🇰🇮Taneti MaamauKiribati · UNGA 81 speech

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of States and Governments, Ladies and Gentlemen, In the name of Almighty God in whom we place our trust, Kamnabeni Nimaudi. On behalf of the Government and the people of Kiribati, I extend our warmest congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your election to preside and lead this 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Kiribati assures you of our full support and cooperation as you undertake this important responsibility. Mr. President, we meet today at a difficult moment. Conflicts continue to claim lives and displace communities. Human rights continue to be violated. Humanitarian crises persist. Development gains are being reversed in many parts of the world. Inequality remains entrenched, while climate change places additional pressure on communities already confronting significant development challenges. It is therefore fitting that the theme of this 81st session is "Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all". This theme is both timely and relevant. Trust cannot be restored by words alone. It must be strengthened through implementation, accountability and results that improve the lives of our people. For Kiribati, the theme reaffirms our shared duty to strengthen the United Nations and ensure it serves everyone. Mr. President, Kiribati is an ocean nation. We are a big ocean sustainable state. Our economy, food security, livelihoods, culture, and the way of life depend on healthy, sustainable marine resources. Sustainable management is essential to our long-term developments, and we call for increased efforts and partnerships to have agreeable progress towards SDG 14, which is conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. The 2026 Sustainable Development Goals reports reminds us that our oceans and fisheries continue to face mounting pressures from overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, pollution, warming, and acidification. The entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement marks an important step towards stronger, and more equitable ocean governance. Kiribati is proud to have signed and ratified this agreement and calls on member states to recognize the vital importance of our shared oceans and to work collectively to translate the agreement's historic ambition into meaningful global action. Mr. President, The sustainability of our ocean and fisheries is closely linked to the changing climate and the pressures we face on our marine resources are increasingly compounded by its impact. Climate remains one of the most pressing challenges to our development and the way of life. Sea level rise, coastal erosion, South water intrusion and extreme. weather events continue to place pressure on our communities, infrastructure, water security and livelihoods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report reinforces the urgency of these challenges, and particularly the risk faced by small island states. Through our long-term national development mission, the GIDA vision for 20 years, our national priorities, and the Tamusindano policies, we continue to invest in resilience infrastructure, water security, coastal protection, disaster preparedness, renewable energy, and community-based adaptation. Our objective is clear. to continue building a wealthy, healthy, and peaceful Kiribati, where our people can live with dignity, in peace, and with opportunities. Renewable energy is increasingly important to Kiribati's development and energy access. We therefore see greater investment in renewable energy as an important opportunity. to reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels and strengthen the resilience and sustainability of our energy sector. But national action must be matched by international action. We call for greater ambition, stronger support for adaptation and climate finance that is adequate, predictable, and accessible. particularly for small island developing states. Kiribati recognizes the importance of international law in addressing climate change. The International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change advances climate justice by affirming that all states have binding duties to protect the climate system and achieve deep, rapid, and sustained greenhouse gas reductions consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We welcome growing recognition that climate resilience must be locally owned and driven. The Pacific Resilience Facility is a Pacific-led, Pacific-owned mechanism that strengthens the region's capacity to finance climate and disaster resilience. The Pacific's co-hosting of COP31 with Turkey later this year further demonstrates the value of local action. These initiatives also show that strong, genuine partnerships can sustain locally-led development. Mr. President, Partnership continues to shape international cooperation as we believe that we are stronger when we work together. At a time when multilateralism faces growing challenges, partnership remains one of our most powerful affirmations of what we can achieve collectively. Kiribati reaffirms its support for frameworks that embody the spirit of partnership including the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Cities, ABAF, and the Pacific for the Future, which provide important foundations for strengthened international cooperation, solidarity, and collective action. As the 2030 Agenda enters its final years, partnership must remain central to accelerating SDG progress. Guatemala recently presented its second Voluntary National Review, reaffirming our commitment to the 2030 agenda. We value our long-standing diplomatic relations with traditional partners and welcome countries seeking new partnerships. based on mutual respect, shared interest, transparency, sovereign equality, and respect for our national priorities. This year, following the submission of our second VNR, my government convened its first Development Partners Forum on Christmas Island, which we highly value as the world's largest coral atoll and the first island to see each new day's sunrise. This forum strengthened partnerships between Kiribati and its development partners and showcased two flagship projects critical to accelerating economic growth and sustainable development. Participants included Australia, the People's Republic of China, the European Union, New Zealand, Japan, the United States of America, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the UN agencies. We thank our partners and look forward to advancing our shared interests under the forum's outcome documents we call the Christmas Partnership Accord 2026. Mr. President, ultimately, development depends on people, our most valuable resource. Making education a vital investment, Kiribati is committed to expanding access to quality, inclusive, relevant education while strengthening skills development skills development, vocational training, digital learning, and opportunities for young people. Health is equally fundamental. We continue to strengthen our health systems across our widely dispersed and remote islands, improve access to essential services, and address both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Healthy An educated population is the foundation upon which every other national priority rests. Mr. President, we cannot speak about development without speaking about women and youth. Kiribati remains committed to gender equality and empowering women and girls. Our election earlier this year to the Commission on the Status of Women, the first time Kiribati has secured a seat on this UN body, is a significant milestone, reflecting our determination to advance women's rights nationally and globally. We will expand opportunities, prevent violence, and promote women's economic empowerment and leadership. Our youth Meanwhile, represent not simply the future of Kiribati. We must provide them with education, employment, skills, technology, leadership opportunities, and spaces where they can contribute. And one of those spaces is sports. Kiribati will host the 2030 Micronesian Games, which we intend to use to leave a lasting legacy for our young people. We invite our regional and international partners to join us in this endeavor. For Kiribati, on peace and security. Mr. President, Kiribati is a peaceful nation. Yet, distance does not make a difference to the suffering caused by war and conflicts elsewhere. The people of every nation deserve peace. We reaffirm that disputes must be resolved peacefully, in accordance with the international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. For island nations such as Kiribati, Respect for international law is fundamental to our security, sovereignty, and stability of the international system. Kiribati is proud to contribute in our own way to international peace and security through the service of our police officers under the United Nations flag. For Kiribati, This is an expression of our belief that even the smallest country can contribute to global peace. For Pacific people, the consequences of nuclear weapons are not merely historical. Our region bears the human and environmental legacy of nuclear testing. As state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons, we remain committed to advancing the treaties and humanitarian objectives and establishing an international trust fund for nuclear weapons victims. As co-chairs with Kazakhstan of the recent international meeting on victim assistance and environmental remediation, we thank the Secretary-General for convening this important meeting and for keeping the needs of affected communities at the center of our collective efforts. Peace and security must also keep pace with emerging threats in the digital domain. The HIS Micronesian cable landed in Tarawa last year, connecting Kiribati with Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia, transforming our connectivity and digital environment. However, it also creates vulnerabilities. With limited redundancy and technical capacity, island states face threats, including cybercrime, critical infrastructure attacks, and ransomware and online harms that can undermine security and development. Your Excellencies, Kiribati comes to this assembly not simply to speak of the challenges we face. We come here, we come to speak of the future we choose. Allow me to close, Mr. President, by bestowing upon the United Nations and all its members and all its staff our traditional blessings of the Maori, the Rai, or the Tabomo, meaning abundant wealth, peace, and prosperity. I thank you.