In my address on the
accomplishments and shortfalls of Saint Lucia towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals, I
stressed that all of our gains would be useless if we
could not address the threatening saga of adverse
climate change. Many other nations highlighted that
urgent issue, and I hope that our collective voices will
receive the attention of those most capable of acting.
I will therefore focus on two of the most critical
factors in our development as small island developing
States (SIDS): first, the effects of global climate
change, and second, the uncertain economic and
financial crisis.
Saint Lucia notes the ongoing negotiations in
advance of the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, to be held in Cancún, Mexico, later this year.
Following the fifteenth Conference of the Parties,
which failed to achieve consensus on a legally binding
framework for addressing climate change, Saint Lucia
recognizes the critical importance of the current talks
in laying a solid foundation for a more favourable
outcome in Cancún, one that will truly fulfil the
purpose of the Convention and help to ensure the
continued existence of humankind.
We have long since moved past the debate over
the existence of climate change to a discussion about
the severity of its impacts on the nations and regions of
the world. The small island developing States of the
world, Saint Lucia included, are recognized as being
among the most vulnerable to climate change, with that
phenomenon threatening the very existence of some of
our island nations. That is so despite the fact that,
jointly, the SIDS contribute a fraction of one per cent
of global greenhouse gas emissions.
We began this year with news that a cataclysmic
earthquake had hit Haiti. The United Nations came
together in solidarity with our sister island and pledged
$1.5 billion in assistance. To date, Haiti’s officials
report that only 10 per cent of the pledges have been
funded. The same seems to be true for most appeals for
humanitarian causes. We trust that the pledging
conference for Pakistan, the most recent country to be
hit by a catastrophe, will be more successful.
Addressing the humanitarian consequences of
today’s disasters and emergencies remains a United
Nations priority. We thank those who have kept their
pledges, while we encourage those who have shown
good intentions but have not yet matched words with
action to do so with some urgency.
For those reasons, for the good of all humankind
and indeed, for the good of all creation, Saint Lucia,
like all member States of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) is committed to lending its efforts to
achieving an ambitious, just and legally binding
agreement that will realize our goal of timely and
successfully addressing climate change.
Speaking of justice, climate change can be
successfully addressed only if countries most
responsible take the necessary steps to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions and provide adequate financial
resources for the development and transfer of
technology for both adaptation and mitigation to those
who have been most seriously affected.
Few developing countries possess sufficient
financial and human resources to address adequately
the ongoing and anticipated impacts of global climate
change. According to World Bank estimates, the total
annual impact of potential climate change on all
CARICOM countries could be, in 2007 dollar prices,
$9.9 billion of our total gross national product (GDP),
or about 11.3 per cent of total GDP. That means that we
have no choice but to divert critical funding from our
poverty alleviation programmes to trying to protect our
countries from that formidable threat.
There is no doubt that stable long-term funding is
of critical importance to developing countries and
cannot be underestimated. We urgently need to scale up
new and additional resources and sources of funding to
support mitigation efforts. We cannot rely on
humanitarian assistance alone, which only addresses
the consequences of such events.
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We know that our development partners are
serious about implementing meaningful mitigation
action, so we call for a firm collective commitment to
providing new and additional resources. Let us not
continue to renege on promises made, as developing
States cannot go it alone and should not be penalized
for the actions of industrialized countries. We call for
an understanding partnership in tackling the pressing
issues that threaten to engulf our world.
Despite our geographic distribution, small island
developing States (SIDs) are working diligently
together on shared concerns through regional and
international networks, the most notable of which is the
Alliance of Small Island States. We recognize that
traditional hydrocarbon fuel usage is unsustainable and
are therefore looking to make use of the alternate
energy sources that are available to us. The use of
hydropower, wind, solar and geothermal sources and
converting waste into energy are means by which we
could reduce our energy reliance, lower trade deficits
and generate employment. However, those require
investment in research, development and infrastructure.
The other most critical factor in our development
is the speed of the global economy’s return to sustained
growth. Recent news of deteriorating economic
conditions and a fall in house sales in the United States
has fanned the flame of fears of a double-dip recession.
Over the past few weeks, the short-term growth
prospects of the United States, Europe and Japan have
been downgraded on the back of recently released
economic data, which is below expectations.
The prospects for economic recovery in Europe
were dampened by the crisis in some countries earlier
this year, but renewed confidence has recently
emerged, spurred by the stronger-than-expected
performance of the German economy in the second
quarter of 2010. However, the growth prospects for
Europe remain uncertain, given that fiscal
retrenchment measures could pose a risk to growth and
the pace of recovery. The weakened growth prospects
for the United States and Europe could impede growth
in emerging markets, with a slowdown in the growth of
exports and investment flows. The uneven pace of the
global economic recovery in countries and regions has
led to differences in approach in policy responses.
