YouSaid · the spoken record

Tofilau Eti Alesana

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS TOFILAU ETI ALESANA

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69

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1988-09-24

most recent

1996-09-24

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3

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un-general-debate

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1. “Under your leadership we have every reason to look forward to firm and positive results.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

2. “Current commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Convention will not be enough to arrest global warming, and additional and effective commitments by industrialized countries extending beyond the year 2000 must be established. In 1994, the Alliance of Small Island States submitted possible solutions as set out in its draft protocol. It remains the only complete proposal on the table. We now have barely a year before the need to finalize negotiations of a protocol or another legal instrument to strengthen the Convention on Climate Change for adoption at the Conference of the Parties next year in Kyoto, Japan. We call on all Convention parties to move with all seriousness and urgency on the matter. The General Assembly has a full and comprehensive agenda before it.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

3. “The global climate is changing, and the impact of this, especially the rise in the sea level, pose the most serious dangers for Samoa and for all small islands. As a member of the Alliance of Small Island States, we have pressed and will continue to press our concerns for immediate and effective international action. The second assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms what we have long feared: human activity is warming and changing the climate system. Ministers of the Environment who attended the second Conference of the Parties in Geneva in July this year endorsed the report as the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of climate science. The Panel’s report underlines the real urgency of the climate change negotiations mandated at Berlin last year.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

4. “We welcome the election of members of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the establishment of the International Seabed Authority. We think it is appropriate to grant United Nations observer status to the Authority and we will support the efforts to strengthen the organization of the Authority and to ensure its financial viability. The preservation of our environment is a major preoccupation for my country. We will continue to make every effort to be engaged in international discussions and to contribute to the development of international environmental principles and modalities to ensure that our concerns are adequately reflected. Recourse to international law and to effective international mechanisms is the ultimate protection and security for small States.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

5. “Samoa, together with other small island States, continues to emphasize the importance of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. It is a realistic plan for our sustainable economic development. While our endeavours to implement the Programme of Action have been greatly assisted and facilitated by United Nations organs, achievement is ultimately a matter of national effort and perseverance. With the crucial support of the international community, we must continue to hold high the ethic of self-sufficiency. The sea and its resources provide real prospects for our development. The legal regimes that govern them and their use are matters of vital importance to Samoa. They will continue to receive our closest attention.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

6. “A recent report of the Committee on Contributions has given attention to this anomaly, and we feel that timely action must be taken to work out a fairer system of assessment based on capacity to pay in real terms. Next year, during your presidency, Sir, we shall have to undertake the five-year review of Agenda 21. It will be a first and timely opportunity for comprehensive 2 assessment and for giving momentum to sustainable development. Given your prominence at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, we shall have to look to you for an extra measure of leadership to ensure solid results from the review and effective performance from the institutions charged with implementing Agenda 21.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

7. “We think the discussions during this session should try and focus on areas with regard to which there is reasonable chance of progress and on which significant consensus can be consolidated. We do not see the point in endless open-ended discussions. We share fully the concerns voiced about the very serious and unsatisfactory financial situation of the United Nations. The payment of assessed contributions is a freely accepted responsibility and a solemn duty that all States must discharge promptly and without condition. Samoa willingly accepts this duty and will continue to meet its own financial obligations. However, we must say again that the current floor rate has rendered the present scale of assessments inequitable for small and least developed States like my own.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

8. “I must say, however, that having only a small delegation to cope with the multifaceted work being carried out in the five high- level Working Groups, we feel both disadvantaged and, at times, dispirited about the pace and often the direction of the discussions. The membership of the Security Council must be enlarged to reflect the realities of the present time and to enhance the Council’s effectiveness and legitimacy. There is need to give particular consideration to the case of Japan and Germany. My Government is also giving the most serious thought to proposals, such as that of Italy, that would ensure the proper and regular representation of small States and their concerns in the work of the Council.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

9. “One area that calls for attention concerns serious humanitarian offences and crimes of international concern, including terrorism. Samoa fully supports the early establishment of an international criminal court to deal with these crimes. Reforms of the United Nations were given a great deal of focus at the fiftieth session and much has already been said during this general debate, and rightly so. At almost every level, the Organization remains in need of substantial change and improvement. My own country is fully committed in its support for the ongoing efforts to strengthen and revitalize our Organization to make it more democratic, fair and representative.”

