Fiji, 1997

My country and my

delegation warmly congratulate you, Sir, on your election

to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-

second session. Your election to this high office is a tribute

both to you and to your great country, Ukraine. I wish to

assure you of my delegation's fullest cooperation during

your tenure of office.

It also gives me great pleasure to convey our profound

gratitude and appreciation to the outgoing president of the

General Assembly at its fifty-first session, Ambassador

Razali Ismail of Malaysia, who presided over the session

with such consummate skill, expertise and diplomacy, and

distinguished himself by his firm management of the

session through his dedication to and thoroughness in the

discharge of his assignment.

I am also pleased to extend our sincerest

congratulations to the new Secretary-General of the United

Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan. My delegation is convinced that

Mr. Annan will make an outstanding contribution to the

role and responsibilities of the United Nations in

international affairs and to the management of the

Organization. We wish to reassure him of our fullest

cooperation during his tenure of office.

The greatest challenge facing our world today is

economic development, specifically the promotion of

sustained economic growth with equitable social

development, particularly in the developing countries of the

world. For small island developing States like Fiji, and for

many developing countries of the world in general, we need

an international economic environment that is buttressed by

economic justice. We need an international economic

environment that ensures a better life in all the countries of

the world and not in just a few. The slow pace of economic

development and even the lack of such development in

many countries of the world, circumscribed by the evils of

unemployment and poverty, are threats to international

peace and security.

This greatest challenge is growing more and more

acute as economic development is being retarded by a

number of policies, trends and unilateral actions which

pervade our world today. Our development policies, plans

and programmes are being seriously eroded by difficulties

in accessing the markets of the developed countries,

worsening terms of trade, inadequate capital flow for

investment, spiralling debt burdens, protectionist

tendencies, ambivalence in the transfer of technologies

and exchange-rate volatility. Small countries like mine,

and indeed all developing nations, have no real influence

in these matters, except as victims.

The Charter of the United Nations calls for the

promotion of the international economic and social

advancement of all peoples. Implicit, if not explicit, in it

is embedded the principle of economic justice. As

Members of the United Nations, we have a collective

moral and humanitarian obligation to help and assist each

other. We have a collective duty to make our world a

better place to live in. The time has come for the

developed nations of the world, and all international

organizations which can help, to cooperate and ensure

justice by enabling developing countries in their own

efforts towards the acceleration of sustained economic and

social development.

There are a number of ways in which the developing

countries can be assisted towards achieving sustained

economic and social development. Developing countries,

even those endowed with natural resources, are

handicapped by a lack of capital to mobilize these

resources to their advantage. Developing countries need

continuous foreign-direct-investment capital flows to

stimulate and sustain economic growth. Both foreign

direct investment and private-sector investment are needed

to help diversify and increase economic activities,

especially where industrialization is an option.

Through the diversification of our economies we can

produce more for export and trade. In fact, trade is the

best means for sustained income generation and

development. The present globalized international trade is

ideally aimed at ensuring an open, secure, equitable,

transparent and predictable multilateral system wherein all

participants can benefit.

The reality we face is very different from this

espoused ideal. We do not live in an ideal world, but in

the real world, where international trade is dominated by

the industrialized, developed nations. Fiji and other

developing and least-developed countries of the world

15

have to compete for markets with industrial giants. The

international-trade playing field is not level, despite

frequent statements to that effect. In reality, there is no

even playing field. It is in truth marked by inequalities of

power, influence and resources, with steep and almost

insurmountable heights constraining small nations like ours.

In order for small countries like Fiji to survive and to

develop, we must be allowed to retain special arrangements

for our essential exports, which give our people social and

economic security.

My country firmly believes that globalization is the

phenomenon of today's international trade. The

transformation of international trade rules from the Uruguay

Round to the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been

marked by rapid changes that can marginalize small

developing countries like mine.

The appellate body of the WTO has significantly

narrowed the scope of the General Agreement on Tariffs

and Trade (GATT)/WTO waiver to the European

Community in respect of the Lomé Convention. Fiji is

among other African, Caribbean and Pacific countries

which will be adversely affected by these new arrangements

if the arrangements of the Lomé Conventions are eroded.

Furthermore, it has opened up room for policies and

actions, leaving weak developing countries unprotected and

exposed to economic stagnation.

