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May 20, 2009
STATEMENT BY H.E. LITOKWA TOMEING
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS
AT THE PACIFIC ISLANDS LEADERS ROUNDTABLE MEETING
ON WATER AND SANITATION
TOKYO, JAPAN
May 20, 2009
Chairman and President of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, Mori-Sensei,
Distinguished Colleagues of the Pacific Islands Forum,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I take this opportunity to convey my sincere appreciation and those of my delegation, to Mori-Sensei and the Asia-Pacific Water Forum for the kind invitation to participate at this important roundtable meeting on water and sanitation. The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands aligns itself in support of the Ministers for Water Security Initiative in Asia Pacific.
The topic is particularly significant. Its effect is especially fitting given the precarious experience among the small islands countries in the Pacific. The question of water is tied to every facet of our lives. It must be adequate, it must be accessible to every user, it must be safe and clean, and it must be potable. Certainty in all these conditions must be guaranteed. I believe this is our ultimate challenge. I said this because, it seems to me that a deficiency in one condition creates an imbalance in others, with direct implications on the very livelihood of everyone, be it economic or health.
In the context of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, problems relating to water accessibility and sanitation are numerous and varied. And documentation on quality, accessibility, management and sanitation has been the subject of studies over the years. But our national ability to respond to recommendations have been constrained by the lack of financial resources, appropriate skilled human resources and transfer of technology.
A survey of our own capital city, Majuro, showed that almost 30 percent of the people residing in heavily populated sections of the community have no direct access to water. While 26% of our urban population lacks access to basic sanitation, 70% of those residing in countryside suffer from the same deprivation.
In more than 30 out of 33 of our outer islands, the acute shortage of potable water resulting from severe lack of rainfall, and soil retention capacity, is compounded by the near absence of catchment facilities.
Of the 1200 water quality tests conducted in 2005 in Majuro, 71% were considered a failure rate. The cost of treating one water borne disease has more than double between 2001 and 2006, creating immediate budgetary implications.
As I travel around many of our islands, it is a sad sight for me to see how the lives of an otherwise normal and active people have been so severely affected by the problem of water. Healthy people have become dejected, miserable, unhappy, and susceptible to diseases and illnesses.
It is difficult to imagine how sustainable development or the MDGs for that matter can be achieved when the very participants or intended beneficiaries are in a constant state of misery.
Distinguished colleagues, I am persuaded to state in this gathering that in the face of human despair, our challenge is one of moral responsibility. For while it is a welcome sign to note the interests shown by the international community on the critical issue of water and sanitation, the litmus test of reality is on the ground.
Concrete evidence in terms of appropriate measures backed by adequate resources and technological know-how is crucial.
How does one respond to severe water-related problems and diseases in far flung atolls in the face of inadequate resources and technological know-how?
How does one cope with ceaseless bouts of prolonged droughts over an oceanic surface of no less than one million square kilometers?
What does it take to mount as well as sustain a systematic public health education both in urban and rural-sectors? What will it take to mobilize stakeholders and ensure effective community participation as to build reliance and confidence?
What will all these take in the face of limited national resources and capacity?
This, I believe, is the crux of our reality on the ground.
At the regional level, I believe there exists a critical need for coordination and re-focusing of donor programs and project designs. There is a need to develop capacity and skills of Pacific island states in water management; skills in implementing projects to improve the environmental sustainability of water supply and usage. National capacity must be built if regional initiatives are to be of any effect.
I am thankful for Japan’s sensitivity and understanding of the problem of water in the Pacific region and in the Marshall Islands. I take this fitting occasion to thank the government of Japan for your continuing support and friendship.
In concluding, I am encouraged that our discussion here today aimed to intensify efforts to address the important needs for safe water and sanitation to our countries and peoples, will be further advanced.
I am confident too that under Japan’s strong leadership, the Asia-Pacific Water Forum will continue to be proactive and effective.
Kommol tata.
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