Let me first
congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of
the sixty-second session of the General Assembly. I
also congratulate His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon at
this, his first General Assembly session as Secretary-
General.
I am humbled to once again address this
Assembly, and I stand before you humbled and
emboldened. Humbled by the magnitude of the socio-
economic challenges we face as a community of
nations and emboldened by the trust that has been
placed in me by the people of Antigua and Barbuda to
articulate their interests in an increasingly competitive
international system. I am further humbled by the
gravity of the environmental challenges facing our
world today and emboldened in the knowledge that
without courageous and timely action, countless lives
will continue to be plagued by misery and countless
more unnecessarily lost.
As the Prime Minister of a small island State, I
am also humbled and emboldened by the show of
confidence we have received from the Group of 77,
having been elected Chairman for 2008. It is not a
responsibility that we take lightly, and you can rest
assured we intend to rise valiantly to the task of
chairmanship, executing the responsibilities of the
Chair with the sort of professionalism and skill the
Group rightly expects of us. As Chairman of the Group
of 77 for 2008 and like the Chairs before us, we pledge
to uphold the principles and objectives of the Group, to
preserve, at all times, our collective interest as
developing countries, safeguard our common positions,
and, by so doing, achieve significant advancement in
the development agenda.
I am humbled and emboldened enough to quote
Albert Einstein, who once said:
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of
those who do evil, but because of those who look
on and do nothing.”
“Looking on and doing nothing” is no longer an option
for any of us.
Let me, at the outset, unequivocally state that
multilateralism should be the preferred means for
effecting international peace, security and human
development. There are some who would prefer for
multilateralism to recede and for the world to be run by
a few dominant Powers. They should be reminded of
the intent and purposes of the Charter of the United
Nations, which, among other things, reaffirms in its
Preamble the faith of humanity: “in fundamental
human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human
person, in the equal rights of men and women and of
nations large and small”. It is no small wonder, then,
that the crafters of the Charter pledged their
determination “to employ international machinery for
the promotion of the economic and social advancement
of all peoples”.
The Charter of the United Nations is perhaps
more relevant today than it was at the time of its
creation. The challenges to peace, security and
development that require collective action have
multiplied immeasurably. At the same time, humanity
has so advanced that today it is possible to achieve the
intentions of the Charter on a scale beyond what might
have been achievable at the time of its crafting.
Regrettably, fulfilment of the purposes of the Charter
of the United Nations seems to be hindered to an
unprecedented degree by a paucity of political will and
determination.
However, an equitable international system
responsive to the needs of all countries and people is
not beyond our reach. In that context, there is a role for
all nations, large and small, that includes the firm
resolve to strengthen the multilateral system in order to
correct systemic imbalances that hinder the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) and other internationally agreed development
goals. Systemic imbalances in international trade,
finance and international governance keep millions
locked in poverty and millions more in a perpetual
state of insecurity because they remain
underrepresented.
Indeed, there is a role for all States. It should
therefore come as no surprise that Antigua and Barbuda
is of the view that small States can and should play a
crucial role by being voices of reason — voices that
are not shackled to the dogmatic positions that power
necessitates. The absence of so-called high power
allows small States to be pragmatic and practical in
coming up with solutions to some of the most pressing
international problems.
We can no longer continue talking while
humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate. The
situation in Darfur calls for our immediate and swift
action. We cannot continue talking while women and
children are forced to live in refugee camps. We cannot
continue talking while tens of thousands of persons
continue to die.
We must act now. There must be swift action to
strengthen the African Union-United Nations Hybrid
Operation in Darfur, which will support the African
troops already there. Every citizen has the right to life
and the right to live in peace. We call on all parties to
end arm sales to the fighting factions. We must ensure
that that happens.
While acknowledging the reality that the
distribution of power is skewed among nations, we
believe that talent, ability and good intentions remain
in abundance in all countries, large and small. Further,
no country is too small to be able to contribute
innovative solutions to some of the most pressing
international problems.
We in Antigua and Barbuda may be among the
small and the powerless in terms of might and money,
but we are willing and able to play our part to achieve
international peace and development through active
multilateral diplomacy, and we are intent on doing so.
Global poverty and economic inequality can be
resolved only through sustained economic growth.
