Dominica

I am honoured to be afforded this opportunity to extend my delegation’s congratulations to Mr. Gurirab and his country, Namibia, on his election to the high office of President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. His considerable diplomatic experience is well known, and there is little doubt that the affairs of this session will be conducted with expeditiousness, skill and competence. At the same time, I wish to express my delegation’s appreciation and gratitude to his immediate predecessor, Mr. Didier Opertti, for the able manner in which he presided over the fifty-third session. Let me extend my delegation’s thanks to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the excellent and exemplary leadership qualities he has displayed during this critical period for the United Nations and the international community. The Commonwealth of Dominica welcomes and congratulates the three new Member States — Kiribati, Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga — on their admission to the United Nations. We pledge to work with them on matters of mutual interest. I take this opportunity to convey my country’s deepest condolences to the Governments and the people of the Bahamas and the United States for the loss of life and destruction of property caused by hurricane Floyd. I also express my Government’s sentiments regarding the victims of the earthquakes in Greece, the Republic of China on Taiwan, Turkey, and, just recently, Mexico. Our sympathy is also extended to the victims of the nuclear accident in Japan. The Commonwealth of Dominica is supportive of the ongoing United Nations reform programme, the intent of which is to create a system geared to eliminating waste and duplication and making more efficient use of the Organization’s resources. At its creation the United Nations was charged with responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and the numerous United Nations missions currently in place around the globe are testimony to the Organization’s efforts to meet its Charter obligations in this regard. However, we continue to maintain that the restructuring and revitalization process should result in creating an Organization with the capacity, compassion and effectiveness to meet the many serious economic, social and humanitarian problems confronting the majority of citizens in the global village. We are not unmindful of the great contributions that the United Nations system has made to the improvement of health, the eradication of diseases and the rising levels of education and living standards in various parts of the world. Additionally, the United Nations has been at the forefront of efforts to focus international consciousness on human rights abuses, while it continues to be the last hope for the many thousands displaced each year as a result of political, religious or ethnic conflict. But poverty eradication remains an unfulfilled promise. Today, increasing numbers of people live in conditions of poverty, with no access to adequate medical care, basic education or even clean drinking water. We recognize that poverty eradication is a task to be undertaken not by the United Nations system alone, but in partnership with the international community, which must come to the realization that improvement in social and economic conditions is less costly than having to deal with the consequences of sustained economic deprivation and social degradation. The time for engaging in that partnership is now. As for the reform of the Security Council, the Commonwealth of Dominica supports the work of the Open-ended Working Group and its efforts at reconciling the many outstanding issues and differences among Member States. We believe that any meaningful reform of the Security Council should reflect present-day economic and geographical realities and must provide for a reasonable expansion of its membership and equitable representation for regional groupings, with no differentiation regarding the rights of permanent members. The Commonwealth of Dominica applauded the decision of the people of East Timor, as expressed in the popular consultation of 30 August 1999. We must therefore deplore and condemn the acts of violence visited upon the people of East Timor by those determined to 21 nullify the results of the consultation and maintain the colonial status quo. We commend the United Nations for its work in making the consultation possible and we strongly support the decision of the Security Council to authorize the establishment of a multinational peacekeeping force to protect the people of East Timor as they seek to assert their right to self-determination. The Commonwealth of Dominica wishes to address once again the issue of legitimate representation for the Republic of China on Taiwan and its people in the United Nations. The Republic of China on Taiwan, a model of democracy in the Asian region, is able and willing to carry out the obligations contained in the Charter of the United Nations. Over the past few decades, the Republic of China has made tremendous strides in economic development, thus enabling it to make a contribution to poverty alleviation through economic assistance programmes in developing countries. Dominica is concerned that an industrialized country, with a democratically elected Government, that exercises sovereign authority over a defined geographical area with a population of 22 million people, is denied membership of the United Nations. This situation must be addressed in order to ensure that the citizens of the Republic of China on Taiwan have a representative voice in the United Nations and its related agencies. The recently concluded special session of the General Assembly on small island developing States provided an opportunity to review the 1994 Barbados Plan of Action. The recognition of small island developing States in that regard is a significant milestone in the history of the United Nations. The follow-up action and the importance which the international community places on the implementation of the many proposals and recommendations will serve to determine not only the success of the special session, but also the credibility of the United Nations and the usefulness of these conferences. As a small island developing State which has always recognized the importance of conservation of the environment, Dominica made a commitment at the Rio Summit to vigorously pursue sustainable development. Two years later, Dominica participated in