YouSaid · the spoken record

Beck

lines on the record: 94
first: 2007-04-17
most recent: 2015-07-30
sittings or episodes: 13
sources: un-security-council

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

“Thirdly, it is important that the multilateral system work for small countries. Too often, we see that we are too small for the global system to work for us. In conclusion, Solomon Islands joins others in welcoming the operationalization of UN Women, looks forward to working with the new gender entity and reaffirms its commitment to resolution 1325 (2000).”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“It is important that, whatever gender-related activities are carried out, it is done on a sustainable way and established within existing gender institutions, in particular faith-based women's groups that are rural-based, community- focused and meet frequently. Secondly, there needs to be a shift in approach by the United Nations in supporting the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), away from a one-size-fits-all approach of over-regionalizing issues while disregarding the varying levels of development within Pacific small island developing States and country- specific development needs. In that respect, over the years, Solomon Islands has continued to call for upgrading the United Nations presence in our country, as we are currently managed from a regional office abroad.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I merely mention that because women in our part of the globe live and operate in two worlds, the traditional and the modern world. Solomon Islands has adopted various conflict- prevention mechanisms in an effort to prevent the country from sliding back into conflict. The South African model of a truth and reconciliation commission is operating, allowing Victims to seek justice and offenders forgiveness. The Government is looking at the notion of complementing that with a forgiveness bill to bring about a process for former militants who seek reconciliation with society. The challenges faced by my country in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) include the establishment of a gender early warning system. However, it was project-driven, and the initiative slowed when the project ended.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“On the issue of governance, Solomon Islands adopted a political system - the Westminster system - that does not recognize the traditional decision-making role of women in tribal societies. Women's traditional role gets subsumed in the modern decision making- process, which further weakens the power base of women in their traditional setting. I am pleased to say that Solomon Islands has not shied away from looking at the issue of gender representation in our national Parliament. An ambitious plan for temporary measures to advance women's participation was launched last year. However, it did not receive enough support and needed more consultation. We hope that it will receive attention over time. The initiative did generate a tsunami of interest, and we have an ongoing conversation on it.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“If not well managed, that will create another time bomb, as land allocated to relocated populations is fixed and suffers from overuse for agricultural production. It is a matter of time before we see displaced populations entering customary lands, which will trigger future hot spots of conflict. The frequency of natural disasters has created food insecurity for women and has, to some extent, disempowered them, as their land is swallowed up by the rising sea. Water insecurity is forcing mothers to make difficult choices, including having to spend more time seeking food to put on the table and neglecting children and not sending them to school. Equipping Solomon Islands women with technologies for storing traditional crops will better prepare them to manage the frequent disasters they face.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Having said that, the challenge ahead is huge. The social-system structures, institutions and values of Solomon Islands are centred on our natural resources. Eighty per cent of Solomon Islands land is customarily owned and undocumented. Traditional land operates under three land-tenure systems: matrilineal, patrilineal and chiefly. To localize resolution 1325 (2000) in small island developing States, we must look at the challenges women face on a daily basis, in particular the impact of climate change, which is now a threat multiplier. Climate change has induced population relocations and is uprooting populations from low-lying islands to higher ones. People leave their ancestral land and move into other land-tenure systems.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“RAMSI has provided us space and support to promote and implement resolution 1325 (2000) nationally and throughout the Government. In that respect, Solomon Islands has restructured its State security institution. For the first time in our young history, we have more women in our police force. The police force has also established a unit to deal with post-conflict sexual and gender-based violence, in coordination with other line ministries and staffed with officers trained in gender sensitivity and human rights. On the issue of mainstreaming gender funding within the Government system, that is a work in progress. I am pleased to say that baseline data have been established, allowing small women's machinery in the country to develop strategies to enhance gender capacity within the national system.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“During our ethnic conflict, a group of women from multi-ethnic backgrounds gathered under their own initiative to approach and speak to militants on both sides. As mothers, they used their respective cultural norms to draw militants' attention to the social and human consequences of their actions. In so doing, they gained their trust and confidence in order to provide essential items across conflict lines. Mine is a country of more than half a million people who speak some 87 different languages. For the past seven years, Solomon Islands has been assisted by the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The Mission is made up of Pacific neighbours, led by Australia and strongly supported by New Zealand.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Let me thank your delegation, Mr. President, for convening this meeting on the follow-up action on resolution 1325 (2000). My delegation also wishes to thank the Secretary-General for his report on women and peace and security (S/2010/498). Before I contribute to this debate in my national capacity, I would like to associate myself with the statement to be made by the representative of Papua New Guinea on behalf of the Pacific small island developing States. The role of women as actors in the search for peaceful settlements of today's conflicts is an indispensable requirement for sustainable peace and development for developing countries, in particular countries such as mine, which is one of the 18 among the 49 least developed countries that are emerging from conflict.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“President, once again for the opportunity to participate in this debate. I hope that we can speak with one voice and act as a unit within the United Nations in the promotion of international peace and security in upholding the rule of law.”
