On behalf of my
delegation and the Government and the people of the
Commonwealth of Dominica, I would like to
congratulate His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser on his assumption of the presidency of the
General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and to
assure him of our full cooperation. We are confident
that with his skills and experience, he will bring
leadership to this Assembly as it addresses the
extensive and important agenda of this sixty-sixth
session.
I also extend a special welcome to the newest
member of this Assembly, the Republic of South
Sudan, which became the 193rd Member of the United
Nations in July.
I would also like to convey Dominica’s
appreciation to Mr. Al-Nasser’s predecessor, His
Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss, for having so ably guided
the proceedings of the sixty-fifth session of the General
Assembly. We also express our gratitude for the
continued efforts of His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon
and for his leadership at this most challenging time.
This meeting is being convened at a time of
tremendous global insecurity. Never in the history of
humankind have we had to struggle for our own
existence as we have done in this past decade. We are
still faced with unstable global financial markets,
issues of food availability and affordability, increasing
unrest in some regions and the high cost of energy, and
we seem set to endure the mounting consequences of
Mother Earth’s response to decades of global warming.
Countries like Dominica, located in the
Caribbean Sea, are again in hurricane season, a period
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of high vulnerability that we in the Caribbean
experience for a period of four to six months each year.
Fresh in our minds are the recent unfortunate events
that took place in the eastern United States. For the
first time in its recorded history, the city in which we
are convened came to a complete standstill because of
Hurricane Irene in late August.
We in the Caribbean understand clearly the
challenges faced in the aftermath of hurricanes, as
these are the kinds of disasters that small island States
such as Dominica are forced to routinely schedule on
our calendar of events and brace for every six months.
For us, each year’s recovery efforts could become next
year’s destruction point. On behalf of my delegation, I
extend my condolences to and empathize with all those
who were affected by Hurricane Irene.
For reasons such as these, each year we come
before this Assembly to report on the deterioration not
only of the environment, but also of climate change
negotiations. With full knowledge that these impacts
are projected to increase over time, we believe that we
can build on a number of outcomes agreed to in
Cancún. We also believe that although some responses
might not meet every Member State’s expectation, they
could act as catalysts and springboards for new
approaches and new solutions in Durban.
As witnesses to environmental degradation at a
time when reliance on the ecosystem to provide energy
for basic needs continues to intensify, we as a people
cannot continue to ignore the subject of climate
change. We believe that climate change is an energy-
related issue and that the provision of reliable,
accessible and affordable energy and its by-products
are critical to sustainable development and the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Despite unfulfilled promises and a slow start to
fast-start funding, we must report on actions advanced
since Cancún that have helped position the small island
developing States (SIDS) to transform their energy
sectors. Specifically, I refer to the SIDS Sustainable
Energy Initiative, also known as SIDS DOCK.
Almost 30 SIDS have signed an agreement to
establish this initiative, created by the Alliance of
Small Island States (AOSIS) under the chairmanship of
Grenada and in partnership with the Government of
Denmark, the United Nations Development Programme
and the World Bank. We wish to thank the Government
of Denmark for its significant financial contribution to
operationalizing this facility and for the leadership that
it has given and continues to give to the process. My
delegation expresses its gratitude to the other members
of AOSIS for staying the course and reaffirms
Dominica’s commitment to the initiative.
SIDS DOCK was the outstanding outcome for
SIDS at Cancún, and, as we set our sights on Durban,
the expectation is that other partners will support the
initiative, which is set to transform the energy sector in
SIDS. It is our hope that sufficient progress will be
made in negotiating appropriate measures that might be
implemented to address the losses and damage
associated with the adverse effects of climate change,
including impacts related to extreme weather as well as
slow-onset events.
These two initiatives are within the framework of
the Bali Road Map and Action Plan and reflect actions
that are geared towards the fulfilment of commitments
and giving effect to the Cancún decisions.
