Dominica, 1997

I recall two years ago, when,

on the occasion of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary

of the founding of the United Nations, this podium was the

focus of attention. There was much enthusiasm and hope as

leaders looked back on the past 50 years and looked

forward to the next 50 and the coming of the new

millennium. I had the honour to be among world leaders

who shared the privilege of participating in that historic

occasion. It was then that we as leaders made a number of

pledges and committed ourselves to effecting necessary and

appropriate changes to reshape and reform the United

Nations. We pledged never to repeat the mistakes of the

past and to work for a better world through an improved

and more dynamic United Nations.

I take this opportunity to congratulate you,

Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the

fifty-second session and to thank Ambassador Razali Ismail

for his work in guiding the fifty-first session. It is with

profound pleasure and a sincere sense of hope and

expectation that I welcome and congratulate our new

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan. I assure him that he

has the full confidence and support of the Commonwealth

of Dominica in his endeavours.

Notwithstanding the leadership changes, if we are to

achieve our ultimate goal of a better world for all, much

more must happen. The reform of the United Nations,

which has been the subject of such intense debate for so

long now, must become a reality. We have noted and

taken seriously your commitment, Mr. President, to

encourage action-oriented discussions on measures and

proposals that encompass the reform of the United

Nations system. It is our wish that the discussion, as vital

a part of the process as it is, will be as short-lived as

possible and that the implementation of reforms which we

all want to see will very soon be effected.

The people of this world are demanding reform. The

Organization itself needs the reform. Let us do it now.

The numbers, geographic representation and decision-

making process of the principal organs of the United

Nations must urgently reflect the realities of the new

millennium.

Membership in the United Nations is based on the

sovereign equality of its Members. Whether we are small

or whether we are big, we are worthy of respect. And we

all have an obligation to work towards maintaining

international peace and security; achieving international

cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural or

humanitarian problems; and encouraging respect for

human rights and for fundamental freedoms.

We do not expect to be in an Organization where the

rule is the law of the jungle; that is, the survival of the

fittest. Rules and regulations of any organization which

can be interpreted and implemented in a manner which

threatens the survival and the very existence of its

members are undesirable.

Most of us are members of the World Trade

Organization (WTO), and I wish to bring it to the

attention of the General Assembly and of all

representatives that recent decisions taken in the WTO at

the request of some Members of this very United Nations

are threatening to destroy the livelihood of smaller

nations. The Commonwealth of Dominica, my country,

and other countries of the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM) are threatened by this action. Our main

means of livelihood — bananas — has been placed on the

shakiest of grounds by this decision. Such uncertainty

brings about instability and can threaten peace.

While the General Assembly has no enforcement

authority, its resolutions and recommendations to Member

States carry the political and moral force of majority

approval. I appeal then to Member States to use whatever

is in their power to persuade the complainants against the

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European banana marketing regime to consider the

consequences of their action and to think again.

Cliches like “desperate times call for desperate

measures” and “a hungry man is an angry man” may sound

banal, but they cannot be ignored. Peace in our region and

peace in the world depend much on the humanitarian

dispensation of justice. The action which has been taken

against us in the WTO is not justice.

The raison d’être for the establishment of the United

Nations was to maintain peace and security. You,

Mr. President, in your address to this body recognized that

peace and security are threatened by international terrorism.

May I draw to your attention that peace and security can

also be threatened by economic terrorism. Our region is

now threatened by economic terrorism, and our

Organization — the United Nations — has a responsibility

and a duty to ensure that no form of terrorism succeeds in

undermining our peace and security.

This matter is so serious that I urge the Secretary-

General to pay a visit to the now tranquil and peaceful

Caribbean region, starting in the Windward Islands, to get

a sense of the situation for himself. For there is a flame

ignited in that area which has the potential to transform

itself into a conflagration of a magnitude capable of

engulfing the entire hemisphere.

In May of this year in Bridgetown, Barbados,

CARICOM and the United States entered into a Partnership

for Prosperity and Security in the Caribbean. Our ability to

meet our obligations for implementation of the Plan of

Action will be seriously compromised by this decision of

the WTO which seeks to deny us the opportunity to earn

our living.

Our Caribbean region is often described as paradise,

but sometimes there can be trouble in paradise. Our region

is prone to natural disasters. Hurricanes, earthquakes and

floods are not uncommon, and the world knows of the slow

destruction of the island of Montserrat by the volcanic

eruptions which have been going on now for over two

years. Member States of CARICOM have come to the help

of this small territory, however there continues to be a great

need for humanitarian assistance, and we look to the

Members of the United Nations for their meaningful

contribution to rebuilding the Emerald Isle.