Central to sustaining the economic growth of poorer
countries is the establishment of a pro-development
trading regime with a fair playing field, where large
and small play by the rules — rules meant to create a
fairer system and to allow the maximum benefits from
international trade to be widely distributed among
countries.
In that regard, we re-emphasize that it is
important that individual United Nations Member
States abide by fair trading practices, which eliminate
targeted barriers designed to deny access to small,
vulnerable countries seeking economic opportunities
through such options as Internet trading.
Equally important is the need for Member States,
big and small, to play by the international trade rules.
The economic survival of our people depends on that.
Our tourism and financial services sectors depend on
that. Wealthy nations will ultimately have to pay a high
price for actions that further pauperize already poor
societies.
In a local context, the reduction of income
inequality is a key priority for the Government of
Antigua and Barbuda. My Government has ensured
that affirmative action to ease the economic squeeze on
the poor is embedded in all revenue-generating
mechanisms. My Government resolves to ensure that
the benefits of economic growth are shared among the
entire population, by focusing on employment
generation and the provision of free or low-cost social
services in the areas of health and education, among
others.
Climate change is a global problem requiring a
collective response, and, if we do not respond quickly,
the result will be disaster on a global scale. This
represents a monumental test of the political will and
courage of humanity in general, but especially of the
political leaders of the most powerful countries.
For small island States, the challenge of adapting
to climate change is not new; what is new is its
urgency. The increased risk of natural disasters adds an
extra dimension to the vulnerability of the island States
of the Caribbean. Because of our size and the nature of
our primary economic activities, the infrastructure of
an entire country can be destroyed by, for example, the
passage of a single hurricane. The livelihood of the
entire population is at once threatened.
Antigua and Barbuda, like many of our Caribbean
brothers and sisters, has had to place greater priority on
disaster preparedness, resulting in increased
competition for the already meagre resources of the
governmental budget. Our situation is not unique.
I take this opportunity to highlight the importance
of international action to support our efforts at disaster-
risk reduction, through an ambitious climate change
regime within the ambit of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change. That must,
of necessity, include a commitment to increasing the
level of international financing for adaptation in
vulnerable countries.
The proliferation of crime in our already
vulnerable societies represents a threat to the peaceful
and stable communities for which the Caribbean is
known. In all Caribbean societies, the bulk of violent
crime is drug-related. It so happens that the bulk of
narco-trafficking activity in our region is linked to
illegal drugs bound for North America and Europe.
That means that small Caribbean economies are
required to pay a high price to protect societies to our
north and in the Atlantic from drug shipments headed
their way. We urge the United Nations family of
agencies, in recognition of the link between
globalization and crime, to provide the Caribbean with
increased assistance in this area.
We also need the support and cooperation of
individual Member States, particularly those that carry
out a policy of criminal deportation. That practice
parachutes graduates of metropolitan criminal systems
onto societies in which they often have no families and
no social network to assist in their re-entry into the
vulnerable Caribbean societies from which they had
long been exiled. That is a monstrous assault on
several of our societies.
With regard to the problem of drug-related crime
and the proliferation of handguns, Antigua and
Barbuda reiterates its call for the strengthening and
implementation of the various United Nations treaties
on small arms and light weapons. The scale and scope
of the disruptions and destruction caused by the
proliferation of small arms in the hands of unemployed
youth in the Caribbean is tremendous. Here, too, small
developing States which produce no weapons are
confronted by the tragedy wrought by guns
manufactured in countries that fail to control their
weapons of death and appear untroubled by the ease
with which those weapons cross international borders.
Even a miniscule increase in violent crime has a
negative impact on development in small island States.
These perspectives should inform the international
debate on peace and security.
All countries, large and small, have a national
interest in eliminating the threat to development caused
by international terrorism. Antigua and Barbuda
continues to play its part by adhering to the various
anti-terrorism resolutions of the United Nations,
including our obligations under Security Council
resolutions 1540 (2004) and 1373 (2001), among
others.
Additionally, we have taken the added initiative
to enact our own national legislative requirement by
way of our National Anti-Terrorism Act of Parliament
in 2005.
Combating international terrorism should not
depend on the trampling of religious and cultural
diversity and individual rights and freedoms. Cultural
and religious intolerance and prejudice and the stifling
of cultural diversity will only serve to perpetuate the
causes of terrorism.
