Jamaica, 1998

Let me begin by joining

previous speakers in extending my personal congratulations

and those of my delegation to you, Sir, on your election to

the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third

session. You assume the leadership of this Assembly at a

time when the global agenda demands much of us all. I

assure you of the full support and cooperation of the

Jamaican delegation as you guide the work of this

Assembly to what I am confident will be a successful

conclusion.

I wish also to thank Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of

Ukraine for the effective manner in which he discharged

his responsibilities as President of the Assembly during

his tenure.

The Secretary-General deserves our praise for his

outstanding leadership of the Organization during the past

year. I congratulate him in particular on the successes

achieved through the quiet methods of preventive

diplomacy which he employed on sensitive issues

affecting international peace and security.

We welcome his report, which contains a thoughtful

overview of the complex challenges facing the

international community, and we applaud the institutional

reforms thus far introduced, which have sought to bring

greater coherence and efficiency to the work of the

United Nations. We also endorse the reorganization of the

work programme, which brings renewed focus to the

initiatives of central importance to the United Nations:

those in the areas of peace and security, development

cooperation, social development and humanitarian affairs.

We consider it essential that the membership of the

United Nations support the efforts of the Secretary-

General in the implementation of this programme of

work. Such support should be extended not only by

endorsement of the range of activities being undertaken in

fulfilment of our mandates, but also through the regular

commitment of resources for their execution.

Our presence here is an acknowledgement of the

universality of many of the problems we face, and our

membership in this Organization is a demonstration of our

conviction that these problems are best solved through

collective action. This should lead us to reaffirm our

support for multilateralism and our respect for its

processes through the timely payment, without

preconditions, of our assessed contributions to the

respective United Nations bodies.

In recent years, the international community has

witnessed a disturbing increase in the number of conflicts

within and between States. The stable peace anticipated

at the end of the cold war has been elusive. Instead, we

have watched as efforts to resolve ongoing regional

disputes unravel because of obduracy, mistrust and

hostility. We have watched as intolerance and hatred have

3

divided communities and fuelled conflicts across the

continents. We are concerned that despite the intervention

of the Secretary-General, his envoys and the membership of

the United Nations, there is still no real progress towards

peace in a number of long-standing disputes.

We share the international community’s concern that

the peace process in the Middle East has been stalled, and

we are disappointed that there is still no substantial progress

on the long-standing problem in Cyprus. Hostilities in

Afghanistan continue unabated, civil wars still rage in the

Sudan and Angola and violence in Kosovo has escalated.

New complications have arisen to increase instability and

conflict in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa.

These unresolved conflicts undermine the political,

economic and social fabric of the States concerned,

bringing destruction and untold human suffering to the

victims of war. We cannot afford to drift into complacency

while increasing numbers of the world’s people are

destroyed, dispossessed and despoiled by war. In the face

of this, we should strengthen our resolve to stand against

aggression and the use of force, and to support the

resolution of disputes and conflicts through negotiated

settlements.

We encourage Member States to support the

Secretary-General’s initiative for strengthening the

capability of the United Nations to deal with conflict

resolution, prevention and early warning. I also wish to use

this opportunity to commend the United Nations

peacekeeping forces for the great contribution which they

continue to make to the maintenance of peace,

notwithstanding the difficult circumstances in which they

work.

We are deeply distressed at the increasing acts of

violence directed against international peacekeeping

personnel. I wish to pay special tribute to these volunteers,

some of whom have given their lives, for their sacrifice in

the cause of peace.

The Charter of the United Nations invests in the

Security Council the principal authority for multilateral

decision-making in matters affecting international peace and

security. We are therefore concerned at the tendency of

States to take unilateral action which they deem to be in

their national interest in situations of conflict with other

nations. Jamaica reaffirms its confidence in the principle of

collective security, on which the role of the Security

Council is predicated.

It is also important that the actions of the Council

inspire confidence and that there be greater openness and

transparency in its working methods. We believe that, like

any other international body, the Security Council should

undergo a process of democratic reform if it is effectively

to meet the new challenges of an ever changing world.

We are committed to working as equal partners with

the rest of the international community to strengthen the

capacity of the Security Council to respond to the needs

of Member States in matters of peace and security. To

that end, my Government has presented its candidature

for a non-permanent seat on the Council for the period

2000-2001.

My Government attaches importance to the fact that

the long awaited International Criminal Court, which the

Secretary-General described as the missing link in the

international legal system, has now been constituted by an

internationally agreed Statute. We commend the

Government of Trinidad and Tobago for taking the

initiative in calling for its establishment. That institution

will provide a framework for the legal expression of

international opposition to the terrible crimes being

perpetrated against humanity which the United Nations

had not been able to address effectively.