   1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

10. “We commend President Clinton for initiating the recent Washington meetings, and we urge all sides, in the renewed negotiations now taking place in the region, to make every effort possible to restore stability and direction to the peace process in the spirit of mutual respect. We are also a country which cherishes the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles for which our Organization stands. This is the basis for our support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China. We have faith in the elaboration of rules to regulate international behaviour and cooperation. Increasingly, developments in the international system require both State and citizen to submit to international scrutiny.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

11. “We are from a region which treasures peace and security, and we seek for ourselves the highest measure of peaceful coexistence with all countries. We therefore share in full the anguish of our fellow humans in all countries who are being denied the conditions to live and to develop in peace and in fulfilment. My Government welcomes the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the implementation of the Dayton Agreement. Our hope is that the recent elections too will serve to provide confidence and trust among all the parties. We continue to pray for lasting peace in the Middle East.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

12. “I should also acknowledge the signing earlier this year by the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France of the Protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty. The prompt ratification by France is appreciated, and we look forward to full adherence by all nuclear-weapon States. We believe that their full participation will not only inspire confidence within our region, but will also carry a message of hope for the rest of the international community. We place considerable faith in the importance of nuclear-weapon-free zones and the vital role they play in the disarmament process. During this session, along with other delegations, Samoa will support efforts aimed at developing links and enhancing cooperation among southern hemisphere nuclear-weapon-free zones.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

13. “Samoa is deeply committed to this goal, and we will continue to work for its achievement together with other members of the United Nations as well as with members of civil society. It is a matter of the greatest encouragement to my Government to have the favourable opinion of the International Court of Justice on the question of the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons. We welcome in particular the Court’s very timely reminder of the obligation to pursue in good faith, and to bring to a conclusion, negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament. We accept entirely the important opinion of the Court that nuclear disarmament, in all its aspects, must be under strict and effective international control.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

14. “Too many nuclear weapons, far too many, were tested in our region, and we remain fearful of the consequences, especially to our fragile environment and marine resources. Like others, we acknowledge the shortcomings of the CTBT and regret that it was not possible to reach the required consensus in the Conference on Disarmament. But that must not be allowed to stand in the way of the work that remains to be done. The CTBT is a mark of critical progress. We must all now employ the most serious effort in moving the disarmament process further, including bringing the CTBT into force. Today the international community is united, perhaps more so than at any other time, in recognizing the complete elimination of all nuclear weapons as a fundamental goal.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

15. “Samoa congratulates you most warmly on your highly acclaimed election. It is a particular pleasure for me to express to you our full confidence in and support for your presidency. I want also to pay tribute to His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal for his outstanding service and leadership during the historic fiftieth session of the Assembly. Samoa welcomes the adoption by this Assembly of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which I will sign on behalf of my Government later today. We are signing the Treaty because it is what we have all sought for so long. We applaud and thank Australia for the initiative to bring the Treaty directly to the General Assembly. For us in the Pacific, the CTBT brings to an end a long and unsatisfactory situation.”

    1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)

16. “Meantime, we will need to concentrate on strengthening and revitalizing our Organization if we are to respond efficiently and effectively to present and future priorities. To this purpose, Samoa supports all remedial reforms to the United Nations system to ensure optimum use of scarce resources. Next year has been declared, by the Assembly, the International Year of the Family. In two years’ time, the United Nations will mark its fiftieth anniversary. This gives us all reason to move ahead with our work, resolved to improve the condition of our world and the well-being of our global family.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

17. “A few months ago, contrary to predictions, the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights registered important accomplishments. Next year, we shall see the particularly crucial Conference on Population and Development; thereafter, the Conference on women, and then the social-development Summit. Yesterday, we heard Papua New Guinea’s initiative on opportunity and participation. We consider this a pertinent proposal, and that it is an important element in the overall effort to involve citizens and to enhance, in particular, the economies of developing countries. These global conferences and initiatives will map out new priorities and courses of action requiring from States and ordinary citizens the highest degree of commitment and cooperation.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

18. “In all of this, we have had the fullest cooperation of the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme - an organization established by the Pacific region and partner countries to coordinate not only national and regional activities but also the region’s participation in world-wide initiatives on the environment. This underlines our basic belief that the total efforts of all nations, acting responsibly and in concert, will be crucial if we are adequately to protect our environment and our planet. I should note the general satisfaction of my delegation with the world-wide debate, which is now under way, about the future of development - and, thus, about our common future. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was a special landmark.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

