Jamaica, 1996

May I, on behalf of the

delegation of Jamaica, convey to Mr. Razali Ismail our

warmest congratulations on his election as President of

the fifty-first session of the General Assembly. In so

doing we pay tribute to his country, Malaysia, which is

linked to Jamaica by close ties of friendship and

collaboration and which continues to play a prominent

role in international affairs. I would assure him of the full

support and cooperation of the Jamaican delegation in the

deliberations on the many important issues before us.

I should like to congratulate your predecessor, His

Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral, for the able

manner in which he guided the work of the fiftieth

session. Let me also express appreciation to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his untiring

efforts to promote peace and development.

There are many who, with good reason, approach

this fifty-first session with a sense of despair and deep

concern about the future of the United Nations and the

vital mission that it must undertake on behalf of the

peoples of the world. They look back at the promises and

the pledges made during the fiftieth anniversary

celebrations and try to reconcile these lofty messages with

the continuing crisis being faced by this body and the

difficulties confronting the multilateral system.

Rather than dwelling on the missed opportunities and

the difficulties that have confronted us, my delegation

would wish for this Assembly to recognize the imperative

15

need for effective global action in the pursuit of the goals

of international peace and security, economic and social

well-being, and justice for all. In so doing, we must all

reaffirm our commitment to the principles on which the

United Nations is based. Our Prime Minister, P. J.

Patterson, and other world leaders joined in renewing the

collective commitment to these principles at last year’s

Special Commemorative Meeting.

The fundamental goal of the United Nations is the

achievement and preservation of international peace and

security. We have witnessed in recent times the end of the

cold war and the dramatic reduction in East-West tensions.

At the same time, we have witnessed the tragic emergence

of horrific levels of ethnic tension, regional instability and

intra-State upheavals, which have threatened international

peace and security. These have severely tested the mettle of

the United Nations system and the community of nations as

a whole.

The challenges to peacemakers and peacekeepers in

this period have been many. We must, today, recognize the

successes that have been achieved through combined

multilateral and regional action in the spirit of the Charter.

A functioning multilateral system should work effectively

to restrain aggression and the exercise of military power.

We must resist tendencies towards unilateralism which are

unhealthy and negative signs for the international system.

We must insist that the established mechanisms for conflict

resolution and decision-making in relation to issues of

multilateral security are upheld.

Jamaica and sister nations of the Caribbean joined the

international community in mounting a United Nations

Mission in Haiti that brought an end to the wanton violence

and the tragedies at sea that characterized the period of

military dictatorship in that country.

The return of democracy has brought renewed hope,

opportunity and optimism to the people of Haiti. These

sentiments can be sustained only if we continue to help the

Government and people of Haiti to overcome the obstacles

that still confront them in this quest. It is important that the

United Nations Support Mission in Haiti be given the

means necessary to enable it to meet its objectives. It is

even more critical that the international community commit

itself to providing the technical and financial resources

necessary to assist Haiti to achieve economic and social

development.

The nations of the Caribbean seek to maintain a

climate free of tension and confrontation. We seek the

normalization of relations, which will reduce the

atmosphere of uncertainty and the dangers of

confrontation in the region. We seek this in an

atmosphere of respect for sovereign rights and a

commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes. We

reject the extra-territorial application of national

legislation, which is inconsistent with international law.

Within the wider Caribbean, we continue to pursue

the goal of regional integration through the Caribbean

Community (CARICOM) and the Association of

Caribbean States. It is our objective to achieve the

creation of a Caribbean zone of peace and cooperation.

We are united by a common determination to remove the

barriers that divide us and to protect the precious natural

heritage that we share. For this we have to engage the

active participation of all countries in the region.

We wish to commend the efforts of African

Governments and the Organization of African Unity to

overcome the grave difficulties that Africa has been

experiencing. We particularly welcome the initiative for

a conference on peace, security and stability in the

African Great Lakes region. We can only hope that,

through a comprehensive approach, lasting solutions can

be found to the situations in Burundi and Rwanda. We

reiterate our strong support for the efforts of the

international community to implement the United Nations

New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s

and the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on

Africa.

We are encouraged by recent events in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, which have paved the way for elections in

that country, and look forward to the restoration of

stability and a harmonious relationship among its people.

We support the position that the Middle East peace

process should be consolidated and proceed on the basis

of the principles already agreed and accepted by all

parties. There should be no turning back. Peace is

attainable if the parties approach negotiations in a spirit

of accommodation and compromise, and recognize their

common interest in ensuring stability and mutual respect

for each other’s rights. We hope that the talks, which

begin today at the invitation of President Clinton, will

lead to a speedy agreement among the parties.

