I am honoured to extend
congratulations to Mr. Al-Nasser on his appointment to
the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-
sixth regular session. As two small countries, Qatar and
Grenada share much in common. Accordingly, we look
forward to his leadership and stand ready to support
him for the good of all the members of the General
Assembly and the United Nations itself. We welcome
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his theme on mediation because we believe that when
mediation is properly applied it can minimize
confrontation in the world. I also commend the
outgoing President, Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his
stewardship and dedication during the past year.
Grenada congratulates Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his
election to a second term as Secretary-General and
wishes him continued success.
Now in its thirty-seventh year of independence
and membership of the United Nations, Grenada
renews its commitment to the principles of the United
Nations Charter, believing that universal adherence to
those principles provides guidance to the United
Nations to act on what may seem intractable, for the
United Nations is intended to lead, perhaps more so in
difficult times.
Grenada supports the pursuit of international
peace and security. We believe firmly in the rule of
law, the promotion of democracy and respect for
human rights. We also support the fight against
terrorism, as well as the campaign against the illicit
drug trade. All these pose serious threats to the security
of our changing world. My Government reiterates its
commitment to the United Nations Charter. In support
of the role of the United Nations, this year the
Government of Grenada has signed three global
conventions, including the Convention on Cluster
Munitions, helping to bring about disarmament.
We are all obliged to work selflessly to preserve
our planet for future generations. The avoidance of
nuclear confrontation is one sure way. We therefore
congratulate all Governments that have expended much
time and effort on nuclear non-proliferation.
Since we met a year ago, the world and the
United Nations itself have faced many challenges —
economic, social and political — all of which
undermine stability and people’s survival. The
economic crisis continues to weigh heavily on
Grenada. Our population is experiencing high food and
fuel prices, national revenues have decreased, and debt
continues to be high. The green shoots of recovery that
others have experienced have not reached us. For us,
the economic crisis of 2008 still rages and we must
find a way out of it. Social and political strife remain,
if not in Grenada, in other parts of the world. These
demonstrate that the search for freedom and justice is
far from over.
Human suffering and instability anywhere in the
world hurt us all, even in tiny Grenada, where
unemployment in major capitals affects our tourism
and even our remittances from abroad. The major
challenge facing Grenada as a small island developing
State is how to reduce our weaknesses, how to increase
our resilience, and how to pursue development for
people today and for their children tomorrow.
How are we to respond? We must attempt to
achieve growth with equity, especially for women and
youth, and to support general improvements towards
people’s advancement — that is, create stable
environments and opportunities for our people to
thrive — and we must do so while contributing to a
just, peaceful and democratic global framework. We
believe that whatever the challenge, our common
political will for fairness and justice must remain our
overarching guiding principles in matters economic,
social and political.
Grenada’s main response so far has been to
strengthen our democratic processes and to advance the
Caribbean regional integration movement. At the
national level, we promote social inclusion in the
governance of the country that engages civil society,
the media and the people as a whole. We have
instituted consultations and participation in major
policy and legislative matters, including the revision of
old laws and the making of new ones. At the regional
level, we are working with the Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States and the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), two groupings that constitute the
unbreakable link with our national undertakings and
how we engage internationally.
Grenada’s efforts to achieve sustainable
development can be helped by both the December 2011
Durban Climate Change Conference and the June 2012
United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20). Grenada appeals to all parties
to negotiate seriously and to meet commitments at both
of these Conferences. These global meetings must
bring added value to the ongoing efforts of Grenada
and other developing countries, especially small States.
Durban 2011 and Rio+20 must surely deliver
meaningful and attainable outcomes, including
fulfilling old obligations and delivering on new ones,
especially on climate financing and the broader
financing for development.
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Developed countries must meet their
commitments to poorer nations. At the sixteenth
session of the Conference of the Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in
Cancún last year we made some progress on climate
change and we must build on that. We welcome the
establishment of the Transitional Committee of the
Green Climate Fund and hope to see it capitalized and
fully launched in Durban. We are deeply disappointed
that some countries are blocking the mandated review
of 1.5 degrees Celsius as the potential global average
warming limit. We call on those States to withdraw
their objections and support the movement to a safe
threshold for islands and for the world. We are
convinced that an adequate global response to climate
change must remain at the top of the global agenda. A
legally binding outcome must be part of the outcome of
climate negotiations.
I call on partners to hasten the disbursement of
fast-start funds, especially to small island States. These
disbursements must be consistent with the scale of the
damage already done and the continuing threats that we
face from environmental degradation. We express
solidarity with our Pacific sisters and brothers, who are
daily losing territory to sea-level rise, perhaps faster
than we are in the Caribbean. They have my pledge
that we will continue to support them.
