President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has told world leaders that the size and vulnerability of Pacific Island nations should never be mistaken for a lack of influence or agency on the global stage.
Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York today, President Lalabalavu called for a United Nations that moves beyond describing global crises and delivers meaningful solutions.
“Our size does not diminish our voice. Our vulnerability does not diminish our agency, and our distance from the centers of power does not distance us from its consequences,” he said.
The 81st UN General Assembly is meeting under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
President Lalabalavu said transformation was inevitable, but countries had a choice over how that transformation would be managed.
“The real question is what kind of transformation we choose? Will it be governed by law or by power?” he said.
“And will this great assembly remain a place where we come to describe crisis or become an institution that solves them?”
He urged world leaders to ensure the 81st session was remembered not simply for acknowledging the scale of global challenges, but for decisions taken to address them.
“Let this 81st session be remembered, and not for the depth of our concern, but for the courage of our decisions.”
President Lalabalavu also called for a United Nations that could rebuild international trust through fairness, adaptability and results.
“Let us build a United Nations that is trusted because it is fair, relevant because it adapts and respected because it delivers,” he said.
For the Pacific, he said the goal must remain a region capable of determining its own future.
“Let us build a Pacific that remains an ocean of peace, united in purpose, confident in its identity, and strong enough to shape its own future.”
President Lalabalavu said the success of international diplomacy should ultimately be measured by its impact on ordinary people rather than the speeches delivered by leaders.
“The measure of what we do here will not be found in our speeches,” he said.
“It will be found in whether a coastal community can remain on the land of its ancestors, and whether a young person can trust democracy and find future at their home.”
“That is the United Nations Fiji believes in and that is the trust we must restore together.”
