Tuvalu and the United Nations
Encyclopedia
Tuvalu
became the 189th member of the United Nations
in September 2000. At present, the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations is Ambassador Afelee F. Pita
.
Tuvalu, one of the world's smallest countries, has indicated that its priority within the United Nations is to emphasise "climate change
and the unique vulnerabilities of Tuvalu to its adverse impacts". Other priorities are obtaining "additional development assistance from potential donor countries", widening the scope of Tuvalu's bilateral diplomatic relations, and, more generally, expressing "Tuvalu's interests and concerns". The issue of climate change has featured prominently in Tuvalu's interventions. Indeed, the country joined the United Nations as soon as it could afford to do so, to raise the issue to greater prominence. In June 2007, Prime Minister
Apisai Ielemia
wrote in the UN Chronicle
that climate change was the "one issue that strikes at the heart of my nation", and added: "For this reason, Tuvalu has been very active in climate change negotiations and has actively participated in recent discussions in the UN Security Council. For a small island developing State like Tuvalu, this is a security issue of immense proportions". He called for "a new kind of Marshall Plan
to secure the necessary funds to meet the costs of adaptation". Willy Telavi
, who became Prime Minister in December 2010, has likewise asked the United Nations to act urgently on the issue.
Tuvalu notably played an active role in the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
in Copenhagen
, attracting media attention. The Tuvaluan delegation submitted a proposed protocol which would have imposed deeper, legally binding emission cuts, including on developing nations. The proposal -dubbed by the media and by NGOs as the "Tuvalu Protocol"- was "immediately supported by other small island states, including Grenada
, Trinidad and Tobago
and several African states", but opposed by countries including China
, India
and Saudi Arabia
. The disagreement caused a suspension in negociations, and prompted supportive campaign groups to "demonstrate[...] outside the meeting in favour of Tuvalu, chanting: 'Tuvalu is the new deal.'" Tuvalu's position was supported by, among others, East Timor
, the Dominican Republic
, Jamaica
and Vanuatu
, and by Papua New Guinea
n chief negociator Kevin Conrad
. Tuvalu and its representative Ian Fry "were the toast of the thousands of environmentalists at the conference, who held a noisy demonstration in support of the island state's position". In an article entitled "You caused it, you fix it: Tuvalu takes off the gloves", the Sydney Morning Herald noted that, by asking for a protocol that would legally bind developing countries, Tuvalu had "cracked a diplomatic axiom that has prevailed since the UN climate convention came into being in 1992: rich countries caused global warming, and it was their responsibility to fix it". The Economic Times
in India noted that the Tuvaluan proposal had " take[n] centre stage", holding up proceedings for two consecutives days until it was rejected due to opposition from larger nations. Australian Senator Christine Milne
described Tuvalu as "the mouse that roared" at the Conference. Fry refused to support the final agreement
reached by the Conference, describing it as "30 pieces of silver to betray our future and our people", after delivering a final plea in a speech with tears in his eyes, concluding "The fate of my country rests in your hands". The Australian
’s political editor commented that, following Fry's "tear-jerking performance that prompted wild applause among the crowded Copenhagen conference floor", Tuvalu was "no longer small fry on the world stage".
Tomasi Puapua
concluded his address to the United Nations General Assembly
by saying:
Addressing the Special Session of the Security Council
on Energy, Climate and Security in April 2007, Ambassador Pita stated:
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September 2008, Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia
stated:
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
became the 189th member of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in September 2000. At present, the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations is Ambassador Afelee F. Pita
Afelee F. Pita
Afelee F. Pita, born February 11, 1958, is a Tuvaluan diplomat. He is currently Tuvalu's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.Pita holds a Master's degree in public administration from the University of Canberra and a Bachelor of Arts degree in administration and accounting from the...
.
