Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

13 July 2022

 

Excellencies,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this discussion on Protecting and Promoting SDG14 to Address SIDS Unique Vulnerability and Resilience.

 

I commend Australia for organizing this event and for consistently championing the cause of small island states. 

 

My friends,

 

This year is an extremely crucial one for the Ocean, as we acknowledge the 40th anniversary of UNCLOS and the successful completion of the 2022 UN Oceans Conference in Lisbon.

 

As I emphasized in Lisbon, there is no scenario whereby we live on this planet without a healthy Ocean.

 

We depend on the Ocean for the air we breathe, for countless jobs and livelihoods, for economic growth, for travel, for trade, and for leisure.

 

It is the largest ecosystem on our planet and is home to an incredible wealth of biodiversity.

 

Truly, the Ocean is a resource that touches upon every facet of life on this planet. Protecting it and ensuring its perseverance should not even be a matter of debate.

 

Yet, debate continues, and actions are delayed. We remain far behind on our targets and ambitions.

 

This has become all the more concerning in light of the drastic effects of climate change. This is a path that threatens a warmer, higher, and more acidic Ocean. An Ocean with dramatically reduced biodiversity, with severe impacts on coastal communities, and with a limited capacity to support environmental actions, such as carbon absorption.

 

Dear friends,

 

To say that this is of particular concern for small islands would be an understatement.

 

SIDS are quite literally on the frontlines – on the shorelines – of the struggle to save our ocean.

 

When the ocean is protected – its biodiversity, its ecosystems – we reap the harvest of sustainable fishing, of tourism, and of reliable jobs and livelihoods.

 

When the ocean’s health is in decline, we feel its environmental impacts first – the rising sea levels, the erosion of coastlines, the near endless cycle of storms and sea surges, the drop in fisheries and tourism, and related jobs and livelihoods.

 

Clearly more must be done to reverse the damage inflicted upon the ocean and to put in place measures to protect it. And small islands can and must lead from the front.

 

With control of almost 30 percent of all oceans and seas, and considering that 96.5% of SIDS is ocean, small islands can be at the forefront of action on SDG14.

 

This includes the development of partnerships with the international community and the private sector.

 

It includes the push for use of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index as a tool for more holistic approach to development, and a country’s vulnerability, and its ability to address and overcome risk.

 

An MVI is a tool that can be used to help SIDS gain access to support needed to address these challenges. And it includes coordinated support to improve long-term national planning, service debts, and sign up to insurance and compensation schemes that can serve as a lifeline when needed.

 

The high level panel that I had constituted to finalize the MVI is working at a brisk pace. They have been regularly briefing the Member States on the progress of their work. I am hopeful that they will be able to complete their work before the end of the 76th session.

 

My friends,

 

There was a time when climate change was far from a priority on the global agenda.

 

SIDS helped make this a priority; we helped push this item further up the list.

 

We need that same moral leadership and foresight now; we need to be the leaders that our Ocean requires.

 

Let us join together in this endeavor.

 

I wish you all a successful discussion and I thank you again.