Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates.

I am pleased to join the previous speakers in congratulating you and your Bureau on your election to the chairmanship of the Second Committee. My delegation pledges its full support to you and your Bureau. I would also like to thank your distinguished predecessor for his stewardship of this Committee.

We associate ourselves with the statement made by Fiji on behalf of the G77 and China, and by Nauru on behalf of the AOSIS membership.

The Committee meets at a crucial time. The negotiations for the post-2015 development agenda are gathering steam and many of its elements will be reflected in our work here.

Mr. Chairman,

The preparations for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States to be held in Samoa next year are now underway. Micronesia and other Small Island Developing States recognize the renewed willingness of the international community to help our countries address our priorities and challenges. The Committee is tasked with defining the modalities of the Conference. It is our considered opinion that we need a solid process so that we can arrive at the best possible outcome in Apia.

We welcome the launch of the High-Level Political Forum. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the new Forum taking on the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of sustainable development commitments outlined in the Barbados Program of Action, the Mauritius Strategy and the Rio+20 Outcome Document. Together with the reform of ECOSOC, we can ensure that SIDS’ issues are placed at the core.

Mr. Chairman,

I want to commend the Secretary-General for his vision and his advocacy for the convening of a High-level Summit on Climate Change next year. His focus on theme of climate change will generate the political momentum to highlight Climate Change in the post 2015-development agenda that will guide all stakeholders.

Climate change is, without question, the gravest threat to my people’s welfare, our livelihoods, and our general security. It is the survival issue of our time. Our sustainable development is threatened by the harmful effects of excessive greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, effects which poison our root crops, destroy our coral reefs, and drive many of our people from their ancestral homes. All of us, developed and developing countries, have a stake in finding ways that minimize manmade damage to Mother Earth.

Toward that end, the comprehensive climate change treaty that is planned to be adopted in 2015 must impose legally binding commitments. These commitments must reflect a level of ambition far higher than under the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Pre-2020 mitigation action must also be ambitious enough to close the emissions gap. We believe, that only collectively, can we effectively take up this cause.

I reiterate the hope that the world can address the dangerous growth of HFCs by phasing down those chemicals under the Montreal Protocol. Micronesia was the first to submit an innovative proposal in this regard. We welcome the newly announced agreement between China and the United States to phase down HFCs. We also welcome similar developments around the globe. Achieving a phase down of HFCs under the Protocol will build confidence and momentum for significant action on climate change in the future.

Nationally, we operate under a Nationwide Integrated Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Policy that mainstreams climate change into our governmental and economic decision-making processes. Our Legislative Branch has recently ratified the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol. We will soon submit the instrument of ratification.

We also recently adopted a National Energy Policy that mandates a sustainable energy supply and an environmentally sound energy policy. We have begun to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. There are already a number of renewable energy projects operating in many parts of my country, thanks to the assistance of our generous development partners. My country has undertaken very ambitious targets in this regard.

Mr. Chairman,

We recognize the central role that reliable data plays in governmental planning and the crucial need for capacity building. This must keep apace with the changing dynamics of basic governance on the international landscape. The remoteness of our islands, our limited national capacities, and the United Nations’ complex requirements make our development efforts even more difficult and expensive. We therefore look to this body and the specialized agencies of the UN for urgent assistance.

Mr. Chairman,

In order to continue implementing our national development policies, we call on major donor States to honor their Official Development Assistance (ODA) target of seven tenths of a percent of Gross National Income by 2015. We look forward to the discussion in the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing. Technical assistance as a component of ODA is also crucial, particularly in the form of appropriate technology transfers and capacity-building initiatives.

Sustainable development must be supported by all of its pillars-not just economic and environmental concerns, but also social considerations. Our approach must be inclusive and transformational. The advancement of all must be central and mainstreamed into our discussion on a post 2015 development agenda.

Thank you, Mr. President.