Tuvalu at the United Nations | ![]() |
Tuvalu
Statement Delivered by His Excellency, Mr. Afelee F Pita Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the United Nations at the Special Session of the Security Council on Energy, Climate and Security Tuesday 17th April 2007 Madam President At the 60th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, and in many other occasions in the United Nations, the Government of Tuvalu highlighted the issue of environment security, particularly in relation to climate change. We are extremely grateful to see that this concern is now on the agenda of the Security Council. As it wisely decided in 2000 in regards to the issue of security threats of HIV/AIDS, we strongly believe the Security Council should permanently place on its agenda the issue of climate change and environmental security. As it is known, this is a topic of extreme importance to a small, atoll nation like Tuvalu. The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change further highlights the extreme vulnerability of island countries like Tuvalu to the impacts of climate change, and the urgent necessity for global actions to address their vulnerability. We face many threats associated with climate change. Ocean warming is changing the very nature of our island nation. Slowly our coral reefs are dieing through coral bleaching, we are witnessing changes to fish stocks, and we face the increasing threat of more severe cyclones. With the highest point of four metres above sea level, the threat of severe cyclones is extremely disturbing, and severe water shortages will further threaten the livelihoods of people in many islands. Madam President, our livelihood is already threatened by sea level rise, and the implications for our long term security are very disturbing. Many have spoken about the possibility of migrating from our homeland. If this becomes a reality, then we are faced with an unprecedented threat to our nationhood. This would be an infringement on our fundamental rights to nationality and statehood as constituted under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions. But Tuvalu is not alone in facing the threats of climate change, many millions of people will suffer the effects. The world has moved from a global threat once called the Cold War, to what now should be considered the “Warming War”. Our conflict is not with guns and missiles but with weapons from everyday lives – chimney stacks and exhaust pipes. We are confronted with a chemical war of immense proportions, and as you, Madam President, correctly underscored at the last UNGA general debate. “…if we continue to free ride on climate change, we will all face free fall due to its impacts”. Madam President We humbly call upon the Security Council to understand and respond to these new concepts of security and conflict. Madam President Madam President, through you we therefore beseech the Security Council to act urgently to address the threats to our national security. We would respectfully wish to make four concrete suggestions: First, we believe that the real and serious threat posed by climate change, demands solutions and decisions to be taken at the highest level of government. As in the UNGA debates we strongly encourage the Security Council for a resolution to urge the UN Secretary General to convene a World Leaders Summit on Climate Change as soon as possible. Third, there is an urgent need to build strong institutional arrangements to protect and restore vulnerable countries, like Tuvalu from the impacts of climate change. We need a global strategy on adaptation and disaster risk reduction which should include new insurance facilities. These can be key themes for consideration at the proposed Summit on Climate Change. Finally, Madam President, we strongly encourage the Security Council to review its charter and to fully embrace the concept of environmental security within its mandate. This is not simply a matter of identifying trouble spots where armed conflict may be linked to environmental decline. We believe that the Security Council should address environmental decline as a security issue in itself. Madam President I thank you.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Tuvalu U.N. Page Tuvalu Online Home |