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Mr President,

At the outset, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum Member States, I would like to extend our condolences to the government and people of Haiti. And to the families and colleagues of those United Nations personnel who lost their lives in this catastrophic earthquake. The Pacific region is only too aware of the devastating impacts wrought by natural disasters and of the importance of quick, coordinated assistance from Member States, regional organisations and the UN. Thank you to the Secretary-General for his briefing on the rapid response of the UN. Pacific countries are ready to help where we can. My own country, Australia has already begun to respond.

Mr President

I am speaking today on behalf of the Member States of the Pacific Islands Forum. The Secretary-General of the Forum, The Honourable Mr Tuiloma Neroni Slade, is also present with me.

The Pacific is a very large – dispersed - geographical region which encompasses some of the world’s smallest and most vulnerable nations. The Pacific Islands Forum is the region’s preeminent inter-governmental organization. It makes a powerful contribution to the peace and security of its own region. And, as such, we welcome this opportunity to contribute to the Council’s consideration of this question. Thank you for China’s role in today’s initiative.

Mr President,

You rightly note in your concept paper that while the UN Charter places primary responsibility for the maintenance of international security on the Security Council, it also recognises – deliberately - that regional organisations may in appropriate circumstances take action to maintain and support peace and security between their member states.

This has inevitably become an important part of the international architecture for peace and security. Where Member States are able to step up to solve their own problems, they clearly should do so. The UN’s role is at the apex. It must be. But Member States and their organisations have a role in helping themselves to prevent crises - just as much as in responding to them. Better systems for early conflict resolution, and better early warning mechanisms on emerging crises can often be more alert and robust at a regional level. A strong organic relationship with the UN at its own regional level, and with New York, is therefore essential in our regional and global architecture.

Since its formation in 1971, the Pacific Islands Forum has worked to develop strong collective responses to regional issues, and to promote good governance and democratic principles among its own members.

In pursuit of these principles, the Forum has developed a significant framework for addressing violent conflict, civil unrest and political crises that may threaten regional peace and security, including the 1997 Aitutaki Declaration and the 2000 Biketawa Declaration.

In the Biketawa Declaration, Forum Leaders committed their countries to promote good governance, individual freedoms, and democratic processes and institutions and recognised their responsibility to assist their own member states in times of crisis. They have accepted a clear collective responsibility to do so.

Consistent with the principles elaborated in these Declarations, the Forum has developed an impressive record of taking action to address threats to regional peace and security, including in Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Fiji.

The Bougainville Peace Process was an illustration of successful cooperation between the UN and the Forum, with the Council - endorsed Peace Monitoring Group working alongside the United Nations Observer Mission and the Papua New Guinea Government and others in the region to bring peace and stability to Bougainville following nearly ten years of conflict.

The Forum’s Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has played a critical role in supporting the stabilisation and reconstruction of Solomon Islands after debilitating ethnic conflict in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Mission remains in place today.

In Fiji, the Forum has been unwavering in its commitment to the primacy of democratic principles, and has sought to work constructively with all parties for the restoration of democratic institutions after the coup. In this regard, the Forum particularly welcomes the Security Council’s principled call for an early return to democracy in Fiji.

The Forum has also begun to address non-traditional security challenges – as it must. Climate change represents an existential threat for a number of Forum members. This is not a threat that will eventuate sometime in the future. For small island states it is a threat today. On 11 June last year the General Assembly adopted by consensus an historic resolution (RES/63/281) on the link between climate change and security. That resolution invited all relevant organs of the United Nations, including this one, to intensify efforts in considering and addressing climate change, including its possible security implications.

The subsequent report by the Secretary-General further underlined the urgent need for effective global, regional and national effort to mitigate against, and adapt to, climate change as the best way to minimise its impacts, including its serious security-related consequences. This remains a compelling imperative.

The Pacific stands ready to work with this Council to address these challenges.

Thank you Mr President.