Barbados, 1992

It is a pleasure for me to congratulate

Mr. Ganev on his unanimous election to the presidency of the Assembly at its

forty-seventh session. I am confident that our deliberations will benefit

from his wise leadership.

I also commend his predecessor, Mr. Samir Shihabi, for the outstanding

stewardship he provided during the course of the last year, and I take this

opportunity too to extend my personal welcome and good wishes to our new

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

I am pleased to greet the many new Members that have joined the United

Nations family since the beginning of the last session and to offer them the

full cooperation of the delegation of Barbados as we work together to shape

the international order for the twenty-first century.

The old world order has disintegrated at an astonishing pace.

Assumptions and doctrines based on the cold-war balance of power have lost

their relevance. At the same time, ambitious expectations have been created

for the emergence of a new world order based on peaceful coexistence, economic

equity and social justice.

The transition, however, has proved more traumatic and destabilizing than

the propitious circumstances would have suggested. The energies for

revolutionary change need to be positively directed so that prospects for

international peace are not threatened by the resurgence of ancient ethnic and

tribal conflicts and the violent clash of nationalistic rivalries.

Regrettably, there are alarming manifestations of that new threat in

Yugoslavia and Somalia.

Barbados is appalled at the savagery with which the protagonists of

ethnic strife in what was once Yugoslavia are pursuing their misguided notions

of nationalism and sovereignty. Such barbarism, including the horrendous

practice of "ethnic cleansing", has no place in our modern world. Its

perpetrators must be made to understand the outrage of the international

community at their actions. My country fully supports the regime of sanctions

imposed by the Security Council and the dedicated efforts of the European

Community and the United Nations to create the conditions for a peaceful

settlement and to bring relief to the hundreds of thousands of innocent

civilian victims.

Equally disturbing is the desperate situation in Somalia, which,

regrettably, has only recently attracted the international attention it

deserves, and then only at the sharp prodding of the Secretary-General.

Barbados supports regional and international efforts towards the convening of

o conference on national reconciliation and unity in Somalia and towards

creating secure conditions for humanitarian action.

My country commends the Secretary General's report "An Agenda for Peace"

to the Assembly for its careful study. A number of its recommendations are

consistent with the views contained in my statement to the General Assembly at

its forty-sixth session, namely, the need to strengthen the capability of the

Secretary-General for preventive diplomacy; the need to put into place the

permanent enforcement tools required under Article 43 of the Charter to deter,

and in the last resort, counter aggression; and the need to make full use of

the appropriate regional and subregional security arrangements under

Chapter VIII of the Charter. We also support his call for greater recourse to

the International Court of Justice for the peaceful adjudication of disputes.

My delegation supports the view of the Secretary-General that there is an

urgent necessity to put peace-keeping operations on a sound financial

footing. His recommendations and other positive suggestions should be given

Priority study.

A number of small countries have been unable to play a part in

traditional United Nations peace-keeping simply because they have lacked the

logistical military capability for so doing. The expanded dimensions of

peace-keeping, however, provide the possibility for participation by small

States in other fields in which they have expertise, such as electoral

supervision, human-rights monitoring and the supply of police and civilian

personnel. Such participation should be encouraged and facilitated by the

Organization. In this regard, my delegation has noted with interest the

Norwegian proposal for the establishment of a special United Nations institute

for education and training in peace-keeping and related activities as a means

to respond to these new dimensions.

While we cannot fail to recognize the indispensable nature of United

Nations peace-keeping operations, my country is nevertheless concerned at the

dramatic escalation in their costs and would wish to see more stringent

controls and oversight in place to ensure efficient use of the billions of

dollars now involved.

An agenda for peace requires a supportive economic environment. A new

world order must be developed around the central priority of closing the gap

between North and South, '.'his requires courageous leadership on the part of

the North to create the opportunities for sustainable economic and social

development in the South through genuine trade liberalization, meaningful

debt-relief strategies and positive resource transfers. It also requires

responsible management; sound, people-oriented development planning; and the

creation of the appropriate environment for development on the part of the

South.

The United Nations is a critical forum for the resuscitation of the

international economic dialogue. Barbados welcomes the serious debate now

taking place on reforming and strengthening the economic and social mandate of

the United Nations. Any such reform must be consistent with the provisions of

the Charter and seek to ensure universality and accessibility. Care must be

taken not to exclude the small and powerless from the process. Regrettably,

however, the emphasis currently given to developmental issues within the

administrative structure of the Organization does not reflect the priority

accorded to those issues by the majority of Member States. My delegation

accepts that the maintenance of international peace and security is a major

responsibility of the United Nations. We strongly support the view that peace

and economic and social well-being are indivisible and that issues relating to

development must be given emphasis equal to that given to issues relating to

peace.

It is important that the United Nations be a forum for constructive

consensus-building, where all points of view no matter the size of their

proponents or how much influence they wield are given equal attention and

respect. A new world order cannot evolve except in an atmosphere of free and

open dialogue, consultation and transparency in decision-making.

There is considerable merit in the argument that the Security Council in

the post-cold-war era should be updated to reflect the new international

political and economic realities, as well as the balance and diversity

necessary for its decisions, if it is to command universal acceptance and

respect.

A very topical issue in this forum in recent times has been the dialogue

on what the Secretary-General has termed "the democratization of international

relations and the participation of all States in developing new norms of

international life". There have been calls for the redefinition of the

concept of State sovereignty in international law, and many States have

accepted as a matter of policy the notion of the right to intervene on

humanitarian grounds and for the protection of human rights, and have

advocated the universal application of such a principle.