Naturally, we are taking responsibility for
ourselves. This year we are launching a sustainable
energy programme for 24 small island developing
States. The Small Island Developing States Sustainable
Energy Initiative (SIDS DOCK) will provide the
foundation for low carbon economic growth and
adaptation to climate change. It will facilitate energy
efficiency and provide renewable energy to 24 small
island developing States. On behalf of the Alliance of
Small Island States I thank the Government and people
of Denmark for making the first contribution of an
initial US$ 14.5 million to SIDS DOCK. We also thank
our partners the World Bank and the United Nations
Development Programme for facilitating the
programme. We invite the international community to
join Denmark in financing this effort.
In a similar vein to our climate change efforts, we
look to the Rio+20 meeting to advance our path to
sustainability. One of the key outcomes for Grenada
and other SIDS must be the development of a green
economy, one that combines investments, jobs and
livelihoods with environmental resources; and a blue
economy, one that takes into account coastal- and
ocean-based income generation. For indeed, peoples’
livelihoods are largely based on environmental
resources and services, including agriculture,
agro-industries, forestry, mining and tourism. The
Rio+20 meeting can and must be a turning point for
political commitment and financing for development.
We know that the United Nations is capable of
leadership. However, it can be more effective if it
anticipates and responds to twenty-first century
challenges. That includes recognizing the fact that
dozens of mature States, many in the developing world,
are ready and able to take responsibility for the
management of the global agenda. The United Nations
must be reformed. How else will it support its growing
agenda? How else can it manage this new global
agenda for global sustainability, peace and
peacekeeping and disaster response within a
democratic multilateral system that is constantly
evolving? What worked for 65 years must be reshaped
for today. That is why we call for reform of the
Security Council to make it more representative and
inclusive. Failure to do this will deny that body the
political legitimacy it needs to maintain and indeed
enhance its leadership role in the world and to make
the best decisions. Grenada joins with other member
States in the Caribbean Community and calls for
expansion of the Security Council in both its
permanent and non-permanent categories and more
openness in its working methods. We call for a
Security Council seat for small island States within a
reasonable time frame and we also call for stronger and
more enhanced United Nations-CARICOM relations to
benefit the people of our Caribbean region.
Grenada welcomes the formation and launch of
the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women, which is aimed at promoting
the rights of women and girls and equality between the
sexes. That is an early success of United Nations
reform.
Grenada is firmly committed to the principle of
self-determination. On 14 July Grenada joined with
other Member States in welcoming the Republic of
South Sudan as the 193rd Member of the United
Nations. We salute the efforts of its people to usher in
peace at home and within the region.
I turn now to the seemingly intractable problem
of moving Palestine from a State-in-waiting to an
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internationally recognized State. This cannot be
separated from the international clamour for
democratic rights now led by the Arab Spring. The just
aspirations of the people of Palestine must be
addressed, and Palestine must not be left behind in the
historical sweep towards open and sustainable
democracies. Equally, the Arab Spring should also be
the occasion for the renewal of a commitment to
Israel’s security. Peace depends on viable democracies
and sustained security. That is why Grenada is
disappointed that the Palestinians and Israelis have not
concluded talks over their long-standing dispute. We
urge a return to these talks and look forward to the
peaceful coexistence of these two States.
It is quite obvious that the world continues to
experience the wrath of nature. We grieve at the waste
of human life and the environmental destruction caused
by disasters worldwide. We express our solidarity to
Member States that have experienced floods,
earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts in the past months.
Grenada calls for a strong global response especially
for the humanitarian crisis now unfolding in the Horn
of Africa.
Grenada welcomes the new President of the sister
CARICOM State of Haiti and wishes him and his team
success as they rebuild Haiti after the devastation of
the earthquake. While we thank all those who have
helped, much still remains to be done. We call on all
who have pledged to help Haiti to deliver on their
pledges and support the efforts of the Haitian people.
Turning now to another Caribbean concern, Grenada
again urges the United States of America to completely
lift the harsh economic embargo against the people of
Cuba. All but a handful of the United Nations
membership have consistently voted for the removal of
that embargo.
We acknowledge that responding to the complex
and interconnected issues on the United Nations
agenda is a major task, even for the United Nations.
Nevertheless, responding must be at the top of the
United Nations agenda. We maintain support for
sustainable development, action on climate change, and
support for justice and peace. Grenada commends the
Secretary-General for organizing a number of high-
level meetings on important topics. We are moved to
single out the High-level Meeting on non-communicable
diseases. This scourge is negatively affecting not just
developing countries but many developed countries as
well. The proliferation of non-communicable diseases
poses a very serious challenge to small island States
like Grenada because of their effects on the labour
force and demands on the shrinking finances of the
country. We therefore welcome the outcome of the
High-level Meeting and we pledge to implement its
recommendations.
Finally, last year, building on the conclusion that
the United Nations is a real force for good in the world,
I challenged the Organization to harness its strength to
better achieve that purpose. This year, drawing on the
message of youth to make the world a better place, I
repeat that call. It is my hope that, under the
stewardship of the President, the General Assembly —
and the United Nations as a whole — will continue to
be the main global force for the good of humanity.
Grenada will do its part to advance this singular and
inspiring goal.