Allow me,
Madam President, to make a few preliminary remarks.
First, Saint Kitts and Nevis extends sincere
congratulations on your assumption of the presidency
of the United Nations General Assembly. My
delegation is confident that you will rise to the
occasion, and in so doing, make not just the Kingdom
of Bahrain, but the United Nations family proud of
you. Secondly, I wish to laud the leadership of His
Excellency Jan Eliasson during the course of the
sixtieth session of the United Nations General
Assembly. His leadership was propitious and
outstanding at a time of reform and intense challenges
for the United Nations.
Thirdly, it would be remiss of me if I did not
salute the quintessential diplomat in the personality of
His Excellency Kofi Annan who, for nigh on 10 years,
skilfully steered the United Nations ship through many
rough and difficult waters. We are indebted to him for
his supreme statesman-like leadership. I hail him as a
brother of the diaspora and a gem of human
civilization.
Fourthly, Saint Kitts and Nevis warmly welcomes
the Republic of Montenegro into the United Nations
family. It has taken a bold step in order to play an
active role in the international discourse and we
applaud it for that initiative.
This year’s theme “Implementing a Global
Partnership for Development” coincides with my
country’s focus on linking the need for human rights
with the desire for a comprehensive and sustainable
human development strategy. For too long, the issues
of human rights and human development have not
always run in parallel. My delegation believes that
oversight needs to be corrected.
Over the years, the international community has
focused its attention either on human rights violations,
or on human development. What has transpired at
times is, unfortunately, a withdrawal of resources from
one programme to supplement the other, which then
has an adverse effect on the former. What I suggest
today is that there should be a strategy of linking
human rights and human development so as to ensure
that our peoples are cared for in a holistic manner.
Many of us may recall that during the previous
session of the General Assembly, when the Human
Rights Council was being established, there was a call
for the right to development to be included within the
broader theme of human rights. My delegation believes
that is, in principle, still necessary. At the same time,
we also believe that development in all of its forms
will not have any long-term effects or benefits unless
human rights are incorporated in that development.
We propose, therefore, that during the sixty-first
session the Assembly ensure that the drive for a global
partnership for development is pursued with the goal of
ensuring that human rights and human development
run in tandem and, in effect, complement each other.
My delegation believes that only through that approach
can true global partnerships for development occur.
Those ideals can be achieved. Saint Kitts and
Nevis has witnessed the possibility first-hand. Within
the Caribbean Community, we have embarked upon a
regional partnership for development and in that
development we have ensured that the rights of our
citizens and the development of our people are at the
forefront of our regional partnership. A few months
ago, we formally established the CARICOM Single
Market and Economy. That was an initiative years in
the making; CARICOM member States remained
cognizant of all the effects that the initiative would
have on its people, and we attempted, of course, to
address them all.
We acknowledged that there would be growing
pains but we also realized that, for our nationals to
truly benefit in this rapidly globalizing world, it was
necessary. However, my CARICOM colleagues and I
have sought to minimize any short-term negative
effects.
For a country like mine, which only recently
made the painful decision to close our 360-year-old
sugar industry, the partnerships we have nurtured
within CARICOM have helped to ease the pain and
helped to prepare us for the Single Market. What we
need on a global scale is: partnerships for development
that consider and ensure human rights and human
development for every State.
Whatever way is deemed most appropriate,
partnerships should begin with mutual respect and a
commitment to understanding each other. We live in a
diverse world, and, owing to globalization, that
diversity is felt now more than ever before. If we do
not strive to respect and understand each other,
tensions will mount and instability will reign.
5 06-53952
That is why Saint Kitts and Nevis has stood at
this rostrum time and time again, and called for the
human rights of the people of the Republic of China —
Taiwan — to be acknowledged in this body. The
Republic of China is a democratic country that has
continued to embody the principles of the United
Nations. That country has continued to ensure that
human rights and human development are nurtured and
preserved together, and has many contributions to
make in the pursuit of a global partnership for
development. It has been a great and magnificent
friend to several States members of the United Nations
family, and not just those with which it has diplomatic
ties. We, as the pre-eminent international body, owe the
Republic of China and its 23 million people our
support and acceptance, and we owe ourselves the
benefit of having the Republic of China fully
participating in the United Nations system.
