YouSaid · the spoken record

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi

lines on the record: 262
first: 1999-09-24
most recent: 2020-09-24
sittings or episodes: 15
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

“Its contribution to sustainable development will therefore ultimately depend upon the willingness of source and destination countries to work out imaginative and humane arrangements that benefit both those countries and migrants. Samoa is working closely with New Zealand and Australia, through their seasonal-worker schemes, to ensure that those important initiatives result in mutual benefit for both the sending and receiving parties in the arrangements. Yesterday’s High-level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament (A/68/PV.11) highlighted yet again the urgent need for a treaty banning nuclear weapons, given the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of such weapons. Such weapons represent the great paradox of our time.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“For more than 10 years, Samoa has been contributing civilian police officers to peacekeeping operations in countries such as South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Liberia, the Sudan and, in the Pacific, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. We will be in a better position to increase our contribution to peacekeeping missions after a United Nations selection, assistance and assessment team has completed its evaluation, which is planned to take place before the end of 2013, of eligible officers from our police force. Samoa looks forward to next week’s High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. International migration poses both challenges and opportunities for countries of origin, transit and destination.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The Arms Trade Treaty, when fully implemented, will greatly help small island States like mine in their efforts to sustain our communities’ security and stability. Our signing of the ATT is also further testimony to our firm commitment to general and complete disarmament, since it will contribute significantly to saving lives, stopping human rights abuses and avoiding crises, and is an important step in reducing and eventually eliminating altogether the human cost of conventional arms. Samoa remains fully committed to the peacekeeping work of the United Nations, one of the Organization’s most effective and successful mandates.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Let us rise to the occasion and be part of the solution. In June, during the historic event of the signing of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Samoa announced that it would sign the Treaty at the highest political level during the Treaty event at the General Assembly’s current session. We kept that promise, and I signed for Samoa in a special ceremony two days ago. We welcome the fact that more than 100 nations, including the United States, have now signed the Treaty. For small island countries like Samoa, it takes only a few small arms and light weapons in the wrong hands to cause instability. Indeed, within our own Pacific region, such so-called small arms have fuelled conflicts, disrupted the lives of communities and impeded countries’ development.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Sadly, what is evident to us in the climate change negotiations is the continued triumph of vested interests in preventing and delaying the action that should be taken. In a diverse world of different capacities and capabilities, those least able to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change look to Member States in leadership roles to rise to the challenge and lead by example, to ensure that the post-2020 climate change convention currently being negotiated will effectively address the mounting fears of countries like mine of the catastrophic effects of climate change if it is not tackled collectively and with determination. As world leaders, we have the responsibility for fashioning a new agreement that will reassure low-lying islands that we have their interests and priorities at heart.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Our Chair, the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, presented to the Secretary- General the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership, which is an effort by our region — the most likely to be first and worst affected by climate change — to launch a new wave of more determined leadership across the globe, aimed at accelerating the reduction and phasing down of the world’s greenhouse-gas pollution before it is too late. The root causes of climate change and the means for addressing them are widely known. We in the Pacific know already from bitter and harsh experience, as will many other parts of the world, what the consequences of climate change are, and they will only become more severe if not enough is done.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Our sympathies go to the Governments and people of those countries, and our deepest condolences to the people who lost family and friends in those tragic events. While the Organization continues to grapple with various serious problems that require collective, United Nations-led action for their resolution, perhaps the greatest threat we face today is climate change. Climate change is a security risk of far greater proportions than many people are prepared to admit. For some low-lying Pacific island countries, climate change may well lead to their eventual extinction as sovereign States. The singular importance and urgency of climate change to our region was given added prominence today when Pacific Forum leaders met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“I congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly. I also wish also to thank you for your continued strong support for small island developing States (SIDS) issues, which you have championed for many years and have once again demonstrated, this week, in the process and lead-up to the United Nations Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, to be held in the Pacific next year. From economic woes to outright poverty, from social instability to acts of violence and ethnic or religious conflict, and from the devastation of natural disasters to deadly acts of terrorism, no country is spared or completely shielded. The events in Kenya, Iraq, Pakistan and here in the United States over the past week demonstrate the multiple risks we face in today’s world.