Belize, 2001

We understand that an

American Airlines flight to the Dominican Republic

has gone down in Queens. We extend the condolences

and the support of my Government to the United States

and the Dominican Republic.

That we have forged ahead with the fifty-sixth

session of the General Assembly and that political

leaders have assembled for the general debate mark an

extraordinary accomplishment, one that brings great

credibility to the United Nations. I applaud and thank

all who reside in this great city for continuing their

work. Today, more than ever, our efforts and energies

should focus on implementing the purposes and

principles of our Charter and should inspire hope and

confidence in all humanity.

Foreign Minister Han Seung-soo, on behalf of my

delegation, I extend congratulations to him on his

election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the

Assembly. The manner in which he has guided our

work thus far is outstanding and worthy of our

recognition. We wish him continued success as he

presides over this Assembly. To the Secretary-General

and to the United Nations, we extend congratulations

on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Before I proceed, please allow me, on behalf of

the Belizean people, to extend to the President and the

people of the United States of America, especially to

the people of New York City, our heartfelt condolences

on the tremendous loss suffered on 11 September.

For most of us, the immediate reaction to this

tragedy was one of shock and disbelief. As we joined

in mourning the loss of innocent lives, including some

of our own nationals, the international community

moved swiftly to adopt a number of resolutions here at

the United Nations. Through these actions we

forcefully condemned acts of terrorism and reached out

to the United States of America in solidarity, firm in

our support to uphold the principles of justice and the

maintenance of peace.

Today, despots feast in the raging rivers of

desperation, seeking refuge among the weak, preying

upon the vulnerabilities of the less fortunate. Those

who are caught in the sweeping currents of poverty,

forced to live in a world were a dollar is a luxury, find

little hope for a better future and are often abused by

those who manipulate them for selfish and destructive

reasons. For us, securing a better future for the millions

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who live in poverty continues to be our most noble of

challenges.

To meet this challenge, the United Nations must

remain true to its task as set forth in the Charter and

reaffirmed just over a year ago when our heads of State

and Government gathered here and adopted the

Millennium Declaration. That Declaration outlines

various issues critical to the realization of a world with

less poverty, death and despair, exhorting the values of

freedom, equality, justice and tolerance. We must not

allow the events of 11 September to cause us to lose

our focus on this righteous undertaking — we must

stay the course.

For Belize, the path to fulfilling the goals of the

Millennium Declaration begins with addressing the

issues of development and poverty eradication. We

confirm our support for the Agenda for Development.

As a small State working to provide greater

opportunities for its people, especially those who live

in poverty, meaningful sustainable development is

critical and can be achieved only through partnership

with the international community. Regional and global

cooperation are fundamental components for progress

and necessitate a universal acceptance of our shared

responsibility to create opportunities for growth and

development. Please allow me to say a few words in

Spanish.

(spoke in Spanish)

Globalization amply demonstrates our

interdependence and the importance of cooperation

with the rest of the world based on the principle of

mutual respect. Genuine sustainable development

requires inclusive and transparent trading practices that

allow for the participation of developing countries in

the global economy. The geographical location of

Belize enables us to participate in the Caribbean

Community and the Central American Integration

System, which gives us the opportunity to offer

different perspectives in the fight against poverty. At

the same time, it increases our possibilities for greater

participation in all entities concerned with developing

innovative mechanisms to efficiently integrate our

economies into the global economic system. In this

respect, we consider that equitable and participatory

cooperation in which our concerns and vulnerabilities

will receive the attention they deserve is fundamental.

(spoke in English)

The twenty-sixth special session of the General

Assembly on HIV/AIDS, held last June, brought the

international community together to collectively affirm

the urgent need for critical action on the part of all

stakeholders to combat this pandemic. For us in the

Caribbean, the Conference was of special importance.

Ranked the second highest region in rate of HIV/AIDS

infection after sub-Saharan Africa, Caribbean States

are working with their international partners to combat

the spread of this deadly disease. Any progress made

during the HIV/AIDS special session must be

attributed to the collaborative spirit displayed by all

those involved, at both the political and technical

levels. The inclusion of civil society, as well as the

private sector, contributed to the effectiveness of the

conference and remains critical to the success of any

programme to eradicate HIV/AIDS. We welcome the

decision of the Secretary-General to reach out to the

entire world community to assist in the establishment

of the Global HIV/AIDS and Health Fund, in an effort

to help alleviate the suffering of the millions of people

afflicted by the scourge.

The protection and preservation of our

environment is a major concern to the developing

world, as so many of us depend on our natural

resources for our survival. The commitments made by

the international community for the protection of the

environment have not been implemented, and if they

are not addressed urgently, the consequences will

impact negatively our small dependent economies, as

well as the economy of the global community. We

attach great importance to the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change and

welcome the successful results of the recently

concluded meeting in Marrakech, hoping to see more

States ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

In the Central America and the Caribbean regions

we perpetually suffer from the effects of natural

disasters, with the number and intensity of hurricanes

increasing over the last decade. This has been

attributed to the effects of climate change caused by

global warming. For two consecutive years, Belize has

been struck by category-four hurricanes, magnifying

the need to protect our environment and minimize our

vulnerabilities. It is imperative that we gear our efforts

towards creating the necessary mechanisms to reverse

and curtail negative actions that contribute to the

deterioration of the state of our environment. For this

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reason, Belize, along with its partners in the Caribbean

region, continues to seek the support of the United

Nations for a special regime for the Caribbean Sea.

If we are to speak of shared responsibility for

development and the maintenance of peace and

security, this year especially we must ensure that

everyone be allowed to participate in this global forum.

In this light, we continue to appeal to this Organization

to consider the right of the 23 million people of the

Republic of China on Taiwan and allow their voices to

be heard in this world institution. Equally, we must

continue to advocate recognition of the Palestinian

people’s right to self-determination, including the right

to their independent State.

With respect to our commitment to the

development of peace and security, Belize is pleased to

report the continuation of dialogue with our neighbour,

the Republic of Guatemala. We continue to support all

efforts to peacefully resolve our differences.

This year has been designated the United Nations

Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. The recently

concluded debate on this agenda item produced

meaningful discussion on the advantages of diversity

and its benefits to human progress. Enhanced by

globalization, our actions impact others immediately,

creating new realities that require more openness and

greater sensitivity to the differences among us. In our

country, where seven languages or dialects are spoken

and diverse ethnic populations live together peacefully,

my delegation welcomes the prospect of increased

dialogue among civilizations, one inclusive of all

peoples, that will improve upon the understanding of

who we are and where we came from. The Secretary-

General, in his report on the United Nations Year of

Dialogue among Civilizations, noted the importance of

ensuring that the process of globalization be

comprehensive and fair. Let us grasp the opportunity

given to us through this process to work together as

equal partners in this global community, seeking to

understand our common objectives while respecting

our differences.

The Millennium Declaration recognizes the

existing inequalities in our world. Likewise, it offers a

comprehensive formula for greater prosperity for all. It

directs us towards a collective responsibility through

greater partnership among the countries of the world.

At this time, when we are faced with new global

realities, let us make this Declaration meaningful by

accelerating our efforts to achieve the just objectives of

lasting peace and prosperity for all of our peoples.