Dominican Republic, 2004

It is a great honour for me today to

address the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session,

on behalf of the Government of Leonel Fernández and

of the people of the Dominican Republic, in this forum

devoted to the maintenance of peace and the promotion

of development and harmony among peoples. Once

again, we are speaking out on the most delicate and

important issues on the international agenda so that we

can join forces in the search for viable solutions to the

problems that affect us all.

I extend my sincerest congratulations to you, Sir,

on your election to the presidency of the General

Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. We are confident

that you will steer our work along the path of peace

and security for the good of mankind. We also

underscore the important work accomplished by the

outgoing President, Mr. Julian Hunte of Saint Lucia.

The Dominican Republic has been struck by a

force of nature that has left death and destruction in its

wake in various parts of the country. The rain and the

wind of Hurricane Jeanne had severe consequences for

the eastern part of our country, destroying homes,

means of communication, bridges, crops and tourist

infrastructure, at a time when the Dominican Republic

had been making increasing efforts to jumpstart its

economy. We take this opportunity to express our

thanks for the international community’s solidarity in

these difficult times for the Dominican Republic. I

would also like to express my deepest thanks to

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has expressed

solidarity with our country and with Haiti in the

context of this natural disaster.

The fact of globalization steadily deepens

relations among our countries, challenging our capacity

to take advantage of the opportunities that

globalization offers, as well as our capacity to limit its

negative impact. Together with the contradictory and

complex processes of integration and disintegration,

our countries still hope that the benefits of

globalization will create conditions making it possible

to overcome poverty and attain a good life.

A tragic event that occurred in this city of New

York on 11 September 2001 changed the destiny of

humankind in a matter of minutes, and made the world

increasingly dangerous and insecure. The promise of

lasting peace presaged by the end of the cold war was

destroyed by terrorist actions — actions which were

condemned by all humankind and which have

unleashed a steady escalation of violence that has

turned the world into a place of uncertainty.

We must spare no effort to rid humankind of the

threat of terrorism. We condemn terrorist acts in all

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their forms and manifestations, whatever their source

and whomever may be affected, and want to

underscore the importance of international cooperation

in the fight against that scourge, which should always

be prosecuted in strict compliance with international

law, and, in particular, with human rights and

international humanitarian law.

The Dominican Republic is founded on an

unconditional commitment to the norms and principles

of international law, and particularly those that relate to

the peaceful settlement of disputes, the condemnation

of the use of force, compliance in good faith with

international treaties and the implementation of the

resolutions of the United Nations and its deliberative

bodies, including the General Assembly, the Security

Council and the Commission on Human Rights.

We reaffirm the view to which countries

committed themselves in May 2004 at the third

Summit Conference of Heads of State and Government

of Latin America and the Caribbean and of the

European Union, as set out in paragraph 8 of the

Declaration of Guadalajara:

“[A]n effective multilateral system, based on

international law, supported by strong

international institutions and with the United

Nations at its centre, is essential for achieving

peace and international security, sustainable

development and social progress.”

However, in order to achieve those objectives we

must streamline, modernize and reform the entire

multilateral international system, a process that States

must support through respect for and compliance with

the resolutions adopted, without neglecting genuine

and effective equitable regional participation.

Multilateralism is one of the main pillars of the

foreign policy of the Dominican Republic, as can be

seen by our participation and cooperation in all

international forums. For that reason, we join those

nations that call for a thorough reform of the United

Nations system, with a view to enhancing its

democratization and making it a more effective

instrument for States Members. That reform must be

geared, first of all, towards strengthening the General

Assembly, the most important body of the

Organization, and the Security Council, in which there

is unequal geographical representation. We reiterate yet

again the suggestion that has been made for several

years now: the Security Council should be expanded so

that Asia, Africa and Latin America can have two

permanent members, and the number of non-permanent

seats should be increased in order to democraticize the

decision-making mechanism of that forum for peace.

Those reforms are necessary to make the multilateral

system more agile and effective, so that it may more

successfully confront global threats and challenges.

I would like to echo the commitment undertaken

by the heads of State or Government who met in Santo

Domingo in August and adopted the Declaration of

Santo Domingo 2004, in which we agreed that:

“[t]he fight against poverty is essential to the

consolidation of democracy. In that regard, it is

necessary to formulate and implement public

policies aimed at strengthening economic growth

and an equitable distribution of national income

and wealth.”

As we are all aware, the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) has reported that the richest 20

per cent of Latin America’s population receives 54 per

cent of national income, whereas the poorest 20 per

cent of population receives only four per cent. This fact

is an attack on governability.

We want to underscore the importance of a

meeting that was held at the United Nations last

week — the gathering of world leaders in an alliance

against hunger and poverty, which resulted in a serious

commitment on the part of each and every one of our

representatives here to fight unwaveringly and

effectively to achieve the agreed objectives.