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We wish the President well as he leads the work of our General Assembly. We also wish to place on record our appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the leadership he brings to the work of our Organization, and to wish him success in the discharge of his key responsibilities in the challenging times ahead.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Diversity can create a platform for collective progress if, in the words of President Obama, “we ensure that we are strengthened by our differences, not defined by them”. As we heard from other leaders, including the Secretary-General and the President of the United States, it is of critical importance that the Palestinians be allowed to realize their right to a viable State of their own, existing alongside a secure and safe Jewish State of Israel. That has also been and continues to be Samoa’s long-standing position on the issue. We remain hopeful that current efforts to secure a peaceful, durable and fair settlement in the Middle East will be successful. All efforts towards that goal rekindle hope and should be supported. A peace deal is central to providing conditions conducive to the achievement of a two-State solution.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“If the United Nations is to be truly reformed, we also need a strengthened and revitalized General Assembly as the primary policy and decision-making organ of the Organization. Moreover, we encourage the efforts under way to streamline the work of the different United Nations agencies to eliminate the wasting of resources and unnecessary duplication of time and effort. We often congregate around points of commonality, finding legitimacy and safety in numbers. It is diversity, however, that has historically ensured human adaptability, resilience and true dynamism. Our own Pacific region is going through a process of maturity, where subregionalism is evolving and the uniqueness of capacity and comparative advantages are coming to the fore. The same can be said of our United Nations family and its dynamic leadership.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In the case of the Security Council, as long as its composition and rules ignore today’s global realities, it will continue to struggle for legitimacy and strain to effectively carry out its intended tasks, as has been witnessed over many years. Samoa remains firm in its position that the permanent and non-permanent membership categories of the Security Council should be expanded. Member States with appropriate credentials and the disposition to contribute to the Council’s work and resources should be encouraged to apply for membership of that important organ of our Organization. Importantly, the intergovernmental process should continue in earnest during the current session to bring finality to an issue that has taxed Member States’ patience and endurance for over a decade and a half.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“That is why Samoa supports the Secretary-General’s vision to create a flexible and mobile professional career service to allow for quick and positive responses to the diverse demands of Member States. The need for the United Nations to deliver as one entity cannot be overemphasized. It adds value and quality to the process, eliminates waste, minimizes duplication, and ensures that the scarce resources entrusted to its care are used optimally to supplement Member States’ hard- earned contributions. The United Nations remains the only viable institution that draws all the nations of our world together. The need to revitalize the General Assembly and reform the Security Council has been obvious for many years.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“This week, at the treaty event, I deposited Samoa’s instrument of ratification for the Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. We ratified those amendments because we place great faith in the rule of law and the vital protection that the law offers to all States, especially to the weak and small. Lately, serious disputes have arisen among bordering States, with the potential to escalate into confrontation with far-reaching consequences. We would encourage the parties concerned to resolve their differences through appropriate peaceful settlement arrangements. Clearly, Member States can do only so much. We need a committed Secretariat that is aware and sensitive to the needs of the peoples it exists to serve.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Samoa’s membership of the United Nations is grounded on the promise of the hope, equality and justice that the United Nations offers its Member States, irrespective of their economic, political or military strength. States in leadership positions and those aspiring to that status must lead responsibly and by example. Every Member State, irrespective of its size or strength, should be able to contribute appropriately to decisions and actions of the United Nations in order to make our Organization an agent of change during challenging times. The United Nations continues to play an important role in our collective effort to achieve its objectives, whether in the areas of peace and security, the environment, poverty alleviation, the fight against terrorism and many other challenges that threaten our world.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“More than ever, terrorism is a major threat that must be confronted by a collective international response at the national, regional and international levels. It must be condemned in the strongest terms possible in order to send out an unequivocal message that it is neither accepted nor condoned and that perpetrators should not expect any sympathy for their actions. The tragic events in Benghazi recall and underscore the importance of all nations working together, including through the United Nations, to implement practical and effective measures to provide for the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives worldwide. Samoa will continue to work with like-minded countries towards that goal.