Saint Kitts and Nevis

I am extremely pleased to bring warm and cordial greetings from the Government and people of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is indeed with a profound sense of pleasure and honour that I address this, the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. First, I should like to express my sincere congratulations and appreciation to the outgoing President, Mr. Stoyan Ganev, for the very proficient and skilful manner in which he handled last year’s deliberations. I hasten to extend to you, Sir, our new President, a very hearty welcome. Your presence in the Chair is a source of great joy and pride to all of us from the Caribbean. I know that you will bring your vast experience and great skill to bear on these proceedings. I wish to assure you of my country’s continued support and willing cooperation. I should also like to commend most highly our Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whose commitment to the furtherance of the cause of peace, equality, freedom and democracy world wide stands out as a testament to hope and prosperity in a time of conflict and social chaos. Last week the world was shocked by the tragedy of the earthquake which caused such extensive loss of life in India. I extend condolences to the Government and people of India on behalf of the Government and people of Saint Kitts and Nevis. I know that the world community will continue to respond in appropriate measure with timely assistance. My Government regrets the startling and violent events that have been occurring in Russia over the past few days, and we express the hope that peace will quickly return and that democracy will indeed come to the people of Russia. On 19 September my country, Saint Kitts and Nevis, celebrated the tenth anniversary of our independence. On 23 September it was 10 years since I had in this Hall announced our nation to the world, indicating the principles that would guide our participation in world affairs and the objectives that we would pursue. The principles enunciated then are timeless and unchanging, and I can only ask the Assembly to revisit them with me as I quote: "The rights and freedoms embodied in the Constitution of Saint Kitts and Nevis reflect our commitment to the sanctity of human life, and of human dignity, the rights of the individual, and the non-violent pursuit of happiness." (A/38/PV.3, p. 41) At that time the East and the West stood precariously balanced on the brink of the total nuclear annihilation of the human species. Today the world breathes a collective sigh of relief as the process of reducing nuclear armaments is genuinely proceeding. Initially Saint Kitts and Nevis refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Our position was a principled one, because while we supported the objective of stemming the spread of nuclear weapons among countries, we felt that in practical terms it would be meaningless unless those countries with the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons made meaningful reductions in their arsenals. Forty-eighth session - 4 October l993 21 Saint Kitts and Nevis has now signed the Treaty. I call on all countries with nuclear weapons or the capacity to make them to join in the global effort for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Our attention is focused now on conventional conflicts in various arenas. The fighting and the attendant atrocities reported from the theatre of conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina represent a serious affront to every principle of human sanctity and human dignity that we share within this body of nations. The United Nations is endeavouring to fulfil a humanitarian mission, but we must redouble our efforts to bring an end to the fighting. We cannot but express our condemnation and abhorrence at the atrocity of "ethnic cleansing" being attempted in that theatre of conflict. The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis appeals to all the parties involved in this brutal conflict to heed the call of the international community to broker a peaceful settlement and to respect the efforts of the United Nations to implement effective programmes aimed at ending the civil war and at providing humanitarian assistance to those victims caught in the crossfire. My Government commends the efforts of the United Nations in delivering humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia who face the threat of disease, hunger, starvation and imminent death. At the same time, my Government deplores the barbarous attacks on United Nations personnel deployed in Somalia by forces loyal to Somali factions. We would also like to add our voice in protest against the killing of 23 Pakistani peace-keeping soldiers, and others subsequently. Although we would wish to see the perpetrators punished, it is our hope that the United Nations will remain faithful to its original mandate to keep the peace and feed the hungry. My country looks forward to an early end and a permanent solution that will permit the process of development to be resumed. We sincerely hope that this crisis does not threaten the prospects for peace in the Horn of Africa. Elsewhere in Africa hope has come alive. I refer in particular to the developments in South Africa. The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis welcomes the announcement of the prospects of non-racial and multi-party elections scheduled to take place in South Africa in April l994. The Caribbean has always been unambiguous and emphatic in its condemnation of apartheid. There is no doubt that our commitment and our principled stand has contributed to the inevitable dismantling of the unjust system of apartheid. We are at the threshold of a new South Africa which offers to its people an unprecedented opportunity to write a new chapter in the history of South Africa whereby the eradication of apartheid could lead to the creation of a new, united, non-racial and democratic society. We are extremely encouraged by the progress in the negotiations taking place between the Government of F. W. de Klerk, Nelson Mandela of the African National Congress (ANC), and members of other political parties in South Africa. While there are still major difficulties, we call upon all parties to seize this opportunity to bring peace and freedom to all South Africans. However, Member Governments must maintain their vigilance until the Transitional Executive Council has been established, with the proper terms of reference clearly outlined and defined, to allow for the integration and active participation of all races within the developmental and governmental process of that country. But Saint Kitts and Nevis supports Nelson Mandela’s call for the removal of sanctions at this time. The involvement and influence of the United Nations in conflict resolution have been outstanding in recent times. In this regard, my delegation wishes to applaud the timely efforts of the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) to bring the