HILDA HEINE, President of the Marshall Islands, said the international community cannot “ignore that our common multilateral progress is failing us in the hour of greatest need” with human rights — the fundamental freedoms that must be afforded every citizen of the planet, which is most at risk. The voices of the most vulnerable must never be drowned out, she said, stressing that the Human Rights Council must work towards a balanced agenda and an inclusive approach.  As the world prepares for the 2025 Oceans Conference, the international community must take action to protect the health and biodiversity of oceans because “the youngest and future generations of islanders must not be robbed of the benefits we know today,” she said, as without sustainable ocean ecosystems, her region’s economy, stability and cultural identity will collapse.  Calling on her country’s “distant-fishing partner nations” to place long-term sustainability ahead of immediate commercial goals, she condemned illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, tagging it as not just a threat to the Marshall Islands’ economic future, but also to global food security.

She therefore echoed calls for a precautionary approach towards high seas mining until, at least, an adequate and meaningful agreement at the International Seabed Authority on binding environmental measures and the mining code is in place.  On rising sea levels, which pose a threat to long- term residence in the islands as well as its national and regional security, she said that though her country has been late in preventing the erosion of its shores, it is determined to not be wiped off the map nor allow Marshallese to “go silently to our watery graves”. Her Government strongly supports the recent Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the Alliance of Small Island States on Sea-Level Rise and Statehood, and it urges other nations to do likewise.  It also welcomes this year’s High-Level Meeting on Sea-Level rise as well as the ongoing work of the International Law Commission as opportunities to engage on complex multilateral questions.

Turning to nuclear issues, she noted that her country experienced 67 known atmospheric nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958, resulting in an ongoing legacy of death, illness and contamination and challenging its human rights, lands’ identity and communities — an “environmental burden upon our youngest and future generations”.  To promote nuclear risk elimination, therefore, the Marshall Islands is working towards acceding to the 1963 Partial Test Ban treaty as well as the Treaty of Rarotonga and its nuclear-free zone.  “We did not choose this nuclear fate — it was chosen for us,” she said, adding that the international community needs to adopt a resolution that formally apologizes for failing to heed the petition of the Marshallese people objecting to the UN Trusteeship Council resolutions 1082 (1954) and 1493 (1956).  This will begin the process of healing and help re-establish faith and trust in the Organization.

She condemned the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, describing it as a threat to basic democratic norms, human rights and international accountability.  She supported ongoing Pacific Islands Forum engagement with Indonesia and West Papua, to better understand stakeholders and to ensure human rights.  She further called on Member States to “not be blinded to Taiwan’s efforts and partnership towards achievement of the SDGs”, as only that independent, democratic government can represent its 23 million people. General Assembly resolution 2758 (1971) should not be used as a pretext to exclude Taiwan from participating meaningfully in the UN system.