It is no secret that the Kyoto Protocol is in
serious trouble. While it represents less than 30 per
cent of greenhouse-gas emissions, it remains the only
legally binding global agreement in our quest to
address the growing threat of climate change. In order
to build on the gains made under the first commitment
period, we must ensure that the broad principles
secured in the Kyoto Protocol are maintained in any
legally binding global agreement at Durban.
A sustainable energy sector is the foundation for
sustainable development in small island States such as
Dominica. For the past decade, Dominica has been
working towards the development of our geothermal
potential, with the assistance of international agencies
and development partners.
With the support and contribution of the
European Union, the Government of France and the
Regional Councils of Guadeloupe and Martinique, we
are now closer to the realization of our goal.
Preparation for drilling has begun, and the three test
wells will be complete by the end of 2011.
The development of our geothermal potential will
provide us with the capacity to meet our domestic
needs and supply electricity to our neighbouring
islands, especially the French territories of Guadeloupe
and Martinique, through our connection via submarine
cables. With this displacement of hundreds of
megawatts of fossil-generated power, coupled with our
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sustainable development practices, Dominica’s target is
to be not only carbon-neutral but also carbon-negative
by the year 2020.
Like Dominica, many SIDS are pursuing their
own renewable-energy initiatives. However,
unsustainable debt burdens and lack of technology
have made such initiatives almost impossible for some
SIDS. We invite other developed countries and
international institutions to join the Government of
Denmark in SIDS DOCK and the Government of
Norway in its “Energy for all” initiative, by providing
the critical support that SIDS so desperately need.
We in the SIDS are committed to playing our
part; suffice it to say, however, that there are still some
major obstacles impeding the pace of progress,
particularly financing for SIDS-appropriate technology
and transfer. As part of the United Nations Conference
on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) process,
Dominica calls on the Secretary-General to establish a
special SIDS-appropriate technology fund to address
the issue of innovative financing for sustainable energy
technology transfer and development for small island
States. In that regard, we also ask that the Secretary-
General consider appointing a goodwill ambassador
tasked with advocating on behalf of SIDS and helping
the Secretary-General in supporting the Fund. The
effective transfer and development of SIDS-appropriate
technology is essential for SIDS to build resilience to
the present and future impacts of climate change.
In addition to looking forward to securing a
renewed political commitment for sustainable
development at Rio+20, the SIDS expect that the
international community will reaffirm their support
with the new and additional resources required to
implement the programmes and activities agreed to,
from Agenda 21 to the Barbados Programme of Action
and the Mauritius Strategy for the further
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action.
Any renewed commitments and agreements
reached at Rio+20 must address the major impediments
to implementing these summit outcomes, including the
limited technical, financial and human resources, as
well as the impact of exogenous factors, particularly
the global financial crisis.
There is no denying the importance of national
security to a society; thus the unregulated,
non-standardized and highly dangerous trade in arms
and ammunition poses great threats to law and order in
our societies. The Caribbean region is not a
manufacturer of arms or ammunition, yet large
quantities of illegal firearms and ammunition often
associated with the illegal drug trade are transferred
across our borders, infiltrating our society and causing
mayhem and death, overburdening our health-care
system and contributing to the destabilization of
economic progress and well-being. The region has lost
some of its most productive members to this
unregulated transfer of arms. This is an unsustainable
situation for any country, but even more so for small
island States.
Negotiations on an arms trade treaty are
welcome, and, as stated in the Caribbean Community
Declaration on Small Arms and Light Weapons,
Dominica is committed to full and active participation
in all efforts related to the issue of small arms. Of
particular importance is the 2012 review of the 2001
Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and
Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
Weapons in All Its Aspects, as well as the 2012 United
Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty.
In the absence of these and other initiatives to
help combat global insecurity, threats to global peace
and security will continue to multiply in both intensity
and form. Multilateralism must take centre stage in the
struggle to deal with these challenges. The work of the
United Nations is therefore paramount in maintaining
world peace and security. In its maintenance of this
role, the United Nations must be able to clearly
demonstrate legitimacy and fairness in its actions,
cognizant always of the need to protect the most
vulnerable.
