Jamaica, 2004

I congratulate you, Sir, on

your election to the presidency of the General

Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. You can be assured

of Jamaica’s fullest support and cooperation during

your tenure.

The outgoing President, Julian Hunte of Saint

Lucia, deserves commendation for his energy and

outstanding leadership during the fifty-eighth session,

during which he achieved significant accomplishments,

particularly in the area of the revitalization of the

General Assembly. He leaves a legacy of a

strengthened presidency and a good foundation for

further operational improvements in the work of the

Assembly and in its relations with other organs.

In reviewing the developments of the past year,

we note that the anticipated growth in the global

economy has been dampened by uncertainties arising

from macro-economic imbalances in larger economies

and the impact of increased oil prices. Political

instability in many regions of the world has not abated

and, in some cases, has increased to critical levels.

Many developing countries continue to struggle for

survival in the globalized economy, especially in the

face of changing commodity regimes, the erosion of

preferences and unfavourable market conditions. The

gap between rich and poor continues to widen. There

may be some glimmers of hope, but more needs to be

done to correct existing imbalances and to broaden

opportunities for all to share in global prosperity.

Formidable challenges remain for developing

countries.

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In our part of the world, those challenges have

taken on grave new proportions in the wake of the

recent spate of hurricanes which have devastated the

Caribbean and affected several States of the United

States of America. In the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba,

the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Grenada,

Haiti and my own country, Jamaica, the loss of life and

the scale of destruction and damage to infrastructure,

property and means of livelihood have been

catastrophic. What had taken several generations to

build has suddenly vanished and will take years to

recover. The case of Grenada, which was virtually

obliterated, is particularly striking. For those who have

had doubts about the reality of the vulnerability of

small island States, these recent events should be

convincing evidence.

In Jamaica, we are completing our estimates of

the damage from Hurricane Ivan, which struck on

10 September, virtually on the anniversary date of

Hurricane Gilbert, still painfully fresh in our memory.

On behalf of the Government and the people of

Jamaica, I extend deep appreciation to the Member

States, the agencies of the United Nations, and other

international and non-governmental organizations

which have given assistance. We have launched an

international appeal to support our national efforts for

immediate and long-term recovery. Apart from the

provision of emergency relief supplies, there is a need

for concessionary financing to the affected countries,

so as to facilitate medium- to long-term reconstruction.

One means of doing this would be through the

establishment of a special fund.

In the context of these recent developments, the

10-year review of the implementation of the Barbados

Programme of Action for Small Island Developing

States, to be held in Mauritius in January 2005, is a

timely opportunity for the international community to

undertake special consideration of the vulnerability of

small island States. We expect the Mauritius review to

adopt concrete measures and call for serious

consideration to be given to mechanisms to support the

recovery and reconstruction efforts of small island

developing States in the aftermath of natural disasters.

What should also command attention are the

dangers posed by climate change and global warming

and the urgent need for global action within the

framework of the Kyoto Protocol. It is imperative that

all States accede to the Protocol.

It is accepted that the benefits of globalization are

not being fully realized, especially in the area of

international trade. We should seek to harness its

potential to the benefit of developed and developing

countries alike. Interdependence makes this an

imperative. Global economic health requires better

management of economic arrangements at all levels, to

ensure a more equitable distribution of global

prosperity.

The situation of small developing economies

makes a compelling case. From any objective

standpoint, there is a need for special and differential

treatment in relation to trade, the flow of financial

resources, the transfer of technology and the promotion

of industrial development. The gap between rich and

poor must be narrowed. Otherwise, many developing

countries will continue in a downward spiral of

declining income and increased poverty, with painful

consequences such as political and social instability

and recurring humanitarian crises. While there is no

substitute for self-reliance, on the basis of the principle

of shared responsibility, there is a role for all

participants within the global economic system.

That is why international cooperation for

development should be given a central place in our

deliberations. There is a need to create institutional

capacity in the United Nations for the direction and

coordination of policies affecting finance, trade and

technology and for formulating the overall policies

guiding international economic cooperation. Such a

mechanism could forge effective linkages with the

Bretton Woods institutions in order to manage and

promote coherence in international economic

programmes and policies. It should effectively respond

to economic crises as they arise and apply remedies for

imbalances and disequilibrium in the global economy.

Some tentative steps have been taken in that

direction in the wake of the Monterrey Conference, but

much more is required to reform governance in the

international economic system to make it more

democratic, transparent and responsive to the real

needs and priorities of developing countries.

The cycle of violence resulting from war and

terrorism is a troubling phenomenon of our time.

International security is dangerously at risk. What is

clear to us is that violence and the use of force cannot

be the answer. We must embrace multilateralism and

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insist that international relations be guided by the rule

of law as the basis for our collective security.

Against that background, the necessary steps

must be taken to strengthen multilateralism. The

United Nations must be our instrument of choice.

