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Mr. president of the General Assembly, Mr. Secretary general Excellencies. Ladies and gentlemen. Mr. president, I have the honor to address this Assembly on behalf of the government and the people of the Republic of Vanuatu. I bring with me the voice of a nation of more than 80 islands, of many indigenous communities and languages, and a nation whose identity has been shaped by the ocean, by custom, by faith, by resilience, and above all, by commitment to peace. Mr. Secretary general, this session also carries a particular significance for us because it is the final high level General assembly of your tenure as Secretary General of the United Nations. On behalf of the government and people of Vanuatu, I wish to convey our profound appreciation for your service to the United Nations and your engagement with the people of the Pacific. Your visits to our region reflect an understanding that the concerns of small island developing states deserve to be heard at the highest level.
In July 2025, under Guyana's leadership, the Global Biodiversity Alliance was established as an inclusive platform. In just one year, the alliance expanded from 17 to 138 members, bringing together governments, international organisations, including the UN, development banks, indigenous peoples, local communities, scientists, universities and the private sector. The second conference of the Alliance, to be held in October 2026, will begin to mobilise the resources and partnerships to deliver its ambitions. At the same time, we continue to advance our Low Carbon Development Strategy, focused on turning forest stewardship and climate action into a new model for sustainable development.
We want a long term relationship with jobs, training, technology infrastructure, productivity, a future. That is why Bolivia is open to the world and we want the world to come to Bolivia. But we are open with dignity, not based on demagogical speeches based on our past. What Bolivia wants is a firm and strong future respecting our traditions and our original and indigenous peoples, but also giving them opportunities to grow with dignity and to develop our nations.
We advocated decolonization and the elimination of discrimination against women. We advance the rights of children, persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous peoples, and migrants. And we called firmly for an end to apartheid and all forms of racial discrimination. We will continue to champion these timeless principles.
For the first time in two centuries of independent life, Mexico is being governed by a woman. And this did not happen alone. Um, and she's not governing alone either. She, uh, has a cabinet with gender parity, a Congress with gender parity, and a reform that made substantive equality a constitutional mandate. And today, girls in Mexico grow up knowing that they can achieve anything they want to. The fifth action is the exercise of a foreign policy with sovereignty and independence. Mexico has shown that a country can cooperate closely and respectfully with its partners and at the same time fully uphold its sovereignty. This independence is also measured by how we protect Mexican citizens that live outside of our territory overseas. Mexico supports its diaspora, its community abroad, by defending their human rights wherever they are, always strictly respecting international law. This Mexican transformation is designed to benefit precisely those who historically have been left behind. Our policies are based on a very clear gender perspective, boosting the rights of women, prioritizing the poorest indigenous peoples, persons of African descent, persons with disabilities, children, infants, older persons and people of different sexual and gender identities.
Mr. president, the ocean is the heart of Micronesian identity, livelihood and future prosperity. It faces mounting pressure from climate change, sea level rise, pollution and unsustainable exploitation. Micronesia calls for a collective effort to fortify ocean governance, sustainable fishing management and effective conservation of marine biodiversity. Being the first country to sign the BBNJ Agreement, we are among the first movers, comprising six nations to implement the BBNJ. Micronesia is partnering with GIZ and five co leading states to develop area-based management tools and marine protected area proposals under the BBNJ framework, translating our commitment to conserve 30% of our ocean into concrete, durable protection for areas beyond national jurisdiction. Mr. president, on deep sea mining in the International Seabed Area, Micronesia employs a precautionary approach. We stress the need to consolidate comprehensive knowledge, data and science about the marine environment before any decision is taken on proceeding with exploitation. Additionally, it is crucial that all stakeholders, including adjacent coastal states, indigenous people and local communities in the Pacific, are meaningfully consulted prior to such a decision. Mr. president, we must address the growing threat of plastic pollution that degrades the Pacific ecosystem and communities. Marine debris, microplastics and associated toxic substances are accumulating on our shores. Our lagoons, for example, in the state of Chuuk, where oil leaks from World War Two remnants led to the emergency declaration last year, continue to threaten our livelihood. This impact imposes disproportionate cleanup and economic burdens on small island governments, whose waste management infrastructure is inadequate. Our national efforts must be matched by strengthened international cooperation, including technical assistance, predictable finance and collective actions across the plastic life cycle to prevent pollution at its source and protect the Blue Pacific for present and future generations. Micronesia calls on the international community to match local action with global responsibility through sustained funding, meaningful technology transfer, stricter upstream control on plastic production and an end to waste exporting. Critically, the international community must complete its work on a new treaty to end plastic pollution including the marine environment. Mr. president and Excellencies, with less than five years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the international community must respond with renewed political resolve, scaled up financing and accelerated implementation.
