New York, NY – September 23, 2024 – Her Excellency President Dr. Hilda C. Heine joined other world leaders to address the United Nations General Assembly at the Summit of the Future, emphasizing the urgent need for a more effective UN system to tackle pressing global challenges.
Highlighting the critical link between security and development, President Heine underscored that for small island developing states, climate change poses the greatest threat. President Heine advocated for a robust focus on youth engagement, as they will face the consequences of current inaction, and welcomed initiatives like the Global Digital Compact to bridge the digital divide in isolated regions. However, she cautioned against the disconnect between ambitious goals and the financial resources required to achieve them, stressing the need for a dedicated focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in global agendas. President Heine highlighted that Taiwan’s vital partnership with the Marshall Islands deserves recognition and meaningful UN participation to address the climate threats facing small island developing states.
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Her Excellency President Dr. Hilda C. Heine’s Remarks at the Summit of the Future:
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies,
The Republic of the Marshall Islands welcomes the Summit and Pact of the Future as an important opportunity to better match our collective political ambitions with a more effective UN system to help deliver results.
Our sustainable development and security challenges are overwhelming. Rightly, the Pact has encouraged security and development agenda and assistance to be better aligned – a vital recognition that in the Pacific, and in other fragile regions, development and security are closely linked. And, as a low-lying atoll nation and small island developing state, climate remains our biggest security threat. By better emphasizing peacebuilding, we can help to reduce vulnerability- to rising seas and to rising tensions alike.
This meeting should truly be for the future – and to boost the rightful participation of the youngest and future generations. It is youth, the leaders of tomorrow, who will face the strongest consequences of inaction today.
Mr. President,
The global digital divide is a major development challenge for our Pacific Islands region – we are some of the most isolated places on earth. We welcome the Global Digital Compact, and highlight our Joint Program to advance digitalization, working with assistance across the UN system. It is important that more actions continue to show that we all can do more than commit, we can implement.
Mr. President,
The document ultimately reflects – not shapes – the fragmented multilateral platform. It is hard not to be frustrated over apparent political limitations. There is an incredible and persistent gap between ambitious solutions and international finance at hand. We have all seen far too many “set it and forget it” moments at international summits. And the international system is at risk of glossing over where we all have fallen short, instead of identifying and addressing the core causes. Many of the SDGs remain stuck in place despite our ambition and political will. And we cannot keep papering over the sobering shortcomings without arriving at the conclusion that the money just isn’t there, or, when it is, it is so distant that it never reaches our shores and local communities.
Finally, it will be an important task to develop clear lines and linkages between the Pact of the Future and the Antigua ABAS agenda for SIDS. Small island nations need, and deserve a dedicated focus, which we all adopted earlier this year. But if this Pact is to be a blueprint for future partnership, then we cannot leave SIDS out of global goal-setting.
Mr. President,
Taiwan remains a key partner to the Marshall Islands. Taiwan’s important partnership deserves appropriate recognition. If we are to truly leave no one behind.”, then Taiwan deserves meaningful and enhanced participation in the UN system.
