Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Mr. President, the delegation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes your election to preside over the work of the General Assembly at this its forty-eighth session. By your elevation to this exceedingly demanding position, the General Assembly has acknowledged your well-known personal merits, proven ability and professional skills. I am confident that you will guide this session to a successful conclusion of the business before us. Your country, Guyana, shares a number of common interests and affinities with St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other sister States in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It is therefore with a deep sense of pride that we congratulate you on your unanimous election and pledge the full cooperation of the delegation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines throughout the difficult and challenging period ahead. St. Vincent and the Grenadines was pleased to be in the Chair in August 1992 when the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) unanimously endorsed the Caribbean candidature for the Presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. It was the first time that the Group had so acted, and I wish to congratulate all those who were involved in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) effort, and to thank all member states of the GRULAC for their cooperation. We in CARICOM are steadfast in our commitments, and this demonstration of hemispheric solidarity augurs well for continued strengthening of our ties, not only in placing candidates in important positions in the international arena, but even more critically in promoting and securing the best interests of our member countries in the post-cold-war world. I wish to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Stoyan Ganev, former Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, for the able and inspired manner in which he guided the work of the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session . I wish also to thank the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for the extraordinary role he is playing in shaping the future of the international system. St. Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes the representatives of the States newly admitted to membership of the United Nations, namely, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Eritrea, the Principality of Monaco, and Andorra. We particularly wish to congratulate the people of Eritrea on winning the long battle for their self-determination, and we express the hope that their diligence in the pursuit of political independence will be combined with an appropriate strategy for economic achievement. The admission of a nation to this body always marks a significant event in the international arena as it takes us another step forward towards the objective of universal representation. Adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the right of the world’s peoples to self- determination are the main barometers used in the admission of States to membership of this body of nations. However, the Republic of China on Taiwan, a nation of over 21 million inhabitants, which today has one of the most vigorous economies in the world, is excluded from membership of the United Nations. In this post-cold-war era, when a number of countries which once had a single identity and representation in this Organization now find ready admission as separate and sovereign members, it is appropriate that all States capable of maintaining such sovereign identity be so recognized. Moreover, the Republic of China on Taiwan has demonstrated its capacity to be in the forefront of world economic development and should be provided with an opportunity to participate in, and contribute to, the programmes of the United Nations. My delegation heralds the signing of the United Nations- brokered Governors Island Accord last July by President Aristide and the military-backed Government of Haiti, headed by General Raoul Cedras, as an historic opportunity for the Haitian people, the hemisphere, and the principle of democratic rule. The interim period until President Aristide’s return to Haiti on the 30th of this month must be a time for healing and laying the groundwork for a smooth take-over, and for a concerted rehabilitation process aimed at bringing some measure of economic and political stability to that long-suffering country. My delegation takes this opportunity to reiterate our solidarity with the Haitian people, who have struggled over the past months amidst persistent and blatant human rights abuses and political repression. We hail the efforts and initiatives taken by the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Government of the United States of America in bringing the usurpation of authority to an end. Let us pray that the clear message from the resolution of the Haitian crisis by international response will halt the ambitions of the various military aspirants there. As the United Nations moves to perform its peace-keeping, peacemaking and peace-enforcing roles in Forty-eighth session - 12 October l993 7 many troubled areas around the world, harassment, beatings and murder of its personnel, both civilian and military, are on the rise. Earlier in the year a number of United Nations personnel in the Middle East and Cambodia were slain. These killings followed the murder of a nurse working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza and of a United Nations driver in Afghanistan. This year the world has also been shocked by the deaths of a number of Pakistanis, Italians, Moroccans, Americans and nationals of other countries serving in the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). My Government takes this opportunity to express its condolences to the