19. “The work of the Preparatory Committee remains incomplete. But the stakes are too high for inconclusiveness, so a resumed preparatory session before the Barbados Conference is essential. I should say that our call for international cooperation is fully matched by our resolve to do what is necessary and possible at the domestic level. As a country, we acknowledge and accept primary responsibility for our environment and development. To this end, we have completed a national environment-management plan, have put in place the necessary legislative framework and have taken steps to adhere to the appropriate international Conventions.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

20. “Isolated and ecologically fragile, small island States like my own are amongst the most vulnerable to external economic, trade and climatic factors. Without international cooperation, and without an integrated approach, the outlook is not promising. The Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States - to be held in Barbados in April 1994 - will provide a first opportunity to implement Agenda 21 and to reaffirm commitments made in Rio. We firmly believe that international attention, focused at next year’s global conference, will provide valuable guidance 14 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session towards a sustainable-development effort worldwide. It seems to us that if there is failure to secure sustainable development for small island States, there will be no real chance of success elsewhere.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

21. “The South Pacific region cannot continue to be a testing ground for nuclear devices; or to be a dumping ground for chemical wastes; or to be exposed to contamination by toxic wastes and other environmentally threatening substances. Environmental security is crucial to Samoa and other countries of the South Pacific. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio in 1992, provided us with an opportunity to put our global house in order - an occasion of promise, of rising hopes. The setting of Agenda 21 and the establishment of the Commission on Sustainable Development are only first steps. Implementation is the difficult task - the true test. Like other places, our small island States and low-lying atolls face a host of constraints.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

22. “We should say, however, that the prospect of the proliferation of nuclear weapons and - worse - of their acquisition by unfriendly parties is of major concern to us, as, of course, to the world community as a whole. It underscores the urgent need for the control, reduction and eventual elimination of these deadly weapons. The Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is a vital part of the disarmament process must be extended indefinitely when it comes up for review in 1995. We look to the nuclear-weapon States to take the lead in the nuclear-disarmament process and, at the same time, to illustrate with concrete action their full commitment to our collective goals and objectives.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

23. “Samoa is particularly pleased about the extension of the nuclear-testing moratorium. However, we are deeply distressed to have learned last week of a breach of that moratorium. I have cause to believe that substantial numbers in the Assembly share our concern and our earnest prayer that no further tests will be carried out and that other nuclear Powers will not resume their nuclear-testing programmes. It is our dearest hope that such testing will one day cease - permanently. We also urge all Member States - the nuclear Powers in particular - to work towards the early conclusion of a comprehensive test ban treaty. We welcome the unique opportunity offered by the end of the cold war to focus and develop comprehensive-nuclear- disarmament initiatives. We stand ready to do what we can in support of these.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

24. “Our commitment to these objectives is unwavering, and Samoa, together with its regional partners, will continue to call for a permanent end to nuclear testing, to the dumping of chemical and toxic wastes and to the transportation of these materials in our waters. The South Pacific Forum countries have continued to urge the remaining nuclear-power States to heed our concerns and to accede to the Protocols of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty. That Treaty is the paramount symbol of the region’s strong feeling about and commitment to a nuclear-free environment. We are encouraged by recent indications from some of these States that they will reconsider their current positions on the Treaty and on other nuclear-related issues that are of concern to the region.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

25. “Its attainment was made possible by the constructive intervention of the United Nations decolonization Committee and by the willingness of the Government of France, the parties in New Caledonia and the South Pacific Forum to show restraint to give full consideration to each other’s concerns and sensitivities. What we see in New Caledonia today stands as a testament to the cooperative spirit characteristic of the Pacific region and as a true example of peaceful and preventive diplomacy at work. At the same time, we acknowledge and respect the views and interests of those Territories that wish to continue with the status quo. Peace, stability, security and the preservation of our environment are crucial to the South Pacific region.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

26. “The very basis of human rights is the right of peoples to determine their own future and governance. This is fundamental, and it is something very close to our hearts, given our experience and the political evolvement of our own State. The South Pacific Forum has continued to call on the metropolitan countries to take into account the wishes of the people in the Territories and to respect their right to self-determination. We welcome the ongoing dialogue between France and all parties in New Caledonia regarding the future of the Territory. The peaceful evolution towards self-determination in New Caledonia is in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

