Allow me at the outset, on
behalf of the President of the Republic of Suriname, His
Excellency Mr. Desiré Delano Bouterse, and the people
and the Government of Suriname, to congratulate
you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election.
With your election you bring honour to your country,
Antigua and Barbuda, and to the Caribbean. With your
background in sustainable development, you are well
prepared to lead us in our deliberations on this year’s
theme, “The post-2015 development agenda: setting the
stage”. I assure you of the support and cooperation of
Suriname during your presidency.
I should also like to take this opportunity to pay
tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for his
leadership during the sixty-seventh session of the
General Assembly. Furthermore, I commend Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for his management of the United
Nations with regard to peace and security in various
parts of the globe.
Setting a new stage urgently requires much effort
at the national as well as the international level to
achieve the ultimate goal of improving the standard of
living of our peoples and bringing about the sustainable
development of our countries. The Millennium
Development Goals are an important first step towards
addressing some of the worst socioeconomic conditions
facing approximately 40 per cent of humankind,
targeted as they are at reducing the worst manifestations
of underdevelopment.
In our view, the success of the Millennium
Development Goals depends on two sets of simultaneous
actions: first, a reorientation of national responsibilities;
and, second, of equal importance, the reorientation of
the international community. Such reorientation will
enable us to chart a more meaningful path towards
meeting the targets of the Millennium Development
Goals and moving towards the post-2015 Development
agenda.
That is particularly relevant if we take heed of the
2013 report on the Millennium Development Goals,
which reveals some rather interesting facts, such as:
most developing countries are performing well in
meeting the targets; and developed countries, which
have committed themselves to Goal 8 by making their
aid pledges viable and effective, are nevertheless well
behind in their general performance in meeting the
targets.
Official development assistance is in constant
decline, and the agreements concluded in 2001 within
the context of the World Trade Organization to improve
access to international markets have been stalled during
the Doha Round. That stalling has proved to be so
harmful that dealing with market access on behalf of the
poorest nations has been left out of subsequent agendas.
Furthermore, as we all know, the ongoing financial
and economic crisis is having a detrimental impact
on developing nations because official development
assistance is drastically declining.
Clearly, a number of large developing countries,
mainly in Asia, as well as some countries endowed with
natural resources in Africa and South America, have
made substantial economic progress. Their statistics,
however, should not blind us to the fact that inequality
is rampant and that almost 1.2 billion people are still
living in extreme poverty and do not have access to
affordable and adequate health services, while millions
of children are still denied their right to primary
education.
We have learned the important lesson that developing
countries are obliged to undertake adequate measures
to strengthen economic interactions among themselves
in addition to ties with their traditional trading partners
in the North. We must give substance to South-South
cooperation. That is an important consideration for
setting a new stage for global sustainable development.
In this context, foreign direct investment is considered
to be a factor of vital importance.
It is encouraging to note that a number of countries,
including my own, Suriname, have been upgraded
from low-income status to middle-income status by
international financial institutions and United Nations
agencies. Our efforts to develop prudent macroeconomic
and appropriate fiscal policies, combined with our
initiatives to diversify our economy, and the sacrifices
borne by our people, have led to this improved status.
Applying per capita income as the major indicator for
determining our development status has, however,
manoeuvred us into a position where we have lost
access to the necessary concessional loans and grants.
The conclusion can be drawn that our people are being
punished for their ability to overcome some of the
obstacles that have made them less fortunate in the past.
Within this interdependent world, we will continue
to build on our own strength as the main driving
force for the achievement of our development agenda.
Furthermore, we believe that building upon national
strengths, within the context of participation in
subregional and regional cooperation frameworks, is
the right way forward to finding proper solutions for
development. On the basis of what has been achieved
at the regional level, a global approach might become
more feasible.
Suriname shares the view that we should base the
post-2015 development agenda on a people-centred
approach, with a specific focus on the most vulnerable
in society, in particular, women, youth, the elderly
and people with disabilities. In so doing — and
this
we emphasize — we should strike the right balance
between our positive macroeconomic situation and a
micro situation that is in dire need of improvement.
We are in the course of developing policies and
programmes to fight non-communicable diseases that
have led to decreased productivity. Non-communicable
diseases have now become the leading cause of death in
Suriname and in other countries in our region. There is
special emphasis on improving education and bringing
it closer to our socioeconomic reality. We intend to work
more closely with relevant international organizations
such as the Pan American Health Organization, the
World Health Organization, UNESCO, UNICEF and
others.
The Government also attaches great importance
to issues involving young people. In this regard, a
large-scale after-school programme with the aim of
enhancing better learning for youth deserves mention.
The successful experiences in regional cooperation
mechanisms, such as the one in the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM), as well as the one that is
being considered in the Union of South American
Nations (UNASUR), are clear examples of how youth
can contribute to the connectivity between peoples and
the enhancement of unity.
Taking into account global processes and cognizant
of the opportunities and challenges from CARICOM
and UNASUR, the post-2015 development agenda
should emanate from an inclusive, intergovernmental
process. That process should be directed towards: the
continued eradication of poverty; a people-centred
approach, combining economic activity with the social
need for education and health care, thereby promoting
the welfare and well-being of all; and the integration of
economic and social action and strengthening of human
capital.
Global warming has a direct negative impact on
the development of small island developing States
and low-lying coastal States, including Suriname.
Suriname shares its grave concern regarding the state
of the global climate and the stalled United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change process.
The Government of Suriname strongly recommends
that the General Assembly face these challenges by
making them part of the post-2015 development agenda.
In setting the stage for development goals
beyond 2015, we cannot ignore the various threats to
international peace. International peace, security and
human rights are indispensable in creating an enabling
environment for sustainable development. Suriname
is well aware of the fact that national sovereignty
and national security are seriously affected by the
indiscriminate use of violence in fighting terrorism
and other forms of transnational organized crime.
Challenges related to armed conflicts, poverty, food,
the environment, education, public health, migration
and energy require increased collaboration. In this
respect, partnership among Governments, international
and regional organizations and civil society is a must.
We applaud the South American and Caribbean nations
for their efforts towards regional peace and stability.
Their willingness and capacity for further dialogue and
persuasion is a better way to achieve and maintain peace
than the use of violence and military intervention.
We are proud to belong to a region that has declared
itself a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
We express the hope that the two-State solution to
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will gain more substance,
allowing the peoples of both countries the prospect of
peace and prosperity. Suriname maintains the position
that the multilateral process within the United Nations
should prevail in the search for a peaceful solution for
the crisis in Syria.
The Cuban people have the right to participate
as full members in all regional organizations, and we
strongly urge that all obstacles that have prevented
their full participation so far be removed, including the
outdated and inhuman unilateral economic, financial
and commercial embargo.
With regard to the Republic of Haiti, the
international community tends to lose attention for
the necessary follow-up activities to get Haiti back
on its feet. Once again we call upon the international
community to fulfil its commitments.
In closing, I take advantage of this opportunity
to inform the Assembly that, exactly 30 days ago,
my country, Suriname, took over the pro tempore
presidency of the Union of South American Nations,
a young and vibrant regional body. We pledge that
Suriname will, during its presidency, further the goals
of UNASUR and contribute to international peace,
security and sustainable development.