Grenada

My delegation congratulates Mr. Jan Kavan on his election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly, and we thank his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, for his effective conduct of the fifty-sixth session. We also pay tribute to the Secretary-General for his enlightened and progressive leadership. In addition, we warmly welcome Switzerland into the family of nations, and we look forward with pleasure to the admission of East Timor. When the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly was convened a year ago, shockwaves were reverberating across the United States and around the world as a result of the traumatic and cataclysmic events of 11 September. My country's thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of the United States, especially those who have suffered irreparable loss. As the curtain rises on the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly, there is evidence that some dark clouds have lifted, thanks to the solidarity of the international community, which has galvanized into taking action to prevent such dastardly and heinous terrorist attacks. Nevertheless, there is a need for vigilance, as demonstrated by the Counter-Terrorism Committee created to oversee the implementation of the landmark Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). Grenada has given its full support and commitment to this resolution by using scarce financial and human resources to implement security measures and new counter- terrorism strategies, including national legislation to conform with the resolution. In this connection, we appeal for assistance from willing partners in the fight against terrorism and the concomitant trade in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances that traverses our region via the Caribbean Sea. This waterway must be maintained as a zone of peace in the context of sustainable development, free also from pollutants and nuclear waste. The general debate is taking place in the continuing shadow of 11 September, which has adversely affected the global economy and the social situation in developed countries. However, the spillovers have affected, much more profoundly, small developing countries such as my own. Particularly hard-hit has been the tourism industry, which is a major source of foreign exchange. Tourist arrivals by air and sea have decreased significantly, due in large measure to increased security arrangements introduced in international transportation and, of course, the natural fear of travelling. Loss of revenue in tourism affects the hotel industry, employment, transportation, banking, agriculture and other tourism activities that help to sustain the economy of my country. The next hardest hit sector is trade. Conventional economic wisdom says that poor developing countries must grow their way out of poverty. Trade offers the best hope, because it is the engine of growth and development. Many products from developing countries face untold obstacles in entering the markets of the rich developed countries. In this connection, the decline in trade, especially primary commodities, has a direct relation on developing countries' ability to import goods essential for development. According to the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Horst Köhler, the true test of the credibility of wealthy nations' efforts to combat poverty lies in their willingness to open up their markets and phase out trade-distorting subsidies in areas where developing countries have a comparative advantage, as in agriculture, processed foods, textiles, clothing and light manufactures. Grenada fully understands the critical role that international trade plays in the alleviation of poverty. However, improved market access is a necessity for the development of smaller nations. We, therefore, reiterate our call to the more developed nations to make a concerted effort to reduce trade barriers and tariffs, which impede poorer developing countries from full participation in the global economy. One result of 11 September has been to further exacerbate the inequality between the developing and the developed countries as trading partners in the free play of market forces. According to the Secretary- General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the challenge now is to make the multilateral trading system more development-friendly. Now, more than ever, the concerns of developing countries, enunciated at the third session of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle and emphasized at the Fourth World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Doha, should be the global agenda to fight poverty in developing countries. The Doha ministerial declaration, adopted in November of 2001, reaffirmed the need for special and differential treatment as stated in that paragraph 3 declaration: “We recognize the particular vulnerability of the least developed countries ... we are committed ... to improving their effective participation in the multilateral trading system.” (TRADE/2002/1, pp. 9-10) In Grenada, our imports declined by 10.9 per cent in 2001, following a 20 per cent increase just the year before. Our exports performed even worse by registering a 24 per cent decline in 2001, as compared to a 13 per cent increase the previous year. The effect on our growth rate was not surprising. The economy grew by 3.4 per cent in 2001, compared to 6.6 per cent in the year 2000. The HIV/AIDS pandemic casts a dark shadow over the General Assembly's global agenda. HIV/AIDS has become not only a health pandemic, but also a threat to the development of international peace and security. This disease constitutes a global emergency, as it affects every country of the world; not a single one is immune. The Pan American Health Organization has reported that an estimated 2.8 million people in the Americas are currently living with AIDS. Out of that number, 420,000 in the Caribbean are infected. The Caribbean is second only to sub-Saharan Africa in incidence and mortality rates. HIV/AIDS poses a drain on the scarce resources of the small economies, like Grenada's, whose revenues have been further negatively impacted by last year's horrific events. The Caribbean is facing a serious problem with the disease, and there is no way that our small countries can stem the ravages of HIV/AIDS without a massive infusion of resources. The Caribbean urgently needs financial and human resources for education and counselling in preventative measures and treatment, with respect to HIV/AIDS and the opportunistic diseases, such as tuberculosis and others. Moreover, the availability of medicine and the ability to purchase it constitute the greatest challenge. 