Tuvalu, one of the world's smallest countries, has indicated that its priority within the United Nations is to emphasise "climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
and the unique vulnerabilities of Tuvalu to its adverse impacts". Other priorities are obtaining "additional development assistance from potential donor countries", widening the scope of Tuvalu's bilateral diplomatic relations, and, more generally, expressing "Tuvalu's interests and concerns". The issue of climate change has featured prominently in Tuvalu's interventions. Indeed, the country joined the United Nations as soon as it could afford to do so, to raise the issue to greater prominence. In June 2007, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Tuvalu
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu is the head of government of Tuvalu. According to Tuvalu's constitution, the Prime Minister must always be a member of Parliament, and is elected by Parliament in a secret ballot. Because there are no political parties in Tuvalu, any member of Parliament can be...
Apisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia is a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010.-Background:...
wrote in the UN Chronicle
UN Chronicle
The UN Chronicle is a quarterly publication of the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information, reporting on issues such as human rights, economic development, peacekeeping, health, refugees, programs and activities of the UN and regional issues...
that climate change was the "one issue that strikes at the heart of my nation", and added: "For this reason, Tuvalu has been very active in climate change negotiations and has actively participated in recent discussions in the UN Security Council. For a small island developing State like Tuvalu, this is a security issue of immense proportions". He called for "a new kind of Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
to secure the necessary funds to meet the costs of adaptation". Willy Telavi
Willy Telavi
Willy Telavi is a Tuvaluan politician. He became Prime Minister of Tuvalu on 24 December 2010.-Background:Telavi is from Nanumea. His career in the Tuvalu Police Force culminated in his appointment as Police Commissioner in 1993, a position he held for thirteen years...
, who became Prime Minister in December 2010, has likewise asked the United Nations to act urgently on the issue.
Tuvalu notably played an active role in the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, attracting media attention. The Tuvaluan delegation submitted a proposed protocol which would have imposed deeper, legally binding emission cuts, including on developing nations. The proposal -dubbed by the media and by NGOs as the "Tuvalu Protocol"- was "immediately supported by other small island states, including Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and several African states", but opposed by countries including China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. The disagreement caused a suspension in negociations, and prompted supportive campaign groups to "demonstrate[...] outside the meeting in favour of Tuvalu, chanting: 'Tuvalu is the new deal.'" Tuvalu's position was supported by, among others, East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, and by Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
n chief negociator Kevin Conrad
Kevin Conrad
frame|right|Amb. Conrad in GhanaKevin Mark Conrad, born in the United States to parents living in Papua New Guinea in 1968, is a Papua New Guinean lawyer and environmentalist...
. Tuvalu and its representative Ian Fry "were the toast of the thousands of environmentalists at the conference, who held a noisy demonstration in support of the island state's position". In an article entitled "You caused it, you fix it: Tuvalu takes off the gloves", the Sydney Morning Herald noted that, by asking for a protocol that would legally bind developing countries, Tuvalu had "cracked a diplomatic axiom that has prevailed since the UN climate convention came into being in 1992: rich countries caused global warming, and it was their responsibility to fix it". The Economic Times
The Economic Times
The Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
in India noted that the Tuvaluan proposal had " take[n] centre stage", holding up proceedings for two consecutives days until it was rejected due to opposition from larger nations. Australian Senator Christine Milne
Christine Milne
Christine Anne Milne is an Australian Senator and deputy leader of the Australian Greens.Christine Milne first came to public attention for her role in opposing the building of the Wesley Vale pulp mill near Bass Strait in North Western Tasmania on the basis of its allegedly harmful environmental...
described Tuvalu as "the mouse that roared" at the Conference. Fry refused to support the final agreement
Copenhagen Accord
The Copenhagen Accord is a document that delegates at the 15th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to "take note of" at the final plenary on 18 December 2009....
reached by the Conference, describing it as "30 pieces of silver to betray our future and our people", after delivering a final plea in a speech with tears in his eyes, concluding "The fate of my country rests in your hands". The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
’s political editor commented that, following Fry's "tear-jerking performance that prompted wild applause among the crowded Copenhagen conference floor", Tuvalu was "no longer small fry on the world stage".
