Suriname

My delegation cannot find the words to convey its sadness about the plane crash that occurred in a residential area in New York this morning. At moments like these, silence speaks for itself. The Government and the people of Suriname offer their heartfelt condolences to the families of all the victims. We pray that our love and friendship may bring comfort and peace to all who have been affected by this tragedy and by the horrific attacks on 11 September. During the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, the need for dialogue is proving to be essential throughout world. In Suriname, we have always tried to apply the concept of dialogue. Suriname is a small country with a multi-ethnic population. Our ancestors came to Suriname generations ago from West Africa, China, India, Indonesia, Europe and the Middle East. We have been fortunate that, owing to mutual respect and understanding, in Suriname these groups have lived together and are living together peacefully. More than ever, we realize that this harmony should be treasured and nurtured, since we can no longer take peace and harmony for granted. Our Government plays a very important role in this peaceful coexistence, because we have strongly promoted and actively worked for mutual respect and consensus. We believe that for people to be actively involved in the development of the country, they must be able to see themselves represented in national and local government. We strongly promote such consensus democracy in Suriname, for this power-sharing arrangement has stimulated all ethnic groups to be tolerant and respectful of each other's political ideologies, cultures and religions. Our Government and our people firmly uphold the principle of freedom of religion, as well as of tolerance and respect for each other's forms of cultural expression. In the same vein, the indigenous people of Suriname live in the interior with their own cultural and religious beliefs. The needs and rights of indigenous people are dealt with at the highest level in our Government. Their views and concerns are shared with the central Government through continuous dialogue. My Government therefore looks forward to the first conference of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, scheduled to take place in May 2002. We know, and have experience of the fact, that people's primordial attachments become stronger at times of need and despair. The grief of families from the United States of America and other parts of the world has been deeply felt, and all over the globe many families and groups have turned to each other for comfort. Our hearts go out to all of the victims of the 11 September attacks and their families. We cannot yet assess all the social and economic effects of those attacks. However, we have already seen the devastating effects on the Caribbean in terms of loss of income in, for example, tourism and trade. Natural disasters have also affected our area, and my delegation sympathizes with the people of the Caribbean, especially those of Belize and Cuba, whose countries were recently struck by hurricanes Iris and Michelle. As a member of the Caribbean Community, we know that we have grave problems in the region. Limited access to global markets because of stringent trade rules and World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations have resulted in increased poverty in our region. Suriname pleads for an institutional arrangement between the United Nations and the WTO so as to allow developing countries easier access to that body. We have further expanded and deepened our regional ties. In this respect, we would like to express our gratitude to the countries of the western hemisphere which have offered us assistance and shown their support for including us in the various integration movements. We in the Caribbean enjoy a high level of democracy and are guided by the rule of law. Our Governments have been actively involved in creating 5 an environment to attract foreign investors and to increase the production of goods and services. We still need assistance. The promises made by the developed countries in the Millennium Declaration of 2000 have not yielded an increase in official development assistance. We, the countries in development, need equal opportunities. If we, as the international community, agree that human-centred development is at the top of our agenda, we need to understand that we have to achieve it together. If our goal is to eradicate abject poverty, we must make an effort to achieve that goal. Cutting in half by 2015 the number of people living on less than $l a day is one of the main goals we want to achieve for the benefit of the truly disadvantaged. The International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in March 2002 in Mexico, will give both developed and developing countries an opportunity to reach concrete agreements and make arrangements for resources for development. If we do not take the opportunity offered by that Conference to work towards sustainable development for all people in the world, we will miss a great chance to achieve a more equitable distribution of global wealth. If we do not take that opportunity, we will also miss the chance to intensify our struggle to combat deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, which affect millions in the world. We in the Caribbean have committed ourselves to continue the struggle against HIV/AIDS in our region. We must not lose sight of the fact that people are still dying every day of this disease. It is up to us, the international community, to find solutions and improve the lives of those billions of people who are faced with global problems such as extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and illiteracy, as well as problems resulting from the debt burden, the refugee issue, environmental degradation and the widening gap between rich and poor. Suriname has made great efforts in gender equality, and, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme, we have begun training programmes in gender sensitivity. We have women in high-level positions, and it gives me great pleasure to tell the Assembly that our current delegation consists mainly of women. We are pleased with this development in my country, but we still have a long way to go. Our commitment to the role of women has prompted my country to work on a draft resolution in the Third Committee of the General Assembly on mainstreaming the situation of older women into society, to ensure that that part of the population will not be marginalized further in our societies. Ageing has become a subject of increasing concern to the international community, for it raises significant social and cultural questions, as well as questions of economic stability. My Government will join the international community and the United Nations to address and support the United Nations initiative to achieve a society for all ages. We should come up with appropriate strategies to collectively deal with these issues during the Second World Assembly on Ageing. Human development constitutes one of the key pillars of the development policy of my Government. People, especially our children, are our country's greatest treasure. This is why looking after their well- being is placed high on our national agenda. Suriname is looking forward to the Special Session on Children that has been postponed to 2002. Suriname hopes that the World Summit on Sustainable Development of 2002, in Johannesburg, and the assessment of the Earth Summit of June 1992, will lead to recommendations and commitments for the implementation of real sustainable human development in a globally sustainable environment. Protecting the environment is the responsibility of all countries. Suriname took a first step in conserving biodiversity for contemporary and future generations by establishing the largest protected nature reserve in South America three years ago. With this first step, we hope to encourage other countries in the world to protect the environment, and to work together on the many emerging global environmental threats. Suriname is extremely concerned about the trans- shipment of nuclear waste through the Caribbean Sea, but we are pleased to see that so many countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The ever-widening global digital divide that prevents developing countries from benefiting fully from the advancements in information technology is a concern that we have discussed in various international forums, but it still needs much more of our attention. 6 The effects of globalization have not been favourable to most developing countries. However, we have come to understand and experience that our world is an interdependent one, and we cannot turn back this clock. The attacks of the 11 September have shown us how interdependent we are. The loss of lives was directly felt in the United States and in more than 80 countries in the rest of the world. The economic effects are also being felt in all parts of the world. In conclusion, the Secretary-General and the United Nations received the Nobel Peace Prize this year at a time when the world was still trying to comprehend the horrific attacks of 11 September on the United States. Suriname hopes that this distinguished award will encourage the United Nations to continue its important work for human rights, peace, social justice, human development, human-rights education and economic prosperity for all the peoples of the world. We congratulate the Secretary-General on this prestigious award and his re-election. And we congratulate Mr. Han on his election as President and look forward to his guidance and leadership during the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. As members of the United Nations family, we are called upon to practice tolerance and to live together in peace with one another as good neighbours. Because of the devastating consequences of 11 September, we have the obligation to look closely at the root causes of terrorism. The causes of terrorism have to be discussed and dealt with to protect all our peoples and interests. For the world is our home, and we are the people who live in it.