While the WTO is insisting on a level-playing-field

approach, peculiarities that pose problems for small island

developing countries persist. As for Fiji, our smallness,

remoteness and inaccessibility to foreign markets remain

our biggest hurdles in international trade. Annual natural

disasters, a consequence of the climatic conditions in our

location, continue to be a big drain on the Government's

savings in terms of rehabilitation projects. Such angry

seasonal visitations of nature can wreak havoc on budget

plans and our scarce resources.

Small island States like Fiji have a very limited range

and volume of exports and they cannot and will not

dominate and overwhelm any sector of trade commodities.

In that context, my delegation is extremely disappointed at

the recent decision of the World Trade Organization appeal

body against banana exports from Caribbean countries to

the European Union.

We are not asking for favours. We are merely making

a plea for a sensible and reasonable transition period to

enable us to adjust. This cannot be done overnight; thus,

special arrangements must remain to allow us the

opportunity to find means for accommodation and

replacement.

The blind pursuit of free trade, resulting in dire

consequences for small nations and leading to the loss of

other fundamental freedoms, will not serve the purposes

of eradicating poverty and eliminating social and

economic inequalities. We seek an equality of opportunity

in a world dominated by inequalities of resources and

economic might.

The World Trade Organization must bring a sense of

equity and justice in its deliberations and decisions, and

consciously eschew paths which disadvantage even further

already disadvantaged developing nations. We seek an

equality of understanding for the position of the weak and

the small. We seek the creation of genuine freedom in

trade, for trade remains the best means for sustained

development for developing nations.

The access of developing countries to new,

environmentally sound technologies is also pivotal to

economic development and sustained economic growth.

There is a need for developing countries like Fiji to

participate in, benefit from and contribute to the rapid

advances in the technologies of developed, industrialized

countries. Developing countries should be facilitated

access to reliable information on environmentally sound

technologies and helped in institutional development and

capacity-building to accommodate the transfer of such

technologies. Accessibility to knowledge for development

is a right, the right of all nations, not merely of a

powerful few to retain as a monopoly for their own

selfish ends.

Official development assistance is an important

catalyst for development, yet its value remains unrealized.

Only four countries have met or surpassed the official

development assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross

national product. A renewed commitment to this target is

essential in order to fulfil the imperatives established by

the Charter of the United Nations. At this stage of our

development, it is a much needed catalyst to our own

efforts.

External debt repayments continue to be a major

constraint on economic development and sustained

economic growth in major developing countries.

Burdensome debt repayments not only cause economic

development to stagnate, but stifle social development as

well. I call for the adoption of an effective and equitable

development-oriented solution to the debt problem, so that

16

it ceases to be a burden yet remains a useful tool for

sustained development.

I have emphasized economic growth for sustained

development as the direction we must pursue. My country

and Government are fully committed to this goal. Yet, for

economic growth to be sustainable, as well as beneficial

and of quality, the environmental factor must be brought to

the forefront in all our development efforts.

Despite the convening of the recent special session of

the General Assembly for the purpose of an overall review

of the implementation of Agenda 21, there are still no clear

commitments on the part of many developed countries to

work towards achieving such environmental goals as, for

instance, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to

internationally specified levels. The South Pacific Forum

island countries are among the most vulnerable to climate

change in terms of sea level rise and global warming. It is

therefore imperative that all members of the international

community should strive for a firm political commitment

before the next Kyoto Conference, to adopt a stronger

protocol to strengthen the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change.

In this connection, my delegation joins others in

expressing our appreciation to the private sector and civil

society for the supportive interest they have shown in the

search for an acceptable international solution to such

global concerns. A most welcome demonstration of this is

the recent donation of $1 billion by the Turner Foundation

in support of certain crucial activities of the United Nations.

We need more of such assistance to further sustain and

strengthen the work of the United Nations in achieving its

targets.

I would now like to turn my attention to the issue of

international security. Today we are witnessing a most

significant period of change in our world, a change which

bodes well for permanent and lasting peace and security.

The cold war has been over for some time now and the

tensions and threats to peace and security which it

generated are behind us. As a consequence, and with the

adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

(CTBT), we have moved a step further towards nuclear

disarmament. While this is gratifying, there is much more

to be done to achieve the objective of our Organization to

turn our swords into ploughshares and our spears into

pruning hooks.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has

added to the impressive list of political and legal

instruments intended to de-escalate the production and

stockpiling of nuclear weapons. We have come a long

way in our efforts to prevent a nuclear holocaust on our

planet, but the existence and improvement of nuclear

weapons still leaves the threat over us. The current

international situation creates a favourable condition for

the international community, and particularly nuclear-

weapon States, to take steps towards eliminating nuclear

weapons from our planet. While the CTBT is a step in

the right direction, it lacks a clear time-frame for the

removal of all nuclear weapons from our midst.

