Benetick Kabua Maddison’s Statement for the High Level Meeting to Commermorate the International Day Against Nuclear Tests

Statement

Delivered by Benetick Kabua Maddison, Executive Director of the Marshallese Educational Initiative

President of the General Assembly,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Iọkwe - Greetings

I wish to thank the President of the General Assembly, Kazakhstan, and the other organizers for hosting this event and for the opportunity to speak today.

I was born in the Marshall Islands. I moved to the United States – to Springdale, Arkansas -- with my family as a child. In elementary school, the principal pulled my first-grade classmates and me out of class to gather at the school library for a show and tell that she wanted to share with us. To my surprise, the presentation was about her trip to the Marshall Islands that year. She showed us photos and talked about the 6,000-mile journey from Arkansas to the Marshall Islands. From her flights from Arkansas to Hawai’i to the Marshall Islands, she could see clouds and the ocean below them. No sight of islands yet. Then, out of nowhere, there they were, God’s emerald necklaces floating on the water as if they had just risen from the depths of the sea. When I saw the photos, it was a very emotional moment. As a first grader, seeing my homeland again – for the first time in pictures - with the beautiful white sandy beaches, the lush green forests, and the blue turquoise water after leaving a few years prior gave me tears and a big smile; it was comforting to know, at a young age, that my homeland was still there.

Even though I am physically here in the U.S., my heart is still back home. The Marshall Islands have been the home of my people for more than 4,000 years. I credit our survival and resiliency to the cultural values of our ancestors that we, their descendants, are still embracing today: love, respect, kindness, and togetherness are all essential aspects of our close-knit society. Our values are not only reserved for people but also for the environment – Marshallese culture is based on principles of sustainability and conservation.

Unfortunately, this sustainable way of life is under threat. The Marshallese people are on the frontlines of climate change, and our leaders, many of whom have spoken in this great hall, are leading the fight. Environmental challenges and exploitations of our resources will continue to force more Marshallese, like my family, to migrate. Climate change is not the only threat the Marshall Islands face. Unfortunately, we are no strangers to existential threats.

Between 1946 and 1958, the US used the Marshall Islands to test 67 nuclear weapons – equivalent to 7200 Hiroshima bombs. In the late-1970s, the US built a concrete dome on Enewetak, one of the two islands used for nuclear testing. They dumped nuclear waste into the structure that is leaking nuclear contaminants into the fragile environment. Scientists have warned the Marshallese government that if the islands were underwater today, the dome would break open and release its deadly contents.

As a result of the nuclear testing program, the Marshall Islands and the U.S. signed the first Compact of Free Association in 1986, allowing Marshallese to migrate to the US for employment, education, and the hope of access to healthcare. Due to nuclear testing and forced relocation, we have some of the highest rates of cancer and diabetes in the world, And, as tragically demonstrated in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many from my community became ill and too many of my friends, family, and elders died, my people are especially vulnerable due to health issues that are a direct result of radiation exposure and forced relocation.

The Marshall Islands has a long history of advocacy for environmental and nuclear justice, dating back to when the Islands were governed as a U.S. Trust Territory, an agreement between the United States and the United Nations that solidified the U.S. use of the Marshall Islands for nuclear testing.

With allies worldwide, Marshallese political leaders and community advocates continue fighting for nuclear and climate justice. With the help of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the Marshall Islands sued the nine nuclear weapons states in 2014. Although the case was not won, the issue received international attention and support. The nonprofit organization that I began working with in high school and that I now lead, the Marshallese Educational Initiative, collaborates with the RMI National Nuclear Commission, Reverse the Trend, other allies, and Affected Communities to educate and raise awareness about the effects of nuclear testing and climate change.

What we need most today is not only allies but actors.

We need government leaders who are willing to recognize the dangers of nuclear weapons production and use and take responsibility for the damage they have inflicted and eliminate them.

The Marshall Islands and the United States governments recently restarted renegotiations for the next Compact of Free Association. It is my hope and that of my people, especially Marshallese youth, whether living in the Islands or abroad, that the next Compact will fully and fairly address the nuclear legacy and climate change.

For us Marshallese, time is running out; we must do more to create a nuclear-free and livable planet for all to not only survive but thrive – and so that future Marshallese generations will live with the comfort of knowing that they have a home to go back to and so that they can preserve and protect their culture for many more years to come.

Koṃṃool – Thank you.