UN General Assembly
2015

Like other small Pacific island countries, Vanuatu is a small, open and vulnerable economy. Its openness and small size mean that it is highly vulnerable to external shocks and that opportunities to exploit economies of scale are limited. Despite those challenges, we have been able to record economic growth for the past 10 years. The recent impact of Tropical Cyclone Pam, however, has erased the gains made over that decade. It will take many years to recover, making our efforts to achieve sustainable development somewhat daunting. As a result of this difficulty, my Government recently made a decision to request the United Nations to consider postponing our graduation from LDC status for some years. That will give us ample time to recover fully from the effects of the cyclone and rebuild our economy. I urge the membership of the United Nations to support our draft resolution on the matter during the Assembly’s seventieth session.