While the United Nations must focus critical

attention on the crises caused by conflict and violent

confrontation, it must never lose sight of the root cause of

instability and tension — poverty, deprivation, hunger

16

and disease. It is in the depth of human misery that the

swords of anger and division are most quickly unsheathed.

A commitment to the goals of peace and security is

meaningless without a commitment to fostering sustained

economic growth and sustainable development, and to

waging war on poverty and human misery.

The emerging global economic environment gives us

cause for both optimism and grave anxiety. Phenomenal

economic growth in a few countries is contrasted with

decline and stagnation in the majority. An increasingly

affluent world coexists with a huge and marginalized

underclass. This polarization is reflected both internally and

externally.

A failure to address inequities can and will inevitably

lead to what the 1996 Human Development Report so

graphically describes on page 8 as

“a world gargantuan in its excesses and grotesque in

its human and economic inequalities.”

For many low-income countries that lack adequate

access to development capital and other resources, official

development assistance remains a critical but diminishing

source of support. Moreover, the problem of external debt

is also a burden for many of these countries. Agreed

arrangements have proved inadequate in alleviating debt

burdens, and alternate strategies still have to be found.

It is against this background that Jamaica continues to

insist that achieving sustained economic growth and

sustainable development must remain a priority objective of

the global agenda. In the series of global conferences

ending recently with the Second United Nations Conference

on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Governments

demonstrated their ability to collaborate in analyzing socio-

economic and environmental problems.

Taken together, these conferences represent deliberate

efforts to define a framework for development cooperation

and multilateral commitments. These global forums have

raised the level of awareness of development issues. We

should now not allow inertia to take over. It is essential,

therefore, that we honour the commitments and meet the

internationally agreed targets emanating from these

conferences. Their success depends on political will and the

provision of adequate resources to ensure follow-up and

implementation.

The 1997 special session devoted to the assessment

and review of the implementation of Agenda 21 and the

results of the 1992 United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development in Rio will provide an

ideal opportunity for the international community to

assess progress in carrying out the agreed commitments.

For small island developing countries, the review

process is of great significance, and we hope it will

provide the momentum fully to implement the Barbados

Programme of Action.

Governments, including my own, have created their

own framework for implementation at the national level.

Jamaica has embraced the concept of sustainable

development, and our policies have been oriented towards

achieving these goals.

The main challenge faced by small island developing

States is to find the resources to develop a programme

that is designed to reduce the vulnerability of their

economies and generate economic growth and

development. This envisages a systematic approach to the

categorization of island developing countries by

specialization or socio-economic performance.

The Uruguay Round agreements, on which the

World Trade Organization is founded, provide the

framework for a liberalized multilateral trading system.

Many developing countries are unlikely to benefit in

the short term from the Uruguay Round agreements.

Structurally weak and vulnerable developing countries

require favourable arrangements and equitable terms and

conditions to enable them to make the necessary

adjustments to participate successfully in world trade.

Free trade must never be viewed as an end in itself;

it must be a vehicle for development. It is for this reason

that the World Trade Organization recognizes the need for

special and differential treatment for developing countries

and waivers for special trading regimes. This must be

respected in both letter and spirit.

We are of the firm view that no action should be

taken to erode our vital interests or remove equitable and

long-standing arrangements that affect the very economic

survival of some developing countries. In this context, I

refer to the current action by a coalition of powerful

special interests with respect to the special terms enjoyed

by a number of developing countries through their

arrangements with the European Union. It has been made

abundantly clear that the removal of preferences would

17

have a serious negative impact on the economies of

Jamaica and other Caribbean countries.

My delegation therefore calls upon those who would

seek to use the World Trade Organization as an instrument

to attack the very foundation of the economies of small

developing States to desist from this course of action. The

thoughtless assault upon the Lomé Banana Protocol is of

great concern to my country and to sister Caribbean banana

producers, which stand to suffer economic devastation if the

selfish acts of these powerful interests are allowed to

succeed.

The trend towards globalization is irreversible, but not

all of us are capable of making the adjustments necessary

in the short term to cope with its consequences. The United

Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

has an important role to play in assisting developing

countries to meet the challenges brought about by

globalization and liberalization and to facilitate their

integration in the world trading system. In this regard, we

welcome the renewed vigour of this body, as exemplified

at the ninth session of UNCTAD, where Governments

reaffirmed the relevance of UNCTAD’s mandate as the

focal point for dealing with trade and related development

issues.

It is necessary to examine and assess the United

Nations system and its capacity to respond to political and

humanitarian emergencies. The United Nations must begin

to link peace-keeping and peacemaking in a more coherent

and consistent manner. We note the work in this regard

taking place in the Assembly’s Informal Open-ended

Working Group on an Agenda for Peace. We recognize the

need for a rapidly deployable unit and support the efforts to

put this in place.