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our continuing determination to work with other Member States to fight terrorism using all possible means is consistent with human rights and the rule of law. The horror of terrorist atrocities is a common and almost daily occurrence. Terrorist acts committed under whatever pretext or purpose are deplorable and morally unjustified. In its various forms and manifestations, terrorism is responsible for the permanent scars of horror and fear that have gripped international attention in recent years. Those attacks have underlined the fact that when terrorists are able to infiltrate national borders, no peoples or countries will ever be immune to the threat of terrorist violence. So many innocent lives have been lost indiscriminately and unceremoniously.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“A peaceful environment helps to improve the lives of those who have been affected by conflict and, ultimately, to achieve our common goal of peaceful coexistence for our peoples and nations. We are determined to gradually increase over time the level and number of our officers in peacekeeping duties. Regionally owned and coordinated solutions to regional upheavals can be quite effective and successful. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, under the umbrella of the Pacific Islands Forum, demonstrates the effectiveness of that approach very well, and Samoa will continue to provide strong support to regionally owned solutions when required. Samoa reaffirms its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Even those countries that have been in denial to date must surely now accept the weight of scientific evidence. Climate change, facilitated largely through human activity, poses one of the gravest threats to humankind and to the continuation of life in our world as we know it today. Samoa’s unwavering support for United Nations peacekeeping work is underscored by its 12 years of uninterrupted police deployment in service of missions in Liberia, the Sudan, Timor-Leste and South Sudan. Our commitment is rooted in our firm belief in the role that United Nations peacekeeping plays in helping to eliminate the causes of conflict and in bringing about peace and stability.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We must work together, with a sense of urgency and commitment, to address climate change — today, not tomorrow. It should not be only science that recommends what we should do, but also our consciences and the political will to follow through. We clearly want leaders who view the world as a single constituency where everyone works together within the limits of their capacity and capability to be part of the total solution. The climate change negotiating process has been a long and frustrating journey, especially for small island developing States, which contribute the least to the causes of climate change yet stand to suffer the most, and are least able to effectively adapt to its adverse impacts. Climate change cannot be wished away.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We must ensure that the post-2015 development agenda builds on the important progress made in the MDG process and is expanded to cover broader sustainable development issues, as agreed on in Rio. We must also ensure that the important priorities identified in the outcomes of the 2014 SIDS meeting are integrated into the post-2015 global development frameworks and comprehensively addressed in order to respond to the needs of SIDS. Climate change is the world’s most urgent problem, requiring a decisive global response. It is a challenge that should unite and not divide us. Entrenched positions that ignore today’s realities and pursue unrelated agendas have no role in our collective effort. All countries are affected to varying degrees by climate change. No one should be detached or unconcerned about our common plight.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are not merely aspirations of what might be, but tangible outcomes of what should be. By their very nature, they are a restatement of our peoples’ development needs and hopes. Thus for us, the achievement of the MDGs by 2015 is not just a matter of pride but one of necessity, and we will continue to do everything possible to bring about the desired result. Success would also mean that we would start the post-2015 sustainable development goals framework at higher thresholds, which would help spur greater effort to improve the lives of more and more of our people. The sustainable development goals that will succeed the MDGs are already a major focus of attention in some quarters. From Samoa’s perspective, clear, time-bound, targeted and measurable global benchmarks are critical.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Coincidentally, 2014 holds special significance for our country. Barring any natural catastrophes, we will graduate from the category of least-developed countries (LDCs) on 1 January of that year. That was one of the motives for our bid to host the SIDS review meeting. We want to underscore that, through genuine partnerships with development partners, our small island developing State, which is also an LDC, has been able to markedly raise our country’s socioeconomic situation and our people’s standard of living. It is important that every Member State be afforded the opportunity to host United Nations meetings, and the success of meetings should be measured on the quality of the decisions and commitments agreed to, not merely on considerations of costs and numbers of participants.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“For Samoa, the gains include the reaffirmation that small island developing States (SIDS) are a special case in the area of sustainable development, owing to their unique and particular vulnerabilities. But acknowledging the vulnerabilities of SIDS without the attendant resources for strengthening their resilience makes that achievement only a hollow victory. The oceans and seas are resources that most members of our group have access to. The call to conserve and harness the marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions, including taking a decision on developing an international instrument under the Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a major achievement, worthy of support. The decision to hold a SIDS review meeting in 2014 is important and timely. Samoa’s offer to host that meeting is a matter of record.