Jamaica: SIDS Roundtable - Presentations & Speeches

Statement by
H.E. Mr. Michael Konelios
Minister of Finance
Government of Marshall Islands

Chairman
Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to be here and I am especially grateful for the opportunity for my advisers to present a case study on my country's vision 2018.
I am confident Chairman that the planning approach which my country had adopted in the formulation of our long-term vision 2018 and to be accompanied by sectoral master plans and actions plans would be of immense benefit to the rest of SIDS.
I am aware that the last 2 days has covered a lot of important grounds and that numerous issues have been identified as critical to the future sustainable development of SIDS.
As a matter of general observation from my delegation, Marshall Islands would like to see more focus on national and locally based initiatives more than regional and intra- regional.
Our experience from our vision 2018 is that we have established a framework we believe that will provide our country an enabling environment to allow us improve on our absorptive capacity and to make the best of the resources available to us both locally and from our international partners.
In terms of vulnerability, I suppose my country has a strong case for all the three elements of vulnerability-

o Environment
- A number of our atolls were exposed to radioactive contamination following nuclear tests by the US.
- Right now people from four of our atolls are not able to leave on these atolls and thus they have been cut off from their ancestral land and even their cultural base has been greatly distorted.

o Economic
- Our main financial base come from us compact funds supported by a number of soft loans from ADB.
- As some of you may know, right now there is ongoing negotiations with the US for renewal of our present 15 year compact that is ending next year.
- When compact funds go away, we will be in great trouble.

o Social
- Our social vulnerability has been largely compounded by the years of our past history and as I said earlier, the displacement of the four communities of the four atolls from there homeland.
- Even on Ebeye next to the US missile test base, one could certainly observe first hand our social vulnerability.
I certainly look forward Chairman to positive responsive initiatives arising from this meeting to increase the resilience of my country to the prevailing economic, social and environmental contributing factors.
Thank you Chairman

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