Departure Statement: Commonwealth Secretary-General visit to Kiribati

Kiribati is a highly valued member of the Commonwealth. The purpose of my first official visit to Kiribati was to have direct exchanges with the leadership as to the country’s priorities, the challenges it faces, and to identify the partnership which the Commonwealth can offer.

I was honoured to be received so warmly during my visit, and I depart with great appreciation and a deeper understanding of Kiribati’s aspirations and the challenges posed by geography, human and natural resource constraints, and climate change.

My discussions covered many areas of the Commonwealth’s work as a trusted and collaborative partner in advancing our core values of democracy, development and respect for diversity.

During this visit, I had the honour of calling on the President, HE Anote Tong, and Vice-President and Minister of Internal and Social Affairs Hon Teima Onorio. I also met the Minister of Communication, Transport and Tourism Development Hon Taberannang Timeon; Minister of Public Works and Utilities Hon Kirabuke Teiaua; Minister of Commerce, Industries and Co-operatives Hon Pinto Katia; and Minister of Environment and Agricultural Development Hon Tiarite Kwong. I also had meetings with former President Hon Teburoro Tito, and the Speaker of the House of Assembly Hon Taomati Iuta.

I warmly welcome the commitment and interest shown in the Commonwealth by the leadership of Kiribati. His Excellency the President kindly conveyed his “complete and total confidence in the Commonwealth” and also observed that “the Commonwealth is more relevant today for a world moving forward”. The Honourable Speaker indicated his commitment to continue leading national debate and recognition of the Commonwealth, which is much appreciated, including through observance of Commonwealth Day in the Parliament.

Commonwealth Reform

I briefed His Excellency the President on current Commonwealth priorities, especially our agenda of reform and renewal. Our goal is to ensure that the Commonwealth remains responsive to the needs of its citizens and is more impactful in its activities.

At the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia in October 2011, the leaders agreed to a number of recommendations by an Eminent Persons Group to reform and renew the Commonwealth. The essence of these reforms is to sharpen the impact, strengthen the networks, and raise the profile of the Commonwealth; and to achieve greater practical commitment to our 2009 Affirmation of Commonwealth Values and Principles.

We are on track with the Commonwealth’s reform agenda. The networks and collaboration between the wide range of Commonwealth organisations and governments are being strengthened; and a web-based platform has been created - Commonwealth Connects - to enable Commonwealth networks to develop and work together in future interactively and through sharing knowledge and best practices and in creating partnerships.

In my discussions, I drew attention in particular to the proposed Commonwealth Charter, the text of which is currently being considered by Heads of Government. The Charter will be our contemporary statement of Commonwealth identity, which we hope to have adopted by the end of this year.

Commonwealth Technical Assistance Partnership

The Commonwealth has exercised a special responsibility in advocacy in respect of the needs of small and vulnerable states, and in protecting and advancing their interests. The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance (CFTC) offers opportunities in providing support to Kiribati in meeting its governance and development needs.

Kiribati has received CFTC support in recent years which includes the following:

• Delimitation of maritime boundaries. The Commonwealth assisted with the drafting of a treaty signed in August this year between Kiribati and New Zealand to delimit the maritime boundary between Kiribati and Tokelau; and Kiribati’s signing of maritime boundary agreements with Nauru, Marshall Islands and Cook Islands.
• Kiribati was represented at a meeting in July this year in Brisbane to strengthen government procurement practices under the Commonwealth Public Procurement Network, to enhance public expenditure management.
• Kiribati attended the Second Commonwealth-Pacific Cabinet Secretaries and Public Service Permanent Secretaries Forum in Cook Islands in February last year on ‘Ethical Leadership in Public Service and Enhancing Human Resource Management’.
• In March this year, Kiribati was represented at the Pacific Judicial Forum on Corruption and Other Financial Crimes to enhance the capacity of Commonwealth judiciaries to adjudicate on corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes.
• Kiribati also participated in a seminar last year in Auckland, New Zealand, on Developing a Code of Conduct for Public Officials. The outcomes of the meeting will be presented to the Law Ministers of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions Meeting next year.
• Two Kiribati officials were supported to attend an Investment Expert Group Meeting in Port Vila, Vanuatu, last year to gauge regional feedback on the usefulness of the Commonwealth Investment Guide for negotiators. A further two trade officials were supported to attend a Commonwealth meeting in Fiji in March this year on the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER).
• Kiribati is benefiting from the Secretariat’s assistance in building the capacities of 21 business development service providers in the region specialising in micro and small businesses.
• Kiribati benefits from the advisory services of a Commonwealth regional trade advisor based at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat for trade policy formulation and negotiations with multilateral organisations.
• Two delegates from Kiribati attended the Commonwealth Pacific Youth Leadership and Integrity Conference in Honiara, Solomon Islands, in September this year to encourage young people to be involved in participatory democracy.
• The Commonwealth Youth Programme conducted a Situational Assessment on Youth Employment in Kiribati in order to provide greater information to the i-Kiribati authorities on youth employment and their prospects.

