I wish to congratulate you,
Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of
the General Assembly at this year’s session. I wish also
to commend your predecessor, Ambassador John Ashe
of Antigua and Barbuda, and his team, for so effectively
setting the stage for what will now follow under your
tenure, as it relates to the post-2015 development
agenda and other critical issues that warrant the focused
attention of the international community.
This debate in the General Assembly is taking place
on the eve of the target year set by world leaders in
2000 for achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). It is therefore a timely moment to assess the
progress that has been made, and also to understand
why we could not achieve all the Goals in full. That is
essential if we are to move forward with the post-2015
agenda that we are now about to finalize. I should recall
that in 2000, when the eight Goals were announced,
they inspired great hope and enthusiasm around the
world, particularly in developing countries and among
the poor. It is true that we have made tangible progress
in our efforts to achieve the MDGs. Global poverty
has fallen and continues to fall; many more children
are attending primary schools; health services have
improved for many people, resulting in a significant
decline in child mortality; and the spread of HIV/AIDS
and malaria has been halted and even reversed in some
regions.
In Guyana, despite the negative effects of the
international financial situation, we have managed
to keep our economy growing steadily over the past
eight years. In fact, we have succeeded not only in
growing our economy but also in ensuring that the
growth has resulted in an improved quality of life for
our people. Indeed, we are one of only 17 countries
in the world recognized by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations for not only
meeting the goal of reducing hunger by half but also of
improving their people’s nutrition. We have achieved
universal primary education and are close to achieving
universality for secondary education, too. We have also
made important strides in housing, health, water and
other social facilities. In that regard, I would like to
express my country’s gratitude to all the development
partners that have contributed greatly to the gains we
have made in working towards the MDGs. Guyana’s
success in building its health-sector capacity could not
have been possible without Cuba’s assistance, which
included training hundreds of our doctors, and which
Cuba has done despite its own economic difficulties.
We would like to join the vast majority of the countries
of the world in once more calling for an end to Cuba’s
economic blockade by the United States.
While we should recognize the gains that have been
made around the world, I hasten to point out that they
have not been uniform across countries or regions. In
some places the progress has been dramatic. Asia, for
instance, has had remarkable success with many of the
Goals. In Latin America and the Caribbean there has
also been considerable progress. There are, however,
some areas that have seen almost no noticeable change
since 2000. In others, mainly countries ravaged by
conflicts and wars, laudable gains have been reversed.
Some Goals have also proven more elusive than others.
Maternal mortality in particular requires additional
attention. It is clear that the world could have advanced
much further along the road to achieving the MDGs.
Unfortunately, that did not happen, because the
partnership needed to achieve every objective was
not strong enough. We should therefore examine the
reasons for the sub-optimal results.
It is true that we all have a responsibility for the
welfare of the people of the world and the state of our
planet in general. The reality, however, is that some
countries have far more resources than others, and
some also use much more of the world’s resources.
And while our responsibilities are shared, they must
necessarily be differentiated. The gaps between the
top and bottom segments of the world’s population
are widening greatly. The concentration of wealth in
the hands of a few has reached dangerous proportions.
Oxfam International recently highlighted this
phenomenon, and some figures are startling. Oxfam
noted that the richest 1 per cent of the population of the
world owns about 46 per cent of global wealth — some
$110 trillion — while the bottom 50 per cent owns just
about $1.7 trillion, or 0.7 per cent of the world’s wealth.
That amount, $1.7 trillion, is the same as that possessed
by 85 of the world’s richest people — in other words,
85 persons have as much wealth as 50 per cent of the
world’s population. Clearly, such a degree of inequality
is unsustainable.
In much the same manner, while we have all agreed
on increasing development assistance to developing
countries, the reality is that the net transfer of financial
resources from developing to developed countries
continues unabated, amounting to $200 billion in 2002
and increasing to $557 billion in 2010. That perverse
trend continues today. And this transfer of financial
resources is only a part of the picture. Developing
countries also suffer a net loss of skills to the developed
world through migration. That is after the former
countries have expended huge amounts on training.
In addition, our efforts in the health and education
sectors are often frustrated by the high costs of school
books and essential medicines, owing to the strictures
of intellectual property rights. These imbalances
are clearly unsustainable and can be addressed only
through concerted global action.
While many developing countries have shown
serious determination in working towards the Goals
by allocating more resources to human development,
the support offered to them by developed countries, as
envisaged in MDG 8, has fallen significantly short of
expectations. It is extremely disappointing, to say the
least, that in the face of pressing needs, only about half
a dozen developed countries have kept their pledge to
reserve 0.7 per cent of their gross national product for
official development assistance. As we prepare for yet
another conference on financing for development, in
Ethiopia next year, I would like to remind the Assembly
that the commitment of 0.7 per cent was made over four
decades ago in this very Assembly, and was reiterated
in 2002 at the International Conference on Financing
for Development in Monterrey.
