Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

On behalf of the delegation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, I extend my warmest congratulations to Mr. Didier Opertti on his election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. His acumen, scholarship and leadership skills are well known in our region through his distinguished participation in various high-level hemispheric forums over the years. I also wish to express my delegation?s sincere appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of the Ukraine, who presided over the work of the fifty- second session with great distinction. Our esteemed Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, has continued to provide outstanding leadership in the discharge of his duties. My delegation commends the Secretary-General for his reform initiatives designed to make the United Nations a more efficient organization, capable of responding to the many challenges it faces, and for his untiring efforts in the pursuit of world peace and security, long-lasting prosperity and international cooperation. Our own University of the West Indies, acting on behalf of the region, has honoured him appropriately for his work in this regard. Since the signing of the Charter some 53 years ago, the world can celebrate numerous progressive changes in which the United Nations has played a significant part. United Nations peacekeepers have been instrumental in preserving peace and stability in troubled areas of the globe, and the Organization?s humanitarian missions have been effective in alleviating suffering among many people throughout the world. At the same time, there remains a massive gap between aspiration and accomplishment. Despite the unprecedented prosperity that technological advances and the globalization of production and finance have brought to many countries, especially in the developed world, the majority of mankind is yet under the yoke of persistent poverty. The eradication of poverty remains a priority for developing countries. The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is committed to the uplifting of the lot of the poor and disadvantaged sections of our society. In this regard, my Government?s specific policy and 17 programme objectives over the medium and long term are designed to promote sustained economic growth and development in ways that expand employment, raise incomes, improve living standards, increase productive capacity and reduce poverty. We therefore call for the creation of a supportive international environment. We also call on the developed countries to fulfil the commitments undertaken for the provision of additional financial resources in combating world poverty, that social malignancy which is seminal many of the other problems that plague developing countries. It would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to thank the European Union for its unwavering support and most recent decision on the banana regime for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, within the framework of the Lomé Convention on economic cooperation, trade and development. The new arrangements are compatible with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and will allow this important regional industry to achieve a sustainable level of growth. These new arrangements also create an appropriate environment for the survival of a restructured and competitive banana industry. It is therefore quite alarming to learn that the United States of America and some of our hemispheric friends in Latin America are about to challenge the new arrangements. Such actions force us to revisit the Charters of regional and international organizations of which we are a part and question the efficaciousness of our membership. These incomprehensible stratagems on the part of friendly countries nurture a pervasive cynicism among our peoples, who chastise Governments for cooperating with those who say one thing and then act in a totally contrary manner that is injurious to our best interests. My delegation is amazed by the blind and apathetic position of the United States of America on the issue. We are told that no harm is meant to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and other Caribbean banana-producing countries, while efforts are made to undermine our social stability, which is facilitated by the export of our bananas under the provisions of the Lomé Convention. How can we convince our citizens of the need to combat the production, use and trade in illicit drugs if our banana industry is destroyed? Is it really possible that our friends, especially the United States, want to see the proliferation of instability, insecurity and extreme poverty in a region which has made steady socio-economic progress since the widespread social turbulence of the 1930s? In spite of the special difficulties faced by small island developing countries like Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, we are meeting all our international obligations and have acceded to several bilateral and multilateral programmes on the eradication of illicit drugs. We have the will to fight this scourge in the international community, but friendly nations should also understand our vulnerabilities. My Government is scrupulously committed to the defense and enhancement of the democratic process which has emerged in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and other countries of the Caribbean Community since the mid-1940s with the attainment of universal adult suffrage. Our democracies are based on respect for human rights, on recognition, in policy and practice, that the distribution of national resources is disparate and that all our people aspire to a decent standard of living, on the creation of economic and other opportunities for personal development and on the observance of free and fair elections under our Constitution. After the fourth consecutive election victory of 15 June 1998, the New Democratic Party (NDP) Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, under the pragmatic and visionary leadership of the Rt. Honourable Sir James F. Mitchell, reiterates its commitment to these principles, as we join with the international community in building a better life for our people in the twenty-first century. My delegation strongly condemns the recent acts of terrorism which occurred in Kenya, Tanzania, Northern Ireland and Cape Town, South Africa. Violence should never be the way to settle disputes. The deaths of so many innocent people in such outrageous acts can never be justified. My delegation therefore urges that all parties involved must review their policies, settle their disputes peacefully and use reason instead of the bomb. My Government fully supports the Good Friday Agreement brokered by the United States in Northern Ireland. It provides an acceptable framework for the resolution of deep-seated, historic differences in that part of the world. My delegation is very concerned about the illicit transfer and proliferation of small arms and light weapons and their accumulation in many countries. These activities constitute a real threat to national and regional security and can contribute to the destabilization of States. We 18 urge Member States to cooperate in taking steps to deal effectively with this increasing problem. My country was pleased to sign the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Production and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials, at the Organization of American States in November 1997. My Government wishes to express its appreciation for the adoption in 1996, by the Disarmament Commission, of guidelines in resolution 46/36 H of 6 December 1991. However, we feel that there is need for greater urgency in advancing initiatives to deal with this issue at a global level. The end of the cold war rekindled aspirations for lasting peace and prosperity. The dismantling of the Berlin Wall heightened expectations for a peace dividend. Unfortunately, the United Nations has to continue utilizing most of its resources in managing or containing conflicts of varying origins and intensity in many parts of the