Other Commonwealth partners are active in Kiribati also. The Commonwealth Local Government Forum, for instance, is working to promote information and communication-based connectivity between local government councils.

New Areas of Commonwealth Assistance and Support

We are committed to enhancing our support of the Commonwealth’s values and the national priorities of Kiribati in 2013 and beyond by offering further technical assistance in co-ordination with other development partners.

Small Island States

I welcomed the fact that Kiribati participated in the Small States Global Biennial Conference at the Secretariat’s headquarters in London in September this year, focusing on the economic challenges of small states.

In April 2013, the Secretariat is convening a conference on public administration and governance in very small island states, with pan-Commonwealth participation anticipated. We are very pleased that Kiribati has agreed to participate, and look forward to its valuable contribution.

We welcome the interest expressed by the Government of Kiribati in becoming a tenant in theCommonwealth Small States Office in New York. We also welcomed the interest expressed in making use of the Commonwealth Small States Office in Geneva, as a base for the country’s delegations attending UN and other international meetings.

Climate change

My visit to Te Bikenikoora was an opportunity to see at first-hand how climate change is already directly affecting i-Kiribati communities. It was a sobering sight and clear evidence that a distinction can be drawn between those threatened by climate change’s consequences and those already affected fundamentally by it. It was also a reminder of the impressive resilience of local communities in the face of such a catastrophic threat.

Kiribati can derive benefit in the areas of climate change through the expertise of two Commonwealth experts at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme(SPREP) in Samoa. One of the experts provides economic analysis of the impact of climate change on small island states which will inform policy-making on mitigation measures; and the other provides training on weather and climate change forecasting to improve infrastructural support for national meteorological services.

The Commonwealth Secretariat continues to be active in promoting access for small states to financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The Secretariat will continue to work closely with regional institutions to take forward the practical sharing of experience and information on climate change financing, and to make available these resources to Kiribati as required. We are planning to establish a Commonwealth Expert Group on Climate Change in 2013 to consider in particular the challenges faced by those countries, such as Kiribati, for which climate change is today a very real existential threat affecting the future of the nation.

Democracy and Human Rights

Towards strengthening democracy, Commonwealth expertise in election management will continue to be shared with Kiribati, which is already engaged and participating in the Commonwealth Electoral Network (CEN). The Chief Electoral Officer and Director for Local Government of Kiribati attended the CEN Conference in Toronto, Canada, earlier this year.

We will provide further support as required for Kiribati’s implementation of human rights conventions such as ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the programme for strengthening its work in human rights arising from its participation in the Universal Periodic Review process of the Human Rights Council, such as in the areas of treaty ratification, establishment of a national human rights institution, violence against women, sex and gender inequality, and child rights.

We will also assist Kiribati as requested to fast-track ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Governance and Public Administration

We have encouraged Kiribati to make full use of the expertise and opportunities provided by the regional Commonwealth Pacific Governance Facility, which is advancing Commonwealth projects in the region in support of the governance pillar of the Pacific Plan. The Facility is located with the Commonwealth Youth Programme Centre in Honiara.

We will explore together with the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation the scope to strengthen e-governance and m-governance as part of the strengthening of ICT connectivity development of the country.

Judiciary

We will strengthen our assistance to the judiciary from 2013 through the provision of a High Court judge; updating the High Court Civil Procedure Rules; strengthening the court administration system; and providing training for magistrates.

Economic Development and Finance

The Secretariat is assisting Kiribati with the preparation of a continental shelf submission which is to be completed by December 2012. We will provide further assistance in this area as required.

We agreed to make available, if required, further technical expertise to reinforce the existing efforts of Kiribati in the negotiation and management of its natural resources for sustainable development.

We have offered to provide assistance to Kiribati in managing its public debt, including making available the extensive policy and research results already undertaken by the Commonwealth on this subject. We will explore the provision of Commonwealth expertise as well as the potential value for Kiribati of a suite of debt management software including the newly launched Horizon software for planning and risk management, including debt restructuring. 
Kiribati can also benefit from the advisory services of a Commonwealth regional trade advisor based at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat for trade policy formulation and negotiations with multilateral organisations.

Women and Youth

The roles of women and youth in the development of society are central to the Commonwealth, and I welcomed the accession of Kiribati to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I offered the Secretariat’s support in meeting the national obligations which arise from these.

We discussed the challenges of increasing the participation of women in politics. The Commonwealth will continue to take forward its work in this area at the regional level in coordination with existing initiatives. A Pacific colloquium on women’s leadership will be organised by the Commonwealth in 2013, and we look forward to the participation of Kiribati.

We welcome the engagement of Kiribati with the Commonwealth Youth Programme through its participation in a number of recent regional CYP events. We have agreed to explore how the CYP can further support the empowerment of young i-Kiribati, especially in enhancing entrepreneurship opportunities.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013

I briefed His Excellency the President and others about the development orientationdesired by the Chair at next year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will take place in Sri Lanka. The consideration of socio-economic development will be of interest to Kiribati where the challenges of empowering and delivering economic growth and opportunity to remote communities is felt strongly.