Wesley Simina seeks Security Council membership for small island states
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Leaders of the Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru have urged global leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to conflicts and “focus on building bridges, not walls.”
Micronesian President Wesley Simina called for a UN Security Council reform, which he said is “long overdue” and “must reflect the geopolitical realities of the 21st century.”
“The imperative for peaceful resolutions and pursuing lasting peace in conflict-affected regions further underscores the critical need for a reformed and strengthened UN Security Council,” Simina said at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26.
Simina urged the council to widen its doors to accommodate memberships from under-represented regions and “amplify the voices of small island
developing states.”
“Let us be the leaders who bring about a new era of peace and reconciliation,” he added.
Nauru President David W.R. Adeang issued a similar appeal in his speech before the UN Assembly on Sept. 24.
“As we know, conflicts and tensions persist across many regions of the world. In our shared pursuit of progress and prosperity, it is crucial to acknowledge that conflict impedes growth and undermines community stability,” Adeang said.
The Nauru leader stressed that "peace and development are not separate entities but intertwined pillars of human progress."
Both Nauru and the FSM have diplomatic ties with China, a dividing force in the Pacific island region where Taiwan has lost allies over the years.
The growing friction between China and Taiwan is feared to foreshadow a looming conflict in the Pacific region.
Despite its diplomatic relations with Beijing, the United States has repeatedly invoked the Taiwan Relations Act, vowing to come to Taiwan’s defense if it was attacked by China, which it described as a “pacing challenge.”
Adeang stood pat on Nauru’s decision in January to sever ties from Taiwan and row back to China after a 20-year split-up. Nauru has had teetering relations with Beijing and Taipei since 1980.
“Nauru is proud of our strong and growing friendship with China,” Adeang said. “Our restored diplomatic relations with China are a testament that even the largest and the smallest of countries can find common ground and work toward mutual benefit."
Stressing his country’s “we are friends to all and enemies to none” foreign policy, Adeang said, “We must focus on building bridges, not walls, and work toward a more integrated, connected world.”
Advocating reconciliation, Adeang called for “an immediate and unconditional end to the decades-long embargo imposed on Cuba.”
The U.S. embargo against Cuba has paralyzed trade between the two nations since 1958.
“Peace creates an environment where individuals can thrive, communities
flourish and nations prosper,” Adeang said. “By prioritizing conflict resolution, we pave the way for resilience, progress and shared prosperity."
Meanwhile, Simina reaffirmed the FSM’s “commitment to global peace and security,” and called on the Security Council to expand its membership to include representation from Japan, India, Germany Brazil and from the African continent.
“This reform should make the council more effective, inclusive, transparent, and accountable. It must reflect the realities of today rather than those of 1945,” he said.
“It is evident that the current structure of the UN Security Council has been a subject of debate, with legitimate concerns about representation, effectiveness
and the ability to address contemporary security issues,” Simina added.
Reflecting on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Micronesian president emphasized the urgent need for “diplomacy, dialogue and the protection of innocent lives.”
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