Man-made threats also plague our region, one such

being the trans-shipment of hazardous waste through the

Caribbean Sea. The indiscriminate pollution of the sea, the

destruction of marine life by the discharge of waste into

the waterway by ocean liners, and the trans-shipment of

illegal drugs and arms all pose serious threats to the

orderly development of the region. There is a need to

establish a regime under the auspices of the United

Nations to stem such practices.

We cannot help but lament that after 50 years and

more our world has not yet found that peace for which

this body was instituted. In the past years we have seen

the struggles in the former Yugoslavia and in Central

Africa. We have witnessed the scourge of ethnic

cleansing and killings. And the Middle East remains

unsettled. Unrest in any part of the world affects us all.

It is therefore our responsibility to work towards that total

peace.

We congratulate the 100 nations which have signed

the Treaty banning the production and dissemination of

landmines. Such weapons of destruction do not deserve to

exist in a civilized world. We trust that nations which are

still hesitating will soon come around and sign — and

eventually ratify — the Treaty.

For there to be peace we must acknowledge the right

of peoples and nations to exist, regardless of colour, class,

race, creed, political belief or model of government. This

decade was declared the International Decade of the

World’s Indigenous People. We are happy to report that

in the Commonwealth of Dominica the first peoples of

the Caribbean, the Caribs, coexist peacefully with the rest

of the population. It is our intention to work diligently

with the Secretary-General so that before this decade is

over there will be some tangible and positive impact on

the lives of our own indigenous people which would give

meaning to the noble intentions of this body in making

this declaration.

The Commonwealth of Dominica as a member of

CARICOM, the Organization of American States (OAS)

and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), is

heartened by the spread of democracy throughout the

hemisphere. We intend to play our part to ensure that this

movement is not transient, but, rather, reflects a deep-

rooted conviction of our people that this is indispensable

for development and prosperity.

We respect the right of all countries to chose their

own model of government, while at the same time we

urge all Members of the Organization to practice or

continue to practice the democratic process and to provide

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for their people full opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of

a democratic society.

It is against this background that the Government and

people of the Commonwealth of Dominica call again on

this world body not to continually close its ears to the pleas

of the Republic of China for international recognition. It

must be remembered that the Republic of China is a

founding Member of this Organization and has been a

Member for the greater part of its existence. The Republic

of China on Taiwan is a politically democratic and

economically dynamic society with a directly elected

Government and Parliament. Dominica therefore urges

Member States not to continue to ignore or block the

efforts being made to admit the Republic of China to

membership of this and other international bodies.

Peace in this world also requires that the hungry be

fed, the homeless sheltered, the ignorant educated, all

people enjoy good health, and our patrimony — the

Earth — kept in a condition that we all can enjoy. We

applaud and encourage the efforts of international

organizations — including United Nations specialized

agencies, which work to satisfy these needs and aspirations.

The effective functioning of this Organization requires

proper management of its resources, both human and

financial. We encourage the Secretary-General in his efforts

in this regard, and we call upon all members to do their

best to provide the necessary financial support to the limits

of their ability. I take this opportunity to congratulate

Mr. Ted Turner on his generous donation to the

Organization and, like him, call upon others to do likewise.

I am convinced that the Secretary-General will use this gift

most wisely and judiciously, knowing that proper utilization

of these funds will dispose others to come forward.

Every country, even the most developed ones, has its

needs. We in Dominica, a developing country, have many.

Globalization and trade liberalization, combined with the

impact of natural disasters, have increased the urgency for

diversifying our economy. In this regard, attention is being

paid to our human resource capacity, to take advantage of

the revolution in technology and communication.

A major thrust in the process of diversification is

tourism, but tourism with a difference: ecotourism. Earlier

I mentioned the need to preserve and conserve the Earth for

the enjoyment of all. My country Dominica has much to

offer to visitors who want to enjoy nature, and we are

working hard to make ourselves the ecotourism destination

of the Caribbean. Some of those listening to me may have

visited Dominica and know how difficult it is to enter

there. We are taking steps to make it easier to visit my

country by the construction of a 24-hour landing facility

for long-range aircraft. We trust that our approach to

friendly nations and institutions for assistance in this

regard will receive favourable consideration.

The beginning of the new millennium is close at

hand. Two years ago we all pledged to redouble our

efforts to work towards fulfilling the obligations we

assumed when we became Members of this great

Organization. Let none of us waver in our resolve. The

key to it all lies in our working together as Members of

the United Nations. Let us join hands and wills to build

this better world. History will judge us harshly if we do

not.