27. “In this respect, we welcome the Declaration and Programme of Action produced by the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna and the acknowledgement in unquestionable terms of the universality of human rights. The results of the Vienna Conference constitute a significant advance in the promotion and protection of human rights, not least in the recognition that development has a true claim to be considered a human right. We agree with and support the proposal to establish a United Nations high commissioner for human rights. Such an office could serve as a strong focal point for coordination of the currently fragmented branches of the United Nations human rights system and could help to ensure that human Forty-eighth session - 12 October l993 13 rights are integrated into the work of all United Nations programmes.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

28. “In the wider aspect, we believe that no amount of force and no measure of peace-keeping can sustain peace and security without attention to the root causes. The general experience is that human misery, brought about by poverty and the denial of human and democratic rights, is the real and fundamental problem. We therefore uphold the belief expressed by many leaders from this rostrum that socio- economic development and democratic reforms areessential to the prevention of political and social crises. We think this should remain a major preoccupation of the United Nations. We believe deeply in the underlying importance of human rights in all United Nations activities.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

29. “We support early and effective international measures and necessary arrangements within the United Nations system for the full protection of United Nations personnel and forces, as well as action against those who commit acts of violence against our messengers of peace. In all this, the Security Council is the vital link. We now have a proposal before the Assembly to take a closer look at the arrangements and strengthening of the Security Council. We also acknowledge the useful report the Secretary-General has sent us on the various views expressed. Our own concern is for the efficacy and effectiveness of the Council. So long as these are assured, Samoa would support the required reforms to the Security Council. But, no doubt, we should all take sufficient time to ponder these matters.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

30. “In our humble opinion, peace-keeping at such a level cannot possibly be sustained without adequate and improved financing and financial management. Above all, peace-keeping objectives and mandates need to be clearly identified and managed. There is everything to be gained by the application of the principles of accountability, consistency and transparency. Peace-keeping at current levels has compounded the tragedy of war through the loss of United Nations staff and personnel. In the strongest terms, we condemn the attacks and deliberate targeting of United Nations peace-keeping forces wherever they occur.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

31. “Almost every speaker in this debate has focused on peace-keeping and the unprecedented demands being made of the United Nations. Our support of United Nations peace-keeping operations is total, as is our acceptance of preventive diplomacy as fundamental to "An Agenda for Peace". We have no military resources or experience, and we have been able to assist only by way of our assessed contributions. But it is clear to us that failure to provide adequate financial and other resources undermines both the peace effort and the authority of the United Nations. It seems to be generally acknowledged that, in the space of some two years, the cost of United Nations peace- keeping has quadrupled to a level currently four times larger than the United Nations regular budget.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

32. “The grim outlook for many troubled areas of the world should not, however, cast a shadow over the hope typified by the Palestinian-Israeli peace accord. Cambodia is a high point in peacemaking, and we rejoice in this special accomplishment for the people of that ancient country and for the United Nations, as we do in the announcement in this Assembly by Nelson Mandela of the imminent demise of apartheid. South Africa’s move towards a multiracial and democratic society is the attainment of a dream we have all shared for so long. We pray for the peaceful success of the announced general elections in April 1994. We are indeed at a turning-point - a point at which we should now turn to the healing process. We must put behind us the divisiveness and acrimony which have characterized the debates and the decisions of past years.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

33. “We do not, for a moment, delude 12 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session ourselves about the complexities of these conflicts or the depth of longstanding animosities - least of all, in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. But I am compelled to say that the horrors being perpetuated in Bosnia offend common decency and almost every principle for which this Organization stands. That is why we feel that the international community has not been swift or decisive enough in taking action to end the calculated brutality in Bosnia and avert the devastation of so much that is sacred in that land. We pray for the speediest possible settlement, one that is comprehensive and has realistic prospects for the lasting peace and economic prosperity of all concerned. There should be no reward for aggression.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

34. “In my part of the world, island communities now live under the constant threat of ecological disasters. A rise in sea levels and destructive tropical cyclones are particular dangers. The evidence we have is that these are the global and adverse effects of induced climate change. They prey on the natural vulnerabilities of many lands and their peoples, and severely undermine the national livelihood and economic development efforts of many Governments. My purpose is not simply to catalogue misery and the negative, but rather to point to the vastness of our task. There is no scope for retreat - we must advance with resolve. The world cries out for responses and solutions. And the fact is, the world is now looking more and more to the United Nations.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

