Saint Lucia, 1994

Permit me, Sir, to extend

to you the congratulations of my country and of my

delegation on your election to the presidency of the

General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. You bring

with you to the office of the presidency experience which

is both wide and varied. Added to this is your

well-known commitment to the ideals and principles that

govern this Organization. These qualities together serve

to provide us with every confidence that under your

distinguished guidance our deliberations cannot but be

productive in the furtherance of the objectives of this

world body.

I want also to take this opportunity to applaud

Ambassador Insanally of Guyana for the distinguished

manner in which he led the Assembly during its forty-

eighth session.

As the international community gathers once again

to bring its collective wisdom to bear on solutions for

dealing with problems which continue to threaten the

welfare of the world and its people, we cannot but, with

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a sense of mixed emotions, reflect on what we as a body

have been able to accomplish to date. Those emotions

range from the satisfaction experienced at the success of

our collective efforts to bring about a climate of

coexistence and harmony in South Africa and the Middle

East - with the prospects now provided for human

advancement in those regions - to the sense of deep regret

that, even as we record such major successes, the suffering

and the waste of human life caused by territorial conflict

and the injustice of decisions based on ethnic considerations

continue to place serious obstacles in the path of universal

progress.

My delegation salutes both President Mandela and

Vice President de Klerk for their courage and determination

in working together to consolidate their strong beginnings

in the direction of a multiracial democracy. My delegation

will continue to support the international community in its

efforts to assist the millions of deprived South Africans

attain a better quality of life.

However, my delegation is still deeply concerned

about some other countries in Africa, which continue to

wage a hopeless battle against poverty, disease, debt

settlement and political strife. It is important that more

attention be given to the economic welfare of Africa to

prevent other unfortunate massacres similar to those

witnessed in Rwanda and Somalia.

In keeping with the spirit of universality that prevails

today, Saint Lucia had hoped that the question of full

membership of the United Nations for the Republic of

China on Taiwan would be favourably considered as a

supplementary item on the agenda. Saint Lucia continues

to lend its support to the Republic of China on Taiwan in

its efforts to achieve full membership of the United

Nations, and urges the inclusion of this item on the agenda

of the fiftieth session. It is indeed anomalous that a

country already making a valuable contribution on the

international stage should continue to find itself debarred

from participation in the family of nations.

Saint Lucia is heartened by the progress towards peace

in the Middle East that has been achieved between Israel

and Palestine and between Israel and Jordan. However, my

delegation notes with some concern the renewed potential

for conflict between Iraq and Kuwait, and again calls upon

the Government of Iraq to recognize and respect the

territorial integrity of the State of Kuwait.

The devastating conflict in the former Yugoslavia,

which the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali,

has lamented has spared no one in its violence, remains,

like several other conflicts around the world, a major

focus of peace-keeping and humanitarian efforts by the

United Nations.

These conflicts not only challenge the capacity of

the United Nations to deal with those problems in a way

that would lead to their resolution, but also engender new

and frightening dimensions of human suffering, resulting

from the large-scale displacement of populations and the

concomitant disabilities to which they become exposed.

The net effect of such calamities goes beyond the

urgent call for a global response, in that it creates new

stresses in the developing world, through the diversion of

scarce resources away from peaceful development, into

attenuating human suffering.

My delegation therefore wholeheartedly supports

efforts by the Secretary-General to foster greater regional

involvement in conflict-resolution and in the creation of

appropriate humanitarian support structures.

With rising unemployment, poverty and drug abuse,

our societies face an almost insurmountable challenge

which threatens the ability of our youth to achieve their

true potential. The response to this mounting threat

resides in a universal blueprint aimed at reversing the

economic and social ills from which it springs. In this

regard my delegation supports the Secretary-General’s

Agenda for Development.

The International Conference on Population and

Development, held in Cairo this year, was a powerful

initiative, however contentious some of the issues may

have been. The forthcoming World Summit for Social

Development, to be held in Copenhagen and the World

Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing, offer

prospects of great promise in identifying new approaches

to the attainment of productive employment and the

release of innate capacities as well as the empowerment

and participation of all sectors of the population in the

alleviation of their conditions. My country will

participate in and support those processes.

