UN General Assembly
2011

the international community is still unable to commit to emissions cuts and targets sufficient to ensure the survival of the Marshall Islands and other low-lying nations. The Marshall Islands can wait no longer. We are now choosing creative paths to drive urgency into our broken negotiations and to pursue practical initiatives to address the threats and risks. First, the Marshall Islands joined with the Government of Mexico in urging the United Nations in its coming Climate Change Conference to consider the use of voting as a means of last resort. Secondly, in July, we joined with our Pacific small island developing States colleagues to push for the Security Council to recognize that climate change now poses an incontrovertible threat to international peace and security. We reiterate our call for the Secretary-General to report on those threats. Petty arguments about forums and mandates cannot be allowed to prevail at the risk of our statehood. All organs of the United Nations must now be proactively engaged. We do not need sympathy; we need solutions and political innovation.