35. “But the new opportunities for cooperation in this post- cold-war era are being severely challenged by conflicts that rage in many lands and by the human misery they cause. Tragedy and carnage are seemingly endless in Bosnia, in Somalia, and in territories of the former Soviet Union. In other areas, too - far too many - we witness daily the most shocking violations of the human person and wanton disregard for the rule of law. This year alone, there have been close to 25 substantial conflicts in the world. And war is not the only scourge. For we have not freed our world of hunger, poverty or illness. Millions of people have fled from internal strife and persecution, famine and natural disasters. Millions more are migrating for economic reasons.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

36. “Now, as never before, the international community has real opportunities for cooperation and peace. In Washington, barely a month ago today, leaders of two great peoples, men of magnificent courage and foresight, seized such an opportunity for the Israelis and Palestinians. In our global village there is an imperative to secure a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the overall Arab-Israeli conflict. In turn, that peace effort needs to be able to draw sustenance - moral, political and financial - from the whole family of nations. Most warmly we applaud the courage and vision of this bold step. From our distance, and no matter how inadequate, I pledge to the people of Israel and to the Palestinians Samoa’s entire support.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

37. “We welcome the newest - and some of the smallest - Members of our global family who joined us this year: the Principality of Andorra, Eritrea, the Czech Republic, the Principality of Monaco, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Slovak Republic. As a small State itself, Samoa is particularly pleased to add its welcome, assured of the contribution these new Members will make to our common effort. Let me also pay a tribute to the Secretary-General and express to His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali our deepest admiration and appreciation for the spirit of reform and quality of leadership he brings to the work of the Organization. With one voice we in this Hall have hailed the ending of East-West tensions. We are right to do so. It has brought about deep and positive changes.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

38. “It is always an honour and a great pleasure to address the General Assembly. My first task, a happy one, is to congratulate you, Sir, most warmly on your election as President of the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly. We know that in your hands this will be a session of accomplishments. Let me also thank your able predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Stoyan Ganev of Bulgaria, for his outstanding service during the forty-seventh session. I would next express our concern and sadness over the recent disastrous earthquake in India and extend to the Government and, especially, to the families affected our profound sympathies. Two years ago, when I last stood here, there was a sense of high expectation, for we were witnessing the drama of political changes to a new world. Many new nation States emerged from that process.”

    1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)

39. “Indeed, we agree, and while there are still sane reefs to negotiate, a safe arrival seems much more likely, for with the present international climate the sailing weather is good, or, as we say in Samoa: "A favourable wind is felt on the body. Let the boat be guided by an experienced and competent helmsman."”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

40. “We urge all Members to meet their obligations as well. The spirit of multilateralism certainly seems to have been reborn and must be nurtured, for it must finally be apparent to all nations that the time for rhetoric and propaganda is past and the time for co-operation is at hand. The Secretary-General in his report last year said that it was as if "the sails of the small boat in which all the people of the earth are gathered had caught again on a light but favourable wind" (A/42/1, p. 2) - indicating that there was hope, though it might be faint. This year he is able to report that "With careful and patient navigation, the vessel has come within eight of large sections of the shore". (A/43/1, p. 2) That is α much more hopeful future.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

41. “It is to be hoped that the international development strategy for the fourth United Nations development decade and other international initiatives will address more effectively the economic plight of the poorer nations of the world. We began this address with a reaffirmation of our confidence in and commitment to the United Nations and its work. For there is no doubt that loyalty to the United Nations on the part of all its Members is the key to the Organisation's ability to carry its urgent work forward. Further progress in the reform and revitalisation of the United Nations depends on Member support, both moral and financial. Now is the time to encourage the progress begun. We are pleased that both the United States and the USSR now intend to pay their past dues and meet their financial responsibilities to the United Nations.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

42. “While I said both North and South are guilty of environmental rape and pillage, the reasons are usually different in the two regions. In the developed countries misuse of the environment most often to provide comfort and convenience, and sometimes purely for sport or greed. Greed and expansion were certainly motives in recent attempts to export toxic wastes from North to South. While the countries of the South are certainly not free from base motivations, very often their populations are merely trying to survive. Thus we must urgently confront the inequities of the world's economic situation. The least developed feel these inequities most keenly, but all developing countries suffer from slow or negative growth, commodity price declines and adverse terms of trade, to name but a few problems.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

