Saint Kitts and Nevis, 2006

Allow me,

Madam President, to make a few preliminary remarks.

First, Saint Kitts and Nevis extends sincere

congratulations on your assumption of the presidency

of the United Nations General Assembly. My

delegation is confident that you will rise to the

occasion, and in so doing, make not just the Kingdom

of Bahrain, but the United Nations family proud of

you. Secondly, I wish to laud the leadership of His

Excellency Jan Eliasson during the course of the

sixtieth session of the United Nations General

Assembly. His leadership was propitious and

outstanding at a time of reform and intense challenges

for the United Nations.

Thirdly, it would be remiss of me if I did not

salute the quintessential diplomat in the personality of

His Excellency Kofi Annan who, for nigh on 10 years,

skilfully steered the United Nations ship through many

rough and difficult waters. We are indebted to him for

his supreme statesman-like leadership. I hail him as a

brother of the diaspora and a gem of human

civilization.

Fourthly, Saint Kitts and Nevis warmly welcomes

the Republic of Montenegro into the United Nations

family. It has taken a bold step in order to play an

active role in the international discourse and we

applaud it for that initiative.

This year’s theme “Implementing a Global

Partnership for Development” coincides with my

country’s focus on linking the need for human rights

with the desire for a comprehensive and sustainable

human development strategy. For too long, the issues

of human rights and human development have not

always run in parallel. My delegation believes that

oversight needs to be corrected.

Over the years, the international community has

focused its attention either on human rights violations,

or on human development. What has transpired at

times is, unfortunately, a withdrawal of resources from

one programme to supplement the other, which then

has an adverse effect on the former. What I suggest

today is that there should be a strategy of linking

human rights and human development so as to ensure

that our peoples are cared for in a holistic manner.

Many of us may recall that during the previous

session of the General Assembly, when the Human

Rights Council was being established, there was a call

for the right to development to be included within the

broader theme of human rights. My delegation believes

that is, in principle, still necessary. At the same time,

we also believe that development in all of its forms

will not have any long-term effects or benefits unless

human rights are incorporated in that development.

We propose, therefore, that during the sixty-first

session the Assembly ensure that the drive for a global

partnership for development is pursued with the goal of

ensuring that human rights and human development

run in tandem and, in effect, complement each other.

My delegation believes that only through that approach

can true global partnerships for development occur.

Those ideals can be achieved. Saint Kitts and

Nevis has witnessed the possibility first-hand. Within

the Caribbean Community, we have embarked upon a

regional partnership for development and in that

development we have ensured that the rights of our

citizens and the development of our people are at the

forefront of our regional partnership. A few months

ago, we formally established the CARICOM Single

Market and Economy. That was an initiative years in

the making; CARICOM member States remained

cognizant of all the effects that the initiative would

have on its people, and we attempted, of course, to

address them all.

We acknowledged that there would be growing

pains but we also realized that, for our nationals to

truly benefit in this rapidly globalizing world, it was

necessary. However, my CARICOM colleagues and I

have sought to minimize any short-term negative

effects.

For a country like mine, which only recently

made the painful decision to close our 360-year-old

sugar industry, the partnerships we have nurtured

within CARICOM have helped to ease the pain and

helped to prepare us for the Single Market. What we

need on a global scale is: partnerships for development

that consider and ensure human rights and human

development for every State.

Whatever way is deemed most appropriate,

partnerships should begin with mutual respect and a

commitment to understanding each other. We live in a

diverse world, and, owing to globalization, that

diversity is felt now more than ever before. If we do

not strive to respect and understand each other,

tensions will mount and instability will reign.

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That is why Saint Kitts and Nevis has stood at

this rostrum time and time again, and called for the

human rights of the people of the Republic of China —

Taiwan — to be acknowledged in this body. The

Republic of China is a democratic country that has

continued to embody the principles of the United

Nations. That country has continued to ensure that

human rights and human development are nurtured and

preserved together, and has many contributions to

make in the pursuit of a global partnership for

development. It has been a great and magnificent

friend to several States members of the United Nations

family, and not just those with which it has diplomatic

ties. We, as the pre-eminent international body, owe the

Republic of China and its 23 million people our

support and acceptance, and we owe ourselves the

benefit of having the Republic of China fully

participating in the United Nations system.

