Dominican Republic, 2000

Representing and speaking on behalf of

the Government of the Dominican Republic, which

since 16 August 2000 has been presided over by

Mr. Hipólito Mejia on the basis of the votes cast by our

people for the Dominican Revolutionary Party, we

should like to reaffirm our profound commitment to the

principles that gave life to this Organization and to the

prospect for its further work as we head into a new

millennium.

We should like to voice our congratulations to the

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his having

convened the historic Millennium Summit on the basis

of the report about the role to be played by the United

Nations in the twenty-first century, a document which

contained an intelligent and pinpointed analysis of the

most acute problems of the present and of what is

ahead for the international community.

The Dominican Republic is convinced that

freedom and equality for all States and for all human

beings, without any distinctions whatsoever, constitute

the underpinnings for real peace and for harmonious

and democratic development of the international

community.

The assessment of the world situation drawn up at

the Millennium Summit highlighted that

notwithstanding the extraordinary scientific and

technological strides made, the development in

communications media and the rapid expansion of the

wealth of some countries, two thirds of mankind live in

conditions which prevent freedom and equality from

being a common denominator for all the peoples of the

earth.

It is all too well known that globalization is not

emerging as some magic formula or a panacea to heal

wounds, nor as any wondrous invention of the genius

of certain sectors of the rich countries.

Globalization is the continuation of a process

going back centuries in the history of humankind and

something which, unfortunately, on the one hand does

contribute to the progress and enrichment of some, but

on the other hand still leaves us with a developed and

an underdeveloped world. It is precisely because of its

unequal effects upon the peoples of the world that at

the South Summit of the Group of 77 held in Havana,

and at the Millennium Summit which took place in this

very Hall, we heard with renewed strength a just call

for freedom and equality.

The breadth and the dizzying speed of the

changes which globalization has triggered in recent

years have stirred the good conscience of humanity,

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and, although it appears a paradox, a peaceful

rebellion, albeit a distrustful one, is beginning to

protest what is seen in all this as just one more form of

the traditional domination of the powerful over the

weakest.

We peoples that had been colonized, and, having

gained independence, had to live in permanent defence

of our sovereignty and our cultural identity, have

developed the kind of sensitivity that allows us to sort

out the real consequences of certain historic processes.

That explains how, faced with the effects of

inescapable globalization, we have reacted critically,

determined not to continue to live on the sidelines and

not to accept that we should withdraw, unable to

achieve the security of a future filled with hope

through the exercise of our free will.

Globalization must be guided by the conviction

that the aspiration of a world free from upheaval can be

achieved only by an equitable interdependence which

can understand that the current imbalances caused by

the requirements and conditions imposed by certain

bodies can be met by the underdeveloped countries

only by the gradual application of free trade

agreements and the elimination of the kind of

protectionism that stands in the way of the free access

of goods and services to the markets of the developed

countries.

One single example shall suffice to illustrate the

consequences of the indiscriminate opening of the

market of an underdeveloped country. In the

Dominican Republic thousands and thousands of

medium and small-sized companies have gone

bankrupt because they could not compete with the

avalanche of products from the highly industrialized

countries.

Peoples whose asymmetry in relation to the

developed countries has been affirmed over centuries

cannot and will not be able to adapt to being

participants benefiting from globalization if they do not

receive the kind of support that allows them to attain

economic and social objectives that can contribute to

overcoming their current underdevelopment. To talk

about globalization and to leave the poor countries to

their own devices to make all the efforts necessary to

come up to the speed of the wealthy countries is a cruel

joke. Globalization must be imbued with an effective

spirit of solidarity and social justice. Otherwise,

underdeveloped humankind may find itself faced with

a new version of the economic voracity that is

illustrated in the fable of the shark and the sardine.

We believe that these concerns are all too

legitimate and, first and foremost, foresighted. We

must not in the future be forced to find a new word for

globalization to brand it as we branded the imperial

policies of the past.

Globalization is already doing more than give rise

to concerns and exacerbate the problems of the poor

countries; it also steadily worsens the external debt

situation. How many times must we pay that debt?

When will we finish paying it? We are convinced that

certain aspects of globalization and the consequences

of external debt are two sides of the same coin. The

indifference to the harm that this ruinous debt burden

does to the economies of poor countries makes one

doubt the existence of a true spirit of solidarity or a

sincere readiness to cooperate. Only forgiving that debt

under logical and favourable conditions and through

mechanisms guaranteeing effectiveness can give

underdeveloped countries the encouragement they need

to embark on the path into the new era.

