I wish to
begin by thanking His Excellency Srgjan Kerim for his
leadership over the past year as President of this august
and venerable body at its sixty-second session. I also
wish to congratulate and extend best wishes to His
Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann of
Nicaragua on his assumption of the presidency of the
General Assembly at its sixty-third session.
Twenty-five years ago almost to the day, two
Caribbean peoples who had always been separated by
water but had long been united by history, culture and
circumstance joined forces to embark upon a bold
experiment. Having between them a land mass of just
over 100 square miles and a population of
approximately 50,000, the people of Saint Kitts and the
people of Nevis decided to step forward as one nation
to join the world community of sovereign States.
It is an honour and a pleasure for me to be here to
represent that nation at the United Nations, a potent
symbol of freedom and sovereignty. That symbolism
means all the more to my people at this particular time,
as this sixty-third session of the General Assembly
coincides with the celebration of my nation’s twenty-
fifth anniversary of political independence.
Building and reinforcing the pillars of nationhood
has not been easy, but we have always considered it an
essential task and a challenge worth facing. Therefore,
as chief servant of my people and my cherished land, I
stand before the Assembly today, emboldened by the
pride of a nation that has taken its full and rightful
place among the community of independent nations, a
vibrant democracy with a thriving economy, a deep
commitment to justice and human rights, and an
abiding faith in social equity.
Mine is a pride that comes not only from
realizing the benefits of the practical policies and
programmes created over the years to improve the
standard of living and uplift our people, but also from
the sense of community, partnership and civic and
personal responsibility that have shaped the destiny of
my proud nation.
It is also the pride that comes from witnessing
first-hand the true value of freedom — a freedom that
has enabled us to share in the triumphs of democracy
and to mould the creative genius and the industrious,
enterprising spirit of our people into a single
community of goodwill and commitment that moves
our people and great country forward.
It is a pride borne of weathering storms of
external economic shocks, including fluctuating
commodity prices and the withdrawal of preferential
market access, while being able to successfully
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transform three centuries of a monocultural, sugar-
based economy into a vibrant and competitive services-
driven economy. Many other small States have not
been as fortunate, however.
That is evident in our sister Caribbean nation of
Haiti, where the devastating effects of four consecutive
hurricanes in the space of one month continue to
undermine the Government’s effort to build strong
institutions and to invest in the productive enterprises
and infrastructure that generate employment and
improved living conditions.
The progress witnessed in Saint Kitts and Nevis
was not achieved by chance. Since the birth of our
nation 25 years ago, we have faced a multitude of
problems, some of which are fortunately behind us, but
several others of which have emerged and grown in
intensity and scope.
However, our experience in Saint Kitts and Nevis
demonstrates that good governance and prudent
management of one’s resources; appropriate investment
in people and systems; the protection people’s freedom
of association, religion and speech; the support and
facilitation of a free and vibrant press; success at
advancing the socio-economic well-being of one’s
people; and the upholding of democratic ideals are
determined not by land mass, but by national character
and political commitment. They are the result not of
demographics or geographic size, but of long-standing
sociocultural traditions. They are a function not of
gross domestic product, but of an entrenched ethos of
striving and determination. Our faith has steadied our
resolve and belief in ourselves and our future. Of
course, along the way, we have relied, understandably
on such institutions as our beloved United Nations.
Through membership, Saint Kitts and Nevis has
built important and strategic partnerships, stood
shoulder to shoulder with other Member States to
protect our individual rights and collective freedoms,
and have fought battles far bigger than would be
expected for a country of its size. We have also been
witnesses to the positives and negatives, the strengths
and failings of our world, but have soldiered on
together in common cause.
That is why, 25 years later, I remain optimistic
about the progress of the United Nations and its ability
to defend the poor and needy despite the pull of
competing powerful national agendas that have
occasionally threatened to undermine the ethos of the
institution and, indeed, the common good. From where
I stand today, I have come to appreciate those
achievements and to appreciate that, even at this
juncture, providence affords us still new opportunities
to renew our cherished institution.
It is very easy to side with the cynics when the
Security Council becomes frozen in stalemate or when
the need for action falls victim to political posturing.
But history, particularly that of the past two decades,
instructs me that the United Nations is far more than
the sum of its weaknesses, because for millions of
people around the world this Organization is their only
hope, a bridge between life and death, a bastion of
freedom and a beacon of hope.
