Statement by H.E. Mr. Shigeki Sumi
Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations

on SIDS Day of CSD-18

10 May 2010

Mr. Chair,

I would like to join the other delegations in congratulating you and the Secretariat on the excellent preparations for the SIDS Day.

Japan, being an island country, recognizes the special needs and vulnerabilities of SIDS, amplified in the recent years by the negative impacts of climate change.

For many years, Japan has been engaged in close cooperation with SIDS. At the fifth Japan-Pacific Islands Forum Summit Meeting held in Hokkaido last year in May, Prime Minister of Japan announced that Japan would provide a total of 50 billion yen to assist the Pacific island countries over the following three years. It includes assistance to tackle environmental challenges by using Japan's leading-edge technology. Japan is planning to host high-level interim meeting of Japan-Pacific Islands Forum in the second half of this year to follow up the last Summit Meeting.

Japan’s commitment is extended to CARICOM member states as well. Since the first Ministerial-level Conference held in Tokyo in 2000, Japan has provided assistance in line with the priorities of the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI). The second Japan-CARICOM Ministerial-level Conference is scheduled between the end of August and the beginning of September this year, where a new cooperation framework covering various issues including climate change is expected to be adopted.

Furthermore, in New York the Japanese Mission is conducting close bilateral discussions with many Pacific island countries and CARICOM members on various issues.

Mr. Chair,

The impacts of climate change could pose threats to the human security in SIDS. There is an urgent need to move forward with the negotiations under UNFCCC. Japan looks forward to strengthening its cooperative relationship with SIDS towards an international legally-binding agreement on a fair and effective framework. To this end, Copenhagen Accord was an important step, and broadest possible support to the Accord is necessary to accelerate the negotiation process.

The Government of Japan will provide under the “Hatoyama Initiative” approximately US$ 15 billion including public and private financing up to 2012 to assist a broad range of developing countries which are taking measures of migration, as well as those which are vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.

Lastly, we are ready to contribute to constructive discussions on the political declaration, and we look forward to the High-level review in September.

I thank you very much.