Haiti

It is a true pleasure for me to address the General Assembly once more. I wish first of all to echo previous speakers in congratulating you most warmly, Sir, on behalf of my delegation, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. I take this opportunity also to express our gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko for the excellent work carried out under his presidency. To the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, we reaffirm our confidence in his outstanding endeavours to preserve peace and to promote development. To all participants in the fifty-third session, I wish the greatest success in the interests of all our peoples. Ten days ago hurricane Georges passed through the Caribbean region, striking several of our countries with its fury and leaving considerable damage in its wake. I wish to express deepest sympathy, on behalf of Haiti, to our brotherly Governments and peoples who, like us, were so hard hit by this unavoidable disaster. The provisional toll in Haiti is quite heavy: 150 dead and dozens missing — more than 500,000 victims all told. There was considerable material damage to agriculture and to infrastructure: roads and bridges were destroyed and crops devastated in several regions. The total cost of these losses is estimated at approximately $200 million. International solidarity was quickly displayed in the wake of this disaster. I would therefore like to thank all the friendly Governments, international institutions and non- governmental organizations for the support they have given us thus far. While the present situation is serious, our concern for the future is even greater. With over 60 per cent of our agricultural production destroyed, the outlook is extremely bleak. We fear that once emergency aid is no longer being provided in the coming months there will be a severe shortage of foodstuffs and basic goods. We therefore appeal to the international community to extend considerable assistance to our efforts to restore and rebuild the affected zones and to support our measures to solve the public health problems that will arise. In this regard, we invite delegations to support draft resolution A/53/L.2/Rev.1, which will soon be introduced to the General Assembly, as a first step in this direction. Profound changes have taken place in international relations in the course of the last 10 years. The lessening of ideological confrontation and the strengthening of interdependence among nations have provided new opportunities for closer cooperation among States. The phenomenon of globalization, which is characterized by unprecedented ties between human activities throughout the world, has expanded further and has been propelled by spectacular growth in communications. Some had anticipated a more peaceful and united world in the next century. Yet, less than 500 days away from the year 2000, the international picture is frankly disconcerting. New hotbeds of tension have arisen in many regions of the world, while no substantial progress has been made to resolve various age-old conflicts. That is the case in the Middle East, where we hope that the recent discussions held this week in Washington will serve to permanently revive the peace process that has been stalled for more than a year. We deplore the armed conflicts that have brought untold suffering on populations, be it in Kosovo, Angola, Afghanistan, the Great Lakes region or elsewhere. The Republic of Haiti invites the parties concerned to seek a solution to their problems through dialogue. The international community must also continue to carry out efforts to restore peace to these regions. International terrorism, of which we had hoped to have seen the last, has re-emerged in a troubling fashion with the terrible events that have taken place in Africa and Northern Ireland. In condemning these acts, Haiti calls on the international community to adopt effective measures to combat this threat to international security. Elsewhere, the world is facing a real challenge whose consequences are incalculable on more than one front. I am referring to drug-trafficking and its related crimes — arms-trafficking, organized crime and money- laundering. The problem of drug-trafficking continues to threaten the integrity of our territories, to weaken the foundations of our societies and to undermine the health of our peoples. Combating this scourge requires further cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels, as was highlighted at the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the drugs problem. Haiti, 8 which has unfortunately been used as a transit country for some of the drugs headed for markets in consumer countries, has adopted a vigorous policy that has already begun to bear fruit. This involves the drafting of legislative measures against drug-trafficking and money-laundering; the establishment of a body entrusted with combating trafficking in narcotic drugs; the development of cooperation with neighbouring countries; and accession to international instruments in this area. In speaking of the dangers threatening the future of mankind, I must refer here to the existence of considerable stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons. The Republic of Haiti welcomes the recent progress achieved in the reduction of these weapons. It will continue to support wholeheartedly the efforts of the international community for their complete elimination. In this connection, Haiti deplored the nuclear tests recently carried out by India and Pakistan, which have contributed to increasing tensions in that part of the world. It invites those countries to become parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The global economic situation at the end of this century has also given rise to many concerns. The phenomenon of globalization, which is characterized by a liberalization of market forces, which, according to numerous observers, should accelerate growth and promote development, has above all been marked by greater inequality and sluggish growth. The income gap between North and South has continued