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Half a century later, there still remain territories today, even in our Pacific region, where people have not been able to exercise their right to self-determination. In the case of French Polynesia, we encourage the metropolitan Power and the territory’s leadership, with the support of the United Nations, to find an amicable way to exercise the right of the people of the territory to determine their future. The outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (resolution 66/288, annex) provides a blueprint for the future we want. It is a future we all signed on to, a partnership of shared responsibilities, commitments and undertakings among all Members, big and small. For all the goals to be achieved, every country must deliver on its pledges in good faith and not try to negotiate a way out.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Samoa commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of its independence this year, at home and abroad. The Headquarters of the United Nations was one of the venues, and for good reason. Our aspirations to be a sovereign State founded on democratic principles, Christian beliefs and our cultural values were ably facilitated by the United Nations. New Zealand, as the administering Power, was sympathetic and supportive, which hastened the attainment of our independence. Our people were given the choice to decide the future of our country. The United Nations and the administering Power supported the process and paved the way. As we also heard from the President of the United States, people everywhere must ultimately long for the freedom to determine their destiny.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Increases in both the permanent and the non-permanent categories should be part and parcel of the reform package.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Terrorist acts committed under whatever pretext or purpose can never be justified as morally acceptable. Equally, countering terrorism does not confer immunity from the rule of law, nor the abandonment of the principles of a civilized society. No country can win the war against terrorism on its own. Only by pooling our resources and working collaboratively with each other can we stand a chance of defeating that senseless menace. Samoa, despite the heavy cost, is doing its best to meet our obligations in that collective effort. Modest progress has been achieved in the efforts to reform the Security Council. Samoa remains convinced that an expanded Security Council that mirrors present-day realities is essential for multilateralism and for the Council’s integrity and credibility.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Addressing the symptoms, but not the root causes of the conflict is short-sighted and the result unsustainable. Solutions must be decided by the two parties, not imposed from outside. Without that strong buy-in from the Israelis and Palestinians themselves, any solutions will, at best, be short-lived. More than ever, visionary leadership, on both sides, that sees beyond the immediate dictates of short-sighted interests and that is, instead, willing to seize the opportunity to fashion a just and durable peace settlement, is critically needed at this point. Terrorism, in its various forms and manifestations, is responsible for the horror and fear that have continued to grip the world’s attention. No country is immune from the reaches of terrorism, and we are all affected to varying degrees.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“At this rostrum a year ago, I did not expect the Arab spring, and spoke in earnest of the hope that progress would come in the then historic process to bring permanent peace to the peoples of Israel and Palestine (see A/65/PV.19). It is our long-held conviction that an independent Palestinian nation, taking its rightful place in our global family and living side by side with a secure Israel, is the only road to permanent peace. However, while we all know that that is the sensible outcome that must be achieved, it will sadly remain elusive without a clear sense of commitment and willingness by both sides to negotiate in good faith. For genuine and permanent peace between Palestine and the State of Israel, there must be direct negotiations between the two countries.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Samoa continues to lend its unwavering support to that aspect of the United Nations mandate. I reaffirm that support, which is underpinned by my 11-51372 8 country’s contribution and the involvement of our police officers in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in the Sudan, Liberia and Timor-Leste. Additionally, Samoa continues to be an integral part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands under the umbrella of the Pacific Forum. Samoa warmly welcomes the admission of South Sudan as the United Nation’s newest member in July this year. Samoa joins the international community’s support for the courage of the people of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and now Syria in seeking relief from oppression and in gaining the freedoms and human rights to which they are rightly entitled.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Without the necessary financial resources and technical support, Samoa’s ability to adapt to and mitigate climate change will be severely curtailed. Thankfully, Samoa continues to benefit under the fast start finance window, both bilaterally and through regional projects made available by the generous support of our traditional and new development partners, such as Australia, China, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Italy, the Asian Development Bank, the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank and the United Nations, to name but a few. We are, indeed, very, very grateful. Countries in different parts of the world look to the United Nations and its stronger members for peacekeeping arrangements to give those communities in strife time to re-establish and to find lasting solutions.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“From the tragic experiences that our country has endured, we know of the great pain from the loss of lives, the destruction of property and the setback to the national economy that disasters are capable of inflicting. It is therefore imperative that adequate resources be available and that they may, indeed, be accessed with ease through different direct modalities in order to assist countries in meeting their mitigation and adaptation programmes. The Copenhagen Green Climate Fund is now in the design phase. The representatives of Governments and experts involved would do well to pay attention to the existing climate change funding architecture so that the shortcomings of other funding mechanisms are not repeated.