Kiribati - President Addresses General Debate, 72nd Session
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The President of Kiribati, Taneti Maamau, told the United Nations General Assembly that the theme of its current session – ‘Focusing on People’– reminded world leaders of their responsibility to ensure that human lives, dignity and values prevail over “dollar value.”
Indeed, the shared goal is to “provide a peaceful and secure world, without nuclear weapons, and to promote social progress, better living standards, human rights and dignity for all our citizens,” he told the annual general debate.
Offering condolences to those affected by the recent string of natural disasters in the Caribbean, United States and Mexico, and elsewhere, he stressed that while the plight Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, the Maldives and other small island developing States may not capture global attention, those countries and their people continue to suffer daily from the impact of climate-driven disasters.
“The United Nations must focus on the most vulnerable and underprivileged members of our global family, such as the least developed countries and small island developing States,” emphasized Mr. Maamau. “We must make sure they are not left behind in our global journey towards achieving the global development Agenda […] We must make sure their voices are heard,” he added.
Asserting that oceans have a strong connection to people, peace and prosperity, the President urged for the formulation of an international legally-binding instrument to manage the use of biological marine diversity beyond national jurisdiction. “We must ensure that urgent and collective action for conservation of our ocean is made so that we do not repeat the same mistake we made with our atmosphere,” he stressed.
Mr. Maamau pointed out that in the quest for sustainable development, the focus is often on economic fundamentals at the expense of human values. He urged compassion for the most vulnerable to transform the world’s challenges, saying “Love, compassion, respect, understanding and kindness are priceless solutions to the mounting problems that we continue to battle.”
Full statement available here
Indeed, the shared goal is to “provide a peaceful and secure world, without nuclear weapons, and to promote social progress, better living standards, human rights and dignity for all our citizens,” he told the annual general debate.
Offering condolences to those affected by the recent string of natural disasters in the Caribbean, United States and Mexico, and elsewhere, he stressed that while the plight Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, the Maldives and other small island developing States may not capture global attention, those countries and their people continue to suffer daily from the impact of climate-driven disasters.
“The United Nations must focus on the most vulnerable and underprivileged members of our global family, such as the least developed countries and small island developing States,” emphasized Mr. Maamau. “We must make sure they are not left behind in our global journey towards achieving the global development Agenda […] We must make sure their voices are heard,” he added.
Asserting that oceans have a strong connection to people, peace and prosperity, the President urged for the formulation of an international legally-binding instrument to manage the use of biological marine diversity beyond national jurisdiction. “We must ensure that urgent and collective action for conservation of our ocean is made so that we do not repeat the same mistake we made with our atmosphere,” he stressed.
Mr. Maamau pointed out that in the quest for sustainable development, the focus is often on economic fundamentals at the expense of human values. He urged compassion for the most vulnerable to transform the world’s challenges, saying “Love, compassion, respect, understanding and kindness are priceless solutions to the mounting problems that we continue to battle.”
Full statement available here
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Alternate Title
72_KI
Parent ID
1976402
Asset ID
1976780
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