Governments and peoples of those countries whose nationals paid the ultimate price in their desire to bring peace and deliver humanitarian assistance to the suffering peoples of the world. We also wish to express our sympathy to the bereaved families of all those United Nations personnel who died in the line of duty. Member States must be reminded of their responsibility to protect United Nations workers and of their obligation to act promptly and effectively to deter, prosecute and punish all those responsible for violence. We salute the courage and commitment of those dedicated people who continue to accept considerable personal risks in order to carry out United Nations missions. The international community must take appropriate steps to protect its members and we eagerly await the submission of concrete proposals designed to enhance the safety and security of United Nations forces and personnel. It is evident that the perceived disarray in the United Nations military operation in Somalia is fuelling instability in the country and detracting from the achievement of the original goals of restoring peace and security and ensuring the distribution of humanitarian relief, thereby paving the way for the re-establishment of civil society in the country at large. Naturally, these objectives cannot be achieved unless the international community continues to work in earnest to ensure that disarmament is achieved throughout the country in conformity with the provisions of the Addis Ababa agreement of March 1993, to which all factions are signatories. In this regard, my delegation is of the view that appropriate measures must be taken against those who continue to impede disarmament, in direct contravention of Security Council resolutions and the Addis Ababa agreement. My delegation welcomes signs of a willingness to negotiate on the part of rebel forces. From this point on all actions by the United Nations in Somalia should be aimed at winning the trust of the Somali people as a prerequisite to the re-establishment of peace and security, national reconciliation, restoration of the Somali State and the reconstruction and development of the country. My delegation congratulates the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), under the leadership of Mr. Yasser Arafat, on concluding an agreement with the Rabin Government of Israel to end hostilities among their peoples. We see this as a significant first step that will fail unless it leads to the implementation of the resolutions long agreed to in the United Nations on the territories occupied by Israel and the acceptance by the United Nations of Palestine to membership. Just as my delegation has persistently endorsed the right of Israel to exist within secure borders, we assert the same right for Palestine. At the forty-fifth session of the Assembly, when we were discussing the invasion of Kuwait, my delegation called on this body to demonstrate consistency in responding to its resolutions, and we do so again. We wish to congratulate the Government of Norway on the pivotal and historic facilitating role they played in the process of mediating in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. We admire the dignified manner of their contribution and subsequent response. The rapidly deteriorating situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina cries out for urgent resolution. The state of affairs cannot be tolerated much longer. Immeasurable harm in both human and material terms has already been done, and the Serbs and Croats appear to be bent on the dismemberment of Bosnia and Herzegovina through border changes, by force and by ethnic cleansing. The international community cannot agree to a solution dictated by the Serbs and Croats at the expense of the Bosnian Muslims. We also cannot accept any territorial solution unless it has the agreement of the three parties. My delegation wishes to state unequivocally that the measures necessary to bring about a reversal of the Serbian aggression must include the immediate immobilization of heavy weapons, placing them under effective international control, and the effective enforcement of comprehensive sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until all the conditions in the relevant Security Council resolutions are met. My delegation calls on all those with the resources to influence a return to normality in this part of the world to honour their moral responsibility. The end of the cold war has resulted in a new spirit of cooperation between erstwhile enemies. Ongoing 8 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session restructuring of the world body is designed to enhance the capacity of the Organization for preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping and peacemaking. Regrettably, these changes do not mean the end of bloody regional conflicts. The strife in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nagorny Karabakh and Liberia continues. In Angola, Sudan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan there is conflict and distress. The demands on the United Nations for peace-keeping and peace-building are increasing daily in the number of operations and personnel as well as in the scope of their mandates. But in order to bring peace and security to these troubled areas the international community must redouble its efforts to bring about a resolution of their conflicts. One of my country’s most important priorities is support for the right of all peoples living under colonial or alien domination and/or foreign occupation to self- determination and independence. Stressing our commitment to the goal of the complete eradication of colonialism, we once again pledge to strengthen our solidarity with all those countries facing aggression or intervention or interference in their internal affairs. Consistent with this position, we strongly