2010-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6347Resumption1 (2010) · source
“On the peaceful settlement of disputes, the advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice need to be respected and upheld. At the end of the day, for the collective good of the United Nations, those with absolute power need to take a stronger leadership role in ensuring that all principles of international law are adhered to. Only then will peace be possible. Sanctions against selected countries burn bridges, build fences around targeted countries and are more harmful than constructive. We believe that the culture of dialogue rather than confrontation should be the norm, and we must have the patience for it. However, once sanctions are applied, they must be regularly monitored, reviewed and reported on to ensure that they remain a tool that serves the purpose of multilateralism. Let me thank you, Mr.”
2010-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6347Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Secondly, the fact that our Peacebuilding Commission and post-conflict capacity-building mechanisms are not holistic in their outreach, as in the case of my country, which, in spite of being a country emerging from conflict, remains outside those mechanisms. Solomon Islands was fortunate to have its regional neighbours come to its assistance three years after its ethnic conflict to re-establish the rule of law under a regional arrangement and to allow us to continue with our nation-building process. We are thankful to our neighbours, led by Australia and New Zealand. We remain eternally grateful. We should be supporting multilateral and regional mechanisms that strengthen and consolidate peace and ensure that home-grown peace initiatives take root and generate lasting and sustainable peace.”
2010-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6347Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The question that should be asked is what we do with countries that threaten international peace and security, continue to operate outside international law or allow that to happen in multilateral settings. Such questions shake the credibility of multilateralism and have allowed the international system to shift into a vacuum. Failure to comply with international law has led to countries looking within themselves for security to protect themselves and their population, including empowering non-State actors to carry out State responsibilities. For that reason, selective and partial actions by our multilateral system, including the Council, become controversial and cost both lives and money in addressing the symptoms rather than the causes of conflict.”
2010-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6347Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The Security Council has a defining role in the promotion and maintenance of international security, given that it is the primary United Nations organ responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. In discussing the questions raised in Mexico's concept paper, the promotion of international peace in post-conflict situations, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the efficiency and credibility of sanctions are, in my delegation's view, secondary issues. The primary question to ask is whether instability in certain regions of the world is fed and fuelled by a lack of application of international law by the Council. Respect for international law is a must for all Members of the United Nations.”
2010-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6347Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I thank you for your kind invitation, Mr. President, to my delegation to participate in this thematic debate on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security. My delegation acknowledges the work of all, including the Secretariat, on the subject under discussion, and I would thank Mexico for the concept note (S/2010/322), which serves as a useful guide for our debate. As pointed out in the concept note, the General Assembly plays an important role in advancing international law. That includes other United Nations treaty bodies. It is important to have closer relationships among the General Assembly, the treaty bodies and the Security Council, which we hope the current Security Council reform will comprehensively address.”