It is a responsibility that grows more urgent each day, especially as UNEP's latest findings make clear that the world is now certain to exceed 1.5. This reality must strengthen our resolve to deliver what we have promised, prepare our communities for the impacts science tells us are inevitable. Small island states, young people, scientists, civil society, indigenous communities, and responsible partners have already raised climate ambition, accelerated the shift to renewable energy, and exposed the true cost of inaction. We have called for ambition that matches science, demonstrated that ocean stewardship can protect while supporting livelihoods, and insisted on a stronger voice for small island states in decisions that shape our future.
Mr. president, the pursuit of restorative justice gained new momentum with the adoption of the Resolution on Slavery and Transatlantic Trafficking of Enslaved Africans in this hall in March of this year. This development is relevant for Suriname and equally important for the countries of the Caribbean region. The discussion is no longer about whether slavery and colonialism have caused lasting consequences, negative consequences. We know we are living them. We increasingly must focus on how to overcome these effects. And on the question of what form reparations should take to achieve that. How countries that have benefited from slavery and colonialism will compensate the affected. That is the important issue now. It is therefore, that the CARICOM ten-point plan for restorative justice is now of eminent importance. Mr. president, Suriname occupies a unique position. We are carbon negative and remain the world's most forested country with over 90% forest coverage. High Forested and Low Deforestation countries like Suriname should not first have to lose forests before climate finance institutions recognize the value of protecting them. Conservation costs cannot be borne only by the countries protecting ecosystems whose benefits are shared globally. So I will continue my plea for just and effective climate finance, because our forests are under even more pressure than when I addressed this meeting last year. I stated that the forests faced competition of rich natural resources like gold, diamonds and other precious minerals. We are now confronted, however, with a new threat of people who also want to clear parts of our rainforests for large scale agriculture. We will need to prevent that, and we can use every assistance. At this very moment, my government is introducing legal and institutional measures to better protect our forests and the immediate living environment of indigenous people and tribal communities. Their knowledge and participation are important at all stages of development.
We are making the largest defence investments in generations, allocating over $80 billion in last year's federal budget. We are now spending over 2% of our GDP on defence. And we are building toward NATO's 5% pledge by 2035. These investments are strengthening our ability to protect Canada and to contribute to peace and security around the world. Canada is an Arctic nation, and the Arctic is central to our identity, our security, and our future. The Arctic is a region of growing competition, and for many Canadians, it is simply home. This is why we are investing in Arctic security in consultation with Indigenous Peoples. Their participation is a key element of our commitment to reconciliation. As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Arctic Council, we continue to strive for a region of cooperation. And to this end Canada has opened a new consulate in Nuuk, Greenland. And we are strengthening our ties with our Arctic partners. Canada welcomes the recent agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States to strengthen security in Greenland and the High North. This agreement is yet another reminder that North America and Europe are stronger together. And as a founding member of NATO, our commitment to the transatlantic alliance is ironclad. Alongside our NATO allies, Canada remains resolute in our support for Ukraine. We share Ukraine's commitment to restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, one based on respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Canada is dedicated to advancing the unconditional return of Ukrainian children, unlawfully detained civilians and prisoners of war. Next week I will host with Norway and Ukraine a conference on this urgent issue in Toronto. And Canada with Ukraine will continue to work together to support safe and secure navigation in the Black Sea by strengthening Ukraine's port infrastructure and disrupting and deterring the illegal activities of Russia's shadow fleet. Canada is also a Pacific nation, and we are absolutely committed to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. We have increased our naval presence in the Indo-Pacific and are offering the Dark Vessel Detection Program to our partners. We will continue to implement UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea. And by working with our regional partners, we are cracking down on transnational crime, including scam centres. Canada's position on Iran is unequivocal. Iran is the principal threat to peace and security in its region. It must never acquire a nuclear weapon. Its threats to navigation rights in the Strait of Hormuz are a direct affront to international law. We join our Gulf and European partners in strongly condemning Iran's attacks in the region, and Canada is deploying every available tool, including targeted sanctions, that I announced this week to confront the Iranian regime's abhorrent behavior. Here at the United Nations, Canada will again lead the resolution in this very room in the General Assembly on Human Rights in Iran, because we stand firmly with the Iranian people against repression and for human rights dignity and aspirations for a better life. Nearer home, the people of Haiti deserve stability, security, and the opportunity to build a better future. We commend the many countries who proposed their assistance to the Gang Suppression Force, in particular the United States. Even if the population in Haiti is still facing significant challenges, we're encouraged by the measures taken by the government of Haiti to prepare for the elections, a sign of progress and hope. Throughout the world, Canada will remain a voice that can be trusted to defend maritime security, international law and the responsible development of artificial intelligence.