There is no viable alternative to the Organization, and

it can be made as effective as it needs to be only if it is

given the powers and resources that are required. We

must continue to nourish and strengthen it and make

adaptations in the face of changing realities to improve

its effectiveness and enhance its credibility. Reform

could begin with the Security Council, to make it more

representative in membership, more democratic in its

decision-making and more accountable and transparent

in its operations. These are necessary for its

effectiveness and legitimacy. We look forward to

receiving the recommendations of the Secretary-

General’s High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and

Change.

The improvement of international security

depends on our finding durable solutions to regional

conflicts and disputes. In Africa, there is a need to

expedite relief for humanitarian emergencies, to

promote initiatives aimed at resolving internecine

conflicts and to advance the struggle for economic and

social progress. We are distressed by the deterioration

in the political and humanitarian situation in the Darfur

region of the Sudan, and we support constructive

efforts to bring an end to the disruption and the

bloodshed. We commend the role of the African Union

aimed at resolving the crisis.

We continue to call for good sense and wisdom to

defuse the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Jamaica believes

that only through a process of political accommodation

and the settlement of legitimate claims and grievances,

on the basis of justice and legality, can there be any

hope for a durable peace.

The war in Iraq has opened up further

complexities and further divisions and is becoming a

dangerous source of continuing conflict. A political

solution is needed to bring about national

reconciliation and peace.

Small countries face particular dangers in

maintaining stability and security. I am referring to the

increasing production, distribution and proliferation of

small arms and light weapons and of sophisticated

ammunition. These represent our greatest security

threat. Small States do not produce these weapons, but

they have become the principal victims of them. The

influx of these weapons through various illicit channels

is fuelling civil conflict and criminal violence whose

extent and intensity beleaguer and often overwhelm

national security forces. It is estimated in the 2004

Small Arms Survey that the proliferation and misuse of

small arms contributes annually to approximately

200,000 to 270,000 civilian deaths, 40 per cent of

which are concentrated in the Latin American and

Caribbean region.

Equally disturbing to us is the insufficient

appreciation of these dangers by those countries that

are the producers and source of the weapons. We

maintain that such States have a duty to prevent illicit

transfers beyond their borders. Additionally, we need

more effective cooperation to regulate and restrict the

movement of these weapons and to have effective

registration and monitoring of transfers, operating

within a framework of legally binding obligations.

For that reason, it is urgent that we move to

conclude the negotiations for an international

convention to achieve those objectives. We make this

demand for action on the basis of the principle of the

equal right to security for all States. The threats and

dangers we face are as valid as those arising from the

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These

also demand collective action; and, in this, Jamaica has

been unrelenting in its support of effective measures

aimed at curtailing the spread of nuclear and other

weapons of mass destruction.

The year 2004 was declared the International

Year for the Commemoration of the Struggle Against

Slavery and its Abolition. Our history makes this a

special commemoration. We also celebrate the 200th

anniversary of the independence of Haiti. The Haitian

revolution was an achievement of immense historical

importance that significantly influenced the shaping of

the modern world. It established the first free nation in

the Western Hemisphere, and it struck the first decisive

blow that eventually brought about the overthrow of

the system of slavery in the Americas. The revolution

was a story of heroism and triumph, creating a legacy

that has sustained the Haitian people during a long and

often lonely struggle for survival over the years, in the

harsh realties of a hostile world of racism and

discrimination.

Sadly, the bicentennial celebration has been

overshadowed by circumstances of instability and

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political crisis that continue even now. The events of

February still cast a shadow and leave lingering

concerns about how the democratically elected

President demitted office. The sequence of events and

the timing of the Security Council in reacting to the

crisis were unfortunate. At the same time, Jamaica

recognizes that Haiti requires the support and

assistance of the international community, which must

be sustained over the long term to ensure its

effectiveness. The rebuilding of democracy and the

creation of a stable social, economic and political order

cannot be accomplished overnight, and therefore it

should be pursued with perseverance and the

commitment of the necessary resources.

We share the anguish and grief of the people of

Haiti at the tragic loss of life and devastation caused by

the recent hurricane. The Caribbean Community will

continue to do its part in providing emergency

assistance.

This year, we commemorate the tenth anniversary

of the establishment of the International Seabed

Authority. For all of us, and for Jamaica, that is a

significant milestone in the quiet evolution and

promotion of a legal regime for the seabed, which

embodies the principle of the common heritage of

mankind. What we, as a community, can take from this

to other spheres of international relations is the

importance of upholding the rule of law and the pre-

eminence of the principles of justice and equity. The

Secretary-General rightly emphasized the importance

of those norms last Tuesday when introducing his

report on the work of the Organization (A/59/1).

The international community should not stand

idly by in the presence of violations of international

law and the promotion of doctrines that run counter to

the principles of multilateralism. That is why Jamaica

asks of this fifty-ninth session that all States recommit

themselves to the principles on which the Organization

was founded to promote peace, equality and justice for

all its Members. Let us take the necessary steps to put

those principles into practice and to make them the

foundation of our policies and programmes. Our

universal objective must be to implement the noble

ideals to which we subscribe, not just to articulate

them.