This year the international community celebrates the

fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. As we commemorate this important

milestone, we should affirm our commitment to the ideals

of tolerance, peace and understanding for all peoples. Let

us also demonstrate mutual respect for each other’s right

to self-determination, including the right to choose one’s

own path for achieving national goals, and the right to

sustainable development.

There can be no doubt that peace and security are

prerequisites for the attainment of sustainable

development. It is equally true, however, that where there

is economic and social deprivation, there can be no real

peace.

Jamaica therefore strongly endorses the right to

development as an integral part of fundamental human

rights and underscores the important contribution which

realization of this right would make to the fuller

enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In

this regard, we welcome the report of the Secretary-

General on progress being made in the elaboration of a

strategy for the implementation and promotion of the right

to development.

4

We continue to look to the United Nations system for

support of our development agenda, which goes beyond our

effort to gain fair access to international markets and to

secure a just and equitable share of global prosperity.

Central to improving the welfare of our people must

be measures to alleviate and ultimately eradicate poverty

and to promote environmental protection and sustainable

development. We need to strengthen our institutional

framework for capacity-building and we need to invest in

development of our human resources.

This is our people-centred vision for development, and

we recognize the need, if we are to make a reality of this

vision, to continue to devise and implement public policies

which ensure that the gains from economic growth and

development are equitably distributed throughout society.

This challenge of good governance demands an

institutional infrastructure that promotes transparency and

accountability in public administration, ensures the effective

management of fiscal and monetary policies and protects

the integrity of judicial and law enforcement systems.

A crucial component of our economic and social

transformation is the development of our human resources.

Jamaica supports the view that sustainable development

cannot be achieved without sustained human development.

Indeed, the pivotal importance of our human resources to

the development process was reaffirmed by the Caribbean

Community member States in the Montego Bay Declaration

adopted in 1997.

We in the Caribbean region stand firmly committed to,

first, nurturingthe development of each person’s potential

without regard to gender; secondly, developing a culture of

entrepreneurship; thirdly, research and development as a

way of life and a means of improving production; and

finally, improving the competitiveness of those industries

on which our economies are based. We look to the

international community to support these aspirations.

In this regard, Jamaica welcomes the Secretary-

General’s proposed initiatives to strengthen the international

framework for human development. We agree that it would

be useful to convene global and regional seminars exploring

ways to advance human resource development and

institution-building in preparation for the Millennium

Assembly to be held in the year 2000.

The issue of sustainable development for small island

developing States is of particular importance to Jamaica. It

speaks to the very survival of a group of island States

whose economic viability and developmental aspirations

are inextricably linked to the carrying capacity of the

fragile ecosystems in which these nations make their

home. I speak of the ecologically vulnerable islands and

low-lying coastal States of the Caribbean, which are

continually subject to the pressures of urbanization and

resource exploitation, to the pollution of their coastal

waters and to the threat of natural disasters. We are

endangered by the threat of sea-level rise and face the

destruction of our coral reefs.

The danger posed by natural disasters was most

recently demonstrated by hurricane Georges, which

wreaked destruction through the Caribbean, causing

widespread loss of life and property in Antigua and

Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti

and Saint Kitts and Nevis. We take this opportunity to

appeal to the international community to provide urgent

and generous humanitarian assistance and support for the

reconstruction of our sister Caribbean States. Jamaica

welcomes the ongoing effort of the United Nations to

develop economic and ecological vulnerability indices for

small island developing States and will be monitoring

closely the outcome of this work.

The success of the small island developing States

initiative will depend on the negotiation of favourable

agreements among national stakeholders and on the

forging of effective partnerships with donor countries.

Jamaica therefore looks forward to the convening of the

special session for the review of the Global Conference

on the Sustainable Development of Small Island

Developing States in 1999, which provides an opportunity

for real progress to be made through the commitment of

financial resources. What we need now is an action-

oriented follow-up programme to take our economies into

the twenty-first century.

Jamaica is a strong advocate of multilateralism and

believes that measures available within the multilateral

framework should be employed to assist developing

countries to benefit meaningfully from the process of

globalization. We note that while this process holds much

promise for growth and prosperity, it also poses serious

challenges for developing countries, many of which are

being increasingly marginalized. The reality is that the

globalization process is heightening patterns of uneven

development among developed and developing countries,

and it is already very clear that there is no globalization

of benefits.

5

The plight of developing countries in the wake of the

financial crisis currently affecting the global economy is

made even grimmer when we take into account the decline

in concessionary financial flows from the donor community

which we have witnessed in recent years. Official

development assistance represents today only an average of

0.22 per cent of the gross national product of developed

countries, a far cry from the target of 0.7 per cent set in

1972. The share of official development assistance in net

resource flows to developing countries fell from 64 per cent

in 1994 to 22 per cent in 1996.