Earlier this year, Antigua and Barbuda, along
with the rest of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), held activities to commemorate the
bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the trans-
Atlantic slave trade. CARICOM also led an initiative
for the anniversary to be commemorated here at the
United Nations. That is an issue that should remain on
the agenda of the United Nations. My Government is
proud to have been a part of the initiative led by
CARICOM member States at the United Nations to get
the international community to recognize this
anniversary.
Such international recognition is important
because it provides the opportunity to carry forward
the fight for justice. Despite all the modern treaties and
international statutes and recognition of the slave trade
as a crime against humanity, this crime remains
unpunished; the entities remain unaccountable for their
participation and profiteering. Maintaining
international focus on this issue gives our nations and
the world the opportunity to make progress in repairing
the damage caused by 500 years of slavery and
colonialism, so that those who profited from such a
crime may be urged to take responsibility for rectifying
the effects that remain today.
Progress may be slow in the fight for justice for
the descendants of slaves, but we must not give up. As
a community of sovereign nations, Antigua and
Barbuda and the other CARICOM member States
consider it necessary for the international community
to become accountable for this crime against humanity.
The question of reparations must be placed on the
United Nations agenda now.
We urge the United Nations system and Member
States to continue to pay special attention to the issue
of gender equality and empowerment of women. The
dividends from investing in gender equality and
empowerment of women are two-fold: democratic
gains, on the one hand, and development gains, on the
other. My Government has placed top priority on
empowering women politically and economically. The
Speaker of the House of Assembly in Antigua and
Barbuda is female. So, too, are the President of the
Senate and the Clerk of Parliament. My Government
has the honour of having the first female elected
Member of Parliament, who currently holds the
position of President of the Inter-American
Commission of Women.
We have not stopped there. The Chairman of the
Integrity Commission, pursuant to the Integrity in
Public Life Act, is a woman. The Governor General of
Antigua and Barbuda, appointed earlier this year on the
advice of the Prime Minister, is female. The
Ombudsman, a creature of the Constitution of Antigua
and Barbuda is also a woman. The Chairman of the
Public Service Commission, also a creature of the
Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, is a woman.
We continue to focus on increasing women’s
participation in the political decision-making process.
In that regard, we have been helped by the normative
framework of the various United Nations gender
entities. We will continue to work towards even greater
gender parity in the political, economic and social
spheres, and we encourage all Member States to do the
same.
As we in the Caribbean grapple with the increase
in HIV/AIDS cases, we are also confronted with
another great threat to the survival of our people.
Chronic non-communicable diseases have become a
major concern for the Caribbean. Recently, an historic
summit of heads of CARICOM on chronic
non-communicable diseases held in Trinidad and
Tobago agreed to give full support for the initiatives
and mechanisms aimed at strengthening regional health
institutions through the signing of a comprehensive
declaration highlighting a plan of action on this critical
health issue. We strongly believe that the health of the
region is the wealth of the region, which underscores
the importance of health to development.
It is therefore necessary for the United Nations,
through its various organs and agencies, to lend
support to our initiatives to develop strategies to
prevent and control heart disease, stroke, diabetes,
hypertension, obesity and cancer in the region by
addressing their causal risk factors of unhealthy diets,
physical inactivity, tobacco use and alcohol abuse, in
addition to strengthening our health services. We must
act together now to reduce the suffering and burdens
caused by non-communicable diseases on the citizens
of our region, which is the worst-affected in the
Americas.
We seek the cooperation of the United Nations
and our international partners in the development of
initiatives for the screening and management of
chronic diseases and risk factors so that, by 2012,
80 per cent of people with non-communicable diseases
will receive quality care and have access to preventive
education based on regional and international
guidelines.
Allow me to conclude on the point at which I
began, by referring once more to the Charter of the
United Nations. Sixty-two years ago, when the United
Nations was formed, the international system was less
complex and colonialism was still the dominant
concern. Humanity was reeling from the effects of a
second world war. It was not the best of times.
Today, in my opinion, it is still not the best of
times for a majority of the people on planet Earth. The
primary catalysts to positive change and improved
lives for the global population are the United Nations
and the leaders of its Member States. I am hopeful that
sharing our collective wisdom, and drawing from this
source, the sixty-second session of the General
Assembly will translate into meaningful and enduring
benefit for the peoples of the world.
I am equally confident that our deliberations on
climate change will lead to solutions that will ensure
the protection of our planet and its peoples.