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Successful conservation and the effective management of harvest levels in the long term is absolutely critical, not just for Pacific countries and distant-water fishing nations, but, ultimately, the availability of fish supplies to the rest of the world in the years ahead. The successful conservation and management of fish stocks in the Pacific is, pure and simple, good business for everyone. Climate change was again singled out by Pacific leaders during their just-concluded summit as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific. Natural catastrophes are capable of destruction that devastates entire communities.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It has therefore also been a point of long- standing frustration that vessels of major fishing nations continue to fish illegally in Pacific waters. Even when they are caught carrying out illegal fishing activities, it is by no means a certainty that prosecution and enforcement of penalties will be successful, when infringing fishing vessels have heavy financial resources backing their defences. We therefore again urge cooperation from all nations with fishing fleets in the Pacific to work together with our Pacific countries to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices in the Pacific. The Pacific carries the last major stocks of some key fish species that in other oceans have already been depleted, contaminated and devastated.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The ocean provides the Pacific region with opportunities and challenges, best reflected in the four-pronged focus on conservation, sustainable management, balanced harvesting and greater economic return from the utilization of fishery and marine resources. The emphasis of efforts on maximizing economic benefits from fisheries is a recognition of its vital contribution in supporting sustainable economic development and attempts to address the long-held concern of Pacific islands that they have been for far too long short-changed and unfairly compensated for the fishery resources found within our waters, which are worth many billions of dollars, with less than 1 per cent received by the island countries. The Pacific States have long been committed to efforts to conserve and manage fisheries resources in the region.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“This is why we are hopeful that the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), to be held next June in Brazil, will allow for a serious discussion and reorientation of the whole United Nations community on the importance of identifying and providing the necessary resources for the implementation of the agreed programmes of action and other global arrangements that the United Nations underwrites. The theme of this year’s Pacific Forum was “Converting potential into prosperity”. In line with this is the advocacy led by the Pacific countries to raise the profile of the oceans agenda towards a strong “blue economy” outcome, to ensure that the importance of the oceans to our islands is captured as an integral component of the Rio+20 outcome.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Earlier this week, the United Nations focused long-overdue attention on the insidious health threat posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs). If left unchecked, NCDs will not only devastate the health of our people but also have the potential to wreak havoc in our economies, with the incidence of these so-called lifestyle diseases having a heavy impact on the productive population. Samoa therefore adds its voice to the call to include the reduction of non-communicable diseases in the Millennium Development Goals and which sufficient resources and donor partnership actions should also prioritize. 7 11-51372 These are real concerns. Sustainable economic development is a priority issue for Samoa and the Pacific island countries.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In terms of crises, be it economic, climate change or food-related, the most and worst affected by any one of these are, without exception, some of the United Nations — recognized vulnerable groups — the least developed countries and the small island developing States. Samoa belongs to both categories. Though the United Nations has committed, through internationally agreed development frameworks such as the Brussels Programme of Action, the Barbados Programme of Action and others, to help vulnerable economies attain economic growth, sustainable development and the resilience to endure external shocks, the reality is that the needs of these groups always outstrip the resources available to them. This mismatch is due in part to undercapitalized frameworks with no dedicated funding.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“A decade into the new millennium, we find the Assembly meeting against the backdrop of a world teetering on many fronts and replete with uncertainties. A full recovery of the global economy to pre-2008 levels continues to be an elusive goal. The immediate to medium-term outlook is not promising and does not instil confidence. While some Governments are being assisted with their budgetary difficulties, others, in contrast, are struggling on their own to provide the basic necessities for their people. Achieving the time-bound Millennium Development Goals in their totality is becoming difficult by the day.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The work and influence of the United Nations to encourage Governments to respect and uphold fundamental human rights is sorely needed in parts of our Pacific region and across the world. In our region as well, the work of the United Nations to facilitate the choices of Pacific peoples to exercise their right to self-determination continues to form an important part of our Pacific region’s association with the United Nations. In this respect, we strongly urge the United Nations to play a more proactive role towards the achievement of this goal. Development, security and human rights are mutually reinforcing pillars of the United Nations. Equal progress on all three fronts should be the norm, not the exception.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The fact that the Secretary- General is from the Asia-Pacific region and that the visit took place before the start of his second term, not at the end of it, are positive aspects that were not lost on the Pacific leaders. Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s advocacy and support of Pacific issues in the different international forums dealing with sustainable development, climate change and peace and security, as we witnessed on Wednesday when he presented his report to the General Assembly, will be invaluable in placing Pacific concerns at centre stage for attention and support where needed. The United Nations is the world’s premier Organization. Its role in the various areas of development and in improving the human condition must be exemplary and unequivocal.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“That is why we continue to support the United Nations and look to its timely interventions and leadership in addressing the challenges the world faces and finding collective solutions to them. It is in the context of the leadership role of the United Nations that the visit of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this month to the Pacific region as a special guest of the Pacific Leaders Forum in New Zealand was particularly significant. The visit enabled the Secretary-General to see first-hand the scale of the challenges facing vulnerable Pacific small island countries. The visit, the first ever to the Pacific by an incumbent Secretary-General in the 66 years of existence of the United Nations, was a historical milestone in the relationship between the Pacific region and the United Nations.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Samoa joined the United Nations 35 years ago, a decision rooted firmly in our belief in the principle of the sovereign equality of all Member States, each with the same rights and responsibilities. That sentiment underpins our 11-51372 6 relationship with our Organization as it evolves into a global family of interdependent nations. The Organization remains one of the last, if not the greatest, bastion against the serious challenges and uncertainties that beset our world — financial and economic crises, climate change, environmental degradation, land desertification, ocean acidification, destruction of fishery resources, endemic poverty and dangerous threats to peace and security.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The United Nations membership was similarly thanked when our LDC resolution was adopted. Nevertheless, on behalf of the people and Government of Samoa, I would like here in the General Assembly to again convey our sincere appreciation to all our development partners, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the People’s Republic of China, the European Union, the United States of America, our Pacific neighbours, the United Nations and its related and specialized agencies, and others too many to mention for their generosity and kindness to Samoa. We are very grateful.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Of significant importance to Samoa in its efforts to reinvigorate the economy following the dual impacts of the tsunami devastation and the financial crisis is the recent Assembly resolution (resolution 64/295) granting Samoa three more years, to 2014, to put in place a transition strategy to guarantee the sustainability of its economic performance after its graduation from least developed country (LDC) status in that year. Samoa’s post-tsunami experience and the passage of the consensus LDC resolution are important demonstrations of the close and warm relations that my country enjoys with United Nations Members. At the bilateral and personal level, my Government has already acknowledged the timely and tremendous support of all who contributed during the emergency and in the recovery and rebuilding phases in the aftermath of the tsunami.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“With the generous support of our development partners, the reconstruction phase is progressing well and the families and villages affected have been resettled on higher ground inland, away from the coast. The necessary infrastructure and utilities for the new settlements are well on their way towards completion. The progress achieved would not have been possible without the kindness and understanding of Samoa’s development partners and the international community.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Samoa welcomes the recent initiative, brokered by the United States, for direct negotiations between the leaders of Israel and Palestine to advance the two- State solution, with the nations of Israel and Palestine living alongside each other in peace and security. We remain hopeful that with the genuine support and understanding of other leaders in the region, this will not be another missed opportunity. 10-55122 28 This Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the tsunami that devastated my country, resulting in a heavy loss of life, injury and destruction of property. Life will never be the same for the survivors and those who lost loved ones. However, a sense of normalcy has returned and stability has been re-established.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In that connection, we are comforted by the announcement of the United States Government earlier in the year that it was moving towards ratification of the Pacific region’s nuclear-free-zone treaty. The peacekeeping work of the United Nations contributes, in large measure, to the stability of countries and regions where it has a presence. It is one of the Organization’s growing and most visible mandates and has the full support of my Government. Samoa’s policewomen and policemen are serving side by side with officers of other contributing countries in peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste, the Sudan and Darfur. In our Pacific region, we continue to honour our commitment to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, under the aegis of the Pacific Islands Forum, through our police contingents.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the risk of their acquisition by terrorists, criminals and others should continue to be a top priority of the United Nations. Nuclear terrorism is one of the most challenging threats to international peace and security. A world without nuclear weapons is a safer, more secure and prosperous place to live. We have heard from this podium of the renewed efforts of the major nuclear-weapons Powers to restart the reduction of their nuclear arsenals. That is encouraging, but we believe that the only absolute guarantee against the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons is through their total elimination.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)