The
Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has looked
forward to this sixty-fifth session of the General
Assembly with much anticipation. We welcome the
opportunity to share in the usual rich general debate, to
strengthen existing relationships and to build new ones.
This environment, we believe, facilitates the
exchange of views on issues of common interest. We
look forward, particularly, to the views on the work
still ahead in tackling the insidious global challenges.
The tasks I have in mind are: mitigating the
negative impact of the ongoing economic crisis on our
countries and peoples, and dealing with its many
implications for vulnerable small economies like ours;
tackling the prolonged tightening of credit markets;
protecting the environment from degradation;
promoting human security; and redressing the global
epidemic of interpersonal violence.
These are but a few of the problems with which
Governments across the globe must grapple. And we
must do this against a backdrop of uncertainty, while
established centres of power are shifting. Governments
must now reconcile the pursuit of statecraft and
national interests with rapidly changing and less
predictable relations among States.
Additionally, the 2008 economic and financial
crises, whose effects are still very real today, have
undermined confidence in our financial market systems
and in what we had hitherto hailed as sound economic
models.
Similarly, since the global recession, poverty
ranks across the world have been swelling. The
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percentage of working poor has reached unprecedented
levels, and millions more, now unemployed, see little
prospect for hope or relief. As a consequence, many
have lost faith in governance methods and in our long-
established financial systems.
We have all become painfully aware that
environmental degradation is not country-specific and
that the actions of individuals and enterprises in one
country ultimately harm ecosystems and threaten
livelihoods in others. Hence, as countries pursue
national agendas, we need to be mindful of the
common interests and ties that connect our societies
and peoples, and we must use every opportunity to
work towards a realistic convergence of our respective
interests.
There can be little doubt that we have established
a solid foundation that allows us to envision new and
exciting horizons. Reaching these horizons, however,
requires that, as we contemplate bold initiatives
appropriate for the challenges confronting us, the
United Nations must itself be prepared to further
deepen its engagement with Member States, regional
and national systems, and international financial
institutions.
My delegation believes that this is one way to
help provide new opportunities, to facilitate greater
access to the resources needed to implement national
policies and meet international obligations.
The United Nations, created out of the ruins of
war, has over the past six and a half decades, been
providentially guided by an unfaltering spirit of
partnership and prevailing common sense. Despite
countless challenges, that spirit is alive and well today.
We must therefore work even harder to fulfil the dream
of its architects and to live out their vision. The United
Nations, then, must remain that vital nexus, fostering
the necessary partnerships for the greater good.
Perhaps that would provide us with a more visible
presence on the global stage, furthering the effort to
build a better future for us all. We have seen this
partnership in action on the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). We saw it as we worked to address the
global financial crisis, which threatened large
economies and almost crippled the economies of small
island States. We saw it when Governments and
peoples across the globe came to the assistance of our
brothers and sisters in disaster-stricken Haiti, the
magnitude of whose tragedy we had not experienced
before in this hemisphere.
In the context of repositioning the United
Nations, we began, earlier this month, a process of
review. It is through improved partnerships that the
United Nations has an opportunity to bring
international business communities and civil society
together with Member States in a more structured way,
allowing for the practical exchange of ideas, the
sharing of expertise and best practices, and the
promotion of development and prosperity. Saint Kitts
and Nevis welcomes such a dialogue and partnership
and recognizes the extent and reach of the United
Nations in helping to build capacity, in the face of
challenges such as the brain drain, which robs
developing countries of their invaluable human
resources. Through such advocacy, the United Nations
can help also to safeguard gains in social and economic
development. Saint Kitts and Nevis encourages
Member States to embrace this idea of a multipronged
partnership as a way to bolster development processes
and strengthen global governance and accountability.
Cognizant of the spirit of cooperation, the
Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis thanks the
Government and people of Taiwan for their continued
outstanding support, international cooperation and
development assistance over several decades. I
welcome the recent passage in that country’s
Parliament of their international cooperation and
development law, which incorporates the essence and
principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
and the United Nations MDGs. We owe them a debt of
gratitude for their efforts and for sharing their
development experience through public projects and
social, agricultural and private sector development.
We note that, despite being successful before the
World Trade Organization dispute settlement body,
Antigua and Barbuda, a fellow CARICOM member
State, has yet to benefit therefrom. In the spirit of
cooperation, we urge the parties involved to seek
quickly to resolve the situation and to arrive at a
negotiation settlement that is fair and just to Antigua
and Barbuda and its nationals.