An important step was taken in the field of

disarmament recently with the adoption of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Jamaica

regards the CTBT as an incremental step and looks forward

to the next stage, which is the adoption of a programme to

achieve the ultimate goal of complete nuclear disarmament.

Those States with nuclear capabilities have a responsibility

to carry out their obligations in good faith not only in

regard to nuclear testing, but also with respect to non-

proliferation.

The problem of drug abuse and illicit traffic in

narcotics continues to pose a serious threat to society. The

extent of drug abuse and drug trafficking shows that it

transcends national and geographic boundaries. National

commitment and international cooperation are therefore

required to address this problem. It is against this

background that Jamaica strongly supports the convening

of a special session of the General Assembly in 1998 to

address the illicit trafficking in and use of drugs. At the

same time, we must recognize the impact of related

criminal activity, which is spawned by the illicit drug

trade. Of particular concern is the nexus between drug

trafficking and trafficking in arms and high-powered

weapons. We urge those States that are producers of these

arms to be more vigilant in enforcing control over their

distribution and illegal export.

Since we met last year, significant developments

have occurred with regard to the implementation of the

Convention on the Law of the Sea. With the completion

of elections to the various institutions of the authority, the

International Seabed Authority is now operational. We

congratulate Secretary-General Mr. Satya Nandan on his

election and express our confidence that his leadership

and guidance will enable the Authority to discharge its

mandate. It is vital that adequate resources be provided in

order to ensure that the Authority becomes firmly

established.

We also take this opportunity to welcome the

historic election on 1 August of the members of the

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. We look

forward to the inauguration of the Tribunal in its host city

of Hamburg later this month. This will be another

landmark in the process of the implementation of the

Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We should note the tremendous achievements of the

United Nations in the progressive development of

international law. A significant number of instruments

have been concluded that provide the legal underpinnings

of the multilateral system. It is a dynamic process which

is helping to bring more order to international relations.

The creation of an international criminal court is among

the latest initiatives on which substantive work has been

done. Jamaican experts have participated actively in the

progressive development of international law. We are

ready to contribute further to the machinery of the

international legal system.

To respond to a multitude of challenges, the United

Nations needs to be renewed and revitalized. There is a

strongly shared perception that we must proceed

expeditiously with the task of bringing about the much-

needed reform of the United Nations system in the

collective interest. The initiative to restructure and

18

improve performance, productivity and the cost-

effectiveness of the United Nations system is an important

one. The adoption of resolution 50/227 — which contains

further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of

the United Nations system in the economic, social and

related fields — is evidence of the efforts to improve the

operational aspects of the work of the system. Jamaica is

committed to working with other Member States throughout

this session of the General Assembly to continue the

process of strengthening the Organization.

The persistence of disputes and conflicts suggests the

need for strengthening the United Nations machinery for

dealing with these problems. The Security Council, which

under the Charter of the United Nations holds the mandate

for the maintenance of international peace and security, has

an important and strategic role to play in the process. As

we all know, aspects of its composition and role are

currently under review. Certainly, it is acknowledged that

we should be moving in the direction of greater

democratization and increased participation by Member

States in critical decisions affecting the international

community. The expansion of the membership of the

United Nations and the significant changes in the political

and economic conditions in Member States must surely be

important factors in determining changes in the composition

of the Council and the status of its members.

Jamaica is not committed to any rigid formula for

change, but whatever formula is arrived at should satisfy

the need for democratic participation consistent with the

sovereign equality of States and with the equitable

distribution of seats. The need for reform should be

matched by increased political will to use the machinery of

the United Nations for the peaceful settlement of disputes

and to cooperate with conciliation efforts under the auspices

of the Secretary-General.

Reform must not be for its own sake. The purpose of

reform must be to strengthen the capacity to deliver

responsive and responsible leadership on questions of peace

and security, socio-economic development, human rights

and environmental protection.

We understand and support the need for reform of the

administrative and management process in the system, but

what we cannot accept are unilateral actions to force reform

by withholding assessed contributions to the United

Nations. This has brought the Organization to the brink of

insolvency and is hampering the very efforts being made

for reform and restructuring. More critical are the serious

consequences for the development programmes of the

United Nations.

The current crisis will not be resolved until Member

States pay their arrears and assessed contributions

promptly and without conditions. At the same time, we

recognize the need to examine carefully the existing

formula for contributions. The establishment of any new

formula must be based on the principles of equity and the

capacity of Member States to pay.

The agenda of issues before us at this session shows

that there is a great deal to be done. In many areas, we

have made progress, even if it has been slow. It is

essential that we continue to make the effort, through

discussion, debate and negotiation, to find solutions that

remove from our world the threats of war and conflict

and the pain of poverty and misery. Through our joint

efforts we can make progress, reach compromises and

arrive at solutions that will make our world safer and give

each and every one of us a greater stake in the future.