condemn the continuous efforts of certain segments of South African society to perpetuate the system of apartheid. At the same time, we welcome the recent progress towards the establishment of a non-racial democracy, paving the way for the first non-racial elections, scheduled for April 1994, and the eventual reintegration of that country into the international political and economic community. We welcome the adoption by acclamation on Friday, 8 October, of the General Assembly resolution in support of Mr. Nelson Mandela’s call for the immediate lifting of sanctions against South Africa. The delegation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is particularly pleased that four vital pieces of legislation, setting up, the Independent Electoral Commission, the Independent Media Commission, the Independent Broadcasting Authority and the Transitional Executive Council have been adopted by both the Negotiating Council and the South African Parliament, and are in the process of being enacted into law. With the changing world environment the Organization has been catapulted into new prominence and there has been renewed hope, and high expectation, as well as new ideas on the functioning of the General Assembly. The same movement of change is also of vital importance in the Security Council and in the economic and social fields. Let us not lose the momentum in our quest to give new life to the Organization. The General Assembly is a body that has been functioning below the capacity envisaged by its founding fathers. On the other hand, we have a Security Council that has expanded in scope and power without a corresponding increase in its membership or a reorganization of its functions. The need has also been established for strengthening the role of the Economic and Social Council through a better distribution of its functions and a rationalization of its activities. My delegation is of the view that at a minimum the Security Council should be expanded to allocate permanent seats to Japan and Germany and up to six new rotating seats to be filled on a regional basis in order better to reflect the increased membership of the United Nations and the changed international situation. Certainly, we do not grant to Japan and Germany the recognition they richly deserve. The Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit was about nations joining together in common resolve to do a better job in the future and to offer our children the hope for a brighter tomorrow. The centrepiece of this international effort, Agenda 2l, is a blueprint for our planet which the Governments of the world adopted by acclamation. With the creation of a Commission on Sustainable Development and the restructuring of the economic and social functions of the United Nations, we now have the institutional arrangements in place to ensure that the measures prescribed by Agenda 21 are adequately addressed. In the interim between Rio and the convening of the first substantial session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, it appeared to many that the spirit of Rio was beginning to fade away, due in part to the failure of the industrialized countries to make firm financial commitments to the programme approved at UNCED. There is, however, renewed hope because, since the June session of the Commission, machinery has been firmly put in place to follow up on pledges made at the Rio Summit. The establishment by the Commission of two working groups to tackle the thorny issues of financial flows and technology transfer to the developing countries of the South, in addition to reviewing mechanisms for innovative financing of Agenda 21 and for analysing conditions that determine the flow of financial and economic resources, such as debt relief, terms of trade and commodity prices, is a positive approach, and it should give new impetus to the Forty-eighth session - 12 October l993 9 implementation of the global plan which the Rio Summit adopted to protect the world from environmental degradation through the twenty-first century. We wish to thank those who have contributed to the Global Environment Facility, which makes grant funding available to poor countries so that they may properly shoulder their share of environmental responsibilities in our global community. As we observe new trends in the world economy, it is noteworthy that there is potentially greater capacity for growth of real consumption in developing countries than in the developed ones. Those of us who live in small island States have limited options in response to the international economic environment. The banana industry, which is the lifeline of our economies in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the other countries of the Windward Islands, is currently under threat of extinction. My delegation wishes to record, at this session of the General Assembly, our gratitude to the European Economic Community for its support for this vital component of our economies. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a small developing archipelagic State, with all the generic circumstances associated with small size, limited resources, geographical dispersion and relative isolation from markets. Naturally we also have advantages, which we continue to exploit in the national interest. Development in all its forms is of paramount national importance to us. In this regard, we look forward with enthusiasm to the World Summit for Social Development in 1995, the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, and the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, which is scheduled to convene in Barbados in 1994. It is our fervent hope that the international community will recognize the special characteristics and developmental needs of this category of countries, which have not changed in the new configuration of world politics. We pray