YouSaid · the spoken record

Samuelu Laloniu

lines on the record

18

first

2020-07-24

most recent

2021-02-23

sittings or episodes

2

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un-security-council

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1. “The international community and the United Nations, including the Security Council, must recognize climate change as a unique and consequential threat multiplier in all relevant work and activities. We request the Secretary-General to appoint a special adviser on climate change and security. Furthermore, we call on the Security Council to appoint a special rapporteur to produce a regular review of global, regional and national security threats caused by climate change. The Security Council can, and should, add its weight to calls to ensure that the global response is able to address these risks.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

2. “In addition, many members of our region have enjoyed the fruits of tourism in past years. Increasing sea temperatures and acidification have already affected coral reefs, and marine life in general. Coral reefs and marine creatures are especially important not only because they serve the diversity of the ecosystem but also as the main attractions in our region. We therefore urge immediate collaboration for mutual prosperity in the Pacific. The unique vulnerabilities of Pacific island nations require special attention. It is clear that the most climate-vulnerable members of our societies require focus S/2021/198 and support from government and the international community to promote resilience and to adapt to the security challenges posed by climate change.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

3. “Because of our unique geography, the limitations of our domestic market leave international trade inseparable from our prosperity. In this regard, we heavily rely on imported goods. However, our region’s economic situation is continually undermined by the cost and the adverse impacts of climate change. A large part of the Pacific economy depends on agriculture, fisheries and tourism, which have helped us develop in past decades. However, climate change has had a significant negative impact on all central elements of our economy. Rainfall patterns have been altered due to climate change and have decreased arable land, resulting in loss of agricultural production. Our ocean is also affected by changes in wind, wave and ocean currents, affecting the distribution of marine fish catches.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

4. “Climate change exacerbates health security risks, particularly through increased vector-borne and water-borne diseases, heat-related illnesses, food security impacting non-communicable diseases, mental health issues, injury associated with disasters and extreme weather events, and disruption to health services. We are continually working on improving the health status of our people, and this cannot be done if we are not able to manage climate change and its adverse impacts. We therefore urge all our friends to take steps to combat climate change and to help us in advancing core public and environmental health functions and to build a thorough health system. It is our common goal to save lives and our shared home. Economic growth is necessary in the Pacific not for pursuing wealth but for maintaining our basic needs.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

5. “We must emphasize that food security is a crucial issue in our region, and action must be taken in addressing challenges such as the increase in food prices and poor nutrition, made worse by climate change. In addition, the island population of the Pacific has limited capacity for agricultural production, making our food supply vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Taking my own country, Tuvalu, as an example, we are composed of atolls with porous, sandy soils and have limited potential for crop agriculture. Furthermore, we heavily rely on imported fuel and materials. Any decline in food production increases our reliance on importing food and other essentials.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

6. “We see at first hand the impacts and implications of the climate change crisis facing our Pacific island nations and the dire consequences of sea-level rise, ocean warming, the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as storm surges and tropical cyclones, more variable rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts. Furthermore, the warming ocean leads to a change in the migratory patterns of fish, depriving many of us of one of our most basic food staples and income. These impacts have had a negative effect on our already vulnerable food supply in the Pacific. The effects of climate change are expected to reduce the total tuna catch within our combined Economic Exclusion Zone, directly impacting the economic contributions from this industry, which has sustained much of our Government revenues over the years.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

7. “In some of our members — such as, for instance, in Papua New Guinea’s Carteret Islands — the relocation of affected communities continues to face challenges of resentment by host communities given the land tenure system, where most land is customarily owned. This is a trigger for possible conflicts to peace and security. This cannot be relegated to the confines of a specific locality, as some Council members continue to claim. It must be seen more broadly and objectively from the S/2021/198 lens provided by the Charter of the United Nations in Article 1, paragraph 1, in the context of preventive security for international peace and security.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

8. “We should commit to taking substantial action on both, and we will need help from our partners accordingly. We call on the international community to meet or exceed its obligations and timelines as set out under the Paris Agreement and deliver more ambitious climate action, including by communicating or updating ambitious nationally determined contributions. It is crucial that we maintain the global momentum created by the Paris Agreement to ensure it is anchored firmly to its objectives and principles and is effectively implemented. We welcome the United States re-joining the Agreement. Also, the potential for conflicts arising from forced displacement by rising sea levels, compounded by a warming climate, is a real and serious threat that the Security Council cannot afford to turn a blind eye to.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