My country has always been outspoken on the universal need to protect and

strengthen the principles of democracy and respect for fundamental human

rights. We have consistently condemned abuses, wherever and whenever they

have occurred, and long before the resurgence of democratic values in our

region and elsewhere made it popular or safe to do so. Our actions have

always been motivated strictly by principle and objectivity, and not by

ideological considerations that have served in the past to politicize the

debate.

The disappearance of ideological polarization gives the international

community an unprecedented opportunity to influence the dialogue on this vital

issue in a balanced and constructive way. There is need to ensure respect for

fundamental human rights; out there is equal need to take care to promote

impartial standards for measuring adherence to, and for guarding scrupulously

against manipulation of, the debate to suit the narrow foreign policy

interests of particular States. What is needed in the ensuing dialogue is the

sensitive and sensible application of universally agreed standards, not the

imposition of new forms of conditionality devoid of all historical or cultural

context.

The World Conference on Human Rights, scheduled to be held in Vienna in

June 1993, will present a unique opportunity not only to review the progress

made in human rights since 1948, but also to formulate recommendations aimed

at charting the course of human rights well into the twenty-first century.

The tragic situation of the people of Haiti remains a major preoccupation

of the Government and people of Barbados and of the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM) as a whole. We have made clear our outright condemnation of the

usurpation of the authority of the legitimate government of

President Aristide, and have collaborated with our regional partners in

CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) in the effort to restore

that government. We have supported the OAS-imposed embargo and the Protocol

of Washington. It is clear, however, that no lasting solution can be found,

except in a context that neutralizes the power of a brutal and lawless

military, which continues with impunity its flagrant abuses of the human

rights of the Haitian people. The international community has a special

obligation towards the people of Haiti, whose electoral process was monitored

and authenticated at every step with direct United Nations involvement. If

such a process can be overturned with impunity, what message are we sending to

the world of would-be dictators, and what assurance are we providing for the

fledgling democracies in our region? It is imperative that the United Nations

take action to internationalize the embargo and to contribute, in whatever

ways are considered appropriate and useful, to OAS efforts towards the

restoration of the Aristide government.

Barbados is greatly encouraged by the decision reached by the De Klerk

Government and by Mr. Mandela on 26 September 1992 to resume negotiations with

a view to establishing an interim government and a constituent assembly in

South Africa. The release of 150 political prisoners and the promise by the

South African Government to release the remaining political prisoners by 15

November 1992 represent a significant development that satisfies an important

condition of the United Nations Declaration on southern Africa.

Barbados deplores the violence that has been a major obstacle to reform

in South Africa, and holds the De Klerk Government fully responsible for

failing to curb it. The role of the United Nations remains critical to reform

efforts in South Africa. We therefore welcome the deployment of 50 United

Nations observers in South Africa to assist with the implementation of the

National Peace Accord, and hope that the size of this contingent will be

increased, if necessary. We urge all the parties to collaborate in

maintaining an environment free of violence and to participate in peaceful

negotiations aimed at achieving a non-racial, democratic South Africa.

We are also encouraged by the current dialogue in the Middle East. We

hope that all parties will make every effort to achieve a just and lasting

peace.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),

which took place in Rio de Janeiro in June this year, was perhaps the most

ambitious and far-reaching United Nations-sponsored gathering ever held. It

served a vital purpose in focusing world attention on the interrelationship

between human development and the environment, and in fostering global

awareness of the importance of the concept of sustainable development to the

future survival of our planet and all its inhabitants.

Barbados cannot pretend to be fully satisfied with the results of the Rio

Conference. It was, however, an important beginning in the process towards an

international blueprint for sustainable development in the twenty-first

century. The creation of a high-level sustainable development commission is

an important element in providing serious follow-up to the decisions of

Agenda 21. Care must be taken to ensure the widest possible access to, and

participation in, the work of the Commission by the full membership of the

United Nations. Barbados has signed the Conventions on Climate Change and on

Biological Diversity, and is taking the necessary steps at the domestic level

to ensure their early ratification. We reiterate, however, that there is an

urgent need to begin work on a protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate

Change that specifically addresses stabilization and reduction of carbon

dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

My country is heartened that one of the significant achievements at UNCED

was the recognition given to the special environmental and development needs

of small island developing States, leading to the inclusion in Agenda 21 of a

specific plan of action for the sustainable development of small island

developing States. In this regard, my delegation wishes to place on record

its deep appreciation of the sterling efforts of the Alliance of Small Island

States (AOSIS), whose contribution to the success of the Conference cannot be

overstated. As part of the plan to identify and address the special needs of

this category of States, a global conference will be convened in 1993.

Barbados is honoured to reiterate its offer to host that Conference.

The vulnerability of our environment and the fragility of our marine

ecosystems require constant vigilance to guard against deliberate or

accidental degradation. In this connection, we echo the concerns of the Prime

Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis about the possible passage through our

region of plutonium or other hazardous material.

The opportunities provided for shaping a truly harmonious new world order

are enormous. The danger of failure is, however, equally great, unless the

redefinition of our future takes place with equal participation by all the

members of the global family. Never before has the power of the few over the

destinies of the many been so apparent, and never before has it been so vital

to the survival of the majority of small and powerless States that make up the

United Nations for that power to be used responsibly.