2010-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6347Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In the Solomon Islands, this can be done with investment in selected areas, such as energy, which accounts for a third of its national budget, and agriculture, mainly in rice. This will free up millions of dollars in allowing the country to ensure that much of its peacebuilding programme is sustainable. Let me close, Sir, by once again thanking you for this opportunity. I also take this opportunity to thank my Pacific colleagues - in particular Australia, New Zealand and my colleagues from the Pacific small island developing States - for their support to the Solomon Islands via the Regional Assistance Mission.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The partnership framework, previously referred to by New Zealand, provides for dynamic and robust cooperation between the two parties. There must be a smart partnership between the PBC and the receiving State - a partnership that is about increasing the State's system-wide capacity with skills and support to improve its delivery of services to its populations; that addresses the underlying causes of conflict; and that avoids ad hoc coordination assistance outside the Government machinery and an unbalanced assistance that further undermines the State, making the support unsustainable in the long run and turning State actors into spectators. My final point concerns international efforts. Any country emerging from conflict must be able to create funds from within the State.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Many of the governance systems adopted by developing countries do not always recognize traditional and customary laws in a specific way. At times, modern legislation clashes with traditional mechanisms. These are issues that should not be allowed to fester and grow. One area I wish to bring to the Council's attention, and that is not covered in the concept paper before the Council (S/2010/l67), is that of partnership between the PBC and the receiving State and the management of that relationship. Solomon Islands enjoys stability under the RAMSI partnership. However, sporadic flare-ups on the law and order front have allowed Solomon Islands and RAMSI to fine-tune their cooperation in containing emerging national security problems.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“This means allowing the State to lead in all initiatives and providing it with the necessary tools and equipment. The United Nations can build confidence in State institutions by providing space for locally trained police forces to participate in the Organization's missions. This would be tantamount to a pronouncement and announcement by the international community that public trust in new State security institutions has been restored. On Governance, more attention also must be paid to provincial and community governance structures. In many peacebuilding initiatives, the focus remains on State institutions within the capital. The paucity of investment in the other arms of Government outside capitals have hampered States in their efforts to carry out their core functions on behalf of their scattered populations.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“This means that the PBC must understand the environment in which it is operating, be flexible in its approach in order to adapt to the changing environment and, most important, anticipate change in any form of crisis, be it climate change, energy, food or financial. Any of these crises will shock national systems and exacerbate the problems therein. Security, human rights and the rule of law naturally follow the lead of development. The argument is that we cannot guarantee security or human rights to populations until they are provided with economic opportunities and become active participants in the economy; otherwise, any peace gain will remain fragile and unpredictable. On security sector reform, if any peacebuilding mechanism is to succeed, it is important that confidence in the State institutions be restored.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Solomon Islands has a population of more than half a million people, speaking some 87 different languages. More than 85 per cent of the population is located in the rural areas. Back in late 1998, ethnic tension erupted, leading to a two-year conflict between two ethnic groups that brought the country to its knees and saw law and order take an ugly turn. RAMSI entered the country in 2003 at the invitation of the Government of Solomon Islands, and today continues to play a supporting role in rebuilding the country. For many countries ravaged by wars, peacebuilding is about security, development and nation-building. Security is a priority in all early phases of peacemaking, and remains so within a changing environment. Sufficient investment must be made within the development sector if true peace is to be attained.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The relationship and partnership have generated a tsunami of valuable lessons that I hope will garner the interest of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and this Council. The Pacific model is provided for under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter under the subheading "Regional arrangements". It is my wish and hope that we can draw on other peacebuilding experiences and take a fresh look at other models that will enrich today's debate. I am mindful that our United Nations Peacebuilding Commission has a narrow agenda that focuses only on four countries. The question remains: What happens to other countries emerging from conflict? Who deals with them, if not the PBC? In sharing my country's experience, let me give the Council some brief information on my country.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Mr. President, my delegation wishes to acknowledge your country's initiative in convening this open debate on the topic "Post-conflict peacebuilding: comprehensive peacebuilding strategy to prevent the recurrence of conflict". I contribute to the discussions as the representative of a country emerging from conflict and as a current recipient State under a Pacific peacebuilding model, led by Australia and strongly supported by New Zealand, together with the participation of the 14 other Pacific small island developing States. My country receives assistance under the regional arrangement known as the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The six-year old regional Mission is composed of military, police and civilian personnel.