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President Mori Urges Responsible Stewardship of the Global Environment at UN Conference on Climate Change

New York (FSM Permanent Mission to the UN): September 24, 2007 - In a high-level meeting held one day before the formal opening of the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Emanuel Mori urged other world leaders and senior government officials in attendance to be "responsible stewards of this creation called Earth" and to reverse the global trends "from pollution to protection and respect for God's blessed environment." The President's message to the international meeting reflects the priority that he has placed on maintaining the integrity of the environment for the benefit of present and future generations.

The priority of the Mori Administration on the environment was enunciated in his inaugural statement, among others. It is also incorporated in the bill for the reorganization of the executive branch, recently passed by the FSM Congress, with the creation of an Office of Environment and Emergency Management.

The President began his statement by noting that "Micronesia is already experiencing the earliest impacts of climate change." He went on to say: "I say with sadness that much subsistence agriculture and fishing, endemic marine and terrestrial species, including coral reefs, are increasingly damaged if not lost by environmental stresses, associated with global warming."

Coincidentally, in another international conference held last week in Canada on the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, the FSM also took the center stage on the subject of maintaining the integrity of the global environmental and sustainable development by presenting a proposed measure that would accelerate the phase-out of certain ozone-depleting chemicals. The Conference of Parties in Montreal reached a historic compromise based on various proposals, including the one presented by the FSM.

President Mori is presently in New York to participate in the deliberations of the annual session of the UN General Assembly. He will also make a statement during the debates of the UNGA.

The President is accompanied by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S Robert, Chief of Staff Sabino Asor, and Consultant Akillino Susaia. On hand to assist the President and his party are the officials of the FSM Missions in New York and DC.