Belize, 1999

We are fortunate that the great

skills and integrity displayed by His Excellency Mr. Theo-

Ben Gurirab, both as freedom fighter and as Foreign

Minister of Namibia, will now be at the disposal of the

General Assembly. We desperately need those qualities as

we wrestle with the challenges that now face our

Organization.

We are enriched by the presence of our three new

Members, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru

and the Kingdom of Tonga.

We look forward to the coming millennium with

great expectations born out of the many great

accomplishments of this century, not least of which has

been the creation and preservation of the United Nations.

But we would be deceiving ourselves if we did not

recognize that the world of peace and security envisioned

by the drafters of the Charter is as far from achievement

as it was at the beginning of this tormented century.

This has indeed been a century of extremes. We

have witnessed marvelous scientific and technological

advances that could liberate humankind from the drudgery

and misery that have always been its lot. At the same

time, we have seen more billions spent on means of

destruction than on the construction of a better life for the

billions who still live in poverty.

We have witnessed the spread of democracy around

the globe, even as inequality between and within nations

grows unabated and countless millions of lives are

wasted. All too apparent are the tragic victims of the

invisible hand of the market.

How much has inequality grown during this century?

The 1999 Human Development Report of the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP) tells us that the

income gap between the fifth of the world's people living

in the richest countries and the fifth living in the poorest

was 11 to 1 in 1913. This had grown to 30 to 1 by 1960,

60 to 1 in 1990, and 74 to 1 in 1997. The report concludes

in its “Overview”, at page 2, that

“When the market goes too far in dominating

social and political outcomes, the opportunities and

rewards of globalization spread unequally and

inequitably — concentrating power and wealth in a

select group of people, nations and corporations,

marginalizing the others.”

The solution, it posits, is not to stop the expansion of

global markets, but to create and enforce the rules for

stronger governance, both national and global, to ensure

that globalization works for people, not just for profits. This

crying need for good global governance is not being

answered, and it is one of the most important and

fundamental tasks facing the United Nations today.

During this century there have been two concerted

attempts to collectively provide the framework for a new

world order, following periods of catastrophic human

behaviour. After the First World War the Versailles Treaty

and the Paris Conference created the League of Nations, the

International Labour Organization (ILO) and certain

economic arrangements. After the Second World War we

had the United Nations and the Bretton Woods agreements,

which again created new institutional arrangements for

regulating a new world order. One of the results of that

reordering was the ushering in of the era of decolonization,

whereby dozens of countries have emerged and formed part

of the family of nations, bringing our number in the United

Nations up to 188.

Today we have witnessed a real change in the world

order no less far-reaching and momentous than the first

two, with the end of the cold war, the creation of a unipolar

world and the phenomena of globalization and trade

liberalization. And still we have not been able to sit

together and negotiate universally accepted rules and

institutions that are workable and fair for regulating this

new order. How can we speak of the victory of democracy

in this situation?

The institutions that, more than national governments,

govern the real lives of billions today — the International

Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the G-7, the

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

(OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO) — are

dominated by a few rich and powerful countries, and

there is no transparency, no accountability, no effective

mechanism for civil society participation. In short, there

is no good governance.

We, the developing countries, are constantly being

urged by the international organizations, by the European

Union and others, to practise good governance, and are

threatened with sanctions if we do not. For our part, we

in Belize and other developing countries accept the need

for good governance and are doing our utmost to achieve

it. It is time we ensured that these all-powerful

organizations themselves practise good governance, abide

by a global code of ethics that puts people before profits,

respect the diversity of our countries and be fully

accountable and transparent.

While we have made important advances in

enlarging democracy at the national level, we have failed

to do so at the global level. Our only hope lies with a

reformed United Nations that will ensure that the global

institutions that determine the quality of our lives are

made democratic and just.

Small countries like Belize are understandably

concerned about the way in which globalization and trade

liberalization are being mismanaged. Yes, we believe in

the potential benefits of globalization. Yes, we want to be

involved, but as partners, not as victims of larger, more

powerful economic interests.

Belize became independent just 18 years ago. It has

been said that we became independent just when

independence ceased to be meaningful as a result of the

power of international organizations and transnational

companies to determine not just international, but also

national economic and social policies.

Let me say this clearly: do not expect any of us who

won our independence after years of struggle — some

involving armed conflict and the sacrifice of many

lives — to simply give it up and accept a new form of

domination. But what does it mean, especially for small

developing countries, to be independent in today's world?

It means that we must find a way to make

interdependence make independence meaningful.

This can best be done through effective regional

organizations. In our own region, our vision is to work

towards a real integration of the Central American and

Caribbean countries, to make the Association of

Caribbean States the means of inserting our countries into

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the world economy with a stronger voice to secure fair

terms of trade, greater market access and more beneficial

investments.

The much vaunted new financial architecture that we

seek to construct must be designed to enhance the

independence of sovereign States. We can only do this

through negotiated agreements that are fair, transparent and

consensual and in which developing countries are given a

real voice.

We are heartened by the words of Mike Moore,

Director-General of the WTO, who told us, members of the

Group of 77, at Marrakesh that he is totally committed to

ensuring that the WTO be a family in which every member

has an equal place at the table and that trade liberalization

bring real benefits to all countries, but especially to

developing countries.

We, the smaller and developing countries, must be the

beneficiaries of unselfish actions on the part of our

developed partners. We are aware that free trade can be

kind to the strong and deadly to the weak, and so our call

is this: Give us time to adjust and move our economies

forward. Help us to develop our capacities and technologies

to make our people competitive. We are challenged to

narrow the gap between those who earn billions and those

who work for pennies.