My delegation urges the international community to

begin negotiations as soon as possible on a treaty to halt

and prohibit, with acceptable verification, the production

and development of all nuclear weapons. My delegation

further urges the nuclear-weapon States to destroy all

stockpiles and arsenals of nuclear weapons, with

acceptable international verification, and thereby rid the

world of nuclear weapons, once and for all.

My delegation warmly welcomes the finalization in

Oslo last week of a draft treaty prohibiting the

development, production, acquisition, stockpiling,

retaining or transferring of anti-personnel landmines. We

call on all nations of the world to sign and ratify the

treaty.

In the achievement of all these objectives, whether

they relate to sustained development or disarmament, the

United Nations has a crucial role. It must possess a

dynamism to be effective. It cannot be cumbersome,

unwieldy and partial. To meet new challenges, the United

Nations must be streamlined. A meaningful international

organization such as ours must adapt to changes,

enhancing its relevance and competence. The entire

international community, including my country, has been

calling for the reform of the United Nations. It has taken

some time, but at last our new Secretary-General has

presented his recommendations for a restructured

Organization that can carry us over the threshold into the

new millennium. I would like to thank the Secretary-

General for his comprehensive, constructive and coherent

recommendations.

My delegation will carefully study the bold and far-

reaching recommendations for reform, and we endorse the

proposals in principle. I make a plea that in the

implementation of these reforms there must also be

positive benefits for the small Member States, including

their increased participation in the United Nations system.

I am particularly pleased that the Secretary-General has

17

identified economic and social affairs, as well as

development cooperation, as core activities. His proposals

are congruent with the high priority which my delegation

places on economic growth for sustained development. I

have already stated that the United Nations must play a

constructive and catalytic role, within its macroeconomic

policies to facilitate economic growth for sustained

development, thereby enabling developing countries, which

constitute the vast majority of the Members of the

Organization, to have an equal share in the opportunities for

wealth creation.

I fully support the submission that peacekeeping will

remain an indispensable instrument of the United Nations.

My country, small though it is, has played its part in

international peacekeeping programmes in virtually every

theatre of the world since we joined the United Nations in

1970. In fact, in terms of size of population, Fiji is

presently among the largest troop contributors to United

Nations peacekeeping programmes. In the process, several

of our peacekeepers have lost their lives. But as a nation

we remain committed to the goal of permanent and lasting

peace in our world. I might add here that it is a cause of

great pride, but pride tempered with humility, that one of

our nationals, Major-General Jioje Konrote, has been

appointed Force Commander of the United Nations Interim

Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). It reflects the degree and

extent of the commitment of our small nation of fewer than

a million people towards the peace and security of our

world.

The proposals for the reform of the United Nations

encompass new management and efficiency measures which

should reduce administrative costs, but the financial

predicament of our Organization will not be resolved

entirely by cost-cutting measures. It can be resolved if

Member countries pay their contributions promptly. We call

on all Member States which are in arrears to settle those

arrears promptly, fully and without conditions.

As we press ahead with the reform of the United

Nations, it becomes incumbent on us to ensure that this

extends to the Security Council. My country continues to

advocate that the Security Council should be expanded to

reflect an equitable geographical distribution, taking into

account the substantial increase in the membership of the

United Nations. Reforms affecting the Security Council

should encompass opportunity for participation in its

decisions, transparency in its work, a constructive

relationship with the General Assembly and the limited

scope and use of the veto power.

On the issue of expansion, my country wishes to

reiterate the recommendation it made to the General

Assembly last November with regard to the membership

of the Security Council, especially its non-permanent

membership. We strongly favour an equitable and wider

representation of non-permanent members, by which

regions and subregions would adopt a rotation system,

including a prohibition on immediate re-election.

I further submit that in the same way that the

Caribbean forms a special subregion of the Latin

American Group, the South Pacific region comprising 14

independent island States, eight of which are members of

the United Nations, and Australia and New Zealand,

should become a special subregion, ensuring continuous

membership from our region.

These changes are prerequisites for a dynamic

United Nations with credibility in the next millennium.