My delegation would like to single out and
applaud the peoples of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and of Haiti for striving to overcome periods of
instability and uncertainty through the democratic
process. For the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
more than two generations have passed between
democratic elections. And Haiti’s 200-year history has
been tumultuous in terms of its approach to democratic
life. The Caribbean Community was especially pleased
with the important democratic step taken by the
Republic of Haiti, and we were able this year to
welcome Haiti back into our fold.
Those landmark elections could not have
occurred without a concerted effort by all concerned to
undertake partnerships, while respecting each other and
striving for full and comprehensive human rights and
human development, along with a desire for peace.
This is a fragile period for those countries, but my
delegation lauds their efforts and initiatives, and we
stand firm in our commitment to join in the global
partnership for the development of those two countries.
One year ago, the heads of State or Government
of the majority of the States Members of the United
Nations signed on to the World Summit Outcome
Document (resolution 60/1). The document was viewed
as the catalyst for a renewed commitment to a global
partnership for development, security and human
rights. During the sixtieth session, that commitment
was further solidified with the establishment of the
Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights
Council. Dialogue continued on issues relating to the
reform of the United Nations. However, more
commitment and partnership are needed to see these
reforms come to fruition.
We must make a concerted effort. I cannot stress
that enough. If we were to be honest with ourselves,
we would acknowledge that the principles of the
United Nations have not been at the forefront of our
negotiations and that human rights and human
development have not been universally preserved. I
have already alluded to our diversity, but that must not
continue to produce adversity. Rather, it should
produce a more holistic reform agenda.
Saint Kitts and Nevis remains committed to
action on the reform of the United Nations. The reform
of the United Nations must be transparent. Three of the
more contentious areas of the reform of the United
Nations have revolved around the issue of
transparency. I speak of the reform of the Security
Council and of the General Assembly, and the process
of selecting the Secretary-General.
The United Nations has evolved. We all have to
come to terms with that fact. The body that existed 61
years ago could not operate in the world of today. Full
representation is necessary, and transparency is a must.
This, in our view, is tantamount to a successful global
partnership.
For this session of the General Assembly, Saint
Kitts and Nevis proposes a renewed emphasis on
human rights and human development. We have
actually begun that process in a very promising way
with the recently concluded High-level Dialogue on
International Migration and Development. In that
regard, we agree that it is imperative that the human
rights and human development of migrants be taken
into serious consideration to ensure greater production
and development in the countries involved.
Recently, States members of the group of least
developed countries (LDCs) held a review of the
Brussels Programme of Action. My delegation supports
the initiative of the LDCs and stresses that human
rights and development must remain core principles in
the partnerships of LDCs with other members of the
international community.
For my own country of Saint Kitts and Nevis, we
ask that the international community also remain
committed to the Mauritius Strategy for the Further
Implementation of the Programme of Action for the
06-53952 6
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States.
Realizing sustainable development presents a
formidable challenge for small island developing
States. They remain vulnerable to natural disasters, to
climate change and to the effects of globalization and
trade liberalization. We still need to examine the issue
of graduation closely and at our own pace. Our cultural
products still remain susceptible to piracy and our
opportunities for reaping the benefits of science and
technology are still limited. Developing countries are
still locked out of the decision-making processes of the
global financial institutions, whose policies often
undermine and — yes — circumscribe development. In
our view, true global partnership should translate into
consideration of the requirements of every Member
State, whether big or small, and of the issues critical to
them.
During the sixty-first session, though there will
not be a high-level conference on HIV/AIDS,
pandemics such as HIV/AIDS continue to strike at the
heart of development by crippling a nation’s most
important asset, namely, its people. Without
meaningful development, women, children, the elderly
and the disabled will remain at-risk sectors of our
societies. Financing for development will still be a
major concern for all developing countries, and
international peace and security will continue to affect
us all.
Throughout most of this year, the majority of the
United Nations membership experienced the adverse
impact of the energy crisis on growth and livelihoods.
The United Nations family, which comprises producers
and consumers of oil and energy products, must
collectively address a global energy security pact
incorporating best practices on energy conservation
and energy sources.
Finally, development is a matter of extreme
importance for all of us. What we need, therefore, is a
holistic approach to our global partnership. All of our
critical concerns need to be addressed. However, we
should begin with a careful consideration of human
rights and human development.