world. The role of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security has become even more relevant than before. The situations in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Great Lakes region, the Western Sahara and the Middle East, among many others countries, continue to occupy the attention of this Organization. We are dismayed that, in spite of the end of cold-war rivalry, the unfortunate people of Cyprus must continue to accommodate the division imposed on their country. As we approach the new millennium, our world is still threatened by the existence of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and the potential for their further proliferation. The time has come for all countries to commit themselves to the goal of complete eradication of weapons of mass destruction. I call for universal support for the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. The Convention is clear on the total ban on anti-personnel mines, which have taken the lives of so many innocent civilians, mostly women and children. In the nation-States of the Caribbean Community, the dawn of a new millennium challenges us to assert our independence and demonstrate our maturity by crafting creative constitutional arrangements, suited to our particular historical, cultural and political evolution. We have come thus far with constitutions moulded for us by colonial masters. In the era of independence, we have experienced the shortcomings of these original instruments. Many of our sister countries have already embarked on this mission, and the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are beginning the process of forging a new constitution for the governance of the country in the twenty-first century. As we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Year for Human Rights, we call on Member States to remember the rights of the 21 million people in Taiwan. The Republic of China on Taiwan, both prosperous and democratic, deserves to be readmitted as a member of the United Nations, even as it pursues the goal of reunification. It is necessary that the United Nations provide the forum for discussion that will provide the framework for the peaceful reunification of both sides of the Taiwan Strait. My delegation congratulates the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), for its recent success in obtaining additional rights and privileges, such as the right to participate in the debate of the General Assembly and the right of reply. We hope that this new status will serve to enhance, rather than adversely affect, the peace talks between the PLO and Israel. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines strongly supports the Middle East peace process and the negotiations which seek the full implementation of the Oslo accords. With the changing world environment, the Organization has assumed new prominence, and there is renewed hope and high expectations for, as well as new ideas on, the functioning of the General Assembly and, in particular, the reform of the Security Council. Let us not lose momentum in our common quest to give new life to this Organization. We repeat our call, made during the Assembly?s fifty-second session, for an increase in both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council. Japan and Germany deserve their seats as permanent members, but Latin American and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia must be given permanent seats, which should be rotated among aspiring countries in those regions. There has been much debate on whether new permanent members should have the same rights as the old permanent members. There must be no discrimination, and no two classes of permanent members. As regards the veto currently held by permanent members, in the opinion of my delegation, it is time for its abolition. We must be guided by the key word, “democracy”, as we move to reform the United Nations. 19 As a member of the Alliance of Small Island States, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines fully supports initiatives to protect the environment. The effects of global warming are of grave concern to small islands like ours, whose coastal areas may become submerged, and whose protective coral reefs are at risk of total destruction. Meteorologists tell us that July 1998 was the hottest month since reliable records have been kept. We in the Caribbean can hardly doubt this, given the exceptional heat wave and humidity which we have experienced this year. Our region also continues to be battered by more frequent and stronger hurricanes, as evidenced this year again. Hurricane Georges has devastated several islands in the Caribbean, leaving over 300 dead and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure, homes and utilities in its wake. The Gulf coast of the United States mainland has also suffered from the effects of that hurricane, providing us with a stark reminder that the forces of nature respect no borders. I take this opportunity to extend condolences and solidarity to all those who have lost relatives and loved ones, and to the Governments of the affected countries. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with its limited resources, has already embarked on a programme of assistance to our sister countries in the Caribbean, where we know that each one of us is our brother?s keeper. The ecologically vulnerable islands and low-lying coastal States of the Caribbean are subject to all the acute consequences of urbanization and resource exploitation. We are exposed to the danger of waste being dumped in our seas and a rise in sea level as well as other effects of climate change. There must be a strong commitment to the reduction in greenhouse emissions. We must carry the momentum to combat climate change well into the twenty- first century in order to reduce the danger posed to our States. The issue of the sustainable development of small island developing States involves much more than beaches and coral reefs. It is about the existence of effective partnerships between peoples and Governments, and between developed and developing countries. It is against this backdrop that we look forward to the special session to review the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, which is scheduled for 1999. We expect the review to result in concrete and practical outcomes, and to foster the requisite political commitment to the process. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a small but beautiful plural country, striving to maintain its agricultural, tourism and other service industries in this era of globalization. We, like so many developing countries today, suffer from the problems related to unemployment. We will continue to identify new and non-traditional areas, such as informatics and financial services, in order to create opportunities for our people, particularly our youth. We must express concern about Draconian immigration laws and regulations being adopted by an increasing number of countries. As a region where emigration has been of historic importance, the Caribbean could be severely affected by these restrictions. These stringent immigration policies have led to massive and summary deportations of immigrants from our region and other developing countries. Some people face dehumanizing abuse and death as they try to escape from poverty by seeking refuge in more developed countries. I need not emphasize how serious a threat these actions pose to the social and economic well-being of the peoples of the Caribbean region. The United Nations stands at the threshold of a new millennium. We pray that it continues to perform its rightful role in addressing the many issues that occupy us in our everyday lives. We believe that the reforms that we all desire will build on progress already made in areas of international cooperation. Let us work together and give meaning to our Charter, to save succeeding generations from the scourges of war, poverty and hunger. Let us reaffirm our faith in fundamental human rights, the dignity and worth of the human person and particularly the equal rights of man and woman, and of nations large and small.