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Regional mechanisms, being external actors, do face challenges in aligning their efforts with the national, political and economic realities they seek to support and need to be refined and adapted to the changing climates in which they operate. It is in this spirit, this past month at the annual Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, it was noted that the Solomon Islands had decided to review the 2003 Facilitation of International Assistance Act. The review will seek to increase the partnership between the receiving State, Solomon Islands and the Regional Mission. Solomon Islands would like to see a strengthened United Nations Security Council mechanism, so as to ensure that no problem issues are allowed to aggravate but will be confronted with international attention, where necessary.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“This is based on the understanding that, in many of today's conflicts, regional organizations have gone further into countries than our multilateral institution would have and have, therefore, accumulated acquired both positive and negative experiences. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, led by Australia and strongly supported by New Zealand and my fellow Pacific Islands small island developing States, is in its fourth year in the Solomon Islands. It comprises military, police and civil-servant support, all rolled into one. It has been successful in its mission; however, like anything new, it has its strengths and weaknesses and faces certain challenges.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“The economic and development needs of the country tend to be overlooked, with the issues of the rule of law, democracy and governance receiving more emphasis in the cooperative effort. Solomon Islands, a least developed country, is off track in terms of meeting its Millennium Development Goals and is in a vulnerable position, as its development needs are not receiving the necessary attention. In this regard, enhanced cooperation between regional organizations and the United Nations is crucial in order to address the concerns of all parties, ensuring that security and development cooperation remains on track.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“It is important that the regional organizations working to maintain regional stability do so in strong partnership with the recipient country while being flexible regarding the changing security, economic and social climate. It must be a partnership and must take a participatory form, so as to ensure that the ownership and leadership of the peace and nation-building processes are country-led and country-driven. Decisions to use public, as well as quiet diplomacy, are also important. The absence of such a balance will expose the receiving State to the dangers of slipping back into a conflict situation. Security and development are two sides of the same coin and can only instil real peace if applied simultaneously.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“The maintenance of international peace and security at the regional level is a financially expensive exercise and is, therefore, driven by those with resources. The subregion my delegation hails from has, within its membership, two industrialized members among many small island developing States. This has allowed for a active regional cooperation mechanism. The issue with regional mechanisms is that, if they are not properly managed or are unbalanced in their approach, regional organizations could address symptoms rather than the causes of conflicts. Differences could occur between the recipient State and the regional organization.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“This is in addition to strengthening United Nations and regional and subregional cooperation in the economic, social and cultural fields. In other words there needs to be some movement beyond the holding of biannual consultations between regional organizations and the Secretary-General. On this note, if there is a draft memorandum of understanding, Solomon Islands will be happy to take this through its regional process in trying to formalize relations with the United Nations. Solomon Islands is a post-conflict country and particularly welcomes this occasion as a recipient of an ongoing subregional security arrangement. This occasion presents an opportunity to put the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands on the Council's radar screen with its successes and challenges.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“The Article underlines the requirement that the Council be kept fully informed on all activities under regional and subregional arrangements in the maintenance of international peace. At the moment, some regions have received more attention than others. This presents an institutional gap that could be accommodated within the working methods of the Council by having periodic reports presented to the Council, by the Secretariat and the States concerned, on all regional and subregional security mechanisms. That could be done on a six- monthly basis or quarterly. The 2005 World Summit Outcome (General Assembly resolution 60/ 1) also supports that proposal and calls for a formalized agreement between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations and involvement of such organizations in the work of the Security Council.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“My delegation is pleased that the presidency has taken the initiative in reaching out to the wider membership to discuss this important issue. This debate allows us not only to review but to appraise how secure the world has become with the contributions from regional and subregional mechanisms. It further permits us to draw the Council's attention to some of the challenges confronting subregional and regional mechanisms in preserving international peace and security and to see how these can best be addressed, given the role and purpose of the Council. In saying that, my delegation recognizes that different regions have their own particularities and realities. One of the glaring gaps my delegation has identified on the issue is the lack of observance of Article 54 of the Charter.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“First of all my delegation would like to sincerely congratulate you, Sir, and your delegation on your assumption of the presidency of the Council and to thank you for convening an open debate on the role of regional and subregional organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security. This is consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter - as has been said by previous speakers- and recognizes the role of regional and subregional security arrangements in preserving international peace. The changing international climate, with shifts by the bigger Powers in the international system, has had an impact upon and has redefined all security mechanisms globally, at both the regional and the international levels.”