My delegation would like to single out and

applaud the peoples of the Democratic Republic of the

Congo and of Haiti for striving to overcome periods of

instability and uncertainty through the democratic

process. For the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

more than two generations have passed between

democratic elections. And Haiti’s 200-year history has

been tumultuous in terms of its approach to democratic

life. The Caribbean Community was especially pleased

with the important democratic step taken by the

Republic of Haiti, and we were able this year to

welcome Haiti back into our fold.

Those landmark elections could not have

occurred without a concerted effort by all concerned to

undertake partnerships, while respecting each other and

striving for full and comprehensive human rights and

human development, along with a desire for peace.

This is a fragile period for those countries, but my

delegation lauds their efforts and initiatives, and we

stand firm in our commitment to join in the global

partnership for the development of those two countries.

One year ago, the heads of State or Government

of the majority of the States Members of the United

Nations signed on to the World Summit Outcome

Document (resolution 60/1). The document was viewed

as the catalyst for a renewed commitment to a global

partnership for development, security and human

rights. During the sixtieth session, that commitment

was further solidified with the establishment of the

Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights

Council. Dialogue continued on issues relating to the

reform of the United Nations. However, more

commitment and partnership are needed to see these

reforms come to fruition.

We must make a concerted effort. I cannot stress

that enough. If we were to be honest with ourselves,

we would acknowledge that the principles of the

United Nations have not been at the forefront of our

negotiations and that human rights and human

development have not been universally preserved. I

have already alluded to our diversity, but that must not

continue to produce adversity. Rather, it should

produce a more holistic reform agenda.

Saint Kitts and Nevis remains committed to

action on the reform of the United Nations. The reform

of the United Nations must be transparent. Three of the

more contentious areas of the reform of the United

Nations have revolved around the issue of

transparency. I speak of the reform of the Security

Council and of the General Assembly, and the process

of selecting the Secretary-General.

The United Nations has evolved. We all have to

come to terms with that fact. The body that existed 61

years ago could not operate in the world of today. Full

representation is necessary, and transparency is a must.

This, in our view, is tantamount to a successful global

partnership.

For this session of the General Assembly, Saint

Kitts and Nevis proposes a renewed emphasis on

human rights and human development. We have

actually begun that process in a very promising way

with the recently concluded High-level Dialogue on

International Migration and Development. In that

regard, we agree that it is imperative that the human

rights and human development of migrants be taken

into serious consideration to ensure greater production

and development in the countries involved.

Recently, States members of the group of least

developed countries (LDCs) held a review of the

Brussels Programme of Action. My delegation supports

the initiative of the LDCs and stresses that human

rights and development must remain core principles in

the partnerships of LDCs with other members of the

international community.

For my own country of Saint Kitts and Nevis, we

ask that the international community also remain

committed to the Mauritius Strategy for the Further

Implementation of the Programme of Action for the

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Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing

States.

Realizing sustainable development presents a

formidable challenge for small island developing

States. They remain vulnerable to natural disasters, to

climate change and to the effects of globalization and

trade liberalization. We still need to examine the issue

of graduation closely and at our own pace. Our cultural

products still remain susceptible to piracy and our

opportunities for reaping the benefits of science and

technology are still limited. Developing countries are

still locked out of the decision-making processes of the

global financial institutions, whose policies often

undermine and — yes — circumscribe development. In

our view, true global partnership should translate into

consideration of the requirements of every Member

State, whether big or small, and of the issues critical to

them.

During the sixty-first session, though there will

not be a high-level conference on HIV/AIDS,

pandemics such as HIV/AIDS continue to strike at the

heart of development by crippling a nation’s most

important asset, namely, its people. Without

meaningful development, women, children, the elderly

and the disabled will remain at-risk sectors of our

societies. Financing for development will still be a

major concern for all developing countries, and

international peace and security will continue to affect

us all.

Throughout most of this year, the majority of the

United Nations membership experienced the adverse

impact of the energy crisis on growth and livelihoods.

The United Nations family, which comprises producers

and consumers of oil and energy products, must

collectively address a global energy security pact

incorporating best practices on energy conservation

and energy sources.

Finally, development is a matter of extreme

importance for all of us. What we need, therefore, is a

holistic approach to our global partnership. All of our

critical concerns need to be addressed. However, we

should begin with a careful consideration of human

rights and human development.