It is my hope, therefore, that in this “Assembly of
frankness” there will be a sober and unrelenting
analysis of the human consequences of sweeping and
globally enforced trade and economic regimes on small
States all around the globe. And it is also my hope that
the economic uncertainties now being experienced in
some of the world’s larger economies will sensitize us
all to the breadth of the uncertainty, the depth of the
anxiety and the real psychological trauma that often
grip small States when policies that are formulated far
beyond their shores and are utterly unresponsive to
their entreaties are nonetheless thrust unflinchingly
upon them.
Recent events have brought into focus the issue
of the stability of the world’s financial systems and
financial institutions. The circumstances that have led
to collapsing financial institutions and rising prices for
food and energy were not created by small States such
as Saint Kitts and Nevis. But yet again, as in the case
of climate change, we are victims of the act of others,
but with no resources whatsoever to combat the
consequences.
Earlier this year, I participated in the High-level
Conference on World Food Security, held in June in
Rome. The upbeat response from several heads of State
or Government and from the numerous ministers of
agriculture, forestry, fisheries, water, energy and
environment who participated in that meeting was, for
me, a strong indication of the relevance and timeliness
of the Conference for nations seeking to take positive
action on the issue of food security.
The current trend continues to have a lopsided
impact on the poor and on the increasing numbers of
extremely poor and vulnerable people, who are those
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least able to counter the impact of economic
dislocations facing our countries. Mindful of our
personal responsibility as leaders and of the heightened
expectations of our citizens, the Government of Saint
Kitts and Nevis has been taking practical measures to
alleviate the suffering of our resilient people. We have
addressed the important dimensions of availability and
access to certain food staples such as rice, flour and
sugar. We have looked at how best to stabilize prices to
inject predictability into the system without prejudice
to free market economics. We have also begun to
rationalize and promote proper utilization of
agricultural lands through land use diversion and
diversification, providing financial and seedling
support to farmers and recommending water
rationalization and enhanced irrigation techniques.
The problems to which I have alluded are not
unique to Saint Kitts and Nevis. Members will recall
popular riots in some countries, including in Haiti,
where they led to the resignation of that country’s
Government. That is evidence of just how the impact
of the rising cost of food and the despair visited upon
whole communities could easily undermine peoples’
faith in their Governments to deliver on the promises
of democracy, free market economics and
globalization.
It was in January 2008 that the food price index
established by the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) jumped by 47 per cent
over the previous year. This included increases for cereals
by some 62 per cent, dairy products by 69 per cent and
vegetable oils by 85 per cent. In some instances, prices of
staple foods such as maize, wheat, rice and beans have
risen by more than 100 per cent. This global economic
downturn, coupled with the dramatic upsurge in
commodity prices, has created the worst food crisis in
recent years.
This new phenomenon will make it much more
difficult for us to address the growing incidence of
poverty in and among our nations and our ability to
achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving
extreme poverty and hunger throughout the world by
2015.
Against this backdrop, and given the need for
urgent action, we also urge that the issue of reform, a
recurrent United Nations theme for some 15 years, be
revisited with renewed vigour and commitment. Far
too much time has passed. Far too little has been done.
And far too much now hangs in the balance. Let us
equip the United Nations with the tools necessary to
fulfil its mandates, especially in the areas of protecting
individual freedoms and human rights and of
promoting economic development as an integral
element of human security around the world. For as
Clarence Darrow said, “You can only protect your
liberties in the world by protecting the other man’s
freedom. You can only be free if I am free”.
The continuous suppression of freedom — overt
or disguised — under the cloak of civil order or
territorial integrity, must be tackled openly. Freedom
and personal responsibility go hand in hand. How can
we encourage people to take personal responsibility but
deprive them of their personal freedom? That is the
fundamental question.
Our presence here today is both a demonstration
and an acknowledgement of the increasingly
interconnected nature of our world. I wish to say that
much of what Saint Kitts and Nevis has achieved over
the past 25 years has been the result of our people’s
hard work and discipline, combined with the benefits
that have accrued from both our multilateral and our
bilateral relations. In that regard, the United Nations
Development Programme has been a vibrant partner in
advancing the programmatic goals of our twin-island
federation, as have UNESCO and other United Nations
agencies. Our relationship with this Organization is
one that we cherish dearly.