2007-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5776Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Their destruction will pose a threat to every country to which former fishermen and their families will migrate. We applaud the United Kingdom for having convened this proceeding and for raising the profile of this issue, as well as for its support of the influential Stern review, among other things. We are grateful to the United States and the European Union for their efforts to ensure that coral bleaching was addressed during recent deliberations on the General Assembly's important oceans resolution. We applaud the Government of France for its leadership in creating the Coral Reef Initiative for the South Pacific, and all other nations which have addressed the threats to coral reefs. We call upon the international community to squarely address reef destruction and ameliorate the damage already done, as a matter of great urgency.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“The destruction of the coral reefs is tantamount to the destruction of the country. The reefs are central to Palau's economy, which relies almost exclusively on tourism. The reefs are vital to Palau's food security. Without them, the people will not have the fish to feed themselves or the money to buy food. For over 3,000 years, Palauans have survived by fishing on and around their coral reefs. Climate change now threatens those reefs with increased acidification, rising temperatures, fiercer storms and accelerating sea-level rise. The destruction of the reefs will lead, inevitably, to the migration of the people and to the end of their culture. Coral reef ecosystems are vital not only to Palau but to scores of States. The reefs provide one quarter of the fish catch in developing countries and feed more than one billion people.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“We wish to associate ourselves with the statement made by the representative of Papua New Guinea on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum. We salute the United Kingdom for having proposed this open debate on the security implications of climate change. As a small island State, Palau is particularly challenged by sea-level rise. Furthermore, Palau wishes to call to the attention of this body an equally daunting risk posed by warming which is not specifically identified in the concept paper and which requires the urgent attention of the world community. Stated plainly, global warming threatens to destroy the world's coral reefs. In 1998, the warming incident known as El Nifio caused the bleaching and death of almost one third of Palau's corals. Certain particularly sensitive species were virtually eliminated.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“More important, the United Nations will be able successfully to impose environmental governance only if it changes and adopts an economically based, people-centred rural community approach, because the resources, the coasts and everything else belongs to the people. The concept of carbon credits must receive international support. Mr. President, I will close by thanking your Government for the assistance it has rendered in connection with the recent tsunami in Solomon Islands. I extend my gratitude also to two other permanent members of the Council, France and the United States. I also thank other Members, including Turkey and Singapore. I include also my own immediate neighbours Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Vanuatu, which have also bilaterally supported us, and our Pacific neighbours in general.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“In the case of Solomon Islands, fossil-fuel imports account for a third of our national budget - just to provide energy to 20 per cent of the population. We are aware of the potential of renewable energy. With the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies, especially community-based hydro schemes, we will be in a position to reach the wider population and, most important, free up resources from the national budget to meet our other commitments related to the Millennium Development Goals, including empowering ourselves to adapt to our environment. We need to establish a renewable energy trust fund targeting the small island developing States if we are to make any meaningful changes.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“The wider United Nations system must structurally respond to the call - not only the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, but the Security Council as well. The issue of the environment needs to be depoliticized; we need to close the divide that exists; we must build bridges and streamline our common commitment in implementing agreed international climate change frameworks. These agreements have not been matched by resources for the small island developing States. The Mauritius Strategy will remain a strategy unless it is financially supported. Energy remains an important link to today's debate. It could provide some answers in terms of cleaning up our atmosphere and addressing our security concerns.