Micronesia

Madame President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of my people, I am honored to extend our heartfelt national greeting, Kamorale, to you on this momentous celebration of the 80th Session of the General Assembly.

Congratulations, Madame President, on your election to preside over this distinguished Assembly. Your leadership and insights will guide us moving forward. I also wish to commend the leadership of our outgoing President.

I want to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General for his tireless and unwavering commitment in guiding our collective work. We are grateful for your dedication and efforts in keeping hope and cooperation alive across our global community.

UN80

Madame President,

Micronesia joins the United Nations in commemorating its 80th Anniversary. This milestone calls on us to renew our collective commitment to strengthen multilateralism for the challenges ahead.

Reiterating our commitment to multilateralism and inclusive reform, Micronesia emphasizes that any measures taken under the UN80 initiative must reflect the delicate balance and unique vulnerabilities faced by small island developing states. It is paramount that structural adjustments must enhance, not limit our access to critical support and representation. We urge that reforms ensure the continued resilience, tailored assistance, and participatory voice of Small Island developing states in the evolving UN system, so that no one is left behind.

Climate Change

Madame President,

The climate crisis is not up for debate; the only question now is whether we as leaders will act with the urgency it demands. The landmark ICJ's advisory opinion reminds us that climate action is not only a moral imperative, but also a legal one. It affirms that all states, particularly those who are Parties to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, must do their fair share to limit warming to 1.5 degrees celsius and that major emitters carry the primary duty to act and keep 1.5 alive. It also underscores the obligation of developed countries to support the adaptation efforts of countries like mine who live with the impacts of climate change everyday. It confirms that not meeting these obligations can lead to legal consequences under international law. This points to the simple truth that at the core of this climate crisis lies the pursuit of justice – justice for the most vulnerable, justice for future generations and justice for our shared planet.

I call on the General Assembly to adopt a resolution endorsing the ICJ's opinion, so that together we send an unmistakable signal that upholding climate obligations under international law is the shared duty of all nations.

Pacific Island Leaders have spoken with one voice in our recent Pacific Islands Forum Communique: methane mitigation must be a global priority, and methane mitigation across all sectors must be a core objective of every country. Cutting methane now could prevent 0.3 degrees celsius of warming by the 2040s, slowing ocean heating and buying us time for long-term decarbonization. This is the only scalable near-term solution that can protect vulnerable nations and peoples today, while we build the future of clean energy tomorrow.

The COP30 will be the first opportunity since the ICJ's advisory opinion for us to take ambitious and aggressive actions to put the world back on track for 1.5 degrees. There is no time to waste.

After three decades of COPs, and now with the clearest pronouncements by the ICJ, let's get to work.

Plastics

Madame President,

Micronesia remains committed to achieving an ambitious global agreement to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Micronesia actively participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution. We are proud to have stood with over 100 countries making clear that the pollution emitted from the full lifecycle of plastics requires a full lifecycle approach: to address all pollution from plastics, from the production and design stages all the way through to waste management and remediation. This pollution—including climate warming greenhouse gases and thousands of other toxic chemicals—severely impacts our health, our environment and our economies. Despite the failure of the INC to produce a plastics treaty in Geneva, we are not giving up. The plastic pollution crisis is far too dire to ignore.

Ocean

Madame President,

The year 2025 is an important year for the Ocean. In June this year, the UN Ocean Conference adopted the Nice Ocean Action Agenda, a forward-looking document to guide us all. Also as of today, there are 145 countries that have signed the BBNJ Agreement and 70 that have ratified. With this development, the BBNJ Agreement will enter into force in 4 months.

Micronesia is also participating actively in the related and critical work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Micronesia is following a precautionary approach to deep seabed mining. We emphasize the necessity of consolidating comprehensive knowledge, data, and scientific understanding of the marine environment and the impacts of deep seabed mining before any exploitation takes place.

Additionally, it is crucial that all stakeholders, including adjacent coastal states, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities in the Pacific, are consulted and their perspectives considered before any exploitation occurs. In Micronesia, we have taken steps in preparation for exploration and possible exploitation in a responsible manner. We urge the ISA to finalize without further delay all relevant regulations, standards, and guidelines for its Mining Code prior to any exploitation – as failure to do so risks countries turning to alternative measures.

