YouSaid · the spoken record

Seid

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7
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2023-02-14
most recent
2023-02-14
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1
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un-security-council

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  1. “If we do not take steps to mitigate those risks, one can only imagine the enormity of the security issues we will face. I thank you again, Mr. President, for convening this open debate. We call on Malta’s leadership and all members of the Council to recognize the risks to peace and security associated with sea level rise and join with the Pacific to find meaningful, proactive and effective solutions with urgency.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source

  2. “Finally, we invite the Council to come to the Pacific to see sea level rise first-hand and hear the stories of those affected. We have said in previous debates that forced migration, displacement, food and water insecurity, and infrastructure damage are terms we often associate with war and conflict zones, but in the Pacific it is climate change that is the root cause of such threats to peace. While SIDS are on the front line of the crisis, 149 of the 193 United Nations Member States — 77 per cent of the United Nations membership — are exposed to sea level rise. Currently, approximately 634 million people worldwide are at risk owing to sea level rise, while a significant part of the world’s population live in coastal areas.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source

  3. “That position is reflected in the Pacific Islands Forum Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea Level Rise and the 2021 AOSIS Leaders’ Declaration, which set out our position on how the rules on maritime zones under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea must apply in the situation of climate-change-related sea level rise. Secondly, we ask for support for the initiative spearheaded by Vanuatu and supported by the Pacific Islands for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change. Thirdly, we reiterate our call for the appointment of a special representative of the Secretary-General on climate change and security, who would inform the future work of the Council and the General Assembly.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source

  4. “However, we also want to note that our identities as Pacific islanders are grounded in our countries. Those are our homes and have been for thousands of years — paying for relocation is not a solution we can accept. We all need to do more to meet the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C. We propose four actions that the Council might undertake to address the risks related to sea level rise. First, we reiterate our call for support as it relates to our maritime zones and the need to secure them, as well as the rights and entitlements that flow from them, without reduction, even in the face of rising sea levels.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source

  5. “Similarly, fearing total inundation, the nation of Tuvalu has launched an initiative to upload a virtual version of the country into the metaverse as a means to preserve the country and its culture. It sounds like science fiction — something we might see in a movie about some made-up disaster — but those are two real-life examples that are happening today. But extreme measures are not only happening in SIDS. In the United States, the Biden Administration will pay $75 million to three tribal communities in Alaska and Washington that have been severely affected by the effects of climate change for them to relocate to higher ground. The main difference here is that we, as small island developing States, do not have the fiscal space or in some cases the physical land mass to take those extreme adaptation measures.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source

  6. “The Pacific SIDS led the discussions on the novel General Assembly resolution on climate change and its possible security implications, which was adopted in 2009 (General Assembly resolution 63/281). Rising sea levels have already flooded many of our coastlines and forced migration and displacement. They have intruded on our water tables, creating water insecurity and affecting our ability to grow crops and live healthily. The risk of sea level rise to the Pacific islands is such that many of us have taken severe measures to address it. In Kiribati, former President Anote Tong introduced a “migration with dignity” strategy and purchased 5,500 acres in Fiji for supplementary food production in order to combat food insecurity and provide a potential location in which to resettle if sea level rise were to render Kiribati uninhabitable.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source

  7. “I deliver this statement on behalf of the 12 Pacific small island developing States (SIDS). We align our statement with those to be delivered by the representatives of Samoa on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and of Tonga on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum. We convey our gratitude to Malta for holding this debate on sea level rise and its implications for peace and security. Climate change is no longer a novel concept in the Security Council’s discussions — it has been discussed in various forms since 2007. Rising seas create a multitude of issues for all coastal States. However, they are an existential threat to low-lying and atoll islands throughout the Pacific.”

    2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source