I have made these points because the economies
of the United States, Europe and the European Union
are our major sources of tourism, agricultural trade,
official development assistance, foreign direct
investment (FDI) and remittances, which constitute the
mainstays of our economy. We therefore urge the focus
on global economic recovery to be maintained for the
benefit of the global community.
As a small island developing State with a highly
open economy, Saint Lucia has been hard hit by the
effects of the global financial and economic crisis. As
with most small developing countries, the crisis led to
a deterioration in Saint Lucia’s economy, resulting in a
contraction in GDP, a rise in the level of
unemployment and a weakening of the Government’s
fiscal position.
The decline in economic activity was driven
mainly by a fall in stay-over tourist arrivals, lower
production in the agricultural sector and a sharp
downturn in construction. The decline in activity in the
construction sector was attributable to a fall in FDI
inflows as the freeze in international credit adversely
affected the financing of a number of hotel
construction projects in Saint Lucia. It was also
attributable to a decline in remittances, which have
helped sustain the local housing sector.
Notwithstanding the decline in revenue
collection, expenditure outlays increased, resulting in a
deteriorating fiscal position. That outcome led to a
widening of the central Government’s overall fiscal
deficit to 4.8 per cent of GDP in the financial year
2009-2010, compared to a deficit of 1.9 per cent of
GDP in the previous year. Public debt as a percentage
of GDP rose from 66 per cent in 2008 to 71 per cent in
2009 as a result of increases in borrowing to finance
the budget deficit.
The adverse impacts of the combination of global
and regional shocks have prompted the Government of
Saint Lucia to implement a number of measures
designed to mitigate the social, fiscal and regulatory
challenges of the crisis. In order to mitigate the
impacts of the price shocks, the Government
implemented a number of measures to protect the most
vulnerable in our population.
Such measures included the creation of short-
term employment programmes, the suspension of
import duties and other taxes on basic consumer items,
the establishment of controls on retail markups and
profit margins on some basic food items, and the
provision of limited price subsidies on basic
commodities to vulnerable groups.
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In its strategic response to the crisis and in laying
the foundation for growth, the Government of Saint
Lucia has undertaken the development of a medium-
term development strategy plan for the period 2011-
2016. The plan will lay the blueprint for the
development of emerging new sources of growth, such
as offshore education, health and wellness tourism, and
high–end information and communications technology,
and for expanding existing critical sectors, such as
tourism, agriculture and manufacturing.
The signing of the economic partnership
agreement with the European Union in 2008, the
implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and
Economy and the Economic Union of the Organization
of Eastern Caribbean States will bring new sets of
challenges and opportunities for Saint Lucia. The
Government’s strategic priority is to develop
meaningful partnerships with the private sector to meet
the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities
provided. The capacity of the private sector will be
strengthened to take advantage of the opportunities
presented by such trading arrangements.
However, the Government recognizes that this
will require a host of general improvements in the
business environment, including strengthening the
investment climate, expanding the skills base,
promoting innovation and technology adoption, and
improving international transport services and other
infrastructure. All those will require large capital
outlays.
While the Government has responded to the
challenges by developing specific programmes and
projects to improve the business climate in Saint Lucia,
the role of international financial institutions and
bodies like the Group of 20 in stabilizing the global
economy and restoring growth is crucial to small
developing countries like Saint Lucia. As the focus of
the global recovery efforts is aimed at laying the
foundation for sustainable and balanced growth, Saint
Lucia, through its new policy directives and
programmes, is positioning itself to benefit from the
growth prospects for the global economy.
In that respect, we call for a review of the United
Nations delivery to SIDS, and particularly for
strengthened support measures to address the
vulnerabilities of all SIDS and for support within the
United Nations system for a special category. Most
SIDS do not get our fair share of assistance because we
fall into the middle-income country category. However,
being middle-income does not reduce vulnerability.
There is a greater need for advocacy and a resource-
mobilization role for SIDS under the Mauritius
Strategy for the further implementation of the
Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States.
The support of the international community is
therefore necessary if Saint Lucia and all other SIDS
are to fulfil the goal of sustainable development and
thereby improve the standards of living of their
populations and meet all of the MDGs by the year
2015.
Let me now touch briefly on our moral
environment. Among all the disasters we face today,
we can accept some as natural occurrences, yet others
are of our own making. Conflicts brought about by
differences in ideology, political persuasion, religion
and economic circumstance have presented challenges
to global peace and security, including the many mass
atrocities that the world has witnessed. Even with
numerous advances in technology, education and health
and an increase in material progress, the world seems
to suffer from mental restlessness and discontent. We
seem not to have found the formula for peacekeeping
and peacemaking within nations, even after 60 years of
searching.
Keeping the peace and building peace are critical
components of sustainable development worldwide.
