STATEMENT by

H.E.TUILOMA NERONI SLADE

Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations

Head of Delegation at the

MILLENNIUM SUMMIT OF THE UNITED NATIONS

New York, 6 September 2000

Mr. President,

Five decades and more ago, we sought a better world. From the devastation of war, we crafted a new Organisation and a hoped-for new order premised on peace, justice and well-being for all. It was a brave experiment.

That today we are able to meet as a vastly transformed, near universal, United Nations, bears testimony to visioned endeavour. This Summit is an occasion for re-dedication to the spirit of that endeavour.

But developments of the past half century have not yielded full dividend for all nations, nor for all peoples. The promises of the Charter of the United Nations, remain unfulfilled. All over the world, core values, and the human condition, are under assault, constantly, shamefully. Far too many are in torment of hunger and disease. We remain a world that needs to be far better. This Summit must therefore be a re-commitment to human needs.

It is also an occasion for the renewal of commitment to the purposes of the Charter. Samoa does so as a small country and with abiding faith in the principles of the Charter. The principles are sound. They are as true today, as at the inception, and they provide for an expanding future. What is missing, and what needs to be established, is the political energy and determination to apply them.

United Nations

The Organisation remains uniquely suited to the pursuit of human values and objectives and the co-ordination of global activities. It needs to perform as efficiently and as effectively as possible.

Much has been undertaken, but much more remains to be done. A range of reforms are needed to advance what we have begun in order to strengthen our Organisation, and to prepare it for the years ahead.

Security Council

The Security Council, in particular, must be able to respond to the reformed comprehensively to meet contemporary demands and the conditions of the world today.

Membership of the Security Council must be enlarged to reflect the realities of the present time and to enhance its role and effectiveness.

International law

We believe very deeply in the sustaining power of international law in support of the principles of the Charter. The United Nations is an essential and cohesive force in the elaboration of international law, and rules for international co-operation which now regulate a phenomenal range of human activity.

Samoa gives its fullest endorsement to the most timely initiative of the Secretary General and his call for universal participation in the multilateral treaty framework, especially those representative of the key objectives of the Organisation.

Nuclear weapons

Samoa continues to join the call for effective disarmament and the total elimination of weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons represent the great paradox of our time: while nations desire peace, and talk of peace, far more of the national wealth goes towards the development and acquisition of ever more sophisticated and destructive weapons of mass destruction.

Nuclear weapons, in particular, reach beyond the paradox, to impose a global curse. Their continuing existence casts a shadow of danger and fear, posing one of the gravest threats to international security and to global human survival. This remains a vital issue of today, not yesterday.

It is essential for the safety and future of all humankind that we place the highest priority on the total elimination of global arsenals of nuclear weapons. Samoa gives the fullest support to the Secretary General's proposal for convening a major international conference towards identifying ways of eliminating nuclear dangers.

International Criminal Court

Samoa believes most strongly in the need for and the purposes of the International Criminal Court, and will continue to play its part in the development of the Court. Humanity needs more than ever a fair, effective and independent instrument of international criminal justice.

Human rights

For the safeguard of human rights, all nations, together, need to persist with efforts to promote tolerance and understanding. The fact is, that we all make up one human family. The diversity of race and culture should pose no threat, but should be seen as a precious gift, with vast potential for mutual enrichment. Freedom is the natural beat of every human heart; democracy the measure of its expression. We need to ensure unquestioned acceptance of the dignity and equality of all, and full respect for their human rights.

Poverty

Poverty must be made a high priority millennium challenge. Too many are at risk. Some are as poor today as they were twenty years ago. This is an appalling fact, especially at a time when economies and income levels are at their highest peaks in many other countries.

Poverty is first and foremost a problem of development. In addressing it we need to address the inter-linking crises of public health, agricultural productivity, environmental degradation and demographic stresses. It is

impossible to develop a nation without a healthy and trained population. Disease and malnutrition will compound their despair.

Environment

The global environment is under severe stress. Human activity is very largely the cause. Serious natural disasters have become more the norm than the exception.

The consequences for a small vulnerable country like Samoa impact directly on life-support systems and the well-being of communities and the national economy. The effects are destructive and lasting.

For Samoa, and other small island States, no other phenomenon is more threatening in its consequences and risks than climate change.

Small island States are doing what they can to contribute to the international climate change negotiations and to efforts to combat this problem, and to design response mechanisms. We played our part in negotiating the Kyoto Protocol: The Protocol is an important first step, and we are committed to bring it into effect as quickly as possible.

Small Island States

The sustainable development of small island developing States was the focus of the 22nd special session of the General Assembly last year. It is a matter of obvious priority for Samoa and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

The 22" special session produced specific and very practical measures for addressing the special needs and vulnerabilities of small island States, and for the effective implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action. Effective access to modem technology and information networking, through the SIDS/Net system, is especially vital. We urge the international community to help give all these the fullest attention.

It is critical for long-term sustainability that there be enhanced capacity for national self-assurance and economic self-sufficiency. This is an underlying premise of the Barbados Programme of Action. We believe it has an important and enduring message for other developing countries.

The way forward

With its legacy and lessons of the old century, and the infinite promise of the new Millennium, Samoa believes deeply that the future is on the side of the United Nations.

Thank you.