The President of Marshall Islands, Dr Hilda Heine delivered a powerful address at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), urging world leaders to confront the most pressing issues of climate change, nuclear legacy, and human rights.

In a speech that cut through diplomatic rhetoric, Dr Heine demanded urgent action to safeguard the future of island nations and uphold global justice.

“We cannot ignore that our multilateral progress is failing us in our hour of greatest need,” Dr  Heine said, highlighting the urgency of protecting human rights globally. 

“Accountability applies to all—without exception or double standard.” The Marshall Islands, with the backing of the Pacific Islands Forum, is vying for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council from 2025 to 2027, determined to amplify the voices of the most vulnerable,” she said.

Dr Heine’s remarks reflected the unique challenges her country faces, from the devastating impacts of nuclear testing to the existential threat posed by climate change.

“Our own complex legacy with nuclear testing and climate change informs our perspective. The voices of the most vulnerable must never be drowned out.”

The Marshall Islands experienced 67 atmospheric nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958, leaving a legacy of death, illness, and contamination that still haunts the nation. Dr Heine’s speech stressed the lasting impact on her people.

“We did not choose this nuclear fate—it was chosen for us,” she said, pointing to the unresolved suffering that continues to affect generations,” Dr Heine said.

She called on the international community to make amends for the past, starting with a formal apology for authorising the nuclear detonations. 

“We owe it to ourselves to adopt a resolution that formally apologises for the failure to heed the petitions of the Marshallese people. It is time to begin the process of healing,” Dr Heine said.

In no uncertain terms, Dr Heine highlighted the Marshall Islands’ fight against rising sea levels.

“Sea levels have risen, and we are too late to prevent them from eating away at our shores. But we must also be clear: we will not be wiped off the map, nor will we go silently to our watery graves.

“Sea-level rise poses a threat to long term ability to remain in our islands, and to our fundamental security as a nation and within our ocean-locked Pacific islands region. But for small island developing states – our stability and legal identity remains fixed, in the future, just as it is now.

“The Marshall Islands strongly supports the recent Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) on Sea-Level Rise and Statehood, and we urge other nations to join us in support. The Marshall Islands welcomes this year’s High Level Meeting on Sea-Level rise, and the ongoing work of the International Law Commission- as an opportunity to engage on complex multilateral questions, even where SIDS have already established state practice,” she explained. 

Dr Heine reiterated the nation’s commitment to the global climate agenda, demanding that the world’s wealthiest countries honour their commitments. 

“By February next year, every nation on Earth has committed to putting forward new nationally determined contributions that set out how they’ll reduce emissions to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. We need governments to show both ambition and cooperation, as we all agreed last year, to triple renewable energy deployment, double energy efficiency, and most importantly, to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and end the subsidies that support them.

“Despite this, we have seen some of the planet’s wealthiest countries break their pledges, as they double down on fossil fuels. This failure of leadership must stop. No new coal mines, no new gas fields, no new oil wells.

“The financial needs for this energy transition, for adapting to climate impacts, and for repairing the rising loss and damage are in the trillions of dollars,” she said.

She urged other nations to support a universal greenhouse gas levy on the shipping industry, a crucial step toward decarbonising the sector and funding climate resilience efforts.

“Right now in the IMO, Pacific Island negotiators are leading efforts to agree on a universal greenhouse gas levy which gives the right incentive to drive decarbonisation of the shipping industry and raises revenue in the billions – a portion of which should be used to address the climate impacts from shipping pollution and help build resilience in vulnerable countries. 

“I urge every country to join us. The Marshall Islands emphasises the importance of the Advisory Opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea regarding the marine environment from climate-driven pollution. We look forward to the Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice regarding the climate obligations of States,” she said. 

As the world looks toward the 2025 UN Oceans Summit, Dr Heine highlighted the importance of safeguarding marine biodiversity and opposing high-seas mining. 

“The world needs to ensure that the high seas seabed is not stripped of its unique biodiversity before we even document it. Without a clear-eyed scientific understanding of impacts and risks – the world’s oceans are too fragile to turn into a speculative experiment.

“The Marshall Islands joins the growing chorus applying a precautionary approach towards high seas mining, at least until there is adequate and meaningful agreement at the International Seabed Authority on binding environmental measures and the mining code,” she stressed. 

Dr Heine also praised regional efforts to redefine sustainable fisheries, noting that illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing threatens not only the economic future of island nations but global food security. 

“Our distant-fishing partner nations, many of whom are global superpowers, must prioritise long-term sustainability over immediate commercial goals.”

Dr Heine highlighted the importance of gender equality in the Pacific, pointing to the outcomes of this year’s Triennial Conference of Pacific Women, hosted in the Marshall Islands.

“Our region remains committed to advancing gender equality, with a focus on improving the health of women and girls, promoting gender-responsive climate justice, and tackling gender-based violence,” she said.

“We must now ensure that national implementation happens at scale, building partnerships with UN Women and the UN North Pacific Multi-Country Office to drive real change across the region,” she said.

Turning to global conflicts, Dr Heine spoke out against Russia’s continued aggression in Ukraine, linking the struggle for democracy in Eastern Europe to the concerns of island nations.

“As island democracies, we stand in solidarity with Ukraine. Russia’s actions are a threat to basic democratic norms and international accountability,” she said.

Dr Heine also addressed the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Pacific, calling for the region’s democratic priorities to prevail without external interference.

“We now need to address – with our own direct Pacific voices – geopolitical tension, to ensure that our democratic island priorities drive our future, free of external influence and coercion. Climate impacts pose a grave security challenge alone – but tackling them with core institutions under external stress, coupled with our underlying fragility, risks epic disaster,” she emphasised. 

Dr Heine did not shy away from controversial topics, including Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN, and she welcomed the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum Troika-plus visit to New Caledonia.

“The Marshall Islands looks forward to the upcoming high-level visit of the Pacific Islands Forum “troika plus” grouping to New Caledonia. In addition, we support ongoing Forum engagement with Indonesia and West Papua, to better understand stakeholders, and to ensure human rights. 

“If we are truly serious that “no one is left behind,” the UN would not be blinded to Taiwan’s efforts and partnership towards achievement of the SDGs. Only this independent, democratic government can represent its 23 million people. UN Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan and should not be used as a pretext to exclude Taiwan from participating meaningfully in the UN system, she said. 

“This resolution has been misused to threaten cross-strait and regional peace and security – this was never its original intent. It cannot serve as a sound basis to prohibit Taiwanese citizens and journalists from the UN premises,” she told World leaders.

She also called for multilateralism, describing the United Nations as a vital institution for small and vulnerable nations.”

“For small island developing states, the UN is the coral where all the fish congregate to seek shelter. We must nourish and maintain it for ourselves and future generations.”

She reminded world leaders of the high stakes facing not just the Marshall Islands but the entire global community.

“We are running out of time. The choices we make today will determine the survival of nations and the fate of future generations,” Dr Heine said.

This story was written by Pita Ligaiula, originally published at PACNEWS on 26 September 2024.