relevant parties in the Haitian crisis to the negotiating table. My Government welcomes the Governors Island Agreement brokered by the United Nations, which resulted in talks between President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the military high command in Haiti. The appointment and installation of Prime Minister Malval, who was chosen by President Aristide, was a significant achievement. The international community must provide support and security to ensure the safe return of President Aristide, following which a major development offensive, with institution-building, must be mounted and sustained. Haiti must be given the same high priority as is accorded to other areas of conflict or poverty in the world. Changes in international affairs are taking place with a startling rapidity and suddenness that could not possibly have been predicted. Who would have expected the surprising but very welcome rapprochement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which now offers a genuine prospect for peace in the Middle East? The peace prospect is obviously very fragile, but we must all support it and give it every opportunity to prosper. The realities of the present world situation call not for a hardening of traditional attitudes, but for a genuine search for solutions, 22 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session even if they require unprecedented approaches and compromises. Also in relation to that region, we welcome the finalization of the demarcation of the boundary between Kuwait and Iraq, which was accomplished by the Iraq- Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission on 20 May 1993. We also welcome the adoption by the Security Council of its resolution 833 (1993), in which it guaranteed the inviolability of the boundary between the two States. We expect that this guarantee will serve as a deterrent against future conflict between Kuwait and Iraq, and also enhance stability and security in the region. Iraq is called upon to respect the terms of Security Council resolution 833 (1993) and other relevant Security Council resolutions. Who would have predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany? Who would have predicted the breakup of the Soviet Union and the subsequent United Nations membership of a large number of new sovereign States? The United Nations has been in the midst of it all. We have welcomed the membership of North and South Korea, ideological differences notwithstanding. And we support their efforts towards reunification. It is clear that membership in the United Nations is neither a deterrent to reunification, as we saw in the case of Germany, nor to fragmentation, as we saw in the case of the Soviet Union. Whatever the aspirations of a country’s people, as determined by that people, these can be accommodated within the framework and forum of the United Nations, which is more effective as an organ operating by a process of inclusion than one operating by a process of exclusion. In that context, my Government calls on the United Nations to begin the process that would eventually lead to the admission of the Republic of China on Taiwan into this Organization. The Republic of China on Taiwan has proved itself to be a country that espouses the principles inherent in the United Nations Charter, a country dedicated to peace, social tranquillity and economic development, not only for its people, but also for the peoples of other nations. I want to extend a warm welcome to those who have become Members of this august body and to congratulate them on seeking membership within this brotherhood of nations. Membership itself implies an acceptance of the United Nations Charter and a recognition of the importance of the Organization’s objectives. I want to assure these new Member States of my Government’s readiness to extend a willing hand of friendship and cooperation as we work together to further the cause of global peace and human development. The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis fully subscribes to the policy of universality of membership. It is our strong belief that once a country satisfies the prerequisites for membership it should be allowed to join and to participate actively in the international fraternity of nations dedicated to upholding the principles of the Charter. It is timely, in the context of membership, to examine the issue of the planned restructuring of the United Nations. I would like to underscore the fact that the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis is fully supportive of the movement towards restructuring the United Nations with a view to ensuring that such restructuring will lead to the creation of more efficient and effective organs that are responsive to the development needs of States Members of the Organization. This restructuring should include both the permanent and the non-permanent membership of the Security Council. As we seek to proceed with plans for the restructuring of the United Nations, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis wishes emphasis to be placed on ensuring that equitable geographic representation is seen to be encouraged, especially in respect of decision-making and in respect of positions within the Secretariat. For too long, countries like mine in the Caribbean have not been adequately represented within the United Nations Secretariat. I wish to suggest also that due consideration be given to the establishment of a United Nations office in the eastern Caribbean to serve the interests of the smaller island-States that comprise the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). We have looked at the questions of membership and restructuring of the United Nations. It is important for us to review the question of the mission of the Organization. The Charter calls for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples. Ten years after our independence, Saint Kitts and Nevis would like to remind the Assembly of the mission as we perceived it then: "We seek the establishment of a new international economic order, for a redeployment of the world’s resources and for the implementation of mechanisms to increase the flow of assistance towards the world’s poor." (A/38/PV.3, p. 42) We ask ourselves: to what extent are these objectives being realized? To what extent is the mission being fulfilled? The answers are gravely disappointing. The new Forty-eighth session - 4 October l993 23 international economic order that seems to be emerging is one in which the developed and the more powerful countries are creating mega-sized trading and economic blocs, and seeking to establish rules designed to secure their own aggrandizement at the expense of small developing countries like ours in the Caribbean, which are being quietly but surely marginalized. We see the developed and powerful countries seeking to redeploy the world’s resources, as found in the biodiversity of our forests and the vastness of the ocean resources, for their own benefit, on the spurious