also that there will be tangible benefits following the conclusion of these Conferences. The United Nations has designated 1993 the International Year for the World’s Indigenous People. Forced off their ancestral lands by settlers and colonizers, indigenous peoples in many parts of the world have faced untold discrimination and poverty and are often afforded little say in their political future. It is no surprise, therefore, that they are increasingly seeking to exercise their full range of human rights. The world’s communities are urged to treat minorities and indigenous peoples, and persons belonging to them, on the basis of equality, and to take measures that would, inter alia, facilitate their full participation in all aspects of the political, economic, social, religious and cultural life of the society. My delegation is proud to state that in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the indigenous people, the Caribs, are fully integrated into Vincentian society and are beneficiaries of all rights and freedoms under our Constitution. They participate fully in the political process, and today an active representative in the House of Assembly is a descendant of Joseph Chatoyer, the Paramount Chief of the Caribs and a national hero of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Our Government has also taken specific steps, through its land reform and distribution policy, to empower the Caribs, who are the main beneficiaries of the Government’s acquisition of the area formerly occupied by Orange Hill Estates, and the subsequent distribution, with title, of economically viable plots to them. My Government will ensure that our indigenous people continue to participate fully in national society and that their views are solicited and taken into consideration in decision-making processes that affect them and the nation as a whole. My delegation is proud to co-sponsor a draft resolution of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Ministers Responsible for Foreign Affairs of the Caribbean Community calling for the annual observance of an International Day of Indigenous Peoples. I hope that this draft resolution, when brought before this body, will be adopted by acclamation and will receive unanimous follow-up support from Member countries. The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes and values highly the deepening of relations between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Latin America in general. We are also encouraged by the degree of cooperation which is being developed between CARICOM and Central America. In the increasingly competitive world environment, which is gradually being dominated by large trading blocs, it is imperative for our countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to forge closer ties through economic and other forms of functional cooperation. My Government totally condemns the illicit production, trafficking in and consumption of drugs. These harbingers of violent crime and corruption pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of our economies and our people, endanger our democratic institutions and jeopardize national and regional security. 10 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session We are firmly convinced that only integrated regional and international efforts can effectively address the drug problem, and, accordingly, we stress the need for increased local, regional and international cooperation. Greater emphasis should be placed on programmes that generate employment and income for persons attracted to drug production and trafficking as a means of livelihood. These should be pursued concurrently with programmes for the prevention of drug use and the rehabilitation of drug users. The appropriate measures must also be taken to strengthen our judicial institutions to ensure that the perpetrators of drug abuse and related crimes are brought to swift and effective justice. We in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are closely observing the evolution of democracy in the States of Eastern Europe and the territories of the former Soviet Union, as well as its consolidation worldwide. We agonized with freedom-loving peoples when the Russian constitutional crisis threatened to "put democracy under a shade." We regret the loss of life that resulted from the struggle for control, and we hope that the emergence of a full- fledged system of democracy, with the ultimate power residing in the hands of the people, will not be impeded by any self-serving acts on the part of major players. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes the constitutional resolution of the political impasse in Pakistan. As a member of the Commonwealth, we welcome Mrs. Benazir Bhutto back as Prime Minister of her country and look forward to meeting her in Cyprus at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. My delegation wishes to reiterate its resolute commitment to the democratic ideal and the concomitant free enterprise system. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, like the other countries of CARICOM, has gone through a historic constitutional journey, from Crown Colony Government, with its limited franchise, to full political independence under universal adult suffrage. We have adhered to the principles and practice of participatory democracy and the market economy, even when these ideals were not as pervasive and mandatory as they are today. We have stayed the course, by choice and conviction, and our people have reaped the benefits. They will have it no other way. In this post-cold-war era we are determined to maintain the gains of our democracy which we have accumulated over the years, even as we face the increasing difficulties associated with the marginalization of small States in the face of bloc consolidation and other emerging trends of our time.