Belize, 2000

On behalf of the Belize

delegation, I extend my congratulations to you, Sir, on your

election to the presidency. Your vast experience in

international affairs will greatly aid in our deliberations

during this fifth-fifth session of the Assembly. We are

enriched by the presence of our newest Member, the

Republic of Tuvalu; we welcome Tuvalu to our United

Nations family with the assurance of Belize's cooperation

and support.

The recently concluded Summit, which produced a

progressive and far-reaching resolution, has set the pace for

our deliberations during this general debate. Although the

goals are ambitious, their achievement is crucial to the

future of the United Nations. In his brief address to the

Summit, my Prime Minister stated:

“we are called to a new appointment with history: to

bring democracy to global governance, to share a

better and more productive future where all can live

in dignity and peace.” (A/55/PV.3)

Together with the goals put forward in the Declaration, this

sets before us an agenda for our way forward.

In moving forward, we must begin by rededicating

ourselves to upholding the fundamental principles of our

Charter, principles which seek freedom from fear and want

in a world where discrimination and hate are eradicated and

the right of all people to live peaceful, quality lives is

realized.

These ideas are as relevant today as they were 55

years ago. Despite the many advances we have made, many

of us continue to allow our differences to lead to conflict,

which results in overwhelming suffering and hinders

human development. We must avoid these costly conflicts,

for without peace we cannot grow.

At its inception, this institution recognized that peace

and the elimination of war were essential to human

development. Although we seem to have reduced the

likelihood of another global conflagration, we continue, at

the regional and local levels, to allow our differences to

divide us, resulting in overwhelming suffering, which

further hinders progress and development.

As a global institution, we must actively work to end

all conflict. Our peacekeeping efforts must therefore be

proactive and efficient. Our forces must protect innocent

women and children; provide refuge to those who seek to

promote principles of democracy; and rise up against rogue

individuals and organizations that threaten to undermine

democratic Governments. To achieve this, let us first

commit ourselves to reinforcing the preventive capacity of

the United Nations peacekeeping forces.

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Belize regards peacekeeping operations as an

important component of the United Nations. We agree that

for our forces to be effective, they must be well equipped

and capable of defending themselves. We continue to meet

the financial commitments assigned to Belize based on the

principle of capacity to pay. We welcome the recent

Brahimi report, which is progressive and takes a

comprehensive look at our peacekeeping efforts. My

delegation supports the recommendations it advances.

Belize adheres to the principle of the peaceful

resolution of conflicts, and in this spirit continues to work

with Guatemala to arrive at a negotiated and peaceful

resolution of our differences. Belize will comply with the

recently agreed framework established through the

Organization of American States.

For some time now, this institution has engaged in a

conversation on development for the future and, more

specifically, on globalization. For developing countries,

globalization, as it exists today, poses serious concerns that

seem to fall on the deaf ears of those who continue to push

us along what is obviously a destructive path. While we

welcome the promises of this new economic order, we

continue to fear globalization in its current form, for what

we have seen so far is neither responsible nor sustainable. It

is not sustainable because those who lead the way seek only

the advancement of their personal interests.

The proponents of globalization advised that market

liberalization would lead to prosperity. We were

encouraged to transform our economies and create more

effective and efficient government. We have tried, and

continue to try, to do so. However, our call for assistance

with this transformation has not always been heard.

However, much of what has been asked of most of us, we

have done. The fact that today in Central America and the

Caribbean every nation is legislated by a democratically

elected Government and that we have opened our borders,

markets and lifestyles to others, demonstrates our

commitment to transparency and effective governance.

In Belize, we have done our part to ensure equitable

development. We enjoy a vibrant and working democracy

where 85 per cent of our voting population exercise their

franchise to vote; we have an open economy where all are

encouraged to participate; and we have formed partnerships

with civil society to address social needs and protect our

precious environment. We have been responsible, yet all

we see of globalization is the threat of the elimination of

our current economic sustenance. If this is the legacy of

globalization, then those of us who have suffered at the

hands of this new order must ask if globalization today is

responsible, if it is good. We continue to believe that it can

be.

(spoke in Spanish)

In the current economic order, small economies such

as ours can aspire to a productive future only if the

architects of this new modality provide us with the

necessary assistance. Developed countries must commit

themselves to a process of globalization that is not only

free, but fair. Just as they request the opening up of our

markets, such institutions and the administrators of

globalization must be more open, democratic and

representative. Thus, just as we work with civil society to

help us to deal with our political and social needs, they

must work together with the international civil agencies so

that the needs of the poorest can be provided for. We will

never achieve the objective of just world if poverty

continues to affect our people. The eradication of poverty is

our moral duty.

(spoke in English)

We agree that true sustainable development cannot

occur without the protection and preservation of our

environment. This must be a path that combines the efforts

of all nations. We in Belize understand that we have a

global responsibility to protect our natural resources. That

is why we are signatories to the Framework Convention on

Climate Change and are in the process of signing the Kyoto

Protocol. However, our efforts can be effective only if

others are equally committed. We encourage our developed

partners to continue to honour the commitments they made

in Rio to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a

timely manner. Currently, over 40 per cent of Belizean land

is under protected status, our precious coral reefs are

closely monitored and our tropical rain forests carefully

managed. Together with local non-governmental

organizations, we are seeking an adequate balance between

the protection of our natural resources and the fulfilment of

the development needs of our people, while agreeing that

our environmental protectionism must work in harmony

with our developmental needs.

Much has been accomplished over the past year. On

social issues, we reaffirmed our commitment to the

development of women during the Beijing + 5 conference.

The Copenhagen + 5 conference addressed the need for

greater social development and, together with our partners

in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Belize actively

participated in the Review Conference of the Parties to the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

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(NPT). Belize continues to push for an end to the shipping

of nuclear waste through the Caribbean Sea.

These successes, however, should not distract us from

the suffering and injustices still being endured by millions

of people. In Africa the situation in Angola, Sierra Leone

and the Democratic Republic of the Congo concerns us.

The spread of the HIV/AIDS virus is alarming; we must do

what is necessary to assist those afflicted.

We are troubled by the situation in Timor. The

recent events, which resulted in the death of United

Nations peacekeeping personnel, were tragic. We also

learned of the death of another United Nations official

in Guinea. We condemn these acts, and join with the

Secretary-General in expressing our condolences to the

families of those who gave their lives for the cause of

peace.

Belize joins others in support of the Middle East

peace process. We continue to support the right of the

Palestinian people to self-determination. Likewise, we

call upon this Organization to recognize the desire of

the 23 million people of the Republic of China on

Taiwan for the opportunity to contribute and participate

in the work of this Organization and other international

bodies.

The Millennium Declaration, adopted by our

heads of State and Government, reminds us of our

responsibility to protect those fundamental values such

as freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for

nature and responsibility. It calls for collective action

to be undertaken by developed and developing nations

to advance the cause of peace, protect our children and

preserve the planet for future generations. These are

goals that can be achieved through greater inclusion

and genuine concern for each other. We must find new

ways of thinking to help us reform these institutions,

which create inequality and therefore divide us. Let us

commit ourselves to reducing redundancy, eliminating

waste and refining our responsiveness to Member

needs, but let us do it quickly.

The United Nations is our truest form of global

representation. It possesses the capacity to elicit the

best from all of us. Together, our ability to accomplish

these ideals set out in the Millennium Declaration is

possible. Let us rededicate ourselves to its fulfilment.