Saint Kitts and Nevis, 2001

It gives me

great pleasure to convey to Mr. Han Seung-soo

heartfelt congratulations, on behalf of my delegation

and the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, on his

accession to the honourable post of President of the

fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

I would also like to congratulate his predecessor

on a job well done, especially during such an

exhausting period for the United Nations. The success

of the United Nations is built on the hard work of its

Members, and both the President and his predecessor

have shown dedication to the positive functioning of

this esteemed institution.

In the last decade, world leaders have been

working tirelessly in different forums to redefine and

address the myriad challenges that characterize the so-

called new order. This has placed a great premium on

the United Nations, which has provided an able

platform for exchanges of ideas, practical dialogue and

conflict resolution. My delegation is satisfied that

marked progress has been made in identifying many of

the critical issues. The United Nations deserves high

praise, and we commend Member States for their

willingness to use the diplomatic and political

resources of the Organization in the conduct of their

international relations.

The involvement of the United Nations in recent

times is a fitting backdrop for the decision that the

coming year will be designated the Year of Dialogue

among Civilizations. This is most timely, and it serves

as a revalidation of our belief that dialogue is a critical

ingredient in promoting partnership and improved

understanding among Governments and peoples.

Dialogue is the foundation of solid democracies,

strong people-centred institutions, civil societies and

sustainable human development. Dialogue is still that

very important catalyst which often staves off war and

conflict, enabling consensus and confidence-building

in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Thus, it is

quite obvious why the Government of Saint Kitts and

Nevis supports this idea.

In a certain sense, a new world order dawned on

11 September 2001, when terrorism, in a most

outrageous form, reared its ugly head in the cities of

Washington and New York, in the United States of

America, with the loss of thousands of innocent lives.

Dialogue among members of the international

community rapidly spawned an anti-terrorism coalition

of countries, thereby defining the protagonists in this

unfolding new order. My country stands solidly with

this coalition, especially in pursuing the generally

agreed strategies to contain terrorism. Despite the

horrendous act of 11 September and subsequent

bioterrorism, life goes on, adjusted to a new reality.

Another opportunity where dialogue may prove

useful in advancing human security will come when

Governments meet at the International Conference on

Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico next

year. Saint Kitts and Nevis regards this as an important

occasion to promote the interests of all nations. But, we

are especially hopeful that this Conference will

embrace the aspirations and promote better

appreciation for the needs, vulnerabilities and special

circumstances of small economies in small island

developing States.

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My Prime Minister has repeatedly urged the

international community to take a more unbiased look

at the peculiar situation of small, vulnerable

economies. This is not an appeal for international

charity, but a signal to promote the kind of realism

through which a Marshall Plan of commitment can be

devised to energize small, vulnerable economies so that

they can effectively participate in a globalized

economy.

Dialogue is important in building real

participatory democracies. But democracy among

nations is as crucial as democracy within nations.

When the people we serve feel that our actions as

leaders do not reflect their dreams, goals and

aspirations, they may use their democratic right to

effect change. We have a duty, therefore, to give loud

voices to their silent legitimate hopes. We must place

added value on the hopes and expectations of our

people in order to legitimize the concepts of

representative democracy.

It is within this context that I urge this body to

redouble its efforts in finding a solution to the

unfortunate stalemate that beleaguers relations between

the Chinese people across the Taiwan Straits. My

Government remains convinced that both sides of the

Taiwan Straits should become fully engaged in this

peaceful and non-coercive process without the

distraction of preconditions. It would lead to the

successful resolution of what appears to be a very

contentious issue. At the same time, we encourage the

United Nations to be vigilant and ready to assist where

possible or when required. Prior to the peaceful

settlement of their dispute, it is imperative that we

establish a mechanism by which the international

community can benefit more appropriately from the

proven expertise, technical know-how and skills of the

23 million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

We call on the United Nations to assist in the

resolution of the question of full inclusion of Cuba into

the affairs of the western hemisphere. Also, we urge

the people of Cuba, as we celebrate the Year of

Dialogue among Civilizations, to embrace the

challenge of ensuring that they can participate fully in

the community of nations.

Participatory democracy among nations must be

erected on the twin pillars of mutual respect and trust.