The ability of the Security Council to adequately
respond to new and changing world dynamics rests
with its acceptance of the need for continuous reform
to adapt to the times, including a recognition of the
increase in size of the United Nations membership and
global economic power shifts. Reform reflects more
than representation and, in this situation, should
promote adaptation to the needs of Members and the
drafting of strategies that would contribute to ending
wars and halting disputes.
In that regard, we welcome Mr. Al-Nasser’s
proposal of “The role of mediation in the settlement of
disputes by peaceful means” as the theme for the high-
level debate at the opening of this session of the
General Assembly.
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Earlier I spoke of the threats which plague
mankind in this era of globalization. I also highlighted
the need for multilateralism and for cooperation
between and among States. These challenges can be
overcome only in a global environment where there
exists respect for one another’s territorial integrity,
non-interference in one another’s domestic affairs,
respect for sovereignty and the right of self-
determination. It is in this context that we again call on
the United States of America to discontinue its
economic blockade against the people of the Republic
of Cuba.
I also welcome the support of the President of the
Assembly in keeping our sister island of Haiti on the
global stage. There are few words left to describe the
dire misery in which our brothers and sisters in Haiti
are living. The paralysis of reconstruction and
development activities has been the hallmark of the
aftermath of the earthquake that devastated that
country in January 2010.
We recognize the tremendous challenges to the
reconstruction efforts and wish to thank those
countries, institutions and individuals who have
contributed and continue to contribute towards this
process. We again call on those who have made
pledges to make good on their commitments in order to
accelerate the reconstruction efforts.
The presence of the United Nations Stabilization
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) remains critical to the
reconstruction efforts by providing security and
support to the people of Haiti. We therefore urge the
Security Council to extend the tenure of MINUSTAH
to facilitate the efforts of the new Administration of
His Excellency President Michel Martelly.
We all accept that it is critical to collectively
address the impact of climate change, to resolve
conflicts throughout the world and to enhance peace
and security for humanity. All these efforts, however,
will be of little value to our peoples if we are not able
to ensure that they are healthy. The United Nations has
shown exemplary leadership in dealing with the fight
against HIV/AIDS, together with its partners. This
same leadership must now be given to the fight against
non-communicable diseases.
The frightening statistics of 2008 issued by the
World Health Organization, which estimated that
36 million deaths worldwide were due to
non-communicable diseases (NCDs), suggests that this
phenomenon is not unique to any one region and
therefore cannot be downplayed. NCDs pose one of the
greatest challenges to the health and development of
Dominica, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and
the rest of the world. The severe impacts of
non-communicable diseases continue to place
tremendous pressures on our health-care systems,
productivity and already overburdened and struggling
economies.
It was for these reasons that the CARICOM
Heads of Government issued the Port of Spain
Declaration in 2007 to promote healthy lifestyles and
to combat NCDs in our region. Prior to and since the
declaration, the Dominican Government has adopted a
national policy on NCDs. We have further
implemented a number of measures as part of our
multisectoral efforts to include education; the
strengthening of our primary health-care system with
the contribution of our partners, the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela and the Republic of Cuba; the
promotion of healthy lifestyles; greater access to
treatment and free health care; and appropriate
legislative and policy changes. The Government of
Dominica endorses the leadership taken by the
Caribbean Community in this regard. We remain
committed to the well-being of every citizen.
We join our CARICOM colleagues in thanking
the United Nations Member States and Secretariat for
convening the successful High-level Meeting on
NCDs. We look forward to the implementation of the
Political Declaration (resolution 66/2) and call on the
developed countries to partner with us in our various
efforts to combat NCDs.
Finally, Dominica wishes to reaffirm its
confidence in the United Nations system as the
ultimate negotiating and deliberating body for
addressing major challenges confronting the world.
The Assembly can count on Dominica’s commitment to
working in close collaboration with the United Nations
agencies and respective Member States to strengthen
the mission of this body. We cannot overemphasize the
fact that, notwithstanding its many limitations and
imperfections, the United Nations system is critical to
maintaining world peace and security and an
international humanitarian system. The world today is
a much better place because of the United Nations.