Saint Lucia is of the view that the issues leading to

the isolation of Cuba from the mainstream of economic

and social development within our hemisphere are

overdue for re-examination. My delegation calls for the

speedy removal of all impediments to Cuba’s ability to

participate within the commonwealth of nations in the

manner permitted by the Charter of the United Nations.

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The recently concluded agreement between the

Government of the United States of America and the

Government of Cuba on immigration is timely and

welcome. My delegation expresses the hope that this

agreement will open new vistas for further dialogue and

greater understanding between the two countries.

Like other countries of the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM), Saint Lucia shares the vision of hope for

Haiti. We are proud to be a participant in the United

Nations Mission in Haiti, as we have participated in former

means of assistance to Haiti, and, along with our

CARICOM counterparts, assisted by the wider international

community, will work tirelessly for the successful

implantation of true democracy in Haiti. The unfolding

events of the past few days give added impetus to the

efforts of the regional and international community to bring

Haiti towards self-fulfilment within the community of

democratic nations.

It has been made clear that the holding of democratic

elections and the installation of a legitimate Government

cannot by themselves guarantee democracy, especially in a

country devoid of democratic traditions. To sustain such

democratic beginnings, appropriate structures must be put

in place, adequately resourced in both human and material

terms, and suitable support mechanisms must be designed

and firmly rooted. Above all, there must be the

international will to encourage, facilitate and enrich this

democratic process, as would be exemplified through

massive development assistance over a sustained period.

The global economic situation is at present at a critical

crossroads, reflecting a speedily moving trend towards trade

liberalization and the need for national economies to

improve their own efficiency and competitiveness.

The constraints of smallness have continually

conspired against States like Saint Lucia in terms of its

ability meaningfully to raise its gross domestic product.

While the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

and its successor organization the World Trade

Organization, seem to offer medium- and long-term benefits

at least to some developed countries, there remains a

nagging concern among developing countries that certain

barriers may still remain, or be created, that would

effectively militate against the products of developing

countries entering the markets of developed countries.

My delegation joins with the rest of the developing

world in calling upon the developed world, and the major

international institutions, to re-examine their policies and

emphases, with a view to adopting measures that can

realistically assist small developing economies in their

attempts to keep pace with the dictates of contemporary

economic trends.

Of particular concern must be the consequences of

these new developments for small island States such as

ours, whose exposed economies make them vulnerable

and sensitive to changes that take place elsewhere. Saint

Lucia’s economy, for instance, has already experienced

the shock resulting from changes brought about by the

advent of the European Union.

Saint Lucia’s economy is highly dependent on its

export of bananas to the European Union and despite new

arrangements put in place to provide limited access

guarantees for fruit from African, Caribbean and Pacific

States (ACP) - and Saint Lucia expresses its appreciation

to those European States that have been instrumental in

securing these arrangements - the industry in Saint Lucia

has experienced a devastating downturn in prices, which

in turn has been directly responsible for the economic

disruption, and its allied social instability, that occurred

during the latter part of 1993 and this year, 1994.

It is to be regretted that even the limited concessions

provided by Europe in discharge of its treaty obligations,

have been subjected to a withering attack by forces which

seem fully prepared to see the economies of small island

States, already possessing so little room for flexibility,

placed in total jeopardy.

That is the experience that urges this delegation

again to call the attention of the international community

to the special circumstances of small island developing

States and the need for particular measures to deal with

their peculiar circumstances.

The Government of Saint Lucia has been observing

with some concern the development of the North

American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), given the

serious adverse consequences it will have in the medium

term and long term for relatively nascent industries and

the micro-economies of our small States. My

Government regrets that United States legislation on

NAFTA contains no expressed arrangement which takes

into account the limits of our industrial base.

Consequently, the fragility of our economies will only

worsen, resulting in economic and social discontent.

In this regard we appeal to the international

community for special trade considerations while

9

adjustments are made to meet the international challenges

that the world economic environment engenders.

The countries of the Caribbean Community, cognizant

of the rapidly changing economic environment, and the

urgent need for cooperative effort to adjust, and in some

cases, survive the challenges ensuing from this change,

have undertaken measures to deepen their relations with

their Caribbean neighbours by formally creating the

Association of Caribbean States (ACS), membership of

which encompasses all countries washed by the Caribbean

Sea. We hope the international community will be helpful

in encouraging this self-help initiative to achieve its full

potential.

