Grenada, 2011

I am honoured to extend

congratulations to Mr. Al-Nasser on his appointment to

the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-

sixth regular session. As two small countries, Qatar and

Grenada share much in common. Accordingly, we look

forward to his leadership and stand ready to support

him for the good of all the members of the General

Assembly and the United Nations itself. We welcome

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his theme on mediation because we believe that when

mediation is properly applied it can minimize

confrontation in the world. I also commend the

outgoing President, Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his

stewardship and dedication during the past year.

Grenada congratulates Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his

election to a second term as Secretary-General and

wishes him continued success.

Now in its thirty-seventh year of independence

and membership of the United Nations, Grenada

renews its commitment to the principles of the United

Nations Charter, believing that universal adherence to

those principles provides guidance to the United

Nations to act on what may seem intractable, for the

United Nations is intended to lead, perhaps more so in

difficult times.

Grenada supports the pursuit of international

peace and security. We believe firmly in the rule of

law, the promotion of democracy and respect for

human rights. We also support the fight against

terrorism, as well as the campaign against the illicit

drug trade. All these pose serious threats to the security

of our changing world. My Government reiterates its

commitment to the United Nations Charter. In support

of the role of the United Nations, this year the

Government of Grenada has signed three global

conventions, including the Convention on Cluster

Munitions, helping to bring about disarmament.

We are all obliged to work selflessly to preserve

our planet for future generations. The avoidance of

nuclear confrontation is one sure way. We therefore

congratulate all Governments that have expended much

time and effort on nuclear non-proliferation.

Since we met a year ago, the world and the

United Nations itself have faced many challenges —

economic, social and political — all of which

undermine stability and people’s survival. The

economic crisis continues to weigh heavily on

Grenada. Our population is experiencing high food and

fuel prices, national revenues have decreased, and debt

continues to be high. The green shoots of recovery that

others have experienced have not reached us. For us,

the economic crisis of 2008 still rages and we must

find a way out of it. Social and political strife remain,

if not in Grenada, in other parts of the world. These

demonstrate that the search for freedom and justice is

far from over.

Human suffering and instability anywhere in the

world hurt us all, even in tiny Grenada, where

unemployment in major capitals affects our tourism

and even our remittances from abroad. The major

challenge facing Grenada as a small island developing

State is how to reduce our weaknesses, how to increase

our resilience, and how to pursue development for

people today and for their children tomorrow.

How are we to respond? We must attempt to

achieve growth with equity, especially for women and

youth, and to support general improvements towards

people’s advancement — that is, create stable

environments and opportunities for our people to

thrive — and we must do so while contributing to a

just, peaceful and democratic global framework. We

believe that whatever the challenge, our common

political will for fairness and justice must remain our

overarching guiding principles in matters economic,

social and political.

Grenada’s main response so far has been to

strengthen our democratic processes and to advance the

Caribbean regional integration movement. At the

national level, we promote social inclusion in the

governance of the country that engages civil society,

the media and the people as a whole. We have

instituted consultations and participation in major

policy and legislative matters, including the revision of

old laws and the making of new ones. At the regional

level, we are working with the Organization of Eastern

Caribbean States and the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM), two groupings that constitute the

unbreakable link with our national undertakings and

how we engage internationally.

Grenada’s efforts to achieve sustainable

development can be helped by both the December 2011

Durban Climate Change Conference and the June 2012

United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development (Rio+20). Grenada appeals to all parties

to negotiate seriously and to meet commitments at both

of these Conferences. These global meetings must

bring added value to the ongoing efforts of Grenada

and other developing countries, especially small States.

Durban 2011 and Rio+20 must surely deliver

meaningful and attainable outcomes, including

fulfilling old obligations and delivering on new ones,

especially on climate financing and the broader

financing for development.

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Developed countries must meet their

commitments to poorer nations. At the sixteenth

session of the Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in

Cancún last year we made some progress on climate

change and we must build on that. We welcome the

establishment of the Transitional Committee of the

Green Climate Fund and hope to see it capitalized and

fully launched in Durban. We are deeply disappointed

that some countries are blocking the mandated review

of 1.5 degrees Celsius as the potential global average

warming limit. We call on those States to withdraw

their objections and support the movement to a safe

threshold for islands and for the world. We are

convinced that an adequate global response to climate

change must remain at the top of the global agenda. A

legally binding outcome must be part of the outcome of

climate negotiations.

I call on partners to hasten the disbursement of

fast-start funds, especially to small island States. These

disbursements must be consistent with the scale of the

damage already done and the continuing threats that we

face from environmental degradation. We express

solidarity with our Pacific sisters and brothers, who are

daily losing territory to sea-level rise, perhaps faster

than we are in the Caribbean. They have my pledge

that we will continue to support them.