Now more than ever, our international community

needs a system of preventive diplomacy that can respond

promptly, positively and peacefully to potential conflicts

and threats of genocide. My country continues to call for

a special United Nations division or unit to undertake

preventive diplomacy in conflict prevention and conflict

resolution. The division should have the capacity to

receive, collate, analyze and interpret intelligence

information and reports, with a view to early detection of

potential conflicts and early reaction to minimize, contain

and resolve such conflicts in collaboration with the

relevant Member States. May I reiterate that in such a

division, adequate representation of skills and expertise

from small States must be mandatory, for the division

must not become a device or a creature of the powerful

to impose their will on their own terms.

Speaking as the head of Government of a small

island developing country, I totally support the principle

of capacity to pay as a fundamental criterion and a firm

benchmark on which the contribution of member

countries to the United Nations should be assessed. My

country therefore fully supports the recommendation of

the Committee on Contributions that the scale of

assessments for all Member States whose share of

adjusted national income is below the current floor rate of

0.01 per cent should be assessed at their actual share of

adjusted income. We also support the recommended

minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent. We further

urge that the ceiling should not be lowered any further

because a reduction will negate the effect of reducing the

recommended minimum floor rate.

18

My delegation supports the establishment of an

international criminal court. Recent crimes against

humanity, including genocide, have made it incumbent on

the international community to take stern action against

those who perpetrate such heinous acts. It is our sincere

hope that the current efforts by the international community

will be crowned with success and that come next year we

shall be in a position to adopt a treaty establishing the

international criminal court.

My country strongly emphasizes that the protection

and security of small States should remain a central concern

of the United Nations. Increasingly, elected Governments

and the sovereignty and security of their States are

threatened by transnational networks of crime, narcotics,

money-laundering and terrorism. These scourges are

expanding, and international cooperation and action are

essential to counter them.

The Middle East continues to be a cauldron aboil with

conflict, tension, violence and early death, the latter sadly

reaching tragic proportions since last year's session of the

General Assembly. We call upon all parties involved to

engage in genuine negotiations towards a just and lasting

peace in the Middle East. We call upon the international

community, too, to contribute towards a just and lasting

peace.

Last year, I commended both the People's Republic of

China and Taiwan for their efforts toward reconciling their

differences. I wish to renew my plea to them to work

towards unity. We in Fiji enjoy excellent relations with

both of them, though we adhere firmly to our One China

policy. We in the Pacific continue to enjoy their generosity

and their concern for the welfare of the people of the South

Pacific. Both the People's Republic of China and Taiwan

enjoy our friendship and trust. Fiji and the other 15 member

countries of the South Pacific Forum welcome their

participation in the annual post-Forum dialogue and

consultation with each of them. It is our fervent wish that

they will, together, find a solution for their common future.

Likewise, I urge South and North Korea to negotiate

a solution that will bring lasting peace and unity to the

people of Korea.

Fiji is an oceanic State. As in many island countries,

our progress and development depend as much on our land

territory as on the sea around us. We are, therefore,

concerned that the seas are utilized in a manner that is

environmentally sound and that the development of marine

resources is orderly and sustainable so that they can serve

the present and future generations. We insist on this

approach at the national level and strongly support similar

efforts at regional and global levels.

In the past decade, our region has adopted a number

of treaties and declarations that address the issue of better

management of oceans. More recently, following a

decision of the heads of Governments of the South Pacific

Forum, the region has taken the initiative to negotiate

with distant-water fishing States the establishment of a

regional fisheries management organization in order to

give effect to the provisions of the 1982 Convention on

the Law of the Sea and the Agreement relating to the

Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks

and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. This is an important

initiative which is designed to promote sustainable use of

the region's valuable fish resources to the benefit of both

the coastal States and distant-water fishing nations. We

look forward to a successful outcome to these

negotiations.

As Fiji was the first State to ratify the Convention

on the Law of the Sea, in 1982, I feel gratified that,

thanks to the efforts of many, including my own country,

in resolving the outstanding problems, the Convention

today enjoys universal support and near universal

participation.

All States benefit from the stability and certainty that

has been achieved in the new regime of the Law of the

Sea. By defining the jurisdiction of States in marine areas,

and by setting out the rights and duties of States, the

Convention represents an important contribution to

international peace and security.

The institutions established under the Convention,

namely the International Seabed Authority and the

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the

work being done with respect to the oceans in the United

Nations itself, require the support of the international

community if the achievements of the Convention are to

be consolidated and its promise of benefits to the peoples

of the world is to be realized.