For the Government of the Dominican Republic,

the fight against corruption is a priority. We have

shown this by implementing mechanisms to prevent

and punish acts of corruption. That scourge has a grave

impact on the economies of our countries. We all know

that the main victims of corruption are the poor. We

need, above all, to strengthen existing mechanisms,

and to produce others if necessary, in order to wage a

pitched battle against corruption and those who benefit

from it, regardless of their origin or social class. We

have taken this decision because we see that the rise in

corruption in our region has jeopardized the

governability of all of our countries. Governmental

transparency and a greater participation of civil society

are necessary to combat this evil.

We wish to emphasize this morning the

importance and effectiveness of the follow-up

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mechanism for the implementation of the Inter-

American Convention Against Corruption, and its Plan

of Action adopted in Managua. Likewise, we ask that

our countries not be used as safe havens for persons

convicted of acts of corruption. We also advocate the

return of those ill-gotten gains to the countries that

have fallen victim to this evil, which, together with

drug trafficking, has a negative impact on the stability

of democracy and the enforcement of the rule of law.

In recent years, Dominican Republic has made

real progress in its struggle against trafficking in

persons, where the most vulnerable populations are

women and children, whether at the regional or

international level. Through the establishment of

national and international networks against trafficking

in Dominican children and adolescents, and with the

cooperation of the diplomatic foreign and consular

services, we have made great strides in that area. We

take this opportunity to emphasize the participation of

the International Organization for Migration and its

important support in this struggle.

As for the struggle of countries against the

manufacture and illicit trade in small arms and light

weapons, our country is committed to assisting in the

areas of investigation and the adoption of measures for

strengthening global and regional cooperation in order

to fight against this scourge. States must continue to

make every effort to implement the Programme of

Action adopted by the United Nations Conference on

the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in

All Its Aspects.

We also want to express our deep concern at the

high level of kidnappings and crime in our countries —

a level that increases year after year, thus worsening

the sense of insecurity felt by persons of all social

classes and races. The rise in crime is a threat to the

security and safety of our citizens and to the

democratic governability of all of our countries. Well-

designed deterrence mechanisms based on zero

tolerance, an efficient police force, and a strengthened

judiciary will all be necessary to reduce this scourge,

which has a significant impact on the lives of our

citizens.

On a different topic, the Caribbean now has the

second highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world.

We invite the Member States of the United Nations to

rededicate themselves to the terms of the Declaration

of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted at the special

session of the General Assembly on 27 June 2001.

Dominican legislation includes law 55-93 on

HIV/AIDS, which is now in the process of being

reformed and which represents one of the few existing

pieces of legislation in our region regarding that

disease. We reiterate the request for cooperation to the

international community so that, through financing, the

countries most seriously affected can have more

resources to deal with the consequences of that illness

in order to provide the comprehensive care that is very

necessary, as well as the antiretroviral medications to

combat the illness. This is based on the right of all

citizens to life and health.

In recent years and in most international forums,

our country has referred to the grave crisis confronting

the sister republic of Haiti. We have drawn attention to

the fact that the Dominican Republic could not and

cannot bear the weight of this crisis and its

consequences on its shoulders alone. On more than one

occasion we have called on the international

community for solidarity. We do so with the intent of

beginning a far-reaching process that can help in

finding a solution to this problem. Today, we see that

overcoming this crisis represents a major challenge to

the United Nations, and therefore we support the

process that began through the United Nations

Stabilization Mission in Haiti. We consider it very

important that the Haitian people see this peaceful

mission as the participation of the international

community in the stabilization of their nation, and that

they at no time view it as an occupation force.

Hurricane Jeanne has caused thousands of deaths

and much destruction in the area of Gonaïves, Haiti,

thus deepening the economic and humanitarian crisis in

that country. Now, more than ever, we call on the

international community and international financial

bodies to provide the necessary financial resources that

can place that nation on the path toward stability and

progress.

Many regions of the world have not yet achieved

the peace to which they aspire. Despite all the efforts

undertaken in that regard, innocent people continue to

lose their lives in a conflict that for decades has

characterized the instability of the Middle East.

The Dominican Republic avails itself of this

forum to reaffirm its unrestricted support for the peace

process begun between Israel and Palestine during the

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1991 Madrid Conference, for the Oslo Agreements, for

the recommendations made by United States Senator

George Mitchell in his final report and for the road

map presented by President George Bush and

supported by Russia and the European Union.

Finally, the Dominican Republic reiterates its

position, expressed in various forums, on the need for a

constructive dialogue between the nations located on

both sides of the Straits of Taiwan in order to ensure

peace and security in that region.

I conclude by expressing the hope that this

occasion has enabled the Governments represented at

this meeting to reflect seriously on our destiny — the

destiny of all men and women who live on Earth —

and also that the United Nations will be able, with the

cooperation of States, to establish the balance

necessary for the benefit of international peace and

security.