Naturally, we are taking responsibility for

ourselves. This year we are launching a sustainable

energy programme for 24 small island developing

States. The Small Island Developing States Sustainable

Energy Initiative (SIDS DOCK) will provide the

foundation for low carbon economic growth and

adaptation to climate change. It will facilitate energy

efficiency and provide renewable energy to 24 small

island developing States. On behalf of the Alliance of

Small Island States I thank the Government and people

of Denmark for making the first contribution of an

initial US$ 14.5 million to SIDS DOCK. We also thank

our partners the World Bank and the United Nations

Development Programme for facilitating the

programme. We invite the international community to

join Denmark in financing this effort.

In a similar vein to our climate change efforts, we

look to the Rio+20 meeting to advance our path to

sustainability. One of the key outcomes for Grenada

and other SIDS must be the development of a green

economy, one that combines investments, jobs and

livelihoods with environmental resources; and a blue

economy, one that takes into account coastal- and

ocean-based income generation. For indeed, peoples’

livelihoods are largely based on environmental

resources and services, including agriculture,

agro-industries, forestry, mining and tourism. The

Rio+20 meeting can and must be a turning point for

political commitment and financing for development.

We know that the United Nations is capable of

leadership. However, it can be more effective if it

anticipates and responds to twenty-first century

challenges. That includes recognizing the fact that

dozens of mature States, many in the developing world,

are ready and able to take responsibility for the

management of the global agenda. The United Nations

must be reformed. How else will it support its growing

agenda? How else can it manage this new global

agenda for global sustainability, peace and

peacekeeping and disaster response within a

democratic multilateral system that is constantly

evolving? What worked for 65 years must be reshaped

for today. That is why we call for reform of the

Security Council to make it more representative and

inclusive. Failure to do this will deny that body the

political legitimacy it needs to maintain and indeed

enhance its leadership role in the world and to make

the best decisions. Grenada joins with other member

States in the Caribbean Community and calls for

expansion of the Security Council in both its

permanent and non-permanent categories and more

openness in its working methods. We call for a

Security Council seat for small island States within a

reasonable time frame and we also call for stronger and

more enhanced United Nations-CARICOM relations to

benefit the people of our Caribbean region.

Grenada welcomes the formation and launch of

the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the

Empowerment of Women, which is aimed at promoting

the rights of women and girls and equality between the

sexes. That is an early success of United Nations

reform.

Grenada is firmly committed to the principle of

self-determination. On 14 July Grenada joined with

other Member States in welcoming the Republic of

South Sudan as the 193rd Member of the United

Nations. We salute the efforts of its people to usher in

peace at home and within the region.

I turn now to the seemingly intractable problem

of moving Palestine from a State-in-waiting to an

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internationally recognized State. This cannot be

separated from the international clamour for

democratic rights now led by the Arab Spring. The just

aspirations of the people of Palestine must be

addressed, and Palestine must not be left behind in the

historical sweep towards open and sustainable

democracies. Equally, the Arab Spring should also be

the occasion for the renewal of a commitment to

Israel’s security. Peace depends on viable democracies

and sustained security. That is why Grenada is

disappointed that the Palestinians and Israelis have not

concluded talks over their long-standing dispute. We

urge a return to these talks and look forward to the

peaceful coexistence of these two States.

It is quite obvious that the world continues to

experience the wrath of nature. We grieve at the waste

of human life and the environmental destruction caused

by disasters worldwide. We express our solidarity to

Member States that have experienced floods,

earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts in the past months.

Grenada calls for a strong global response especially

for the humanitarian crisis now unfolding in the Horn

of Africa.

Grenada welcomes the new President of the sister

CARICOM State of Haiti and wishes him and his team

success as they rebuild Haiti after the devastation of

the earthquake. While we thank all those who have

helped, much still remains to be done. We call on all

who have pledged to help Haiti to deliver on their

pledges and support the efforts of the Haitian people.

Turning now to another Caribbean concern, Grenada

again urges the United States of America to completely

lift the harsh economic embargo against the people of

Cuba. All but a handful of the United Nations

membership have consistently voted for the removal of

that embargo.

We acknowledge that responding to the complex

and interconnected issues on the United Nations

agenda is a major task, even for the United Nations.

Nevertheless, responding must be at the top of the

United Nations agenda. We maintain support for

sustainable development, action on climate change, and

support for justice and peace. Grenada commends the

Secretary-General for organizing a number of high-

level meetings on important topics. We are moved to

single out the High-level Meeting on non-communicable

diseases. This scourge is negatively affecting not just

developing countries but many developed countries as

well. The proliferation of non-communicable diseases

poses a very serious challenge to small island States

like Grenada because of their effects on the labour

force and demands on the shrinking finances of the

country. We therefore welcome the outcome of the

High-level Meeting and we pledge to implement its

recommendations.

Finally, last year, building on the conclusion that

the United Nations is a real force for good in the world,

I challenged the Organization to harness its strength to

better achieve that purpose. This year, drawing on the

message of youth to make the world a better place, I

repeat that call. It is my hope that, under the

stewardship of the President, the General Assembly —

and the United Nations as a whole — will continue to

be the main global force for the good of humanity.

Grenada will do its part to advance this singular and

inspiring goal.