Grenada

The world is aware that the fiftieth session of the General Assembly marks a major milestone in the global events that have charted and guided international affairs. My delegation is pleased to be a part of this world Organization. My delegation wishes to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal on his election to the presidency of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly. We take this opportunity also to thank Mr. Amara Essy, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire, for his exceptional performance in the conduct of the proceedings of the forty-ninth session. My delegation wishes to make due mention of the efforts and achievements of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. His optimism as he confronts the challenges that face this Organization and his determination in his will to find solutions to many of the daunting problems of a world fraught with political, economic and social changes have contributed, in a large measure, to the successes and gains recorded by the United Nations. The success of the United Nations Mission in Haiti is one achievement to celebrate, when the duly-elected President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was reinstated following the removal of the military almost a year ago. Democracy and the rule of law and order are of paramount importance to the peoples of the Caribbean region who cherish freedom, justice and law and order. Grenada continues to support United Nations initiatives undertaken in collaboration with other hemispheric organizations to build on the processes that are being put in place to ensure sound social and economic development where democracy can flourish. Grenada applauds the ongoing process of democratization in South Africa and supports the initiatives undertaken by the South African Government, assisted by the international community, to enhance the lives of its entire population. Grenada welcomes, too, the building of the peace process in the Middle East with the expansion of Arab control over Arab settlements within the West Bank, although it is recognized that much work has yet to be done if we are to see lasting peace in that region. My delegation is hopeful that similar attempts at peacemaking in the Balkans will result in bringing the warring parties together to work out a negotiated settlement to the conflict. The world stands at the threshold of a new era, a time of great challenges and a time of significant promise. The choices that we make will determine whether we experience economic, social and political successes or failures. The international economic environment is rapidly being transformed as new centres of economic power and new partnerships are established. Indeed, these new economic realities have important implications for the survival of small and vulnerable economies such as Grenada’s, which are so heavily dependent on a favourable external environment. It can hardly be disputed that the traditional economic and trade relations on which Grenada relied for so long are now being threatened and could shortly cease to exist. The process of adjustment to the new hemispheric challenges resulting from the entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement on 1 January 1994; the conclusion of the Uruguay Round agreements of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; the establishment of the World Trade Organization; the call for the establishment of a free-trade area of the Americas by the year 2005; and the formation of the Association of Caribbean States will undoubtedly pose challenges which will require adjustments on the domestic level, particularly on the part of our manufacturers. Furthermore, these recently formed and soon to be established trading blocs will significantly transform the trade policy framework in which developing island economies will have to operate into the twenty-first century. While these will offer us new trading opportunities, particularly in the medium to long term, they will in the short term cause us to face many transitional problems, mainly because of the erosion of preferential access that we now enjoy in major markets of the developed world. It is in this context, therefore, that Grenada issues a call to the developed world to work with us as we formulate appropriate policy responses to realize the benefits from and adjust to the changes in the global trading system. It is to be emphasized that the new European Union regime for bananas, though not in essence an effect of the Uruguay Round, will result in major losses in export revenue for all the Windward Islands in the Caribbean. Moreover, the challenge of this limited preferential arrangement by some of our closest allies in the developed world is cause for serious concern. I must remind this distinguished gathering that the issue of bananas has much more than economic significance. Indeed, the heavy dependence on this agricultural commodity by thousands in our islands must — I repeat, must — be underscored. In fact, the destruction of the banana industry would lead to serious hardships and could constitute a threat to our traditionally sound democratic process. Sustainable human development in our small island States could be severely threatened. My delegation wishes to make it clear that, while Grenada embraces the philosophy of trade liberalization, tolerance and an understanding of our cause on the part of larger economies are necessary. We cannot hope to develop without a significant inflow of technical assistance, foreign capital and technology. We therefore call on the countries in the developed world to provide us with this much-needed assistance in order to ensure that we can participate effectively in this emerging “New World Trade Order”. My delegation will continue to argue that moves towards global trade liberalization and reciprocity should complement and not obstruct the efforts of less developed countries to implement positive structural reforms. Grenada, for its part, has already commenced the process of substantially reducing import tariffs and other barriers. What is now sought is a recognition of these initiatives and a negotiating framework in which our ability to achieve greater market access is enhanced, while our economic and financial restructuring can take place in a manner and time-frame appropriate to our special circumstances. 2 Grenada continues to support the view that special and preferential treatment cannot continue in perpetuity. But it must be recognized that the special needs of the relatively less developed countries must be taken into account. The challenge, therefore, is how to design an acceptable reciprocal arrangement among unequal partners that will promote prosperity through free trade and integration in our world without endangering the process of sustainable social and economic development. It is crucial, therefore, that the developed countries assist the developing world to create domestic capabilities that will enhance its capacity to draw benefits from trade liberalization and will soften the burden of adjustment to the new requirements of global free trade. The question of the environment and of sustainable economic development remains at the heart of our concerns. It is also a central issue for small island developing States in particular, and developing countries in general. If we continue to reaffirm that human beings are at the centre of sustainable development and that they have a right to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature, action must be taken at all levels and, all the more so, at the international level, to