UN General Assembly
2004

from the sea and the land, however limited, coupled with our culture and tradition of sharing, has meant that despite the lack of cash our people eat at least once a day. The real problem concerns the level of daily nutritional intake, particularly for children, as one cannot buy imported commodities such as fruits and vegetables and hygienic supplies. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Nauru imports 90 per cent of all food and other essential items. Accordingly, food security in the medium to long term is a serious concern as there is no form of agricultural activity on Nauru. Nauru’s recovery cannot be possible without the establishment of reputable financial institutions on Nauru and the lifting of the restrictions on financial transactions between the international community and Nauru. That will not happen if Nauru continues to be subjected to countermeasures and blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Despite the outlawing of the registration of foreign banks some 12 months ago, Nauru has not been successful in its