Suriname, 2011

Allow me to join previous

speakers in congratulating Ambassador Nassir

Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election as President of the

General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. We

welcome his efforts to promote the goals of the United

Nations and to act as a bridge between the developed

and the developing world. We pledge our full support

and cooperation as he steers the work of this session.

I would also like to thank Mr. Joseph Deiss for

having guided us with much efficiency through the

proceedings of the past session. We wish him well in

his future endeavours. To Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon, who has been elected once again at the helm

of our Organization, we continue to extend our support

and cooperation.

We welcome our newest Member State, the

Republic of South Sudan, to the family of nations.

The United Nations was founded on the

fundamental belief that collective action can serve our

collective security. That steadfast principle is even

more essential in addressing the many challenges that

threaten world peace today. In Ambassador Al-Nasser’s

inaugural statement as President, he referred to the

enormous political, social, economic and

environmental challenges facing the world (see

A/65/PV.103).

I could not agree with him more. Pandemics such

as AIDS, malaria and non-communicable diseases;

threats related to terrorism, weapons of mass

destruction, human trafficking, the illicit trade in and

use of small arms and light weapons and the illicit drug

trade; and the risks posed by climate change and the

continuing vulnerability of our women and youth all

call upon us to deepen our cooperation and strengthen

our international institutions.

Although some citizens in developing countries

enjoy good living standards, the realization of

sustainable development in many of those countries

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remains unattainable. Achieving social justice for all

represents the most basic humanitarian challenge of

our times. In order to move the world further along the

path of compassion, solidarity and shared

responsibility, that goal deserves our highest attention.

As the world becomes more intertwined, the

impact of climate change in one country or region is

affecting the prosperity and security of others as well.

As responsible citizens of this precious planet, we must

stand united behind the collective goal to preserve our

world for current and future generations. Our

understanding of climate change suggests that our

planet will undergo considerable changes over the next

50 years, impacting all areas of society.

For Suriname, with its low-lying coastline, that

means a vulnerable exposure to a rising sea level,

risking inundation of our fertile soil and freshwater

reservoirs. With 80 per cent of Suriname’s population

living in the coastal area, our ability to produce food

and guarantee food security will be in serious jeopardy.

For countries such as ours, it is therefore of paramount

importance that the international community honour its

commitments, realize the speedy implementation of the

Cancún Agreements and honour its pledges to the

Special Climate Change Fund and the Adaptation

Fund.

We cannot afford for the upcoming United

Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban to fail

to produce concrete agreements and targets on reducing

emissions, which would lead to a halt or drastically

reduce the rising temperature on the planet. We owe

that to our present and we owe that to our future

generations. We call upon all parties concerned to

reach an agreement.

Suriname now stands at a crossroads in its efforts

to attain sustainable development. We resolve to

promote an investment-friendly environment, with

prudent fiscal and monetary policies that are aimed at

securing macroeconomic stability in the medium and

long terms. Allow me to outline the main objectives of

our development strategy. We intend to maintain real

economic growth and raise per capita income, while

simultaneously promoting a more equitable income

distribution. We will further develop the mining sector

as the engine of economic growth in the short and

medium terms. We plan to move away from a

commodity-based economy and focus on the

diversification of our economy and increased

investment in other sectors, such as the agro-industry,

tourism, services, transport, infrastructure and housing.

We will invest in our human capital, which is our most

important resource. In that context, Suriname will

strengthen its national capacities to enhance our the

utilization of our abundant natural resources for the

benefit of its people.

We are well aware that we cannot move forward

in isolation. We recognize the strategic interest of

international cooperation to complement national

development policies. In that process, we are strongly

committed to the objectives of such regional

organizations as the Caribbean Community and the

Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).

Despite the current international financial

crisis — which is not of our making — Suriname’s

present economic outlook remains favourable.

Improper management of the world crisis, however,

will have negative consequences on our economy. We

are pleased with the UNASUR proposal for a complete

restructuring of the international financial system, with

the participation of all nations in the decision-making

process. The time has come to bring an end to the

practice of decision-making by only a few, which has

had disastrous consequences for the majority of the

peoples of the world. For countries such as Suriname,

with small, open economies, it remains of vital

importance to continue on the path of prudent

macroeconomic policies and economic diversification.

Since it is understood that sustainable

development can be attained only in a safe

environment, it is crucial to preserve international

peace and security. Armed conflicts, interference in the

domestic affairs of States, terrorism and transnational

crime — including drug-related crime and the illegal

traffic in and use of small arms and light weapons —

only derail our efforts to address the challenges that we

are faced with today.

At the sixty-sixth session of the General

Assembly, we are once again called on to reflect on the

spirit of our Charter as it relates to the assurance of

international peace, security and development. The

theme for this session, “The role of mediation in the

settlement of disputes by peaceful means”, is most

fitting, since mediation can and should become one of

the most effective instruments in international conflict

resolution. The failure to recognize and apply the

principles of equity and justice in international

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relations has resulted in unacceptable situations. Those

have brought about extreme poverty, further

marginalization, increasingly brutal forms of

criminality and destruction of the environment.

At the same time, we increasingly witness acts of

war and intervention in many parts of the world. Such

armed conflicts are sometimes preceded by a mandate

of our very own Security Council, with disregard for

the consequences of destruction, loss of life and human

suffering. Suriname wishes to draw urgent attention to

the stipulations of Article 33 in Chapter VI of the

United Nations Charter, which in our opinion have not

been consistently applied. That failure has resulted in

an unnecessary continuation of violence on the African

continent.

I also express concern regarding the situation in

Somalia, where severe famine has taken the lives of

tens of thousands and continues to be a threat to

thousands more. We must ask ourselves if the

architects of the acts of war on that same continent —

under the pretext of the protection of human rights —

could not better have used those precious resources in

the fight against famine. Furthermore, the Security

Council should be a forum for dialogue and action,

fully responsive to current and future global

challenges, and should not be permitted to bypass the

efforts of regional institutions that aim to promote the

peaceful settlement of disputes. In particular, when

outbursts of violence occur, peaceful efforts should

never be hindered or neglected.

On a special note, it is of great concern that

approximately 18 months after the disastrous

earthquake in Haiti, the recovery efforts on that island

nation are stagnating. We therefore call upon the

international community to honour its pledges and

continue to support the efforts of the Haitian people to

reconstruct their homeland.

Suriname reaffirms the right of the Palestinian

people to self-determination, including the right to an

independent State of Palestine, as endorsed by the

General Assembly in December 2010 (see resolution

65/202). Suriname has responded to the plight of the

Palestinian people and has taken the decision to

recognize Palestine as a sovereign State, worthy of

becoming a full-fledged Member of this world

Organization.

We also reiterate our concern about the

persistence of the imposition of the economic,

commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. Those

measures continue to cause hardship for the Cuban

people and to have adverse effects on the just

development of that country. How many more

resolutions need to be adopted before justice can be

done for the people of Cuba? Suriname once more calls

on the States Members of the United Nations to

vehemently reject the unilaterally imposed embargo on

this nation.

In closing, the provisions and the spirit enshrined

in the Charter of the United Nations remain valid as an

instrument for promoting international peace, security

and development.

As Members, we have the moral obligation to

continue to live up to the provisions of our Charter,

taking into consideration the demands of changing

times in a changing world.

We must, however, ensure that unity and justice

reign among all nations.