facilitate the process. This would ensure that developing countries, and particularly small island developing States, are provided with the know-how and the resources to enable the implementation of the decisions and recommendations arising out of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio in 1992, the United Nations Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in 1994 in Bridgetown, Barbados and the many other significant global Conferences. The vulnerability of small island States and the threat to our fragile ecosystems were recently manifested by the passage of hurricanes Iris, Luis and Marilyn. Our economic viability and sustainable economic growth are indeed at stake. In this regard, Grenada looks forward to the fulfilment of pledged commitments by developed countries to assist small island developing States achieve sustainable development. The role of science and technology in development must be underscored. My delegation calls upon developed countries to provide developing countries with the necessary access to biotechnologies to promote and facilitate sustainable economic growth. Information technology and human resource development are key elements towards social and economic progress — elements which would enable us to improve our productivity and competitiveness in priority areas as we move into the twenty-first century. The United Nations was created by men of vision, courage and foresight who understood the need for cooperation among nations and for hope over despair. Undoubtedly, the United Nations, in its “Agenda for Development”, has succeeded in bringing to the world’s attention the need for a re-evaluation of the role of the United Nations in development, taking into account such critical issues as the empowerment of women, the alleviation of poverty and hunger and the link between development and population, human rights and the creation of an environment for world peace and security. The social forces of poverty are among the leading causes of environmental degradation and a significant contributor to the loss of biological diversity. Poverty and unemployment also contribute to greater social problems, among which is the illicit traffic in narcotics. Efforts to eradicate the traffic in illicit drugs can have little effect at the national and international levels unless commitments are made and agreements are entered into to develop programmes aimed at the alleviation of poverty. My delegation is hopeful that the follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in March this year, will embrace those principles which call for social inclusion and which facilitate the development of strategies to ensure that youth, the disabled and the elderly play a more meaningful role in social and economic development. Indeed, the Fourth World Conference on Women, which ended only last month in Beijing, has given impetus to the need for programmes that speak to the issues of women in development and, most critically, the empowerment of women in local communities, enabling their full participation at all levels in the process of national development. Grenada is encouraged by the new spirit of international cooperation built on a shared partnership between multilateral financial institutions and Governments. However, the models suggested for economic development have not been sufficiently tested and are often ill-suited to meet the needs of the society in which they are applied, sometimes resulting in disastrous social and economic consequences. While we seek to put in place all the necessary measures to ensure the efficient and effective management 3 of our domestic affairs, we strongly urge multilateral institutions to include in these models for development a component that provides skills training and, in particular, training in the use of technologies to enable young people to find productive employment in the private sector and to facilitate the process towards equitable social and economic development. My delegation also supports the United Nations response to security and international humanitarian needs and encourages greater emphasis on human-rights monitoring. We live in an era of changing norms and of emerging nations and democracies, where no institution or country can stand alone. In this connection, the reforms currently being undertaken within the United Nations system should yield more positive results — greater collaboration and cooperation on issues, rather than confrontation and disunity. New, emerging economic nations or Powers are eager to take their rightful place in institutions and agencies once dominated by traditional super-Powers. Grenada also believes that in this era of reform and restructuring within the United Nations due consideration should be given to a composition of the Security Council that reflects the geopolitical and economic realities of our time. On this auspicious occasion, as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, let us reaffirm our commitment to the principles of the Charter which guides this Organization. Grenada not only wishes to emphasize adherence to these principles, but has worked to establish conditions under which all peoples may exercise their equal and inalienable rights. In his opening statement the President of the General Assembly at its fiftieth session stated: “the United Nations has ceased to be an intergovernmental organization with a limited membership and has become the only international organization that is universal. Efforts must be made to ensure that all States that are not yet Members should seek to be admitted in the near future. For the same reason, the most serious penalty imposed on a Member State should never be expulsion, but rather suspension” for an indefinite period “, for the United Nations must, as a matter of principle, include all the world’s countries.” (Official Records of the General Assembly, Fiftieth Session, Plenary Meetings, 1st meeting, p. 7) But as we meet today the Republic of China on Taiwan and its more than 21 million people remain excluded from participation and representation in the United Nations. It is on the basis of that principle of universality that Grenada urges all Members to consider that, in renewing our oaths, we should forthwith seek to right this wrong. The inclusion of the Republic of China will be an added contribution to global cooperation in fields such as trade, economic development, environmental protection, sustainable development and multilateral efforts to fight drug trafficking. Moreover, the Republic of China is committed to the promotion of international development assistance to developing countries. Grenada wishes to urge again that an ad hoc committee be set up at the earliest possible time to consider the special case of the Republic of China on Taiwan and respond positively to its wish to join this world Organization. My delegation is confident that improved cooperation between developed and developing countries and the consolidation of related agencies and programmes would lead to enhanced prospects for the discovery of solutions to global problems and for the promotion of sustainable economic, social and cultural development. As we look forward to celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Untied Nations, and as individual nations formulate plans and strategies to move into the twenty-first century, which poses as many challenges as it presents opportunities, let us recommit ourselves to the noble principles of the Charter, guided by the spirit of partnership and cooperation, ever united in our efforts to achieve peace, democracy and prosperity for all our peoples.