We have worked with and through subregional
entities such as the Organization of Eastern Caribbean
States, regional mechanisms such as the Caribbean
Community and hemispheric institutions such as the
Organization of American States. Through regional
mechanisms we have been able to map a course for
functional cooperation on issues such as trade, security
and health. Within the Pan-Caribbean Partnership
against HIV/AIDS, we have developed a regional
response to tackle the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. In the
area of environmental protection, we continue to
collaborate on and to work towards disaster reduction
and mitigation. And we are assiduously exploring
renewable energy sources, including geothermal
energy, on which we have made encouraging progress.
On the issue of bilateral relations, I am pleased to
say that we have built many deeply valued
relationships over the years, and we continue to further
strengthen those relations. In the light of that, we urge
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that a way be found to facilitate the participation of the
Republic of China on Taiwan in the specialized
agencies of the United Nations. As world challenges
have expanded, the Republic of China on Taiwan has
stepped forward to provide technical assistance in the
areas of social and agricultural development, as well as
disaster relief in many countries, thus bringing
enormous benefits to both public and private sectors.
Whatever the tone and tenor of the ongoing
debate, climate change is an aspect of our modern
experience. Because of our activities and our assault on
Earth’s atmosphere, many processes have negatively
impacted rivers, lakes and oceans, resulting in fast-
melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels and
exposing us to greater risks of harmful solar radiation
and greenhouse gas emissions. Wherever culpability
may reside, those processes all have serious
implications and consequences for small island States.
In varying degrees and at various levels, those changes
impact hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers,
fishermen and other people who depend heavily on the
natural environment for their livelihood but are already
witnessing lower crop yields and smaller catches.
It is no longer sufficient simply to lay blame at
the feet of countries, businesses and people who
pollute. We need effective strategies based on scientific
consensus and, of course, solution-focused approaches
that address such issues as the suitability of land for
various types of crops, dedicated areas for livestock,
pasture development, the marine environment, impact
on health and health care, the productivity of forests
and the increased incidence of pests and diseases, as
well as implications for biodiversity and ecosystems.
We must collaborate in addressing those effects, and
we must take necessary corrective action in order to
build a safer environment for ourselves and our future
generations.
Our destinies and our freedoms are all
interwoven. It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who said that
“true individual freedom cannot exist without
economic security and independence”. As Saint Kitts
and Nevis commemorates its silver-jubilee year of
independence, we therefore feel compelled to call on
the United Nations and the members of the Security
Council to work together to put an end to the genocide
in parts of Africa. I also call on the United Nations to
take firm action in the lead-up to the Follow-up
International Conference on Financing for
Development so that that event will bring real relief
and development, even to the far corners of Africa.
For much too long we have, perhaps unwittingly,
separated human security from representative
democracy and economic development from human
rights. Those are inextricably linked. When we fight
for the freedom of our brothers to vote but ignore their
inalienable right to food security, that is a skewed
principle; it is a half-measure based on a selective
morality in which our fight will always be only
partially won.
We cannot simply tell our citizens that they are
free to vote, while failing to help them transform
freedoms into practical systems that support and
advance personal dreams. Democracy, I emphasize, is
the best vehicle through which humankind can realize
its dreams and aspirations. I firmly believe that true
independence, like freedom, can come only from doing
what is right.
And so I continue to believe in the United
Nations, but beyond that, I have faith — an abiding
faith — in the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis, whose
confidence in themselves as a nation and whose
commitment to the future have made possible the
successes, positive growth and development that they
have achieved, as well as the international partnerships
that they have established, over the past 25 years.
Therefore, I say to the States Members of the
United Nations: Let us commit to doing the right
things. Let us continue the important work to reform
and revitalize the United Nations. Let us tackle food
security by recognizing that globalization was meant to
improve our lives, not to worsen them. Globalization
was meant to facilitate the free movement of goods and
services, not to provide an opportunity for erecting
artificial and unilateral barriers that punish poor and
less competitive countries. Let us do the right thing
about climate change. And together, one step at a time,
let us do the right thing by using the Follow-up
International Conference on Financing for
Development to address the fundamental development
challenges facing developing countries in Africa and
throughout the world. All that and far more is within
the power and the capacity of a reordered United
Nations and of Member States that are willing to take
personal responsibility in that regard.