Finance

Madame President,

Small Island Developing States face unique and heightened vulnerabilities to climate change, shaped by geography and scale.

Disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies must reflect these realities. That is why the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index is so vital. It recognizes our economic, environmental, and social fragilities. And it ensures that support reflects genuine need, not just income levels.

The MVI provides a fairer framework for allocating resources. Development partners must base its aid decisions on it, pairing it with traditional measures to better target climate and disaster support.

Going forward, implementation demands three things: adoption by international bodies, continuous technical refinement, and strong commitment from partners to align financial and policy support with the vulnerabilities the MVI reveals. Only then can this tool deliver the resilience our small islands urgently need.

Health

Madame President,

Micronesia continues to confront a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases, the persistence of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and rising mental health concerns. In response, we are reorienting our health systems around primary health care as the foundation for universal health coverage. We are investing in the rehabilitation of primary healthcare clinics, the development of our health workforce, and the use of telehealth to extend essential services to our most vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. However, to realize the goal of universal health coverage, additional financial and technical support from the international community is indispensable.

Madame President, gender equality and social inclusion are equally central to our development agenda. Our Strategic Development Plan places this at its core, with the objective of ensuring equal access to services, equitable participation, and opportunities for all our citizens to thrive.

Commitment to Peace

Madame President,

Peace and unity are the foundation of our nation. Our Constitution reminds us that we must "live together in peace and harmony, to preserve the heritage of the past, and to protect the promise of the future."

Today, as conflicts continue to unfold across the world, we hold hope that they may be resolved through leadership rooted in peace. In our own region, while we uphold peace and unity as guiding values, we find ourselves navigating the geopolitical and geostrategic competition among major powers.

As Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum, we recently adopted the Ocean of Peace Declaration at the 54th Annual Meeting in Honiara. In doing so, we affirmed that no single Member State can face the growing threats to peace and security alone. We must act together—as one Pacific family.

Digitalization: AI & Cybersecurity

Madame President,

Micronesia co-sponsored the first-ever UN resolution on AI alongside 120 member states. While AI holds great promise for economic development, it also carries risks that must be carefully managed. The inclusive and constructive dialogue that shaped this resolution offers a model for future discussions, including those on peace, security, and the responsible military use of AI. As the digital world advances at an unprecedented pace, global cooperation is essential to ensure that AI systems remain safe, secure, and trustworthy. Micronesia through our own cybersecurity efforts is committed to developing national strategies and policies to safeguard our digital data and mitigate the risks of malicious attacks.

Food Security & State of Emergency

Madame President,

Food and water security remain pressing challenges for Micronesia, as fragile freshwater sources and climate extremes undermine agriculture, marine ecosystems, reduce yields of traditional crops and increase reliance on costly less nutritious imports. Compounding these challenges, just days ago I was compelled to declare a national state of emergency due to an ongoing oil leak from a World War II sunken vessel in Chuuk Lagoon. This ship, together with more than 60 other wartime wrecks, has rested in our waters for nearly 80 years since the war's end. But now these remnants of conflict pose new dangers as toxic oil seeps into our ocean, threatening our fisheries, coastal communities, and livelihoods. The scale of this crisis far exceeds Micronesia's capacity to address alone. As we mark the 80th anniversary of the war's end, we appeal to the international community to work with us in transforming this legacy of war into an opportunity for cooperation.

Security Council Reform

Madame President,

Micronesia emphasizes the urgent need to address the current structure of the United Nations Security Council, which fails to represent the geopolitical realities of the 21st century. The exclusive nature of its permanent membership creates inequities and hampers effective responses to global crises. To enhance legitimacy and accountability, we must restructure the Council to include underrepresented voices, including Japan, India, Germany, Brazil and the African continent. Such reforms would better reflect modern international dynamics and strengthen the Council's role in promoting peace and security.

Conclusion

Madame President,

Eighty years ago, the United Nations was founded on a simple but enduring truth: every nation—big or small—has a voice, a vote, and a role to play in shaping the world we share. Micronesia may be small, but our voice, our vote and our place within the international community is committed to choosing that we are in fact "Better Together." That truth must guide us still. Because big or small, every nation has the power to choose peace over conflict. Big or small, every nation has the duty to protect our planet from harm. Big or small, every nation has the responsibility to defend justice and human dignity. Big or small - we always have been, and always will be, "Better Together".

I thank you.