Last year, I lent my strong support to an early

adoption of the draft United Nations declaration of the

rights of indigenous peoples. I renew my call here.

We are informed in the United Nations Development

Programme's Human Development Report 1997 about the

bleak future for indigenous people in almost all societies

where they are to be found. It is a great tragedy indeed

19

that indigenous people have seen their values and customs

destroyed by incoming population. They face discrimination

in employment and disparities in education and they fare

worse in the non-income dimensions of poverty.

The observation of the International Decade of the

World's Indigenous People, the programme of activities

associated with it and the efforts of the international

community to prepare a draft United Nations declaration on

the rights of indigenous peoples, will mean little or nothing

if the indigenous people remain a disadvantaged people in

our world. The United Nations Voluntary Fund for

Indigenous Populations, however meaningful, is a mere

drop in the ocean of what is required to really facilitate the

development of the indigenous people. The World Bank

programme to assist indigenous people is too limited in

scope and application. The Member States of the United

Nations and the international community should do more.

The survival of the indigenous people is at stake.

My own country is the home of two indigenous

groups, Fijians and Rotumans, but it is also the home of

others who came into our country more recently. These

newcomers represent nearly half the population of my

country. A major challenge for us has been to accommodate

the interests and aspirations of these citizens and to

reconcile them with the sensibilities, perceptions and

pre-eminent status of our indigenous people. We are

ensuring peaceful co-existence and cooperation with

security and respect for the fundamental rights of all our

citizens.

It gives me great pleasure to address briefly recent

developments in my own country, Fiji, before this

Assembly. Our delegation has kept the Assembly up to date

with political developments in our country, in particular our

efforts to formulate a new Constitution that is acceptable to

all the ethnic communities in the country. Our current

Constitution, the 1990 Constitution, was promulgated to

secure adequate representation in Parliament for the

indigenous people in order to guarantee, protect and

enhance their future in their country. That Constitution was

reviewed by a Commission last year. Following the

submission of the report of the commission, a Parliamentary

Select Committee comprising representatives of all the

political parties in our Parliament gave due consideration to

the report and reached a consensus to amend the 1990

Constitution. The changes were written into the Constitution

Amendment Bill of 1997 which was unanimously approved

by the House of Representatives and the Senate and signed

into law by our President on 25 July 1997. The amended

Constitution comes into effect on 27 July 1998.

I do not intend to provide all of the details of the

new Constitution, except to say that it contains an

entrenched Bill of Rights guaranteeing and protecting the

equal rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals

and groups, irrespective of race, religion, gender or

economic status. In addition to an independent judiciary,

citizens will also have recourse to an ombudsman and a

human rights commission in the protection of their basic

rights. The Constitution continues to enshrine the full

right of self-determination of the indigenous Fijian and

Rotuman people, including their right to maintain a

separate system of administration to safeguard their

interests and welfare.

A unique feature of the Constitution is the inclusion

of a Compact which recognizes certain principles,

including the following: the preservation of the ownership

of land, including the ownership of indigenous Fijian land

according to Fijian custom; the right of all persons to

practice their religion freely and to retain their language,

culture and tradition; and a commitment by all political

parties and their leaders to cooperate in the formation of

a broadly based Government to ensure that the interests

of all communities in Fiji's multi-ethnic and multi-cultural

society are taken fully into account.

Indeed, an innovative feature of our new

Constitution is the provision for the formation of a multi-

party Government. This is to allow for the representation

in Cabinet of all political parties that secure seats in

Parliament through general elections. We have no

doubt - in fact, we are very confident - that with the

commitment, goodwill and cooperation of all, this

pioneering approach of bringing all communities together

in national decision-making, in government and in

Parliament, is the best way of consolidating and

promoting enduring peace, unity and progress in our little

country of Fiji. From our ethnic and cultural diversity, we

are determined to build a strong nation with the full

participation of all citizens and communities in it.

We are the world. We who are gathered here

represent the Governments and peoples of the world. We

have it in our power to facilitate economic development

and sustained economic growth that include the full and

equal participation of the developing countries of the

world. Let us make it an international imperative.

Today I call on all of us to rededicate ourselves

anew to our commitment to the United Nations. Upon the

high principles of mutual love, justice and care on which

it was established, let us together make our world a better

place in which to live.