But trust wanes in the face of unilateral actions such as

threats made by the Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to

blacklist and impose sanctions on sovereign Caribbean

Governments, consequent upon the OECD countries’

misunderstanding of fiscal initiatives taken by

sovereign Caribbean Governments as a way to

underpin sustainable economic development.

As we celebrate the Year of Dialogue among

Civilizations, we urge Member States to resist the lure

of national paternalism and unilateral action as a means

of problem-solving. In a matter so crucial to the

economic future of Caribbean countries, it is

inconceivable that conclusions could have been

reached and decisions arrived at without the courtesy

of dialogue with the very countries against whom such

scathing indictments had been made. However, most

recently, wiser counsel has prevailed and, in a spirit of

dialogue and partnership, significant progress has been

made by means of a compromise agreement. The

Caribbean Community hails this agreement on offshore

fiscal initiatives as a step in the right direction. Such is

the power of dialogue among civilizations.

We imagine that the mechanisms of globalization,

if timely and equitably applied, can be productive,

inclusive, and improve lives. It must be emphasized

that, although small States may justifiably harbour

some apprehension about globalization, we do not

oppose it. On the contrary, we welcome the

opportunities to empower our citizens so that they may

compete successfully in a global marketplace, mindful

that empowerment and the ability to compete

successfully, however, require appropriate skill-sets,

academic resources and material tools. In order for

small States to benefit fully from the new economic

order, the global agenda must become a humane

agenda, sufficiently responsive to facilitate equitable

and affordable access to modern technology — that is

to say, technology that is appropriate and responsive to

the basic needs of poor communities and small States.

Without realism and a holistic approach in

examining the social and economic conditions within

small States, there is a potential for serious dislocation

when these States attempt to operate within the global

marketplace. As responsible Member States, we have a

genuine obligation to work towards improving the lives

of the disenfranchised. This, I am sure, is the main

reason we are here today. Therefore, we must continue

to right this important chapter in the development of

human security. We must also remain cognizant that, as

members of the global village, we have to discard old

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suspicions and embrace new partnerships, dialogue and

diversity as necessary components of our

interdependence.

Partnership and understanding will prove

essential in our efforts to tackle common problems

such as drug trafficking and the pandemic of

HIV/AIDS. The special session on HIV/AIDS came at

an important juncture, and we urge Member States to

support the decisions that were taken. In small States,

like Saint Kitts and Nevis, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS

presents one of the most devastating challenges to the

development of human security, because such a disease

threatens to unravel the delicately woven balance of

social growth and economic potential.

Our people are at great risk, and the prospect of

losing decades of development and talented people to

this illness is amazingly real. On top of losing their

young and most productive people, Governments are

expected in turn to reallocate significant amounts of

already meagre resources from critical development

programs to provide costly care and treatment. We

salute the United States Government, the World Bank,

and others for their recent and important initiatives to

help fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the Caribbean

and we urge others to adopt similar initiatives.

We see what an important role dialogue is playing

in the hemispheric approach at the Organization of

American States (OAS) through the Multilateral

Evaluation Mechanism. This allows member

Governments to collaborate in the fight against drug

trafficking, in supply and demand initiatives and in the

implementation of national or shared strategies. We

believe this approach is useful, because it makes

common approaches more frequent, discourages

unilateral actions and allows member States to share

experiences on interdiction, the epidemiology of drug

abuse and other trends. The fight against drug

trafficking, you will agree, is a transnational one. We

cannot point fingers or apportion blame. We need to

take action.

Saint Kitts and Nevis welcomes the approach of

the OAS, which permits us in the Caribbean to work in

a multilateral framework to find common solutions.

Equally, such a mechanism focuses attention on the

root problems and encourages hemispheric partnership.

We hope that these kinds of approaches will become

integral components of problem solving at the United

Nations.

In closing, the past year was particularly eventful.

We began with the Millennium Summit and concluded

with the HIV/AIDS special session. In between, we

interacted on many contentious issues. It is my hope

that during the new year we can move forward with

renewed vigour, building on the hard work that our

predecessors left in our charge, and paving the way for

a brighter future for those to whom we will pass the

baton. Once again, we salute the President on behalf of

the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis.