I wish to express the
warm congratulations of the delegation of Saint Lucia
to Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his election to serve as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session. With his vast diplomatic experience, we are
most confident that this session will yield significant
results in advancing the agenda of the international
community through this most universal of institutions,
the General Assembly, which has been rightly
described by his predecessor, Mr. Miguel d’Escoto
Brockmann, as the “Group of 192”. We express our
appreciation for the work of Mr. D’Escoto Brockmann,
who succeeded in further elevating the Assembly so
that it could regain its rightful place as the parliament
of the world. We pledge to work with Mr. Treki in the
furtherance of that approach. We also thank Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for his tireless efforts on behalf
of us all.
When developing countries agreed to the
ambitious but necessary Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and the internationally agreed
development goals, few, if any, foresaw that the winds
would be contrary, the storms fierce and the course
ahead so challenging. We are more than halfway to the
2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals, and Governments in the
developing world are still struggling to meet their
objectives. That situation, of course, is the result of
developing countries facing unforeseen economic
hardship as a result of crisis after crisis that for the
most part are not of our own making. While the
developed world appears to be in the infant stages of
recovery, the developing countries are still in the wake
of this crisis and are struggling to find calmer waters.
In that connection, it is important that the Doha
Round of trade negotiations be reshaped as a
development round, with emphasis on substantially
reducing the tariff and non-tariff barriers that have
been imposed by developed countries, especially
regarding agricultural products.
The matter of substantive debt relief to permit the
developing countries to utilize their limited resources
for national development must also be given the most
serious consideration. The MDGs are still achievable,
but the developed countries must meet their agreed
commitments if those objectives are to be attained in a
manner consistent with the global timetable.
While all of the MDGs are relevant to the
development aspirations of the people of my country
and of the region, we believe that education, poverty
alleviation and the strengthening of institutions for
good governance are pivotal to this process. These
must form the bedrock for overall development. So,
despite sluggish advancement towards the achievement
of all the Goals, we have made significant progress in
the areas of poverty and hunger, universal education
and gender equality. My own country boasts gender
parity in wage employment in the non-agricultural
sector, a long-standing problem in our region.
Despite such progress, continued improvement is
required in the other priority areas of reducing child
mortality and promoting maternal health.
Unfortunately, as I speak here, my Government is
grappling with the loss of a hospital on the southern
part of the island that burned down two weeks ago,
with loss of life. We have launched an appeal for
assistance and hope that those most able to do so will
help generously.
We in Saint Lucia are observing the current
global state of affairs through bifocal lenses; we see
both challenges and opportunity — an opportunity to
take bold new steps and think outside the box in
tackling the issues that confront us. The right mix of
appropriate policy interventions, strong political will
and strategic partnerships supported by development
stakeholders is certain to help countries such as Saint
Lucia achieve the Millennium Development Goals in a
timely manner. Therefore, hope is not completely lost.
Higher prices for food, fuel and other essentials
forced most Governments of developing countries to
divert already scarce resources in order to subsidize
those commodities for the poorest in our societies. That
then put pressure on their ability to repay debts and,
together with mismanagement within the world
financial sector, triggered a global financial and
economic crisis.
The world conference held here at United Nations
Headquarters last June to assess the worst global
economic downturn since the Great Depression
succeeded in identifying immediate and long-term
measures to mitigate the impact of the crisis, especially
on developing countries, and to begin the necessary
09-52604 24
international deliberations on the restructuring of the
international financial architecture. Saint Lucia and the
rest of the Caribbean Community welcomed the
initiative, and we participated fully in the deliberations.
Saint Lucia therefore supports the measures
called for in the outcome document (resolution 63/303,
annex) to sustain the initiative while also providing the
machinery necessary for the continued monitoring of
the world economy. To that end, we emphasize the
importance of strengthening the capacity, effectiveness
and efficiency of the United Nations and of making the
international financial institutions more compassionate
in their responses and their assistance to national
development strategies. We look forward to analysing
the report of the ad hoc open-ended working group of
the Assembly on the implementation of the mandate, as
well as the reports of the Secretary-General on the
global food security crisis, the International Labour
Organization report on the Global Jobs Pact and the
contributions of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to the
new development financing agenda.
The most pressing issue and challenge facing
Saint Lucia, and indeed the rest of the world, is climate
change. It has emerged as the most serious
developmental challenge facing mankind today —
hence, the demands for collective action and an urgent
response. We are extremely concerned that the adverse
effects of climate change are constantly altering access
to basic resources such as land, water and food.
Decreased accessibility threatens social security, a
daily reality for many of us around the world. We may
not disappear, as the Maldives will, if nothing is done,
but it will certainly be expensive to survive.
On 21 September 2009, heads of member States
of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States
(AOSIS) adopted a declaration on climate change that
spelled out some of the pressing issues that need to be
addressed by all States. Before that we had the 1994
Barbados Programme of Action; the final communiqué
of the 1999 AOSIS Heads of Government Meeting; the
outcome document of the General Assembly’s special
session held in 1999 to review and assess the Barbados
Programme (resolution S-22/2), and the adoption in
2005 of the Mauritius Strategy for Further
Implementation. All represented extensive legislative
authority for concerted international action and clearly
set forth the position of the most vulnerable States.
That extensive mandate provides the framework
for a strategy to arrest the impact of climate change
that can lead to the emergence of a sustainable world
for present and future generations. The 2007 high-level
event on climate change, held to discuss “The future in
our hands: addressing the leadership challenge of
climate change”, was also instructive in reinforcing the
mandates of earlier sessions. Alas, it seems the rest of
the world has not seen the urgency for action.
For our part, Saint Lucia and other Caribbean
States have pledged to take voluntary mitigation
measures to ensure our collective survival. We are
working assiduously to formulate policies and review
legislation to develop our renewable energy potential
in wind, solar and geothermal power. We will intensify
efforts to preserve our limited forest cover, which
serves to protect our water supply and biodiversity and
is an important factor in carbon sequestration. For us
these are critical survival measures.
Saint Lucia has joined with other CARICOM
member States to establish early-warning systems for
predicting disasters such as floods and hurricanes.
CARICOM heads of Government have also adopted
the Liliendaal Declaration on Climate Change and
Development, which expressed the commitment to
protect the region’s marine resources and ecosystems
and work towards fulfilling the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change objectives.
While these sustainable development practices
have long-term benefits, the financial investment
required to support them is very onerous for small
island developing States. We have indicated that our
Governments have been proactive; however, the small
island developing States still need financial support to
enhance their capacity to respond to challenges brought
on by climate change. Let me reiterate that these
problems are not of our doing. Lack of access to cost-
effective, affordable and environmentally sound
technologies significantly threatens to stall or reverse
progress already made. Nor will mitigation be enough
if not supported by adaptation measures. We therefore
urge States to fulfil their commitment to the Adaptation
Fund, which will help us cope with changes that have
made life difficult for many peoples.
We the small island developing States and least
developed countries have joined together to demand,
appeal and even beg, if necessary, that the new
Copenhagen climate agreement limit temperature
25 09-52604
increases to the attainable level of 1.5 degrees Celsius,
as it is possible that anything above that will be
devastating to our very existence. We urge other
inhabitants of planet Earth to be understanding and
cooperative as we work to seal the deal in Copenhagen.
If we cannot reverse or slow the effects of climate
change, all other activities, as noble as they may be,
will be useless to mankind.
Our efforts to advance our own development
progress are sometimes derailed because of a lack of
resources and a peculiar grouping that excludes many
States from access to certain types of aid, loans and/or
development assistance currently available only to
least developed States — ironically, because of our
success in managing our affairs. It would appear that
we are being punished for being prudent in the
management of our limited resources.
Middle-income countries like Saint Lucia
continue to face significant challenges in reducing
poverty, servicing debt and achieving the Millennium
Development Goals. My Government is pleased to note
that the United Nations and the international financial
institutions have recognized that there is a need to
address the development needs of middle-income
countries and to reinforce global support for their
development efforts. We are cognizant that this group
of countries is not homogeneous and that individual
economic and social circumstances must be taken into
account. However, as a group, we deserve greater
attention from the donor community and the United
Nations system. We hope our pleas do not fall on deaf
ears, and that assistance will not come too late.
While we bemoan the slow pace of assistance
from the North, we appreciate the efforts of our
traditional friends — the United Kingdom, the United
States, Canada, France, the European Union, Japan, to
name a few — to meet their official development
assistance targets and agreed commitments. However,
the significance of cooperation among developing
countries cannot be overlooked. South-South
cooperation has become an effective tool for economic
development and foreign policy and constitutes one of
the most important dimensions of international
cooperation for development, particularly in the
context of globalization and liberalization. South-South
cooperation is also an imperative to complement
North-South cooperation and strengthen the
institutional capacities of the countries of the South to
engage in sustainable development practices. An ever-
changing global landscape has impelled developing
countries to take initiatives to safeguard one another’s
common interests, since they possess diverse assets
that can nonetheless be complementary.
That has been our goal within CARICOM, and
we thank the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for
so often leading the way on such matters. The
Government of Saint Lucia also wishes to express its
gratitude for the assistance provided by the Republic of
Cuba, whose international medical assistance
programme has served the people of the region, the
wider hemisphere and beyond. And we express our
appreciation for the support we have received from
other countries in our region, including the Latin
American States of Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela, to
name a few.
The historic cultural ties between Africa and the
Caribbean are well known, and cooperation between
our two regions is being strengthened through recent
developments such as the African Union Diaspora
Initiative and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean
States Secretariat. We in Saint Lucia have received
support from the Kuwaiti funds to assist in
infrastructure development. In short, we are reaching
out to the world for cooperation and collaboration in
the advancement of our development efforts, within the
framework of respect for each other and for
humankind.
