Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary-General,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Mr. President,

On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands allow me to offer cordial congratulations on your election as President of the 56th session of the General Assembly, and to offer Marshall Islands' unreserved cooperation to our deliberations in this session. I must express sincere gratitude to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Hari Holkeri, whose outstanding leadership was instrumental in making the 55th session, coined the Millennium Assembly, highly successful. The Republic of the Marshall Islands pay tribute to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan for his re-election to a second term as distinguished Secretary--General, as well as for winning the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, a very well deserved and timely recognition to this organization and His Excellency's wisdom and dedication to the service of mankind.

Mr. President,

It is with heavy heart and deep sorrow the government of His Excellency Mr. Kessai H. Note and the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands reiterate to the Government and people of the United States of America deepest sympathy and condolences for the suffering and pain caused by the terrorist attacks on 11th September. Similarly, we wish to convey our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the other great nations that were directly affected by this tragic and inhumane act. You were not alone in your daily trials and tribulations; the Republic of the Marshall Islands was with you. Furthermore, we extend our solidarity and condolences to the government and people of the Dominican Republic who suffered losses in the recent crashed of American Airlines Flight 587.

Mr. President,

The Republic of the Marshall Islands condemns all acts of terrorism. I am pleased to inform this gathering of the ratification by the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands of six conventions and treaties related to terrorism: The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Internationally Protected Persons, The International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombing, The Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, The Convention for the Marketing of Plastic Explosives for Purpose of Detection and Identification, and The Convention Against the Taking of Hostages.

Mr. President,

The blatant worldwide increase in abhorrent behaviors to human dignity, freedom, and basic rights of innocent people, encouraged the early ratification of the Rome Statute by the Marshall Islands, which calls for the establishment of an International Criminal Court. The Republic of the Marshall Islands welcomes an early establishment of the Court and implementation of its mandates.

Mr. President,

The Republic of the Marshall Islands remains fully committed to the principles enshrined in the Human Rights Bill. The government is currently in the process toward the ratification of the following conventions: The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman Treatment or Punishment; The International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; The UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; and The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. The Republic of the Marshall Islands intends to accede to these conventions in the near future.

Mr. President,

While our Government, given the unique conditions under which we seek our means for living, has been one to support readily new scientific breakthroughs, innovations that uplift the betterment of the world. However, there are certain scientific initiatives, we feel, that run counter to human decency. In this regard, we fully associate ourselves with the intention expressed by the Governments of Germany and France in calling for a universal convention banning human cloning for reproductive purposes. We believe this scientific endeavor directly violates the Universal Declaration of Human Genome and Human Rights drawn up by UNESCO and endorsed by the General Assembly in its Resolution 53/152, Article 11. An article that specifies, "practices which are contrary to human dignity, such as reproductive cloning of human beings, shall not be permitted."

Mr. President,

As in the past, the Republic of the Marshall Islands will continue to voice in the strongest terms possible, in the best form of language at its disposal, its concerns and fears over issues relating to climate change and rising sea level. You will note that several Pacific Island atoll countries are represented in this organization. Like other small islands states, the Republic of the Marshall Islands is plagued with a unique set of problems. Our coastal zones have become highly vulnerable to erosion, our ground water systems are affected by higher salt-water intrusion, and increasing salinity impacts directly on our subsistence cropping. Such set of vulnerabilities, together with prolonged droughts, constitutes a deadly peril to our health and survival. We welcome the successful outcome of COP-6, which recently concluded in Marrakech, Morocco. The Kyoto Protocol is the best available solution to address our environmental concerns. While we would certainly look back in the coming days and commend ourselves for the mission that would be accomplished, we certainly owe it all to our children and our children's children.

Mr. President,

The Millennium Declaration adopted by the Heads of States and Governments during the Millennium Assembly should serve as our guiding framework and road map toward the achievement of sustainable development, eradication of poverty, combating HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, prevention of illegal trafficking of small arms, and safeguarding the environment just to name a few of the human-face objectives that we seek to accomplish during the coming years.

Mr. President,

Immediately following the Millennium Assembly, His Excellency President Kessai H. Note convened a broad-based National Economic and Social Summit, the outcome of which a national planning vision has been developed as a guiding framework for a long-term national development plan. I commend the outcome of this initiative for your generous support and assistance.

Mr. President,

The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is of the view that the United Nations must move forward pro-actively in its reform process. We commend the Secretary-General for his reform programs. However, much more needs to be done. We encourage the Fifth Committee and UN funds and programs to support and cooperate in the reform process.

Mr. President,

The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands fully supports the expansion of the Security Council by both permanent and non-permanent categories based on equity inclusive of developed and developing countries to meet the realities and challenges of our contemporary world. We note certain issues need to be agreed on. We should move forward with broad-based agreement and revisit our disagreements.

Mr. President,

Now that this organization stands at 189 member states, 14 of them being from the Pacific region, the reconfiguration of our electoral grouping should be an additional matter to be placed on the table. It may be a complex one. However, through our collective efforts and inspiration, it can be an achievable goal to be considered without further delay.

Mr. President,

The exclusion of the Republic of China on Taiwan from this eminent body and its related agencies has created a major and serious setback for the Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan in its pursuit of its fundamental rights to participate in international dialogue and regional organizations and activities. The time has come once again to reconsider the exclusion of the Republic of China on Taiwan from this prestigious body. There is so much that The Republic of China on Taiwan can co-operate with the United Nations system in areas of sustainable development, technology, health, peace, and prosperity.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, the Republic of the Marshall Islands pledges its commitment to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

God bless the United Nations.

Thank you for your kind attention.