining multilateralism and international cooperation.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“In Vanuatu we have already contextualized these global goals into our national aspirations, articulated in Vanuatu 2030 — The People’s Plan. This year we have sought to ensure that our National Recovery Strategy not only responds to the immediate social, economic and environmental needs associated with COVD-19 and Cyclone Harold, but that it empowers us to build back better and continue to advance our development aspirations. We must keep moving forward and not just revert back to how it was before. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events and other disasters means recovery has become the new normal. Building back better will only be possible if we have the right architecture in place.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It is for that reason that we are seeking the support of bilateral, regional and multilateral development and trading partners to provide full support to the implementation of the smooth transition strategy prepared by Vanuatu, in particular, the priority specific measures that requires targeted support for an extended transitionary period of five years; specific international support measures related to trade, aid for trade and participation in international forums. If we are not careful, the events of this year and the continuing fracturing of multilateralism may dilute our global development aspirations. We all triumphantly signed up to only five years ago under the 2030 Agenda and the 17 sustainable development goals. More than ever we must return to these collective commitments and redouble our implementation efforts.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We are ready to make that step despite the catastrophe that has been unleashed by the pandemic and cyclone, and which will reverberate for many years to come. We are proud of our achievements, as we are mindful that we still have a long way to go to achieve our sustainable development goals. We would rather build on our efforts and those of our development partners and graduate now, with an extended smooth transition period than risk slipping back into the LDC category or halt graduation entirely.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Even so, our experience assures us that by working together, we can and we will recover, we will build back better and emerge stronger and more resilient. It was in this spirit that we came together as a nation in July to celebrate our 40th anniversary of political independence. We will come together again in December to mark our graduation from Least Developed Country status. Amidst the uncertainty and chaos, this is a special year for us. We especially view our graduation as a success story. We have and always will warmly embrace the solidarity of the LDC group, and the support afforded to it. But in our 40th year as an independent country we are ready for the next phase of our development journey.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We know from experience that we are always better off when we are working together, than in isolation. Thankfully, there are still no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in Vanuatu. Early border closures gave us this precious window to prepare our health responses, but have also come with serious economic and social costs. On top of that, in April, our country was hit by yet another severe, category five tropical cyclone. The severity of this compound disaster has already left enduring scars on families, communities and the nation. Limited resources are strained further by the ongoing recovery efforts from previous disasters. Ever looming is the threat of future disasters and extreme weather events, which are being fuelled and exacerbated by climate change.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The global solidarity and concerted international cooperation we forge today will make us stronger to tackle these challenges together. This time of crisis has heightened our mutual responsibility to strengthen people’s faith in multilateral cooperation and international institutions. The United Nations, with its universal membership, plays a central role in addressing our shared challenges. We should be focusing our efforts on strengthening it, not weakening it. United Nations can be compared to a big boat with individual nations occupying individual cabins in that big boat. Domestic Development and Challenges Mr. President, As a small open island economy located in the South Pacific, we in Vanuatu know too well the importance of global solidarity.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“President, COVID-19 has also shone a new light on existing global challenges and conflicts, including the escalating threat of arms race and terrorism; continuous human rights abuses; climate change; the displacement of people; the scourge of non-communicable disease, and the disruptions of the technological revolution that is redefining the future of work. Around the world we see the fallout from the pandemic is deepening community divisions, escalating geopolitical tensions, changing trade relations and threatening peace. It is most worrisome that these complex global challenges are compounding at a time when our multilateral environment is under its most severe pressures to date. Make no mistake, we need inclusive multilateralism.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have seen how it has most severely impacted the most vulnerable in our communities, especially women and girls, people with disabilities, and those with chronic health conditions. We must unite to defeat the scourge of this disease. As governments we need to be able to continue to reach out to help families that have been split up or kept apart, alleviate the consequences of job losses and business closures and continue to provide health care under the enormous strains of pandemic management, all while dealing with drastically plummeting revenue sources. Mr.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“So, even though for the moment we are not all able to travel or be together in person, we can continue to find ways to harness our collective commitments with the vision of ending the pandemic and resetting our planet on a sustainable and peaceful footing. For so many of our people around the world, 2020 has been a year of unparalleled challenge. COVID-19 has unleashed a complex web of health, economic and social issues that have sorely tested government, business and community systems. The pandemic has exposed existing vulnerabilities and alerted to us the threats of new ones. We have seen it exacerbate the already unacceptably high rates of global inequality and poverty that we face.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I would also like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the outgoing President of the 74th Session on his outstanding stewardship of this august body during such a challenging time. Global Challenges Mr. President, Usually, we would be gathered in the iconic General Assembly Hall to share our thoughts on the state of the world we share. The corridors, meeting rooms and side events would be abuzz with activity as leaders and delegates come together. In this time of uncertainty and peril, when we could most benefit from such gatherings, we cannot do so. Delivering our national address via video link may be emblematic of this extraordinary time, but it’s also a sign of our resolve to adapt and make use of what is available.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Mr. President; Excellencies, Heads of State and Governments; Mr. Secretary-General; Distinguished Delegates; Ladies and Gentlemen, Introduction I have the great honour to deliver this address on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Vanuatu. Mr President, At the outset, let me sincerely congratulate you on assuming the presidency of this 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Your Excellency, I assure you of Vanuatu’s committed support during your tenure, and have every confidence that your presidency will successfully guide us in our collective pursuit of the future we want, and rally the spirit of cooperation essential for the United Nations we need.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)