Statements
In 2002, Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of Tuvalu
The Governor-General of Tuvalu is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Tuvalu, the nation's Head of State, and performs the duties of the Queen in her absence.-History:...
Tomasi Puapua
Tomasi Puapua
Sir Tomasi Puapua, GCMG, KBE, PC is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu.-Prime minister:He was the second Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 1981-1989...
concluded his address to the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
by saying:
- "Finally, Mr. President, efforts to ensure sustainable development, peace, security and longterm livelihood for the world will have no meaning to us in Tuvalu in the absence of serious actions to address the adverse and devastating effects of global warming. At no more than three meters above sea level, Tuvalu is particularly exposed to these effects. Indeed our people are already migrating to escape, and are already suffering from the consequences of what world authorities on climate change have consistently been warning us. Only two weeks ago, a period when the weather was normal and calm and at low tide, unusually big waves suddenly crashed ashore and flooded most part of the capital island.
- In the event that the situation is not reversed, where does the international community think the Tuvalu people are to hide from the onslaught of sea level rise? Taking us as environmental refugees, is not what Tuvalu is after in the long run. We want the islands of Tuvalu and our nation to remain permanently and not be submerged as a result of greed and uncontrolled consumption of industrialized countries. We want our children to grow up the way my wife and I did in our own islands and in our own culture.
- We once again appeal to the industrialized countries, particularly those who have not done so, to urgently ratify and fully implement the Kyoto ProtocolKyoto ProtocolThe Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
, and to provide concrete support in all our adaptation efforts to cope with the effects of climate change and sea level rise. Tuvalu, having little or nothing to do with the causes, cannot be left on its own to pay the price. We must work together. May God Bless you all. May God Bless the United Nations."
Addressing the Special Session of the Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
on Energy, Climate and Security in April 2007, Ambassador Pita stated:
- "We face many threats associated with climate change. Ocean warming is changing the very nature of our island nation. Slowly our coral reefs are dieing through coral bleaching, we are witnessing changes to fish stocks, and we face the increasing threat of more severe cyclones. With the highest point of four metres above sea level, the threat of severe cyclones is extremely disturbing, and severe water shortages will further threaten the livelihoods of people in many islands. Madam President, our livelihood is already threatened by sea level rise, and the implications for our long term security are very disturbing. Many have spoken about the possibility of migrating from our homeland. If this becomes a reality, then we are faced with an unprecedented threat to our nationhood. This would be an infringement on our fundamental rights to nationality and statehood as constituted under the Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
and other international conventions."
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September 2008, Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia is a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010.-Background:...
stated:
- "Climate change is, without doubt, the most serious threat to the global security and survival of mankind. It is an issue of enormous concern to a highly vulnerable small island State like Tuvalu. Here in this Great House, we now know both the science and economics of climate change. We also know the cause of climate change, and that human actions by ALL countries are urgently needed to address it. The central message of both the IPCCIntergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
reports and the Sir Nicholas SternNicholas SternNicholas Herbert Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford, Kt, FBA is a British economist and academic. He is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics , and 2010 Professor of Collège de...
reports to us, world leaders, is crystal clear: unless urgent actions are done to curb greenhoses gasses emissions by shifting to a new global energy mix based on renewable energy sources, and unless timely adaptation is done, the adverse impact of climate change on all communities, will be catastrophic." (italics in original submission)
External links
- Official website of the Permanent Mission of Tuvalu to the United Nations
- Ambassador Enele Sopoaga's address to the 56th session of the United Nations General Assembly, November 16, 2001
- Governor-General Tomasi Puapua's address to the 57th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 14, 2002
- Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maatia Toafa's address to the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 24, 2004
- Ambassador Enele Sopoaga's address to the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 27, 2006
- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Tavau Teii's address to the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, October 1, 2007
- Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia's address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 26, 2008