9. “On behalf of our group, I would like to briefly discuss four climate-related security concerns we face, especially in the Pacific island nations, namely, displacement, food security, health and economic concerns. Climate disaster displacement is already under way in our region and we, especially the smallest island countries, need comprehensive adaptation and mitigation support. The Pacific region is home to many atoll and low-lying coastal populations who are at heightened risk of losing their homes due to natural disasters and climate-related events. In this regard, we welcome the work of the International Law Commission on sea-level rise in relation to international law. Both mitigation and adaptation to climate change are recognized as a critical part of climate action in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”

   2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

10. “Unlike many nations of the world, our Blue Continent is home to many populations living on atolls and low-lying coastlines barely a few meters above sea level. These populations do not have the luxury of space and time to deal with what is an existential threat to their survival. The adverse impacts of climate change intersect with a complex array of environmental, economic and social issues, becoming a threat multiplier that can be a significant contributor to social and political instability, violence, conflict and a threat to the survivability of many island dwellers. We are here to collectively address the Security Council today because climate change first poses an existential threat to small island nations, and we would like to highlight the links between climate and security in our region, which are indivisible and demonstrable.”

    2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

11. “It is a great honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the 14 member States of the Pacific Islands Forum with a presence at the United Nations, namely, Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and my own country, Tuvalu. We would like to express our appreciation to the President of the Security Council for convening this important debate on climate and security. While the world faces challenges brought about by the coronavirus disease pandemic, our climate continues to be in crisis, and one can only foresee the outcome — which, if not resolved, is increased risk of conflict and insecurity.”

    2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source

12. “The members of the Pacific Islands Forum intimately understand the fundamental importance of climate to international peace and security. We encourage the Security Council and all States Members of the United Nations to take action to address this global challenge in an integrated and innovative manner. The litmus test for the humanitarian and development nexus is before us now. There can be no sustainable development without peace and human security and no peace without sustainable development. We remain committed to undertaking this urgent and crucial work alongside all members of the international community.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

13. “Every State should reflect on the Secretary-General’s climate-related principles to shape the recovery when developing their response. The Security Council has a crucial role to play, both in highlighting the security dimensions of this multifaceted challenge and in encouraging efforts to address these risks before they lead to conflict. This, we believe, is in the spirit of the preventive-security element espoused by paragraph 1 of Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations. International and United Nations mechanisms, including the Council, must recognize climate change as a unique and consequential threat multiplier in all relevant work and activities. The Security Council can and should add its weight to calls to ensure that the global economic response is in line with these principles and the goals of the Paris Agreement.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

14. “While climate mitigation remains the most effective way to reduce climate impacts, more investment is also needed to ensure vulnerable States can effectively adapt to the impacts of climate change that are already occurring. Building resilience, disaster risk reduction and adaptive capacity allows countries to better cope with climate-related events before they become security challenges. With regard to the specific security implications of climate change, the United Nations response should be coordinated by a newly appointed special rapporteur on climate and security. With regard to COVID-19 and the Pacific, as we turn towards the recovery from the pandemic, we have a once-in-a-century opportunity and a responsibility to prioritize investments in the transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient economy.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

15. “The best way to reduce climate-related conflicts is to take substantial action on climate mitigation. States must do more to lower emissions to reduce future climate-related impacts through implementing and not just communicating national determined contributions. It is crucial that we maintain the global momentum created by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change to ensure it is anchored firmly in its objectives and principles and that it is effectively implemented. For the shared prosperity and security of our Pacific Islands Forum countries, urgent action by the international community to limit global warming to 1.5°C is critical. Anything less would signal to the world that we are not serious about climate change.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

16. “Pacific island countries are particularly vulnerable to these effects, with their extensive rural populations, high reliance on natural resources and ecosystem services, and great exposure to weather-related hazards and ocean changes. Combined and increasing, such threats can overwhelm response and recovery efforts, leading to a breakdown in governance and security and stimulating unrest with wide-ranging consequences for well-being and livelihoods in the region. As to the Pacific response, Pacific leaders have affirmed the security challenges resulting from climate change in the Boe Declaration on Regional Security and the Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Change Action Now. The security risks are stark, but the remedy remains clear.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

17. “As the Pacific Islands Forum, we are collectively addressing the Security Council today because the links between climate and security for our region are indivisible and demonstrable. When the effects of climate change intersect with a complex array of environmental, economic and social issues, it becomes a threat multiplier and can be a significant contributor to social and political instability, in addition to both low- level and more violent conflict. The Pacific region faces negative climate impacts stemming from rising temperatures, sea-level rise, ocean warming, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as storm surges and tropical cyclones, more variable rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

18. “I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the 14 States member of the Pacific Islands Forum with a presence at the United Nations, namely, Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and my own country, Tuvalu. On behalf of our group, we would like to express our gratitude to the co-sponsors for convening this important debate on climate and security. We would also like to take this opportunity to convey our condolences to and solidarity with those countries that have lost lives to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. With regard to climate and security, climate change is the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source