to widen. In 1965 the average per capita income in the G-7 countries was 20 times that of the world’s seven poorest countries; by 1995 that figure had almost doubled. Today poverty continues to grow throughout the world. Entire populations are victims of the serious problems of malnutrition and abject poverty. Health care and education are inaccessible to millions of people. There has been further destruction of the environment throughout the world, threatening the very survival of mankind. Even more than the countries of the third world, which have been battered by these global developments, the least developed countries — including my country, Haiti — find themselves ever more marginalized and must face a worsening of the standard of living of their peoples. The feeling of despair is increasingly spreading among younger generations facing a seemingly gloomy future. All of this poses serious threats to the very stability of our countries. This situation cries out for the international community to redouble its efforts to combat poverty. United and concerted long-term action that mobilizes considerable resources is essential if we wish to achieve satisfactory results. The magnitude of current problems poses a major challenge to the international community. The United Nations, whose primary mission is to ensure world security and to promote economic and social progress for people, is the ideal forum to discuss these questions and to search for solutions that take everyone’s interests into account. It must be able to play the role that has been entrusted to it in order to create a global situation of peace, which will facilitate development through cooperation for all peoples. It must respond to this challenge by using its resources effectively and by adapting itself to changes in international relations. In this regard, the delegation of Haiti welcomes the reform process initiated by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to breathe new life into the Organization and to better enable it to face the increasingly complex problems of today’s world. The initial measures approved by the General Assembly have enabled United Nations bodies to work more coherently and consistently. We hope that further measures to be considered at this session will strengthen the capacities of the United Nations to carry out its activities. Reform in the Security Council, which has been discussed for five years now, is of capital importance given the role played by that organ in the maintenance of international peace and security. Haiti continues to call for greater openness in the functioning of the Council and for greater participation in the decision-making process, so that its decisions reflect the general opinion of the international community as a whole and not only the position of the members of the Council. In this context, the envisaged increase in its membership must take into account more systematically the principle of equitable geographical distribution. Every effort must be made to ensure that the universality of all the planet’s inhabitants is reflected in the United Nations system. In this respect, we welcome the dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan. A positive outcome to this dialogue will allow for progress in this area. This year we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human 9 Rights. By enshrining the principle of the respect of fundamental human rights and by ensuring their promotion, the United Nations has made a considerable contribution to the development of an international system to protect the fundamental freedoms and ensure the emancipation of peoples throughout the world. Along these lines, my delegation welcomes the fact that the international community has finally acknowledged that the right to development is an intrinsic part of fundamental human rights. But that acknowledgment is not sufficient. We must work to ensure full respect for that right by establishing programmes and by mobilizing sufficient resources. Today human rights are a reality that no Government can ignore. In Haiti respect for human rights is guaranteed in the Constitution, and the Government is committed to ensuring the full enjoyment of those rights by all. In this context, reform in the judicial machinery that will allow for the consolidation of the state of law is now being implemented. Regrettably, however, the very complex situation resulting from a twofold electoral and governmental problem has made it difficult for institutions to function normally and to cooperate with the international community. To overcome this handicap, the President of the Republic, Mr. René Préval, is resolutely undertaking every possible effort. Democratic institutions necessarily have a role to play, but given the regrettably slow process of democracy- building, the hoped-for results have not yet been achieved despite the numerous initiatives undertaken. It is encouraging to note, however, that these expectations and initiatives have been undertaken within the framework of the provisions of the Constitution, which guarantees that a viable solution will be found. Similarly, the head of State has consulted all levels of Haitian society in order to set up a new electoral council that will be responsible for organizing, in accordance with the Constitution and as soon as possible, free, fair and democratic elections at the municipal and legislative levels. He will do everything in his power to guarantee the participation of all sectors in these elections, which, duly carried out, will help us overcome the governmental crisis that has arisen. Despite the unfavourable circumstances that have darkened the horizon at the dawning of the third millennium, we must not lose hope in a better world. In order to do that, we must further develop cooperation, strengthen our partnerships and work together to improve our peoples’ standard of living in a world where so many natural disasters and environmental phenomena remind us of our duty to solidarity. The United Nations is the ideal framework for joining our efforts to achieve this common goal.