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Currently the issue of climate change is discussed - like a comet - in a substantial way once every four to five years through a conference; and annually through the Commission on Sustainable Development process, for two weeks. After that, the issue is revisited after a l2-month period. No organ deals with it year-round. That is because, since the inception of the United Nations climate change process, the issue has received divided attention from the global community. Conferences had to be organized to get the issue of the environment on the radar screen; as soon as such conferences come to a close, it disappears again. If we are indeed serious in addressing our environmental challenges, we must give climate change as much attention and commitment as we give to issues such as terrorism.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Solomon Islands, as delegates are aware, just came out of an ethnic conflict some five years ago. This is a complex situation for half a million people who speak 80 different languages and are successfully going through a nation-building process with regional and international support. Addressing climate change is a conflict prevention imperative, given the aforementioned argument. The United Nations and its Member States exist for one another. But, unfortunately, on the issue of climate change - despite its global impact - we remain divided on adopting a common approach to addressing it as a development or security issue.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“On other islands, reefs and coasts have risen up to 3 to 10 metres - not centimetres, but metres. Fishing grounds have shifted, reefs have been lost, coastal infrastructure has been damaged and water and agriculture have been disrupted, which could well be fanning the flames for future conflicts? For a country in which more than 80 per cent of the land is owned under a customary regime, any relocation has an impact on the land-tenure system; if not handled well, the changes could fuel future conflicts. Today we are accommodating the internal movement of people. Soon it will spill over into the international scene, where environmental victims will not be refugees, but survivors. That fact will redefine the pattern and push factors of migration. We should not wait for that day to happen.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Today we are aware of the acceleration of environmental degradation and its effect on climate change, although their correction is a much slower process. More people die from the effects of climate change than from domestic and international wars put together. The frequency and intensity of cyclones, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts have increased globally. The 2004 Asian tsunami claimed too many lives in just a few hours. Two weeks ago, my country, Solomon Islands, was not spared. A tsunami claimed more than 50 lives, environmentally displaced 5,000 people and forever restructured the geography of the affected areas. All this occurred within minutes. As I speak, Solomon Islands is dealing with environmental refugees who are fleeing their locations, because portions of the islands have sunk.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Schools and clinics that were painstakingly built over the years can be washed away by a tsunami in a matter of minutes, thus increasing the insecurity of our children and future generations. Solomon Islands views climate change not only as a development issue but also as one of security. We feel that all principal organs of the United Nations should be seized of the issue, given this phenomenon's growing threat to the globe. It is an issue of survival, especially for small island developing States. In this regard, we are participating in this debate, and we look to the United Nations for leadership to garner the necessary international support in order to act collectively to address environmental issues on all fronts.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Mr. President, my delegation first of all wishes to associate itself with the statement presented by the representative of Papua New Guinea on behalf of the Pacific Island small island developing States. Solomon Islands, a small island developing State with least developed country status, thanks you most sincerely for organizing this meeting. This action alone demonstrates how seriously your country is in taking the lead to address the adverse effects of climate change. Countries such as mine, located in a disaster- prone region, bear the brunt of climate change on a daily basis. Climate change has redefined our subsistence economy and our traditional lifestyle; it has caused irreversible damage to our fragile ecosystem and the mainstay of our economies in agriculture and fisheries. It has pushed back the gains in development by 10 years.”
2007-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5663Resumption1 (2007) · source