But peacekeeping goes far beyond civilian conflict. We
are pleased to note that there is now acceptance of the
relationship between such non-traditional security
issues as poverty and health, on the one hand, and
conflict on the other. Maybe with that new
understanding we will help find a solution.
We understand that the United Nations is
incapable of solving all the world’s discordant issues
and that the best solutions for conflict are home-grown.
However, there are identified areas where the United
Nations can realistically make a difference. Where this
is the case, we need to strengthen the role of the United
Nations in the promotion of peace and economic
development. In this regard, and while keeping our
goals realistic, we look forward to Security Council
reform. We need an equitable international system and
a more balanced approach to international security.
We acknowledge that States remain the principal
duty-bearers and cannot abrogate their responsibility to
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implement policies, enact national legislation and
foster an enabling environment in which human rights
can be enjoyed by all. When these rights go
unexercised, economic growth is stunted and
development is paralysed. A key role of the United
Nations is to help ensure that economic growth
translates into wider enjoyment of human rights for all.
Without human rights, we cannot achieve the
Millennium Development Goals; we cannot achieve the
advancement of humankind. When we expect the
United Nations to protect human rights, we hold the
same expectations of ourselves. After all, we are the
United Nations.
Also integrated within the issue of human rights
is human security. As Members of the United Nations,
we are concerned with human life, education, longevity
and social inclusion. There would be no United Nations
if there were no universal concern for the well-being of
the collective. Respect for human rights and the
protection of human security are therefore mutually
reinforcing.
Most people want peace, democracy and social
equity, and we recognize the State’s inherent
responsibility to provide these for its citizens. If
Governments are to be successful, people must
participate in formulating and implementing strategies
to enhance their national authorities’ capacity to
achieve these goals. However, with globalization, the
ever-evolving threats that arise when one country falls
to maintain the social order ricochet to affect the rest
of the world. Every State requires international
cooperation to preserve its own security.
We Caribbean countries take the issue of security
very seriously. We suffer from an increasing incidence
of crime and violence, which is compounded by
relatively easy access to and use of illegal firearms.
The number of gun-related homicides has jumped to
unacceptable levels, and this has been aggravated by a
worsened economic situation.
Another great tragedy of our times is the
uncontrolled illicit drug trade. We must find solutions
to both problems. We are perplexed, therefore, to see
the closure of the Caribbean office of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. We call for a
reassessment of that decision. We also call for a
comprehensive treaty on small arms and light weapons,
alongside the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons. Small arms and light weapons are
responsible for more deaths than natural causes in
some parts of the world.
In attempting to fulfil our commitments on the
MDGs, we have engaged many partners, including the
United States, the European Union, Canada, our Latin
American neighbours, India, Japan and South Korea, to
name but a few. I wish, though, to make a special
appeal to this body to support the aspirations of the
Republic of China on Taiwan to make its contribution
to the world collaboration through membership and
effective participation in the air transport and health
bodies and climate change discussions, including the
International Civil Aviation Organization, the World
Health Organization, the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and other organizations
of a universal nature.
The contribution of Taiwan to countries that have
sought its assistance in these areas matches that of any
other, and it has helped without asking for much in
return. No country should be prevented from making
its contribution to humankind, for they do share the
world with us and their contribution to health and
environmental issues know no boundaries.
Increased concern for air safety also remains a
global priority. We therefore hope that ongoing cross-
Strait talks will lead to a peaceful solution. This is a
long-standing problem that deserves an urgent
resolution that is acceptable to all and in keeping with
the Charter and principles of the United Nations, as
well as the aspirations of peoples to self-development
and progress.
There are some anachronisms that still persist in
this world, and one is the embargo against Cuba. We
have moved into a world where political uncertainty
has been replaced by economic uncertainty. Yet a
mechanism that was put in place to deal with a political
issue remains today and is being used for economic
strangulation, even as we appeal to everyone else for
cooperation and understanding in other areas. We must
respect the freely expressed wishes of the people of our
region as well as their right to shape and chart their
destiny. Our region is diverse, but our aspirations are
shared. Only mutual respect will foster the relationship
that is so necessary and vital to the development of our
region.
Here again, permit me to make another point
regarding respect. When the World Trade Organization
(WTO) ruled against our preferential regime on
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bananas, we were told that we had to comply. Now that
the WTO has ruled in favour of our efforts in the
services sector — I am speaking here of the favourable
ruling we received on the gaming dispute referred to
the WTO by Antigua and Barbuda — there is
reluctance to comply. We cannot have double
standards. We therefore urge all parties to agree on
mutually agreed principles that govern the conduct of
relations among States, large or small, in order for
everyone to be treated fairly.
Our world is in crisis. We face a growing, more
aggressive realm where the insatiable appetite for the
world’s resources has led to the subversion of justice
and humanity. The tumultuous times that we live in can
be weathered only through continued and increased
commitment to human development. Let us all work
towards that goal and the sustainability of biodiversity
and humankind.