Check Against Delivery - PDF document

Check Against Delivery 1 Closing Statement to the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non - Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Delivered by H.E. Dr. Caleb Otto Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations 22 May 2015, New York As party to this treaty, with an equal stake in achieving its full implementation, Palau wishes to convey to this conference our deep di sappointment at the slow pace, in recent years, of nuclear disarmament – and the lack of consensus on a pathway forward. Four on the brink of nuclear catastrophe, wit h 16,000 of these ghastliest of weapons casting a dark shadow over humanity, threatening all that we love and cherish. But at the same time, we wish to convey to the conference, on this final day, our firm belief that new possibilities exist to achieve, a t long last, a world free of nuclear weapons. them, provides us with tremendous hope. For the overwhelming majority of nations, the necessary course of action is clear: We must work together now to outlaw the only weapons of mass destruction not yet banned. There is a moral imperative to so – humanitarian and human security imperative. For many of us in the Pacific, this is also a deeply personal mission, as we have experienced first - hand the utter devastation wrought by these monstrous instruments of war. Without our consultation or consent, over the course of half a century our region – some with yields o f several megatons. These nuclear test explosions poisoned our atolls, lagoons and the vast Pacific Ocean, on which we depend for our livelihood. They exposed our people to high levels of radiation, resulting in ailments that we had never before experienc They displaced our people from their ancestral homes, forever disconnecting them from their cultural and indigenous way of life. We ask you to listen to our story, and take heed of our urgent plea to ban nuclear weapons. 2 The extremely high rate of various forms of cancer among the Pacific Island people cause us to believe that the people of the Pacific are part of what one may term the “global hibakusha ”: those who have suffered directly from the catastrophic consequences of the nuclear age. We admire the courage and resilience of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and are grateful to those who travelled here to address this conference three weeks ago. They reminded us so poignantly of the purpose of our deliberations . Their searing testimonies, and the voices of nuclear test survivors, must never be ignored, marginalized, put aside or forgotten. Madam President, Palau has long called for a world without nuclear weapons. We have declared our nation a nuclear - free zon e, and we stand in solidarity with the Marshall Islands as it pursues legal action aimed at compelling nuclear - armed states to fulfill their decades - old obligation to disarm. We now pledge our full and active support for a diplomatic process to negotiate a treaty to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. It is time for a new chapter in the terrifying history of nuclear weapons, in which the peoples of the world unite and triumph over the threat of collective annihilation . It is time to end the diversion of vast resources into the machinery of nuclear war, when such resources are so desperately needed to ensure the success of Post - 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda; so desperately needed for economic development, health, education. And, for us in the Pacific, so desperately needed for addressing climate change impacts and challenges. We are not content to remain the unwitting victims of others’ disregard. For too long, nuclear - free nations of the world have waited in vain for nuclear - armed states to lead the way to a world in which nuclear weapons have been completely eliminated. Our voices, too often, have been overwhelmed in forums such as this – yet these forums continue to comprise the overwhelming majority. As we move towards the start of negotiations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons, the voices of those most affected by the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, including the people of the Pacific, must be at the fore of discussions. We consider efforts to ban nuclear weapons as an essential part of our broader struggle to end poverty and violence; to promote harmony and friendship among peoples and nations; to achieve justice and universal respect for human rights, and to ensure a safe and sustainable plane t for the benefit of present and future generations. Let the end of this Review Conference mark the beginning of the end of the nuclear age. Let us work urgently together to ban nuclear weapons. Thank you.