That is why the Government of Saint Lucia joins
with other delegations in extending our deep
condolences to the Government and people of Taiwan
following the devastation and loss of life caused by the
disastrous Typhoon Morakot in August. Taiwan has
assisted Saint Lucia in the areas of education,
agriculture, health and other fields critical to our
development efforts. Their assistance in agriculture,
especially, has enabled us to improve our output and
position ourselves for breaking into the food export
market. Taiwan has extended a helping hand to all
those who have requested it. It seeks only to be part of
the family of nations and to share its knowledge and
expertise with the rest of the world. That is not too
much to ask. We are pleased to note that some positive
steps have been taken in this respect, and we hope they
will continue, with other agencies opening their doors
to participation and thus to enable 23 million people to
make their contribution to their fellow human beings
and to realize their aspirations, as we in Saint Lucia did
30 years ago.
09-52604 26
We also extend our sympathies to the
Government and people of the Philippines for the loss
of life and destruction caused by Typhoon Ketsana
three days ago.
Saint Lucia joins with other CARICOM countries
in expressing profound concern and deep
disappointment with the decision by the Administering
Power to dissolve the Government and legislature in
the non-self-governing territory of the Turks and
Caicos Islands, an associate member of CARICOM.
We call for a speedy return to democratic governance,
without which the territory’s participation in the
regional integration process will be in jeopardy.
Economic diversification for small States is
critical to their ability to remain competitive in an ever
more globalized economy, and many small States have
developed vibrant financial service industries that have
evolved as clean, competitive industries in a world
economy increasingly dependent on services. Clearly,
the competitiveness of tax rates and international tax
compensation are fundamental tools of globalization
and represent one of the few areas where small States
have been able to enter this new economy from a
competitive position. To this end Saint Lucia joined
with other CARICOM States last July in adopting the
Liliendaal Declaration on the Financial Sector: A New
Framework for Financial Regulation and Supervision
in the Region.
It is important to note that the regional policy
contains provisions for continued improvement in
standards for disclosure, transparency and corporate
governance for both public and private companies.
However, despite our best efforts, international
financial centres in the Caribbean and elsewhere have
recently been under intense pressure from high-tax
nations. Saint Lucia joins our regional partners in
continuing to enhance transparency by the
strengthening of regulatory frameworks. We stand with
our CARICOM colleagues in calling for equitable
treatment in accord with that granted to the developed
countries and other preferential jurisdictions.
It matters little if we are rich if we are insecure in
our homes and our country. And that is why in recent
years the issue of small arms and light weapons has
emerged as a major source of concern to us. Small
developing States like Saint Lucia continue to be
threatened by the disturbing spread of small arms. The
illicit introduction of those weapons into our societies
has created a heavy burden in our region, which has
seen the emergence of an unacceptable level of gun
violence, worsened by the social distress caused by the
economic and financial crisis. Saint Lucia reiterates its
support for the implementation of relevant General
Assembly resolutions addressing the illicit trade of
small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, most
recently resolution 63/72 of 2 December 2008. Saint
Lucia wishes also to express its continued support for
the full implementation of the international instruments
to enable States to identify and trace illicit small arms
and light weapons in a timely and reliable manner.
On top of all our financial problems it seems we
are asked to bear an unfair burden in relation to world
peace and security. While ensuring an effective funding
mechanism is the collective responsibility of the
membership, we concur that the future scale of
assessment should be constant, simple and transparent.
We fully support the view of the Committee on
Contributions that the scale should be based on gross
national income data, as that is the most accurate
reflection of one’s capacity to pay.
In the face of all the challenges outlined above
and in this present state of world affairs, it is no longer
pragmatic to utilize attenuated financial and technical
assistance schemes designed many years ago. They
have given way to development challenges that are
often of astronomical size as well as nebulous,
necessitating long-term, cumulative responses. In
short, the world is in crisis-management mode, and that
is seriously affecting the ability of developing
countries to move forward and onward to progress.
However, crisis management must be undertaken
with sustainable development in mind and integrated
into the policymaking processes by both donor and
recipient countries. Coordination and collaboration,
therefore, are essential within and among
Governments, organizations and local communities if a
sustainable and forward-looking approach is to be
achieved.
We chose as our theme for this session of the
Assembly “Effective responses to global crises:
strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among
civilizations for international peace, security and
development”. I hope that this body, made up of a
diverse group of countries, will work together towards
achieving the goals to which we all aspire.
27 09-52604
Like Jason in his good ship the Argo, fair Helen —
Saint Lucia — will brave the seas, chart a new course
and take our people to the heights of development and
dignity that befit a country that has produced two
Nobel Laureates.