New Zealand credited for focusing on small island states at UN debate

 

Murray McCully talks to reporters before the debate, with NZ's permanent representative to the UN, Gerard van Bohemen, and Nicola Garvey, deputy spokesperson in the UN Mission. Photo / Audrey Young

Over 70 countries joined a New Zealand-sponsored debate at the Security Council early today (NZ time) on peace and security in small island developing states (SIDS).
The event took top billing of New Zealand's initiatives during its month-long presidency of the council which finishes tomorrow.
AA BBQ was planned after the debated on the riverside lawn of the United Nations site but steady rain has forced the event inside.
During the debate almost every speaker gave credit to New Zealand for putting the focus on small island states at the highest level of the United Nations.

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi asked the Security Council to consider putting day aside again to consider challenges of small island states.
Today was the first time such a debate had been held. While 44 SIDS countries make up 22 per cent of the UN membership, they had held a seat on the Security Council on only six occasions since 1945.
And as predicted, climate change was a recurring theme in the contributions of the island states themselves, as well as fisheries and transnational crime.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon kicked off the debate, with Foreign Minister Murray McCully in the chair.
Mr Ban said the Security Council had a right to highlight climate change for international peace and security.
Rising sea levels and increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters exacerbated the condition leading to community displacement and migration.
"It threatens to increase the tensions over resources and affect domestic and regional stability."
"We need a meaningful and universal global climate agreement in Paris in December.
SIDS are on the front line of climate change."
He said Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu was the latest in a long stream of devastations that small island states had endured and would continue to endure as long as climate change was not adequately addressed.
Mr McCully's contribution on behalf of New Zealand focused on the need to stamp out illegal fishing and on helping SIDS to adapt to renewable energy.
"We need a concerted international effort to stamp out illegal fishing and under-reporting practices that amount to literally stealing from some of the poorest people on the planet."
Samoa's Tuilaepa was one of three "briefers" to the council who spoke early about the issues for small island developing countries.
Samoa hosted a major conference last year for Small Island Developing States.
He began by saying the message of SIDS to the Security Council was unequivocal.
"No region, no group of countries and no selective security issues should continue to have a monopoly of the council's time, attention and resources.
"SIDS are important constituents of the UN Security Council in their own right irrespective of their sizes, economic influence, political clout or military strength.
"Their concerns matter like everyone else in this chamber. Their voices deserve to be heard, their views need to be understood and their challenges considered and addressed."
Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller talked about how the trafficking of drugs, firearms and people. The high level of gun-related crime in the region undermined law and order, and impeded economic growth and social development.
Jamaica was doing what it could to improve its level of response but it wasn't enough and needed international help.
She also said robust policy action on climate change was vital to Jamaica's national, regional and global welfare.
Jean-Paul Adam, the Seychelles Finance Minister, was the third special speaker to the council.
He talked about the Seychelles wants to improve governance of the oceans - the Seychelles has a Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.3 million square kilometres.
He said the Seychelles Government had created a "blue economy department," which was part of his portfolio as the Finance Minister.
"We are staking our economic future on better harnessing the development potential of our ocean.
"In practical terms, we are implementing the blue economy through the development of a marine special plan whereby we define the economic and conservation activities to be developed throughout our EEZ.
It was committing 30 per cent of the EEZ as protected areas, improving fisheries stock management and was in discussion with financial institutions to raise "a blue bond" to provide financing for the initiatives.

Green MP attends debate

Green MP Kennedy Graham travelled all the way to New York to witness the unique debate today on small island developing states at the Security Council.
It was unique because it was focusing on the security of tiny states as opposed to the massive global crises and elsewhere, he said.
"The other reason it is unique is because it is holding up the mirror to the whole theoretical issues as to what the Security Council is meant to be responsible for in the 21st century."
In the 20th century its concerns were basically armed conflict.
"Today it is broadening into the whole issue of global governance, all manner of threats."
But now the Pacific states and others were saying the existential threat to their survival was climate change and sea-level rise, it left a big question hanging in the air: is the Security Council responsible for that kind of existential threat.
"That's huge because that's the difference between leaving a threat to the planet and humanity to multilateral negotiations - as in the framework convention in Paris [this December] or concentrated management by the Security Council on the other hand."
He did not expect the Security Council to make dramatic or draconian decisions on climate change.
"But it needs to recognise and take on board responsibility for oversight and management."
As one speaker said, the Security Council had to recognise that there were threats to peace and security imposed by nature, not just by humans.
"It may not not happen today. It's going to happen. It's a question of when."
Kiribati president Anote Tong impressed him the most.
"He really pushed the Security Council to do it today - to declare [climate change] to be a threat to peace and security."
Dr Graham said the Government had to be given credit for getting the issue on the agenda and the New Zealand delegation had made it possible for him to sit on floor of the Security Council chamber to observe.
Dr Graham has formerly worked for the United Nations and been a consultant on Security Council issues