Secretary General of the ITU, Dr. Hamadoun Toure,
Excellencies of the Panel,
Moderator Mr. Jay Naidoo,
Distinguished Delegates,
Media Representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour to be here in Geneva for the ITU Telecom World 2011, and to join together with you all in celebrating the fortieth anniversary of hosting this auspicious world event. I wish to congratulate the Secretary General of the ITU and his staff, the organizers, sponsors and all the people who have helped to make this fourth yearly event a success. I hope that this great achievement will continue in years to come.

Congratulations also to the inauguration of ICT Discovery tomorrow, the ITU's new state-of-the-art museum to celebrate the achievements of ICT in its important role in supporting us as people to live a better life, liberation of societies, and brining the world as one. I am sure more milestones will be laid in the future as ICT is taking our planet to new level.

I also take this opportunity to join others before me in welcoming our newest country member, South Sudan, to the family of the ITU. I wish you all the best in your quest to develop and promote the economic and social welfare of your new Government and your people. And as well said by the Secretary General, the ITU will work alongside with national authorities to leverage the power of technology to assist your country achieve national objectives, pride and aspirations.

Today, I will shortly talk about Financing the Industry in Challenging Times viewed from my own experience coming from a Small Island State economy in the Pacific, although the topic itself is a global challenge facing us all in this ICT age. As we all experience, ICT has enormous power to change economic structures and greatly contribute to economic prosperity and a better quality of life. It enriches people's lives through providing greater choice and supporting social, welfare and cultural activities. It prospers even at these trying times of economic fall-out from the global financial crisis of 2008/09. As such, we should not shy away from addressing and finding new funding networks to support this important industry which it seems the only industry withstanding the financial crisis.

There is a philosophy that the ICT industry is or should be self-funded, let the industry support funding its own development between the industry and the customers and the end-users. It may be true in some ‘have' economies but it remains a major challenge in ‘have not' economies like my country, especially funding larger developmental projects which usually involved heavy investments to provide basic ICT infrastructure. Government simply does not have the financial capability, resources or capacity to assist. We therefore, look forward for the continued assistance of our development partners, donor agencies in particular, to support funding the development of ICT infrastructure in my country.

At the same time, development and funding of ICT services and applications must be driven not only by local market parameters, but a recognition that the global nature of the information economy transcends national borders and interests. Government must provide a robust policy and regulatory framework that ensures competition encourages growth and to nurture a sustainable and financially viable communications sector, maximize infrastructure availability, support new industry investment, and maximizing economic benefits from communications assets. It should be based on the need for every citizen to get access to ICT tools so that they can all share the benefits of ICT.

This is where the ITU is very good at and I must commend you on your tireless effort in supporting us to develop our ICT policy, regulatory functions and legal measures. It really helps us to approach our development partners with confidence that those ICT infrastructural projects will not only be sustainable but also beneficial to our people, and our children.

These efforts have resulted in the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank providing over US$27 million as grant to build and connect Tonga to a submarine cable system for the first time, is just one example of what I have alluded to. We have just issued the license of the local company to manage this submarine cable system, which contains the regulatory measures to ensure that the company is financially viable to deliver the benefits of this important project to the people.

In all, our collective effort here at this Summit is aimed at working together in partnership to develop a common vision and better understanding of financing ICT industry in our own country. Let us not put these funding arrangements as barrier to ICT development since ICT has offered a historic and an unprecedented opportunity not only to bridging digital divide but also placing its potential at the service of humanity to make our world a better place.

Before closing, please allow me on behalf of my delegation and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, to convey our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the Secretary General of the ITU and to all those who have helped for the logistical planning and arrangements of this World Event; and the Government and people of this most beautiful country of Switzerland and in particular Geneva for being an excellent host, and for your kind hospitality that have been duly accorded to us during our stay.

Thank You.

Issued by the; Ministry of Information and Communications, Nuku'alofa 2011.

Prime Minister's,Statement at the General Debate of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

24 Sept. 2011.

The Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano's Statement at the General Debate of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York City

"Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies and Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Like others who have spoken before me - allow me to add my warm congratulations upon your election as the President of the General Assembly for our current session.

My delegation and I assure you, as always, of our support and cooperation.

I also wish to thank His Excellency Mr. Joseph Diess of Switzerland for a successful term as the past President of the Sixty Fifth Session. We also remember another former President of this Assembly His Excellency Mr. Harri Holkieri of Finland who passed away earlier this year but who left a lasting impact on the good work of General Assembly and the United Nations Organization.

As for the on-going leadership of the Organization, I wish to extend my congratulations to Secretary General Ban ki Moon for his election to a deserved second term. You and your Secretariat continue to show the firm resolve needed during these challenging times of global crisis. We pay tribute also to the memory of those members of the Secretariat who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of international duty.

Mr. President

A further example of the critical role played by the Secretary General during these difficult times is the convening earlier this week of the High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases. The dangerous potential of NCDs unchecked in small States like mine threatens not just livelihoods and lifestyle but whatever gains that may have been achieved as they relate to MDG6 and the other MDGs.

At our annual meeting of Pacific Island Forum Leaders' in Auckland earlier this month, we adopted a ‘Statement on NCDs' where amongst other things we committed our Governments to implementing 5 key intervention areas known to reduce NCDs namely - tobacco control, better diets, increasing physical activity, reducing alcohol intake and improving access to essential drugs and technologies.