2010 has so far been a year of epic global natural
disasters. The regularity and ferocity of floods,
hurricanes, typhoons, sea-level rises and other
catastrophic events are stark reminders of the
consequences of climate change. This is of particular
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concern to us, as small island developing States are
hardest hit by the consequences of climate change. In
the light of the facts, it should be a matter of some
importance to develop a proactive coordinated
approach, in collaboration with financial institutions,
insurance companies and other catastrophic-event-
mitigation stakeholders. It is clear that the disaster
preparedness, mitigation and response paradigms
incorporated into our national development strategies
are in need of urgent strengthening. Indeed, my country
is committed to a comprehensive approach in disaster-
risk abatement and mitigation, through capacity-
building and through the creation of internal
mechanisms that would ensure more effective
responses. I urge Member States to continue exploiting
and exploring technology and best practices, as we
work in partnership to find sustainable solutions to this
problem.
We believe that stronger political commitment,
greater cooperation and less apportioning of blame are
required if we are to succeed in this endeavour.
Therefore we hope that the global partnership and
solidarity evidenced in the aftermath of this year’s
many disasters will continue to prevail.
Four months ago, in May 2010, the General
Assembly adopted resolution 64/265 on the prevention
and control of non-communicable diseases. That
resolution seeks to halt the growing trend of premature
deaths from these diseases — mainly, diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, cancers and chronic respiratory
diseases. Saint Kitts and Nevis applauds that resolution.
At the same time, however, we seize the opportunity to
remind this Assembly of another public health and
public security issue that begs attention and resolution.
Many will recall our efforts last year to focus attention
on the issue of the global epidemic of interpersonal
violence and its implications for development, health,
security and governance. The data reveal that
interpersonal violence accounts for about 4,300 deaths
per day, one every 20 seconds, one half of them being
due to homicide. In some countries homicide rates are as
high as 60 to 70 per 100,000. The human, social and
financial costs of violence are unacceptably high and are
escalating.
The World Health Organization has been playing
a key role in this field through its Milestones of a
Global Campaign for Violence Prevention programme,
and the General Assembly has adopted individual
resolutions on violence against children, violence
against women and armed violence. There is still,
however, no General Assembly resolution that calls for
an integrated approach to all forms of interpersonal
violence; there is no resolution that speaks to youth
violence, one of the major contributors to high murder
rates and social breakdown; and there is no resolution
that emphasizes the necessity of a multisectoral
response to this problem. Saint Kitts and Nevis is
therefore once again soliciting your support for such a
resolution. We are calling for an integrated and
multisectoral response to all forms of interpersonal
violence and recognition of the causes, with a view to
its placement on the General Assembly agenda for
debate next year, 2011. As we celebrate the
International Year of Youth, I can think of no better
time to introduce such a resolution.
Saint Kitts and Nevis guards zealously the
effective management and care of our resources. Our
primary resource is our people, particularly our youth —
our future. In preparing them for the promises and the
potential perils of tomorrow, we have been investing
strategically in education — education with relevance.
I applaud the establishment of the United Nations
Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN Women). The occupying of high office
and decision-making roles by women has been the
norm in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and we remain
committed to gender-equal opportunities at home and
abroad. We look forward to participating actively in
UN Women in the coming years and would be most
pleased to share our experiences.
As we move forward through this sixty-fifth
session of the General Assembly, I encourage us to
remain committed to the ideals that have brought us to
this point. Let us marshal the courage to do the things
that ought to be done if this indispensable global
institution is to be able to deliver at its very best.
In conclusion, permit me to congratulate you,
Mr. President, and the Government of Switzerland, on
your election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. I thank you, Sir, for
your readiness to preside over this General Assembly
at a time of great challenge. We feel confident that you
will rise to the occasion with great fortitude and
determination.
Permit me also to thank Mr. Ali Abdussalam
Treki, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-
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fourth session, for his leadership and commitment
during the past year.
I trust that under your leadership, Mr. President,
we will seize the moment for change — this
compelling moment for reform and one that is reflected
in the deliberations of the recent Meeting on the
Millennium Development Goals — as we draw closer
to the 2015 target. I assure you, Sir, of my
Government’s full support for your stewardship.