H.E. Mr. Christopher J.

Loeak
President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
United Nations Climate ummit
!" eptember !#$%
Ne& 'ork
check against delivery
Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Two weeks ago, the Marshall Islands held our first national dialogue on climate change.
t that meeting, a six-year old student ! Ms. "eslynna Myo Si#ok ! took the stage to
tell the nation how rising waters took her home.
That six-year old girl ga$e me and my nation the $ery same challenge that the Secretary-
General has %resented this morning ! that now, that today, is the time for real action.
That if we fail, Myo&s world, and that of her generation, is #eyond re%air. 'e ha$e no
higher ground ! we ha$e no retreat ! and we all must act.
(or )* years ! a +uarter century ! the Marshall Islands and other island nations around
the world ha$e #een the moral face of climate change. 'e cannot suffer yet another
news article declaring us only $ictims, only on the %assi$e end of a %ro#lem not of our
doing, somehow already condemned to migrate from our homeland.
,o res%onsi#le leader would stand for such an end.
-ut enough words.
.n to% of our existing actions, these are the new commitments of the /e%u#lic of the
Marshall Islands to address climate change0
1. ,ext March, the Marshall Islands will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the largest
nations, and announce our own %lans to further cut our emissions, from )2)2 and
well into the future ! our contri#ution to mo$ing the world to dee%
decar#oni3ation. I urge our 4acific neigh#ors will to 5oin us. 'e all ha$e a role to
%lay ! and as the Marshall Islands and the whole 4acific has already marked out
strong action on energy and emissions #efore )2)2, it is only right we continue to
turn u% the $olume.

). nd #eyond our initial commitment next March - that we will commit oursel$es,
and to %ush e$eryone ! large and small, rich and %oor ! into a )21* glo#al
agreement in 4aris that will dee%en our initial efforts and #reak through
challenges.
6. Together with my 7a#inet, I will ta#le national climate ada%tation legislation in
our %arliament to %ut our climate %olicy in motion ! #y next 8anuary, I ex%ect that,
#y law, we esta#lish a national climate fund and climate committee ! and that #y
law, all %u#lic #uildings and infrastructure will #e more resilient to climate
im%acts, including %ro5ects undertaken with international assistance, and that the
go$ernment will su%%ort stakeholders and landowners to ensure that all %ri$ate
#uildings and local communities are climate-resilient.
9. The Marshall Islands will, #y next :ecem#er, undertake s%ecific and swee%ing
%olicy reforms to #oost our own national readiness to #etter access and utili3e
climate change finance. Many of these actions are addressed in a recent ;7limate
7hange (inance ction 4lan< and assessment. :es%ite our good will ! and
%erha%s yours, and des%ite our extreme $ulnera#ility, there are far too many loose
ends, and a gra$e mismatch #etween our structure, ex%erience and ca%acity ! and
com%licated sources of assistance. 'e are %re%ared to do our %art to #oost our
own readiness ! #ut we cannot achie$e this alone.
Thank you and kommol tata.