Moreover, current price of oil is a further source

of distress for those who depend on it for energy

production. This year's oil bill for the Dominican

Republic will be more than $500 million, which

accounts for some 15 per cent of our national budget.

This situation — one shared by many other peoples —

demands consideration founded on international

solidarity and cooperation.

When we in the Dominican Republic speak of

solidarity and cooperation, we cannot but speak of

Haiti. Because we are adjacent to that fraternal people,

we know how much it needs the generous, sustained

support of the international community. As the

President of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Hipólito

Mejia, said at the Millennium Summit, the Dominican

Republic cannot alone bear the present social burden of

hundreds of thousands of Haitian citizens. The

Dominican Republic therefore wants a solution in

which the international community would be an active

participant, one that must be based on human rights

and that must be implemented in accordance with the

norms and principles that must govern a sound

migration policy.

But let no one think that we have come here to

grumble and to use the General Assembly as a wailing

wall. That is by no means true. The Government of the

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Dominican Republic is absolutely convinced that it is

Dominican society itself that must make the greatest

effort to achieve development. Mindful of its

responsibilities, therefore, the Government of the

Dominican Republic accepts the challenge of

globalization, because it knows that the first thing is to

address the priorities of development, and because it

knows also that its greatest efforts must go towards

establishing social justice to resolve problems of

education, health, the environment, the equality of men

and women, children, eliminating poverty, ending drug

trafficking, nutrition and steady improvement in human

rights and civil liberties.

Fortunately for many of the world's peoples,

developed countries and international bodies largely

understand that the point of globalization must not be

to unleash market forces and to bring about

protectionism, production subsidies and technical

regulation, because such obstacles can only contribute

to widening the gulf between rich and poor. Those

countries and organizations are working together

sincerely to ensure that the benefits of this process will

be shared through cooperation involving the

comprehensive development of peoples. It was in that

spirit and with those concerns in mind that the United

Nations proposed the 2001 High-level

Intergovernmental Event on Financing for

Development.

The Dominican Republic has strengthened its ties

with the Caribbean, with Central America and with

other areas of integration, and we are making our

contribution to enhance the possibilities for

negotiations, access to foreign markets, technology

exchanges and cultural enrichment. Moreover, we

believe that South-South cooperation is an

indispensable complement to growth-oriented

programmes undertaken with developing countries.

I turn now to the need to reform the Charter of

the Organization. Much has happened since 1945. With

undeniable skill, the United Nations bodies of that time

dealt with the tasks they faced in the wake of the

Second World War. But that was then; now, those

bodies do not reflect the realities of a new international

community that is larger and more demanding of

democratic development.

Reform of the Security Council is imperative; the

Dominican Republic considers that it must take place

in keeping with the sovereign equality of States,

equitable geographical distribution and the varying

levels of development of peoples. We are convinced

that an increase in the number of both permanent and

non-permanent members, carried out on the basis of

those principles, would enable the General Assembly to

play its role as the organ that is truly representative of

international democracy.

I turn now the establishment of the International

Criminal Court, which was a major event. We hope that

the Court will be able to mete out justice not only to

heads of State, heads of Government and officials who

commit war crimes, crimes against humanity or crimes

against citizens, but also to those who engage in

administrative corruption and theft of State property,

something that certainly constitutes a crime in many

countries because of the economic and moral harm it

causes to their peoples.

Because of the desire of the Dominican Republic

to be consistent with the historic tradition of its

international relations, it wishes to reaffirm its support

for the Republic of China in its logical and just

aspiration to rejoin the Organization, of which it was a

prominent Member for many years. Here, our position

reflects a duty born of conscience, not a position that

would diminish the rights that the United Nations has

recognized others to have.

Also linked to our historic tradition is the

principle of national sovereignty. Since it won

independence on 27 February 1844, the Dominican

Republic has held the right of self-determination as an

unshakeable article of faith. Thus, when there is talk of

also enshrining humanitarian intervention as a right, we

find ourselves faced with a situation that demands

clear-cut and precise definitions. We request this body

to devote to this issue the attention it deserves so that

all its Members will participate in clearing up such a

worrisome matter.

Finally, the Dominican Republic wishes to

express its conviction that the dialogue initiated by the

Millennium Summit and the positions expressed in the

General Assembly will contribute positively to

strengthening efforts for peace and brotherhood, which

are the essence of the spirit of the United Nations

Charter.

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