Thank you Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States represented
at the United Nations, namely, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and my own country, Federated
States of Micronesia.
The Pacific SIDS align themselves with the statement given by the distinguished delegate
of the Solomon Islands on behalf of AOSIS and we join others in congratulating the
members of the bureau on their election.
The CSD is an important occasion to recognise the progress made by the international
community towards sustainable development. Yet, it is also an alarming reminder of
how much more remains to be done, and the tragic consequences that will result if the
current rate of resource exploitation continues. The world?s poor, including in the Pacific,
are at the front line of our collective failure to act.
Mr. Chairman,
In improving our progress towards implementing Agenda 21, we must take advantage of
this review year as we work towards the high level meeting on the Mauritius Strategy,
the MDG Summit and the high level meeting on biodiversity. This exceptional confluence
of global meetings is a unique opportunity to agree an action plan to transform international
commitments into concrete action to address overuse and inequities in resource
consumption.
Mr. Chairman,
The Pacific SIDS wish to highlight three issues in today?s opening that are critical to the
sustainable development of our region.
First, one of the challenges Pacific countries face in fully implementing sustainable development
is access to international finance. We seek the cooperation of our partners
in developing a ?Pacific Template,? ? that is, a set of project financing guidelines endorsed
by relevant stakeholders, that streamlines access to development funding for
Pacific Island communities.
Secondly, many Pacific countries depend on marine resources for food security and as
an essential pillar of sustainable economic growth. Yet, marine resources are being depleted
by actions beyond our control. As noted in the Secretary General?s report
(E/CN.17/2010/3), the world?s oceans have lost more than 90 percent of the large fish
that humans rely on for food, income and other purposes. More fish are caught now
than the oceans can replace.
We seek real commitments from the international community for transformative action in
the management of fish stocks to ensure sustainability and greater economic selfsufficiency
for our region. We look forward to this being reflected in the political declaration
emanating from the high level review of the Mauritius Strategy.
Finally, we cannot talk meaningfully about sustainable development in the Pacific,
unless we address the very real possibility some of our islands may no longer be inhabitable
in the future, and some may be totally submerged as a result of the impacts of
climate change.
The international community must urgently increase its action in responding to the climate
crisis. We are alarmed by the lowering of ambitions for the UNFCCC meeting in
Cancun, Mexico.
We seek a legally binding agreement at the end of this year, with ambitious emission
reduction commitments that will ensure the survival of all small island developing states.
We also reiterate our call for the relevant UN organs, including the Security Council, to
take up the security implications of climate change as a matter of urgency.
Thank you.