As such Tonga was pleased to join other Member States in adopting the Political Declaration of the High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs. I sincerely believe that this week's Meeting has been a good step in the right direction for setting a healthier and enjoyable future for us all.

Mr. President

We were pleased that the Secretary General was able to visit a number of countries in our region on his way to an historic attendance at the Pacific Islands Forum. He was able to assess for himself the dominant impact of climate change for countries in the Pacific and validate the activities of Pacific SIDS like Tonga in international fora. We must use what positive foundations were laid down collectively in Copenhagen and Cancun to embrace the promise that might lie in Durban at ‘COP17' in December.

We are pleased that in July under the able Presidency of Germany, the Security Council took solid steps to seize the moral imperative by holding an open debate and producing a ‘Presidential Statement on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Impact of Climate Change'. The Council and its membership (now and in the future) must not turn from its vigilant duty to keep itself in a position of leadership over this issue and its implications on Member States like Tonga and others in the Pacific.

Mr. President

Whilst last year's High Level Meeting on MDGs offered Small Island Developing States (‘SIDS') like Tonga an opportunity to take stock of their progress towards achieving those Goals in 2015 - we consider that we have a similar chance to do so as we all prepare for Rio+20 next year. We stress the critical importance of the sustainable development, management and conservation of our ocean and marine resources (both living and non living) as a proper source of livelihoods and income for our communities and Governments. Ensuring that States like ours enjoy a greater share of the benefits derived from such resources is key. What we within the Pacific SIDS have come to refer to as the ‘Blue Economy' will be our challenge to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio to meet the expectations and development aspirations of our peoples.

As such, Tonga continues to observe its obligations under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea and notes the decision by consensus of the States Parties this year as it relates to the workload of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf whose work is much valued by Coastal States like mine. Tonga together with another sister State from the region again actively participated in the work of the International Seabed Authority (‘ISA') this year and noted the decision by the ISA to grant exploration licenses to entities sponsored by our respective Governments. This marks a creative way for States like mine, within the spirit of the Convention, for solid partnership and development. The ‘common heritage of mankind' if it is to have any true meaning ought to be common to all and not just to some or the few with the capacity to do so.

Mr. President

Tonga repeats its call for creating and defining a formal ‘SIDS' category within the UN system. We are in need of a definition that is not based upon a ‘one size fits all' approach. Like others, we must have a definition that separates and addresses the diversity of size, population, remoteness, isolation and different levels of socio-economic development. Such a definition would improve linkages not just within the UN system but also, we believe, set a good benchmark for the international community that is both coherent and practical. It will strengthen the position of the United Nations and the international system to address SIDS and their special and unique challenges they face.

Mr. President

Like others, we too, also welcome the Republic of South Sudan as our newest UN Member State. Tonga has long been supportive of the efforts to find a comprehensive, just and enduring peace in the Middle East. The shifting sands of change known as the ‘Arab Spring' throughout the surrounding region earlier this year has made such a peace and genuine security all the more challenging but not impossible. This is indeed a moment of truth for those with genuine hope - not just for a secure Israel and a viable Palestine - but for those who for so long have been responsible to bring such hope to an ambitious peace.

Mr. President

Tonga's interest in developing renewable energy sources, within the context of our Tonga Energy Road Map, continued to evolve with our election to the Council of the International Renewable Energy Agency (‘IRENA') at the Agency's First General Assembly in April of this year. We will work in earnest to ensure that the voice of developing States like Tonga and others on the new Council is heard - given the key leading role it will play in the Agency's decision making and future direction. To take on such a role, IRENA must be prepared to be innovative. The Agency's work will take on greater significance in the coming International Year of Sustainable Energy for All and its related activities. I would also like to recognise the strong support of the Government of the United Arab Emirates as Host State for IRENA.

Mr. President

I am pleased to have addressed this august Assembly as the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Tonga - following elections held in November of last year. I took Office the next month in December following an evolving process of principal reforms that, within the context of our 1875 Constitution, included:

• the peaceful transfer of Executive power from His Majesty in Privy Council to the Government of the day,
• a Parliament where the majority of its members are elected by universal suffrage,
• a Prime Minister elected by a majority of the elected Members of Parliament,
• a Cabinet nominated by the Prime Minister and chosen largely from those elected Members of Parliament,
• a Constitutional Monarchy, and
• a strong and independent Judiciary free of political influence.

Despite this peaceable evolution, the fundamental freedoms and values guaranteed under the Constitution continues to afford legal protection and comforting reassurance to all Tongans.

Mr. President

To address the uncertain future of the current global economic and financial climate, my Government has approved the ‘Tonga Strategic Development Framework' which provides an overall framework to guide Government's activities for the next 4 years. It involves 9 priority areas from building strong inclusive communities to improving health and education standards for a safe, secure and stable Tongan society. Earlier in the month, my Government signed separate agreements with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank to improve ICT services for Tonga that are affordable and accessible. Improving such
services will enable Tonga to enhance its related education, health and Government services too. My Government sincerely believes this Framework will put Tonga on a firm path to improving its ability to meaningfully achieve the United Nation's MDGs by 2015.

As such, in closing my Government happily reaffirms its commitment to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and we pledge to support the ongoing work and reform of our Organisation. I thank you for your attention."

ENDS

Issued by: Prime Minister's Office, P.O. Box 62, Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Telephone: (676) 24 644 Fax: (676) 23 888 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it