In the light of those failures, it is imperative that
the post-2015 framework include, first, a time-bound
commitment for delivering official development
assistance on which commitments have already been
made; secondly, a global framework for managing
intellectual property rights that places the development
imperative at its centre; thirdly, a global trading
architecture that recognizes the asymmetries in the
global state of development and is suitably responsive
to them; fourthly, a framework that ensures that
private-sector investment is consistent with the
development agenda. The recommendations of the
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development
Goals and of the Intergovernmental Committee of
Experts on Sustainable Development Financing provide
a good platform on which to build.
As we craft a transformative agenda, it will be
especially important to ensure that it is flexible enough
to address the peculiar needs of some countries. The
special circumstances occasioned by the vulnerabilities
of small island and low-lying coastal developing States
bear particular mention in that regard. Far too often,
the progress made can be speedily reversed owing to
the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. We
must spare no effort to ensure that we have a legally
binding agreement on this matter in 2015.
Ironically, as we discuss the post-2015 development
agenda, many Caribbean Community countries are
being graduated from eligibility for concessionary
financing, since they are classified as middle-income
based on the narrow measure of gross domestic product
per capita. In addition, many of those countries are
heavily indebted, as they must make unavoidable
investments in building and rebuilding social, economic
and productive infrastructure to strengthen their
resilience. We call on the international community
to reconsider that approach by adding a vulnerability
index to the equation. We also call for debt relief, as
the debt accumulated by most of those countries makes
their economies unsustainable.
The most important precondition for progress
is peace. Many conflicts and potential for conflicts
continue unresolved, while new threats to global
security have risen to dangerous levels.
The situation in the Middle East is the most
disturbing. Still at the heart of it is the great tragedy
that is the plight of the Palestinian people. Once again,
we have seen the bombing of an almost unarmed
population in Gaza by one of the world’s most powerful
military machines, supported and replenished by even
more powerful military forces. Guyana calls for the end
of the apartheid-like situation that exists in Palestine,
where poverty and degradation are weapons used to
repress a whole people. The people of Palestine have a
right to live with dignity in their own country, and the
United Nations must never compromise on the principle
of self-determination.
The continuing wars in Syria and Iraq are most
distressing. They are leading to more extremism and
a rapid descent into barbarism. That has resulted from
years of financing and arming of radical forces to
promote political objectives. We condemn the barbaric
and grotesque killing of journalists, humanitarian aid
workers and other hostages and the loss of civilian lives
in those conflict areas by the murderous extremists in
those countries. Guyana condemns terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations.
The situation in Ukraine is another cause for
concern. We must not forget that the two world wars
had their origins in Europe. That is why we should
exert every effort to bring all the partners to the table
for a peaceful resolution. Attempting to secure military
advantages is not only foolhardy but downright
dangerous. The solution has to be based on justice and
the aspirations of the peoples in that country.
The many unresolved border issues that exist in
our world are always a potential source of conflict and
are often used to retard the development of countries,
preventing them from improving the quality of life of
their own peoples and from promoting the welfare of
the region to which they belong. My own country is not
unaffected by this. The United Nations must therefore
redouble its efforts to assist in the resolution of such
issues.
We currently face a stark reminder of how fragile
global welfare is in the face of singular threats such as
the Ebola epidemic. Make no mistake, that is a global
problem that requires an immediate global response
many times greater what is currently being done. Let
me acknowledge the prompt response and leadership
shown by Cuba and the United States of America in
rendering assistance to the countries in West Africa.
In our time, we must continue the search for new
approaches to many of the global problems that confront
us. In today’s interconnected and interdependent world,
the destinies of States and peoples are increasingly
intertwined. The concerted global action that is
necessary to address today’s problems can be achieved
only with strong multilateralism and through relevant,
responsive and more democratic global institutions.
Critical issues include reforms to the Security
Council and the international financial institutions.
Concrete progress in Security Council reform is
imperative in order to assure the continued legitimacy
and relevance of that important United Nations organ.
Likewise, accelerated reform of the international
financial institutions is critical if we are to ensure their
effectiveness in protecting global financial stability
and supporting sustainable development.
In conclusion, I would like to recall the proposal
that Guyana made through its first democratically
elected President, Mr. Cheddi Jagan, for a new global
human order, on which the General Assembly has
pronounced itself in several resolutions. That proposal
seeks to balance the interests of developed and
developing countries. It is a proposal whose time has
come, and it should be pursued with other initiatives
to find solutions so that we can realize the dreams of
generations that came before us for peace, progress and
prosperity.
Just as the Millennium Development Goals provided
a new focus and raised hopes in the year 2000, so today
we must rekindle that spirit to eradicate poverty and
inequality in the post-2015 period.
Let me express our appreciation to the Secretary-
General and the staff of the United Nations for their
tireless efforts in carrying out the mandate of the
Organization in very challenging times. I assure them
that they have the full support of the people and the
Government of Guyana.