12 We applaud the establishment in 2002 of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. We are also thankful to the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO) representative offices for assistance in the facilitation, implementation and technical evaluation of many projects in the Caribbean region. However, there is much more to be done, and the costs are overwhelming. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, recently ended in Johannesburg, and its precursor, the International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Monterrey, and the conclusions of the Millennium Summit are all blueprints for sustainable development. The common thread in all the final documents is poverty eradication. Poverty, hunger and disease constitute a chain of misery with devastating physical, mental and psychological consequences. The Secretary-General summarized the nature of the challenges to human development best in the introduction of his report to the Preparatory Committee for the High-level International Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development: “As the new century dawns, there can be no task more urgent for the United Nations than that fixed by the Millennium Summit of rescuing one billion men, women and children from ‘abject and dehumanizing poverty'”. (A/AC.257/12, para.1) Grenada's stated position at the World Summit on Sustainable Development is as follows: if sustainable development is to become a reality, our focus must be on the health and social well-being of the world's peoples. Clean water, unpolluted air and food security are rights, not privileges. What is required now is not the elaboration of further final documents, replete with grand phraseology and pious pronouncements, but the implementation of the existing ones that are most appropriate to the human condition. This brings to mind the need to implement the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) embodied in Agenda 21. We are hopeful that there will be a comprehensive review of the Barbados Plan of Action in 2004 in Mauritius so that the difficulties that small islands face in the pursuit of sustainable development will be considerably reduced. As a matter of urgency, the United Nations, its agencies and willing stakeholders and partners should seek to implement the first Millennium Goal: the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. Grenada awaits the time when the United Nations will include the Republic of China on Taiwan in its membership. The Government of Grenada has close and collaborative ties with the Republic of China and has witnessed its economic achievements, seen demonstrations of its democratic principles, and is cognizant of the dedication of its people to international norms and ideals. In this spirit Grenada calls for the full membership of the Republic of China on Taiwan in the United Nations. We are convinced that the Republic of China on Taiwan meets the standards for United Nations membership, since it has a democratic Government and possesses the attributes of a nation-State. Indeed, the Republic of China on Taiwan has tremendous potential to provide inputs for the further development of the international community, as recognized by the World Trade Organization. The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), conceptualized by African leaders and welcomed at the Summit of the Group of Eight industrialized countries (G-8), represents an idea whose time has come. The international community too welcomed NEPAD a few days ago, when it was presented by a high-level panel of African heads of State or Government during the present session of the General Assembly. Implementation of NEPAD in partnership with the developed countries will mark the dawn of a new era for the economic development of Africa's abundant natural resources. Thus, Africa, one of the largest and most centrally located continents, can become the breadbasket of the world. Grenada as part of the African diaspora, hails NEPAD with great expectation and excitement. The United Nations has the ability, with the involvement of its Members, to make a difference. It is the international forum that struggles with and attempts to find solutions to difficult global problems. Grenada has been watching closely the developments in international peace and security; economic development; social advancement and cooperation; the 13 fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and other threatening diseases; environmental sustainability; and a plethora of other regional, national and international issues. For small countries such as Grenada, attending international conferences presents a paradox. We aspire to be integrally involved in these important conferences, yet financial constraints sometimes outweigh the benefits of being in attendance. Our absence, as many other small nations would agree, should not by any means be construed as a lack of interest. Enormous expectations and optimism must be balanced with a degree of realism. My delegation assures the General Assembly that it fully supports the efforts of the United Nations to face the many challenges that arise. However, we must ensure that the many decisions taken at the United Nations summit conferences are implemented. But the goals must be achievable and beneficial to all Member States.