Belize

It is an honour for me to deliver this address on behalf of the people and the 19 11-51670 Government of Belize. It is a particular privilege to do so with Mr. Al-Nasser at the helm of the Assembly. I say so because Belize has the distinct pleasure of having him as the Ambassador of Qatar to Belize, a role in which he has distinguished himself and his nation, much as he is doing in his role as President of the Assembly. Today’s world is characterized by disputes between neighbouring States which have resulted and continue to result in untold damage, loss of life and financial ruin to the feuding States. Thus Mr. Al-Nasser’s selection of the theme “The role of mediation in the settlement of disputes” for this year’s general debate is a timely and appropriate one. We in Belize fully subscribe to the view that mediation is a much more sensible means of putting an end to disputes than the use of force or threats of force, especially in the case of neighbouring States whose people have to live side by side and who are often dependent upon one another for survival and security. But today’s world is also characterized by widespread anxiety, insecurity, unrest, violence and instability. This is manifested in our financial markets as well as in the streets of cities in the developed and the developing world. Threats, both natural and man- made, appear to be proliferating. Debt crises are now so globalized that they are dwarfing national fiscal and policy space. Drugs, arms and human trafficking dominate the global stage, while Mother Nature is undergoing extreme changes, leaving death, destruction and disaster in her wake. Thus far, unfortunately, international responses to these catastrophic occurrences have been both uninspiring and inadequate. Notwithstanding the armoury of human rights that are enshrined in our own Human Rights Charter, far too many people are still destitute, are still dying from hunger, are still casualties of preventable or curable diseases, are still illiterate, are still jobless and are still marginalized and excluded from their very own societies. Three years after the 2008 economic and financial crisis, the global economy is once again bracing for another setback, as the recovery in major industrialized economies stutters and risks a very real danger of reversal. Terrorism remains no less of a global threat. Mortality from non-communicable diseases now rivals mortality from communicable diseases. And greenhouse gas emissions continue to fuel global warming at a perilous rate. Faced with the plethora of ills that now beset our world, we in Belize entertain no doubt that if any institution holds the key to solving the world problems it is this Organization, the United Nations, and its various agencies and institutions. Belize is therefore looking to the United Nations to lead the charge and to partner with us in combating three of the most serious threats that presently confront us, namely, the threat posed by climate change, the threat posed by crime and violence and the threat posed by chronic non-communicable diseases. For small island and coastal States like Belize, global warming poses an existential threat. We have already been overwhelmed by the nature, scale and frequency of the damage that extreme weather conditions, triggered by global warming, have wrought on our infrastructure and marine and terrestrial organisms. While we appreciate that each of us is primarily responsible for our own welfare and we are taking such measures as are within our competence to cope with our changing circumstances, climate change is a global problem that requires a global response based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. The President took the Chair. To that end, some small island and coastal States, including Belize, are moving resolutely towards low- carbon and no-carbon emission economies. Today, 24 of our small island developing States (SIDS) have become partners in an innovative, sustainable energy initiative called SIDS DOCK, aimed at transforming our energy sector and catalyzing our sustainable economic development. However, in order to succeed in our initiative we will require delivery or transfer of the often promised environmentally friendly technology and the new and additional funding promised by the international community. In that regard, we consider the upcoming Durban Conference on climate change of high importance. We believe that every effort should be made at the Conference to forge a climate change regime that will incentivize significant emission reductions and the protection and preservation of existing forests, while simultaneously creating disincentives to polluting actions. Additionally, clear, legally binding rules must 11-51670 20 be hammered out with a view to guaranteeing the environmental integrity of our countries. Over the last decade, crime and violence in Belize and the rest of Central America have escalated drastically, resulting in some 18,167 homicides. However, none of the arms used in those murders was produced in Central America. Those arms are the product of the illicit trafficking in guns and drugs between South and North America. The transnational nature of those crimes is exacerbated by cross-border collaboration among criminals. Confronting that type of criminal activity successfully will clearly require the collaboration and cooperation of the international community. We in Belize have stepped up our national efforts, in conjunction with our neighbours in Central America, the Caribbean and the United States, to combat those criminal activities. But the going is difficult and progress is slow. We need more help from the international community. Ideally, we would need a universally applicable normative framework to regulate the trade in arms, such as an arms trade treaty that is legally binding, robust and comprehensive; one that establishes the highest possible standards for the transfer of conventional arms, especially small arms, light weapons and ammunition. I now turn to some of the silent killers that are ravaging our Latin American and Caribbean communities — the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as hyper-tension, diabetes and obesity. In the Caribbean today, NCDs are responsible for 62 per cent of deaths, 40 per cent of which occur prematurely. If the current trend continues, non-communicable diseases will account for three out of four deaths in the Caribbean by the year 2030. Again, those diseases can be combated effectively only through collaborative efforts of the international community. In that connection, we welcome the conclusion of the recently held High-level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (A/66/PV.3 and A/66/PV.4), as well as the first comprehensive global political declaration addressing chronic non-communicable diseases (resolution 66/2). It should serve as a template for action at all levels. We will eagerly await the development of indicators and global targets aimed at achieving a 25 per cent reduction in non-communicable disease-related deaths by 2025. That will, no doubt, necessitate close collaboration and cooperation among Governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector to facilitate access to medicines and healthy foods. Belize is committed to supporting that initiative unconditionally. Belize is of the view that, given the quantum and scale of the problems which confront the world today and the unquestioned need for an ever-increasing amount of resources, the international community cannot afford not to avail itself of every source of assistance at hand. And in that regard, we wish to urge that the Republic of China, Taiwan, be allowed to participate meaningfully in the work of the United Nations. In a similar vein, we would urge that the embargo against Cuba, which the Assembly has denounced for many years, be brought to a speedy end. Finally, while Belize appreciates the limitations of this United Nations, we also appreciate that there exists no better institution than this one, which is dedicated to world peace, security, justice and development. And even as we seek its reform, we recognize its primacy in international affairs and global governance. I am, therefore, pleased to assure you that Belize is fully committed to work within this Organization, through it and with it as it carries out its mandates.