Last year, at the United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, the issue

of sustainable development was accepted as a major

component to be included in the development agendas of

countries the world over. Arising out of the universal

blueprint emerging from that Conference is the recognition,

at last, of the peculiar circumstances of small island

developing States in their pursuit of sustainable

development.

Designing development policies and implementing

programmes for small island States such as Saint Lucia

require considerable imagination and ingenuity, as was

shown by the Global Conference on the Sustainable

Development of Small Island Developing States, held in

Barbados earlier this year.

A successful follow-up to that Conference would rely

heavily on financial resources for the implementation of its

findings. My delegation calls upon the international

community to provide active support to the United Nations

Development Programme, which has been charged with the

responsibility for the coordination and implementation of

the programme of action.

Our small island State, Saint Lucia, seems to oscillate

between triumph and disaster. Last year we highlighted our

triumphs in the recognition of our two Nobel laureates.

This year the disastrous hand of nature in the form of

tropical storm "Debbie" struck Saint Lucia, dramatically

emphasizing the vulnerability of small island developing

States. Over an 11-hour period, this small 660-square-

kilometre territory, historically dependent on agriculture,

mainly bananas, tourism and small-scale manufacturing,

was battered by nearly 15 inches of rain, resulting in four

deaths by drowning, numerous landslides, and massive

flooding that destroyed bridges, roads, houses, and 60 per

cent of the banana crop. Even our international airport

lay buried temporarily beneath two feet of water and

mud.

With over 50 per cent of the working population of

Saint Lucia engaged in banana-associated enterprises, and

with more than 50 per cent of export earnings derived

from banana exports, destruction of 60 per cent of the

banana crop cannot but create serious economic and

social consequences for us. This again underscores the

vulnerability of small States like ours, and the need for

the international community to recognize their special

peculiarities and needs and to make appropriate provisions

to facilitate their survival.

Permit me, on behalf of my Prime Minister, and the

Government and people of Saint Lucia, to express

profound thanks and appreciation to the several members

and agencies of our Organization for their expressions of

sympathy, concern and support, and, in several cases,

offers or tangible manifestations of assistance in our time

of need.

As we focus on the milestone of the fiftieth

anniversary of the United Nations and its Charter, we

should perceive the ideas that subtend this body as a

cementing balm that would bring the disparate pieces of

our shattered globe together in peace, harmony, creativity

and beauty. The United Nations has over the years been

party to the achievement of many political strides towards

democratization and unprecedented levels of cooperation

between nation States.

The global situation that necessitated the creation of

the United Nations has undergone tremendous changes

over the last 50 years. Our membership has more than

doubled, and, as we continue to witness the emergence of

new States, social and economic demands increase,

coupled with new, pressing concerns, such as the

environment, women’s rights, children’s rights and good

governance, to name a few. My delegation supports the

demand for enhancing the resources of the United Nations

to enable it to cope with its expanded responsibilities. It

is also necessary that this Assembly be made more

effective and efficient in the execution of its functions, so

that it can become more responsive to the needs

particularly of developing countries, and can assist those

countries in their development processes.

Saint Lucia joins scores of other delegates in calling

for an increase in the membership of the Security Council

to reflect the increase in membership of this Organization

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and the concept of universality that the Charter advocates.

It is also necessary that the Security Council allow for more

consultation with the General Assembly in its deliberations

so that its perspectives may become even more reflective of

the world community.

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1993, entitled

"The Antilles, Fragments of an Epic Memory," Saint

Lucia’s Poet Laureate, Derek Walcott, said:

"Break a vase and the love that reassembles the

fragments is stronger than that love which took its

symmetry for granted when it was whole."

We see in this idea the touchstone for the United

Nations and the international community as this

Organization approaches its anniversary year. We can

extend this perception to embrace the cracked vases of our

globe, in which the horrors of Somalia, the demoralization

and brutality of Haiti, the carnage of the Anglo-Irish

conflict and the racial bigotry in other parts of the world

are all seen as products of the accident of history and the

poverty of the human spirit. It is hoped that through the

efforts of the United Nations a renewed humanitarianism

will be engendered and bound with a strength that

guarantees peace and the well-being of the world and its

people.