If we are to be successful at this, everyone must be

included. Our political ideologies and differences will have

to be put aside in the interest of the elimination of poverty.

But none of this is possible if we do not face up to meeting

the first objective of our institution: the achievement of

world peace and security.

True, since the inception of our Organization there has

not been another world war, but local and regional conflicts

have taken a more vicious toll than the two world wars

combined. If we are to prevent these human tragedies, we

will have to move, in the words of our Secretary-General,

from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention:

preventive diplomacy, preventive disarmament, preventive

deployment.

If only we had followed these prescriptions in East

Timor, we could have prevented the large-scale massacres

and destruction that were visited on an entire people in the

presence of our United Nations Mission, which had assured

them that they could exercise their right to

self-determination in peace and security. None of us can

feel comfortable with the fact that although international

agencies in the field had warned of the impending

massacre for months, nothing was done to prevent it. We

still have the task of ensuring that the people of East

Timor can live in peace and enjoy the benefits of their

courageous decision to be independent, and Belize

pledges its unconditional support for any measures taken

by our Organization to this end.

We do not fail to recognize and applaud the

tremendous success of the United Nations in the

eradication of colonialism and occupation. How could we

fail to do so, when the very existence of Belize as an

independent State is due in no small part to the support of

the United Nations? How could we fail to do so, when we

recall the role of the United Nations in the independence

of Namibia, whose Foreign Minister presides over our

Assembly, or when we recall the work of the Fourth

Committee in brokering the independence of so many of

our present members? But the job is not over till it is

over, not until all peoples of the world are guaranteed

their right to self-determination and independence in

peace and security. In this context, we look forward to

welcoming Palestine as a full Member of the United

Nations at the millennium summit and to achieving peace

and security for all the peoples of that region.

As we leave this century of unparalleled suffering

and violence, we look forward to creating a better world

in the next. None of us can dare predict what awaits us.

On the other hand, we must all commit ourselves to try

to shape the future in ways that redound to the benefit of

all human beings regardless of race, colour, sex,

nationality, class, religion or political opinions.

We will not succeed in this if we do not succeed in

eradicating poverty. Poverty, in the words of the President

of the World Bank, is much more than a matter of

income alone: the poor seek the sense of well-being

which comes from peace of mind, from good health,

community and safety, from choice and freedom as well

as a steady source of income.

A necessary condition for the elimination of all

forms of poverty is the creation of fair rules for trade and

investment. As my Deputy Prime Minister said at the

twenty-second special session, just recently concluded, the

Seattle Round of negotiations must be characterized by a

willingness to implement the necessary reforms to

ameliorate the negative impact of the post-Uruguay

arrangements. We — the small, vulnerable, disadvantaged

States — must benefit from trade liberalization along with

our developed partners.

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Those partners, however, must live up to the

commitments they have made to the world over the past

decades: it is scandalous that not only has the promise of

dedicating 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product to

development assistance not been met, we are getting further

from this goal every day, with barely 0.2 per cent of gross

domestic product now being so dedicated.

Effective solidarity between the haves and the have

nots is an essential part of the solution to the problems of

marginalization and poverty. That is why we commend the

actions of the Republic of China on Taiwan, which has not

been reluctant to help less well-endowed countries. Taiwan

is a good friend of Belize, and I would like to express here

our deep condolences to the people of Taiwan for the tragic

consequences of the earthquake that struck recently. It is

our hope that the United Nations will be able to embrace

the Republic of China on Taiwan in the family of nations,

as part of a peaceful and just solution to the China

question, one that respects the aspirations and rights of all

Chinese people.

I would like to endorse the support of our Secretary-

General for the concept of individual sovereignty in the

sense of the right of every individual to control his or her

own destiny. This, of course, presupposes a democratic

world, one in which people have the right to participate in

decisions that shape their lives. Indeed, such participation

defines the very existence of people; I participate, therefore

I am. But it is tantamount to putting Descartes before the

horse if we do not recognize that people cannot participate

effectively if they do not have access to education, to

knowledge, to information. My Government has made the

provision of such access its number one priority, and I urge

the international community to focus its resources on

assisting developing countries to empower their peoples

through human-resource development programmes.

We have squandered billions of dollars and millions of

lives in the real or imagined defence of State sovereignty;

let us now resolve to dedicate our resources to education,

the sine qua non for the realization of personal sovereignty.

We all want a better, more just, more peaceful and secure

world, and to achieve this we must have a world free of the

culture of violence and instant gratification, from the

scourge of drug-trafficking: we need a world of tolerance

and solidarity. None of this is possible without education.

People everywhere, but especially in the

underdeveloped countries, are asking what there is to

celebrate as we enter the new millennium. The least we can

do, the least we owe our people, is tell them the truth and

face the reality together. Let us not pretend that the future

is bright and untroubled, or that we have the answers to

all the problems that plague humanity. Let us instead

resolve to work together to harness the power of

technology, of science, of the marketplace, so that they

act for instead of against humanity.

Other speakers before me have called for a new

century of human development, for the creation of a new

global human order. This dream can become reality when,

at last, the powerful agree to sit down with the rest of us

as equals and together design the political, economic and

social architecture that will ensure global prosperity along

with global justice. Only then will the world live in peace

and proclaim, in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“And he shall judge among the nations, and

shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their

swords into plowshares, and their spears into

pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against

nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (The

Holy Bible, Isaiah 2:4)

Amen.