the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in Barbados and has tried at the national level to implement the Plan of Action within the limits of our resources. The Barbados Plan of Action recognizes the importance of coastal and marine resources to the sustainable development of small island developing States. The Commonwealth of Dominica is acutely aware of that importance. Prudent use of our coastal and marine resources over many years has contributed immensely to the economic well-being and sustenance of our citizens. Moreover, the successful implementation of our eco-tourism development programme relies heavily on the maintenance and preservation of the marine and biological resources present in the seas around our island State. Those resources are under constant and serious threat from a number of sources, such as illegal waste-dumping with impunity by foreign-owned ocean liners; overfishing by non-indigenous fishing fleets; and the use of the Caribbean Sea for the transshipment of nuclear waste and other hazardous substances. The Commonwealth of Dominica, together with other members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), continues to view the dangerous practice of the transshipment of nuclear waste and hazardous substances through the Caribbean Sea as a potentially serious threat to the fragile ecosystem and to the livelihood and well-being of the people of the region, and we call upon the States engaging in that practice to demonstrate some regard for our justifiable concerns. We earnestly seek the support of the international community in our ongoing effort to halt the shipment of these dangerous materials through the Caribbean Sea. Further, members of CARICOM call upon the General Assembly to recognize the Caribbean Sea as a special area in the context of sustainable development and urge the international community to support the concept and its development. The Commonwealth of Dominica is appreciative of the United Nations for paying special attention to the issue of small island developing States at the special session of the General Assembly. One sincerely hopes that this same recognition and support will be in evidence during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference later this year, when small island developing States seek to address their particular concerns and circumstances. The Commonwealth of Dominica, like most small vulnerable States, faces increasing challenges from globalization; particularly in the area of multilateral trade negotiations. Due to resource constraints, developing countries are having difficulties in meeting the commitments which they made at the Uruguay Round. Yet we are on the eve of making further commitments at the new round of WTO negotiations to be launched in 22 Seattle in December. The negotiating process itself exposes developing countries to the growing disparities of the multilateral trading system. We run the risk of developing countries being further marginalized unless these negotiations give full recognition to their special circumstances, and in particular to those of small vulnerable economies. Small vulnerable economies will continue to require differential treatment for some time as a means of facilitating their integration into the world economy. My country’s experience with the WTO has not been a positive one. The economy of Dominica and those of the other Caribbean banana-producing countries are heavily dependent for their export earnings on this single crop. The WTO banana ruling has contributed to a significant decline in our banana exports. Our bananas are cultivated by small farmers whose main source of income could be wiped out as a result of the WTO ruling, resulting in increased unemployment and poverty in the rural areas. We need to find a solution to the banana dispute that will allow our farmers to continue to earn a living. There is a growing recognition of the need for a tariff rate quota as the most acceptable solution. However, the North American multinational banana companies are insisting on a simple tariff, which will ultimately lead to the demise of the small banana producers in the Caribbean and other African, Caribbean and Pacific States. We continue to receive assurances that it is not the intention of our neighbours to the North to hurt the Caribbean producers, but their actions indicate otherwise. Moreover, they insist on applying a strict interpretation to the multilateral trading rules, which displays a callous disregard of the plight of small banana farmers. The rules of the WTO must not be applied in a manner which is detrimental to the development process of small vulnerable States. My focus on issues presently facing the region would be incomplete without a brief but sincere appeal to this body to address the plight of the citizens of our sister island Cuba. As we progress to a new century, the United Nations must continue to condemn the prolonged economic blockade of Cuba. This unjustifiable action is unconscionable, unreasonable and a direct infringement on the rights of the people of Cuba to pursue a peaceful existence, economic prosperity and self-determination. Dominica therefore joins other members of the international community in calling for an end to this blockade. We should all seek more amicable methods of settling bilateral disputes. As a nation preparing to celebrate its twenty-first anniversary of independence on 3 November 1999, Dominica will continue to equip itself and its citizens to meet the challenges of the global environment and the new millennium. The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica has endeavoured to ensure that its policies and programmes continue to provide the leadership, institutions and infrastructure necessary to attain that goal. The President returned to the Chair. Strengthened by our rich cultural heritage, as manifested in our Creole music, dance and other forms of expression, we are convinced that the world would be a safer and better place if the people of the world learned to respect and tolerate each other’s culture, religion and traditions. It is in this spirit that Dominica reaffirms its commitment to the ideals of the United Nations and pledges to do all in its power to support the efforts of all States, particularly those of the vulnerable small island developing States. The challenges facing Dominica are many, but I am confident that with the support of all Member States and with the help of God we shall prevail.