We need a United Nations that does more than respond to crises after lives have been lost and communities destroyed. We need an organisation that works with determination to prevent conflict, advance sustainable development, confront injustice and protect those who are most vulnerable. We need a system in which every country, regardless of its size wealth or influence, has a voice and a meaningful place at the table. We need multilateralism that is not selective in its concern or uneven in its response, but fair, effective and responsive to the needs of all people. Our development must include young people, women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, the elderly and communities that have too often been left behind. If the United Nations is to deliver for all, it must first see, hear and include all. Multilateralism is our best hope for addressing challenges that cross borders, threaten our shared future, and demand collective action. We therefore remain committed to peace, climate action, sustainable development and the dignity of every human being. We remain ready to work with all nations in a spirit of mutual respect and shared responsibility to build a fairer, safer and more resilient world. Mr. president, let this 81st session be remembered as the moment when we collectively renewed our faith in cooperation and matched our words with action. Let this 81st session be remembered as the moment when vulnerability was met with solidarity, promises were honoured and trust was rebuilt through meaningful delivery. Above all, let this 81st session be remembered as the moment when this family of nations found the courage to act together and recommitted ourselves to ensuring that no country, no community, and no person was left behind.
Our objective here is strategic autonomy for Mali, strategic autonomy for the Confederation of the Sahel states, the strategic autonomy for Africa in both security and development areas, and this autonomy does not mean a rupture. Rather, it seeks to make Africa into a credible and indispensable partner for global stability and prosperity. Climate change and desertification for Mali and the Sahel remain a major source of economic, social and environmental vulnerability. They affect agriculture and livelihoods. They also, we have to acknowledge it, threatening peace and security. We therefore call on member states to focus on adaptation, on access to climate finance, on indigenous technologies and solutions tailored to Sahelian realities.
Mr. President, the future of multilateralism also depends on its leadership. Saint Kitts and Nevis proudly joins CARICOM in endorsing Her Excellency Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana for the office of the United Nations Secretary-General. Her understanding of the challenges facing developing nations reflects the leadership this moment demands. Her candidature as an Indigenous woman from a small developing state also reaffirms that global leadership must be defined not by the size of a nation, but by the vision, integrity, and capacity of those called to serve.
We renew our call for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations system and its specialized agencies. Mr. President, let us also restore trust through support for Reparatory justice. The past is not the past when its consequences still shape who is rich and who is poor in the world today. The Caribbean community has for over a decade advanced a ten point plan for Reparatory justice, seeking acknowledgement, repair and genuine partnership to address the historic injustices of the enslavement of African people and the near annihilation of our indigenous populations. We are encouraged that in March 2026, this Assembly strongly adopted a resolution sponsored by Ghana and supported by the African Union and CARICOM, declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. This is a hopeful and historic event, and after the follow up conference in Accra in June, momentum grows, so necessary actions must follow. When the continent from which our enslaved ancestors were taken and the islands to which they were brought in chains, spoke in one voice, this chamber listened.
What we lack is not resources or intellect. What we lack is the political courage to see one another as a part of a single human family. We must see each other not as strategic rivals, economic targets or demographic threats, but as human beings who belong, that refugees fleeing violence belongs, that migrant seeking opportunity belongs. That child in Gaza, Sudan or Ukraine belongs. The descendants of enslaved Africans seeking justice belong. The indigenous community, protecting its ancestral lands and environment belongs. The small island states threatened by rising oceans belong to humanity. The poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised belong. They belong to our common human family, and because they belong, we must safeguard their dignity. We must enforce their rights. And most of all, we must hear their voices. When our first president, Osagyefo Doctor Kwame Nkrumah, stood on the eve of our independence in 1957, he declared that the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent. Today, from this respected global podium, we must expand that historic truth: The freedom of any nation is insecure unless it is linked to the freedom of all humanity.
The transformation we seek for a better world will only happen when we trust each other and we accept our responsibility for each other. We in the Caribbean understand something about the necessity of living together. We had no choice. Barbadian novelist and essayist George Lamming once described the Caribbean as perhaps the first global experiment in human history, bringing together, and I quote, every branch of the human family, from the indigenous peoples of the Americas to the diverse peoples from Africa, Europe and Asia. It is as though that we, through this tortuous and shared history of migration, conquest, slavery and the difficult work of constructing a common national and regional destiny that we give the world an example to follow. Against all the odds, the Caribbean produced what Lamming called a new kind of global family. Our history has taught us that difference need not mean division. That coexistence requires dialogue and negotiation, and that those without the power to compel must learn the power of persuasion. These are not merely Caribbean lessons. The universal. And it is.