43. “The World Commission on Environment and Development chaired by Prime Minister Brundtland put it to us squarely and we must act. Both rich and poor nations, both North and South are guilty. Development in the future must be in harmony with the environment. No are pleased to welcome Prime Minister Mulroney's announcement here that Canada will establish a centre to promote the concept of environmentally sustainable development internationally and also Canada's support of a feasibility study on a World Conservation Bank to work with the World Bank, for environmental concerns MUST be an integral part of any development efforts. We strongly support the calls for a high-level United Nations conference on environmental matters, and the sooner the better.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

44. “How tragic for our children, or their children, to inherit an Earth enshrouded in a deadly pall of pollutants; awash with waters full of poison; fouled with animals dead or dying; stripped of timber; with soils exhausted, devoid of nutrients desertified or dangerously laced with toxins; and with valleys, rivers and lakes piled full of garbage. For it may come to this if we do not soon realise that the catastrophes we are experiencing are sighs from an ailing and weary Mother Earth moaning that she is just "not able to take it any more". We sympathise with those nations - Bangladesh Jamaica Mexico the Dominican Republic and the Sudan - which have suffered the most recent tragedies; but it is at our peril that we ignore these warnings and all the other signs we have received.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

45. “It is certainly Ironic that just as we saw developments that give us reason to believe that we may be able to avoid the nuclear holocaust we have all feared for years we begin to realise that we may have irrevocably sown the seeds of destruction for this Earth in many other ways and that it may be too late to reverse much of the damage already done. Scientists tell us that the thinning of the ozone layer and resultant greenhouse effect are the cumulative results of our pollutants. What is truly terrifying is that some scientists think that the damage we see today is the consequence of what we did 30 years ago when pollutants were fewer and less potent, and that it is our children who will feel the much greater damage resulting from our activities today.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

46. “Recent events have made us realise that we are all ecologically connected; events occurring in one part of the world can have ecological consequences on the far side of the world. Plastic bags thrown into one ocean choke sea creatures in another ocean; fumes from industrial pollution in one country cause acid rain to kill forests in another country thousands of miles away; deforestation the world over can not only cause erosion and floods miles from where it occurs, but is occurring on such a large scale that it threatens to change the climate of the entire world for ever.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

47. “After all, scientists themselves have admitted how often they have been wrong in the past and how much there is still to learn about our environment. We in the South Pacific have wondered and worried for years now about the effects of the French nuclear testing in our region. Once again we ask that it be stopped. We do not believe in the whole premise on which such testing is based; so why should we be subjected to its effects? We do not believe that nuclear weapons should exist and we believe that those in existence should be destroyed. We believe that the preservation of our God-given environment in as pristine a condition as possible is of paramount importance not only to our region but to the world as a whole.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

48. “In its 20 years of existence, no new nuclear-weapon State has emerged and more than 130 States have become parties to the Treaty and committed themselves not to acquire nuclear weapons. 2t must be strengthened and adhered to. There is still an urgent need for the conclusion of a comprehensive test-ban treaty prohibiting all nuclear tests by all States in all environments for all time. As we learn daily how ignorant we have been about the destruction we have already wrought on this Earth, we are alarmed and realise with more certainty than ever before that all nuclear testing must cease. It must cease, not only because the further development of nuclear weapons is undesirable but also because of the damage to the Earth testing is causing, much of which may as yet have gone undetected by scientists.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

49. “This new-found flexibility and reasonableness must not only pave the way for future reductions of their own still awesome arsenals but will, it is hoped, encourage other nuclear-weapon States to begin the process of nuclear disarmament. Similarly it is hoped that those States that do not have nuclear weapons but might aspire to them will see the futility of acquiring such unusable and ultimately useless tools of war. We hope there will be a renewal of confidence in the Hon-Proliferation Treaty, a Treaty that deserves the support of all nations dedicated to a nuclear-weapon-free world. This is of crucial importance, especially to the small and vulnerable States of the world. This year is the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Treaty; and it has served as an effective barrier to the acquisition of nuclear weapons by more States.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)

50. “Despite the lack of concrete results from the third special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, we are much encouraged that the relaxing of tensions between the super-Powers has led to their agreement to dismantle an entire class of nuclear weapons under the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles - the INF Treaty. We trust that this breakthrough will herald a new attitude to disarmament. Much progress has already been made towards the conclusion of a START Treaty which would cut the super-Powers' strategic nuclear arsenals by 50 per cent. Both countries have accepted verification procedures that would have been anathema to them in the past. The two countries have gone so far as to exchange visits of military personnel at Chief-of-Staff level.”

    1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)