(New
York, New York) - Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) President Peter
Christian delivered FSM’s national address before the 71st session of the United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He focused on themes of global peace and
security, reform and modernization of the UN, climate change, and oceans.
President Christian
began his remarks by congratulating Peter Thomson, Permanent Representative of
Fiji to the UN, on his election to the Presidency of the UNGA for the 71st
session, calling it a historic occasion for Pacific islands. He next thanked the
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is finishing his term this year, for being
a champion of many issues important to Small Island Developing States (SIDS),
such as increasing political momentum to address climate change.
President Christian condemned
the spread of terrorism worldwide. He said it pained him to see millions of innocent
civilians desperately seeking shelter from the turmoil of war. He called on the
UN Security Council for a stronger response to this global crisis. He also challenged
the United States and Russia, as well as the Syrian government, to do more to
stop the violence in Syria. The President also condemned North Korea’s ongoing
provocative actions and rhetoric, which could threaten the peace and long term
stability of the Asia Pacific region.
The President called for
reform of the UN, citing the need for modernization of principles and practices
as well as technologies. The UN must focus on preventive diplomacy around the
entire world and not only address hot spots; it should act more as a
peacekeeper than a peacemaker.
With respect to the UN
Security Council, the President emphasized that the Council must adapt to
modern times and be reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities. He
reiterated the FSM’s support for the G4 countries (Brazil, Germany, India and
Japan) to become permanent members of the Council. He also expressed support
for appointment of a Special Representative in the UN system to be dedicated to
climate change and security.
President Christian
observed that a number of milestone agreements were adopted this year: on disaster
risk reduction, financing for development, the 2030 Development Agenda, and the
Paris Agreement on climate change. He said that integrating the sustainable
development goals (SDGs) into national plans will be challenging for SIDS and
that they must be fully included in the relevant UN processes.
On oceans, the President
explained that the FSM is custodian of the some of the world’s richest marine
resources. Under the Micronesia Challenge, the FSM has pledged to conserve 30%
of its near shore marine areas. These conservation efforts also enable FSM’s
sustainable use of its oceanic fisheries.
On climate change,
President Christian acknowledged that progress has been made in the last 25
years, but not enough. The President called attention to the ratification of the
Paris Agreement by more than 30 countries, including virtually all Pacific
islands. This raises hope that the agreement will enter into force soon,
although implementation will require higher levels of both climate mitigation
and climate finance ambition. Regarding the proposed amendment to the Montreal
Protocol to phase down HFCs, President Christian reiterated his thanks to co-sponsors
and other supporters who have helped bring the process of negotiating an HFC
amendment to its final stages.
The President welcomed
the progress in diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba and
urged an acceleration in the process towards lifting the embargo on Cuba. He
noted that the FSM and Cuba have also established diplomatic relations. President
Christian also applauded the peace accord in Colombia and offered his sincere
hopes for its success, punctuating this sentiment by saying “Viva Colombia!”
As Chair of the Pacific
Islands Forum, President Christian concluded his speech with a brief report of the
47th meeting of the Forum. He related outcomes of the meeting with
respect to the themes of oceans, health, human rights, fisheries (including
illegal fishing), partnership and climate change, all of which are contained in
the Pacific Islands Forum
Communiqué.
He also reported that Forum leaders endorsed the Pohnpei Oceans Statement:
A Course to Sustainability.
President Christian’s
full statement and video of his speech is available at: https://gadebate.un.org/en/71/micronesia-federated-states
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