ground that the technology is theirs and not ours. We see flows of direct assistance to developing countries drying up, and more so for the countries of the Caribbean. It would appear that the hope of seeing this mission fulfilled is less realizable now than it was 10 years ago. Some will say that the danger of nuclear war is diminished. Some will say that many conflicts are being resolved, even though new ones are springing up. And peace is being realized in many former areas of conflict. That is all true. The question remains, however: What sort of peace are we experiencing? Peace in Haiti is fragile; peace in the Middle East is uneasy; peace in Africa is unstable. I submit that the prospects for lasting peace would be immeasurably enhanced if we sought to achieve that peace through development. Peace and development have always been linked, but they are always portrayed as following parallel courses. My country contends that their paths must be merged and that we must achieve the one, peace, as a consequence of the other, development - development which must be sustainable and sustained. It is important that all sectors of our communities have the opportunity to participate in the process of development and to enjoy its benefits. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, we ensure as a matter of policy that women are empowered to be effective participants in development. Our Ministry of Women’s Affairs designs and implements programmes for training and mobilizing women in a variety of areas essential to the development of our country. This is an approach we recommend to all developing countries as part of the process of maximizing our human resources. My Government welcomes the call for a Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, scheduled to convene in Barbados in April 1994. We hope that this will result in tangible benefits for the small island developing economies of the Caribbean and in a recognition of our special characteristics and needs. There is developing in international affairs - in relation to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Common Market and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - a "one size fits all" mentality, or a "one prescription for all countries approach". These are obviously out of place in matters of development and human needs. The peculiarities and differences which prompted the adoption of special economic arrangements - the Caribbean Basin Initiative, the Trade and Investment Agreement between Canada and the Caribbean Community Countries (CARIBCAN) and the Lomé Convention - are still very present today, and are likely to remain so, because our islands are not going to become any larger. In fact, we suffer from serious coastal erosion, which can be properly addressed only if substantial financial assistance is forthcoming. I appeal to the Member nations of this august body to recognize also the fragility of our export commodities, such as sugar and bananas, as their producers represent the major employers, and they are significant sources of foreign exchange, for many Caribbean countries. Any loss, no matter how small, of the limited access which these products from the Caribbean enjoy could have catastrophic consequences for the economies and lives of the people in the Caribbean, and by extension could undermine the socio-political tranquillity of the region. I cannot overemphasize the vulnerability of the Caribbean’s ecosystem and the need for constant vigilance with respect to its protection and preservation. It is against this backdrop that my Government, along with other Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), strongly condemns the transboundary movement of toxic waste and of nuclear and other hazardous materials through the Caribbean basin. We therefore call upon the industrialized countries to refrain from exporting their waste to or through the Caribbean region. We also deplore the dumping of ship-generated waste in our Caribbean waters, and call upon all ships’ operators to discontinue the practice. Those waters are indeed a significant part of our economic patrimony. The Rio Summit was a watershed for unprecedented partnership and international cooperation in the area of environmental protection. The approach that we as nations adopt on the environment should be modelled in such a way as to demonstrate our commitment to human development, environmental protection and sustainable growth. 24 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session I want to make a strong appeal to the industrialized countries and the multilateral agencies to be more rational and more sensitive to the developmental needs of the developing world, especially island communities, in their approach to dealing with the environment. Environmental concerns must be appropriately considered within the context of sustainable development. The peoples of the developing countries are entitled to an improved standard of life. The industrialized North, therefore, should not use a single policy on environment as a yardstick for assessing an individual country’s eligibility for developmental assistance. My Government firmly believes that our environment must be protected and preserved at all costs - not at the expense of our people’s standard of living, but rather to enhance their quality of life. The desirability of environmental protection must be appropriately balanced against the imperatives of human development. The problem of environmental degradation concerns a global common which we all share, and it is only through international collaboration and an adequate transfer of technical and financial assistance from developed to developing countries that we can begin to arrest and, hence, eventually solve this problem. While we attempt to harness our collective efforts to improve the standard of living of our citizens, we are faced with the increasing danger of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. We can ill afford to relax our resolve. While we seek peace on other fronts we must continue to wage war relentlessly on the illicit drug trade and those who work so assiduously to bolster it. There is an urgent need for greater financial assistance and technical expertise to combat this problem. It is the children, the flower of our youth, the promise of our nations’ tomorrows, who are being destroyed today. At the historic children’s Summit in 1990, we set ourselves the task of creating a better world for children and of equipping them now to manage it in the future. The challenge is vast, involving their educational, health, physical, mental and psychological development, and we must make ourselves equal to the task. There can be no greater or more noble mission than to ensure that our youth from developing nations, small or large, as from developed nations, is given every opportunity to aspire to a better quality of life. We can better achieve this in a world of peace, and we can better realize and maintain that peace through development.