Grenada

My delegation is delighted to congratulate the President on his election. My delegation's hearty congratulations are made even warmer as he has the privilege and the honour to take the fifty-fourth session, as President of the General Assembly, from the twentieth into the twenty-first century. A similar unique place in history will not be observed for another hundred years. We are confident, in view of his past heroic leadership of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), and now as the Foreign Minister of Namibia, he will conduct our deliberations with vision and dynamism. My delegation also wishes to express our grateful appreciation to Mr. Didier Opertti of Uruguay for his skilful and productive conduct of the proceedings of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. My delegation welcomes to the family of nations the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga and offers hearty congratulations. As the curtain makes its slow descent upon the twentieth century, bringing it to its inevitable close, there is a prevailing mood of reflection and anticipation. Rightly so, as a connection between past, present and future is being made, for we cannot appreciate the present without knowledge of the past if we hope to ensure the future. And indeed, historically speaking, the past is never past, for what is past is prologue. In retrospect, for some developing countries the period of the 1980s was considered a lost decade because of the heavy burden of debt servicing, falling commodity prices, negative economic growth, unemployment and structural adjustment. In the 1990s, the catchwords seemed to be “sustainable development”, “environmentally friendly”, “good governance”, “globalization”, and “poverty alleviation”. These phrases seem to be the legacy of the cluster of United Nations summits of the 1990s: the Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, on Human Rights in 1993, on Small Island Developing States in 1994, on Population and Development in 1994, on Social Development in 1995, on Women in 1995, on Human Settlements in 1996 and on Food Security in 1996. In all these high-level meetings, the centrality of the human person in sustainable social, economic, and cultural development was emphasized. Grenada believes that the concept of sustainable development is shared responsibility on the part of developed and developing countries. Its global character must be recognized so that there can be more sharing of knowledge, ideas, information and resources. Consequently, the region from which I come, the Caribbean, strongly urges our more developed partners urgently to make available new and additional sources of funding and technological transfer to enable us to comply with the obligations the international Conventions demand of us. In short, the concepts of the global village and globalization should be premised on giving, caring and sharing. Sustainable development is not possible without respect for the whole range of human rights — economic, social, cultural, civil and political. Indeed, human rights are meaningless in an environment of poverty and deprivation. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, has said, aptly, that perhaps the largest scale of human rights violations today is the fact that one fifth of humanity lives in absolute poverty. World Bank estimates reveal that over 35 per cent of people in the Caribbean basin live below the poverty line. This situation threatens the very existence of civil societies there. Moreover, the plight of certain small Caribbean States is further compounded by the World Trade Organization's inhumane rulings over the European Union banana regime. We are still baffled over the attitude of our traditional ally and certain friendly Latin American countries over the modified version of the banana regime. We are hopeful, though, that a satisfactory compromise will be arrived at soon. If so, the economies of the small, banana-producing countries would be saved from the shocks of a banana industry become non-existent. I stress that there is an urgent need to unite our efforts in a common framework to alleviate the problems associated with critical poverty in order to restore some form of human dignity in our countries. To the observer with no inside knowledge of the working of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the series of meetings to review what has already been reviewed, and perhaps in some cases already implemented, seem as complex as quantum physics and exercises in repetitive and confusing rhetoric. Nevertheless, since the conceptual and structural framework of sustainable development is shared responsibility, my delegation is hopeful that the recently- 24 ended special session to review the implementation of the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States has given some impetus to the creation of this global partnership we all desire. We are equally hopeful that the project proposals submitted by Grenada will be favourably considered and appropriate funding made available to execute them. The Caribbean Sea is a unique body of water bordering a large number of States, with overlapping exclusive economic zones, vulnerable to the elements of nature and also to man-made disasters. The Caribbean Sea is indisputably the lifeblood of the countries of the Caribbean Community — one half of whose population lives on the coastline, where 20 per cent of the regional gross domestic product is produced — and provides employment for more than 25 per cent of the labour force in tourism and the fishing industry. Sustainable management and development of the Caribbean Sea and its resources would benefit not only the Caribbean people but also the international community as a whole. Moreover, recognition of the Caribbean Sea as a special area within the context of sustainable development would provide the jurisdictional authority necessary to control the passage of ships carrying toxic and hazardous wastes and chemical and radioactive materials in Caribbean waters. My delegation urges this special recognition of the Caribbean Sea for all of the reasons I have stated. We are mindful that we do not own the Earth; we are simply holding it in trust for succeeding generations. We are admonished not to treat the land with contempt and remember that from it we came and to it we shall return. Grenada is absolutely clear about its commitment to the principles of the United Nations and therefore reveres the ideals which informed those principles. Grenada thus places a premium on fairness and justice in the conduct of international affairs. It is in this context that the Government of Grenada wishes to request that a fresh look be taken at United Nations General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 1971, as a matter of simple justice and fairness to the people of the Republic of China. This humanitarian-minded and democratically inclined country has used its hard-earned resources to help developing countries to help themselves, by providing training, expertise and capital for developmental projects and other forms of technical assistance in several critical areas. The noble efforts of the Republic of China reminds one of the great Chinese philosopher, Confucius, and his thoughts on giving a man a fish and teaching a man to fish, Grenada applauds the sacrifices of the Republic of China in this regard. Indeed, the Republic of China has wrought an economic miracle, to the point where it is the fourteenth most important trading country and its foreign reserves rank among the top in the world. The international community cannot simply ignore the aspirations of such a dynamic and generous people, and should thus ensure that the fundamental right of the 22 million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan to participate in the activities of the United Nations be fully respected. Equally, in the name of humanity and justice, Grenada calls for the lifting of the economic embargo against the Republic of Cuba. World opinion is definitely swayed towards this, and consequently overwhelming support is given year after year to the relevant resolutions at the United Nations on this issue. Sadly, though, enforcement is still outstanding. As we are about to close another chapter in the history of mankind, we appeal to the Government of the United States of America to once more take the lead in showing its humane qualities and ease the pain and suffering of ordinary Cubans. It should therefore suspend all sanctions unconditionally. As we look to the new century we must urge that there be a Middle East of peaceful coexistence, particularly between Israel and the Palestinians. We certainly hope that past events in the Balkans — particularly in Yugoslavia — will not be repeated; and that the principle of self-determination will be respected globally, the situation in East Timor being a case in point; that the various pockets of conflict around the world will be resolved amicably; and that any changes contemplated within the United Nations system will take into account the concerns and aspirations of smaller nations. Grenada believes that, with the collective efforts of all States and the purposeful involvement of the United Nations, democracy, social justice, good governance, solidarity and the economic prosperity of all our Members could be achieved. 25 Finally, my country extends its concern and sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and, more recently, to our friends in the Republic of China on Taiwan, a country so helpful to us in the promotion of sustainable development. We are also mindful of the situation in East Timor and hope that as soon as order and security are restored, independence, for which the majority voted, will take root.