The representative of Vanuatu said the lesson of the last 80 years is that no nation can meet myriad complex challenges alone.  Multilateralism is not a choice; it is a necessity.  Solidarity is precious.  Vanuatu has experienced cyclones and an earthquake in recent years. “The cumulative effect of these disasters is huge,” he said, setting back economic and social progress.  As a small island developing State, Vanuatu faces resource limitations.  Foreign investments have been flat due to factors including unjust blacklisting imposed by some development partners and, in turn, difficulty in accessing funds.  The consequences are severe.  He called on the international community, financial institutions and regulators to recognize the unintended consequences of de-risking on small economies and work with countries affected.  He highlighted the Pacific Resilience Facility’s support projects for resilience to climate change, established this year, one of the first regional initiatives of its kind.

He also pointed to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on climate change, affirming that States have clear legal obligations to protect the environment and human rights from the impacts of this crisis.  “For vulnerable nations, including small island developing States, this opinion is a powerful affirmation of our long-standing call: that climate change is an existential threat, and the world has a legal duty to respond.”  Vanuatu will submit a follow-up resolution this year to the Assembly to affirm the Court’s findings and propose actions for the opinion’s operationalization.  The ICJ is “only one tool to get us closer to the end goal of a safe planet for humanity”, he said, calling on all States to join nations proposing to include ecocide as the Rome Statute’s fifth independent crime.  International criminalization of the severest environmental destruction can play a crucial role in deterring harm and protecting the rights of present and future generations.