Taken with the heavy burden of the debt-service

payments which must be met, we are faced with the

unhappy circumstance of net reverse flows from the South

to the North at a time when additional resources are needed

to address the challenges which attend the globalization

process.

These trends must be reversed if developing countries

are to have a fair opportunity to achieve meaningful

development; for the success of the development process is

dependent on the availability of external financing, and

concessionary resource flows play a significant role in the

maintenance of economic stability, the development of

infrastructure and capacity-building, which are prerequisites

for effective participation in the globalization process.

Jamaica considers that the time has come for us to

address these issues in serious dialogue. There is an urgent

need to identify ways in which development financing from

industrialized to developing and transition economies for

both public and private sector enterprise may be increased.

We must explore measures to relieve the external debt of

the developing countries, including the cancellation of debt.

We should seek to have dialogues between creditor and

debtor countries to ensure an increase in the flow of

concessionary financing in support of economic reforms,

poverty eradication and the achievement of sustainable

development.

We therefore join the call for the urgent convening of

a conference on financing for development at an early date.

Crucial issues which we would wish to see discussed at

such a meeting are strategies for mobilizing domestic

resources for development; mobilization of international

private financial flows; international financial cooperation

for development; debt relief; and trade facilitation for

development.

Beyond this proposed conference, my Government

recognizes that there is a need for ongoing exchange

between the North and the South. While the days of the

ideological divide and political polarization are behind us,

we are still faced with the challenge of North-South

disparity in development and opportunity. We need to

foster increased collaboration between the developed and

the developing world to identify ways in which wider

cooperation on issues concerning trade and investment,

debt and development may be pursued.

We consider that a process of dialogue on these

issues could be initiated by a representative group of

developing and transition economies in consultation with

the major industrialized countries. We believe that such

a process of dialogue would pave the way for a broader

framework of functional cooperation in areas of interest

to both North and South.

It is with much satisfaction that Jamaica assumes the

chairmanship of the Group of 15 developing States, and

we look forward to hosting the ninth ministerial meeting

in Jamaica in February next year. Jamaica, during its

tenure, will seek to ensure that developing countries play

a more active role in shaping the international economy

so as to promote greater balance and equity.

My Government remains deeply concerned at the

ever expanding illicit drug trade, which is not only a

menace to civil society, but also undermines the economic

viability of our countries. The extraordinary demand for

and supply of illicit drugs for this lucrative trade has

resulted in the formation of transnational networks,

including highly sophisticated money-laundering

operations. Of even greater concern is the now well-

established link between the drug trade and the

proliferation of small arms. The ready availability of

small arms has intensified the cycle of crime and violence

in our societies.

The special session of the General Assembly on the

world drug problem, held earlier this year, underscored

the need to strengthen the process of bilateral, regional

and international cooperation in the fight against illicit

drug activities. These initiatives should also deal

simultaneously with the related problem of small arms.

Jamaica calls on the international community to fully

support these efforts.

Jamaica joins in condemning the acts of terrorism

committed in Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi during August.

We support the adoption of a multilateral approach as the

most effective means of removing this threat to the

security of the international community.

6

Caribbean States recognize the ocean as a symbol of

the common heritage of mankind, a vital resource which

should be managed in a responsible manner so as to ensure

its continued use for present and future generations.

Caribbean Governments are committed to the protection of

the Caribbean Sea, our shared patrimony. We have recently

taken a decision to develop and implement a comprehensive

coastal zone management programme by the year 2000. We

continue to be concerned at the threat tothe fragile marine

environment posed by the regular shipment of nuclear and

other hazardous waste through the Caribbean Sea.

Jamaica commends the Government of Portugal for its

initiative in establishing the Independent World

Commission on the Oceans, on which an eminent Jamaican

serves. As part of its recognition of the International Year

of the Ocean, the Government of Jamaica has established

a National Council on Ocean and Coastal Zone

Management to promote the sustainable development and

use of our marine resources.

The International Seabed Authority, which has its

headquarters in Kingston, continues to make progress on

the negotiation of a mining code. It is hoped that these

negotiations will be finalized at an early date, so that a

regulatory regime for the resources of the seabed may be

firmly established. We call on Member States to participate

more actively in these negotiations in order to ensure that

the code which is developed will protect the interests of all

countries. We also urge Member States to support the

operation of the Authority through the commitment of

resources.

It has not escaped our attention that many of the

preceding speakers have made reference to the need for the

promotion of international peace, human security and

sustainable development. As we move forward towards the

end of an era, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that

we do not face the dawn of the new millennium burdened

by the weight of unresolved issues which impede the

development of our community of nations and which

undermine the well-being of our peoples.

Clearly, it is in our individual and collective interest

to participate fully in the process for development and

peace, for, after all, the character of the global village of

the future will ultimately be determined by the quality of

the input that each of us invests today.