Grenada, 1999

My delegation is delighted to

congratulate the President on his election. My delegation's

hearty congratulations are made even warmer as he has the

privilege and the honour to take the fifty-fourth session, as

President of the General Assembly, from the twentieth into

the twenty-first century. A similar unique place in history

will not be observed for another hundred years. We are

confident, in view of his past heroic leadership of the South

West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), and now as

the Foreign Minister of Namibia, he will conduct our

deliberations with vision and dynamism.

My delegation also wishes to express our grateful

appreciation to Mr. Didier Opertti of Uruguay for his skilful

and productive conduct of the proceedings of the General

Assembly at its fifty-third session.

My delegation welcomes to the family of nations the

Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the

Kingdom of Tonga and offers hearty congratulations.

As the curtain makes its slow descent upon the

twentieth century, bringing it to its inevitable close, there is

a prevailing mood of reflection and anticipation. Rightly so,

as a connection between past, present and future is being

made, for we cannot appreciate the present without

knowledge of the past if we hope to ensure the future. And

indeed, historically speaking, the past is never past, for

what is past is prologue.

In retrospect, for some developing countries the period

of the 1980s was considered a lost decade because of the

heavy burden of debt servicing, falling commodity prices,

negative economic growth, unemployment and structural

adjustment. In the 1990s, the catchwords seemed to be

“sustainable development”, “environmentally friendly”,

“good governance”, “globalization”, and “poverty

alleviation”. These phrases seem to be the legacy of the

cluster of United Nations summits of the 1990s: the

Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, on

Human Rights in 1993, on Small Island Developing States

in 1994, on Population and Development in 1994, on Social

Development in 1995, on Women in 1995, on Human

Settlements in 1996 and on Food Security in 1996. In all

these high-level meetings, the centrality of the human

person in sustainable social, economic, and cultural

development was emphasized.

Grenada believes that the concept of sustainable

development is shared responsibility on the part of

developed and developing countries. Its global character

must be recognized so that there can be more sharing of

knowledge, ideas, information and resources.

Consequently, the region from which I come, the

Caribbean, strongly urges our more developed partners

urgently to make available new and additional sources of

funding and technological transfer to enable us to comply

with the obligations the international Conventions demand

of us. In short, the concepts of the global village and

globalization should be premised on giving, caring and

sharing.

Sustainable development is not possible without

respect for the whole range of human rights — economic,

social, cultural, civil and political. Indeed, human rights

are meaningless in an environment of poverty and

deprivation. The United Nations High Commissioner for

Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, has said, aptly, that

perhaps the largest scale of human rights violations today

is the fact that one fifth of humanity lives in absolute

poverty. World Bank estimates reveal that over 35 per

cent of people in the Caribbean basin live below the

poverty line. This situation threatens the very existence of

civil societies there.

Moreover, the plight of certain small Caribbean

States is further compounded by the World Trade

Organization's inhumane rulings over the European Union

banana regime. We are still baffled over the attitude of

our traditional ally and certain friendly Latin American

countries over the modified version of the banana regime.

We are hopeful, though, that a satisfactory compromise

will be arrived at soon. If so, the economies of the small,

banana-producing countries would be saved from the

shocks of a banana industry become non-existent.

I stress that there is an urgent need to unite our

efforts in a common framework to alleviate the problems

associated with critical poverty in order to restore some

form of human dignity in our countries.

To the observer with no inside knowledge of the

working of the United Nations and its specialized

agencies, the series of meetings to review what has

already been reviewed, and perhaps in some cases already

implemented, seem as complex as quantum physics and

exercises in repetitive and confusing rhetoric.

Nevertheless, since the conceptual and structural

framework of sustainable development is shared

responsibility, my delegation is hopeful that the recently-

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ended special session to review the implementation of the

1994 Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable

Development of Small Island Developing States has given

some impetus to the creation of this global partnership we

all desire. We are equally hopeful that the project proposals

submitted by Grenada will be favourably considered and

appropriate funding made available to execute them.

The Caribbean Sea is a unique body of water

bordering a large number of States, with overlapping

exclusive economic zones, vulnerable to the elements of

nature and also to man-made disasters. The Caribbean Sea

is indisputably the lifeblood of the countries of the

Caribbean Community — one half of whose population

lives on the coastline, where 20 per cent of the regional

gross domestic product is produced — and provides

employment for more than 25 per cent of the labour force

in tourism and the fishing industry. Sustainable

management and development of the Caribbean Sea and its

resources would benefit not only the Caribbean people but

also the international community as a whole.

Moreover, recognition of the Caribbean Sea as a

special area within the context of sustainable development

would provide the jurisdictional authority necessary to

control the passage of ships carrying toxic and hazardous

wastes and chemical and radioactive materials in Caribbean

waters. My delegation urges this special recognition of the

Caribbean Sea for all of the reasons I have stated.

We are mindful that we do not own the Earth; we are

simply holding it in trust for succeeding generations. We

are admonished not to treat the land with contempt and

remember that from it we came and to it we shall return.

Grenada is absolutely clear about its commitment to

the principles of the United Nations and therefore reveres

the ideals which informed those principles. Grenada thus

places a premium on fairness and justice in the conduct of

international affairs. It is in this context that the

Government of Grenada wishes to request that a fresh look

be taken at United Nations General Assembly resolution

2758 (XXVI) of 1971, as a matter of simple justice and

fairness to the people of the Republic of China. This

humanitarian-minded and democratically inclined country

has used its hard-earned resources to help developing

countries to help themselves, by providing training,

expertise and capital for developmental projects and other

forms of technical assistance in several critical areas. The

noble efforts of the Republic of China reminds one of the

great Chinese philosopher, Confucius, and his thoughts on

giving a man a fish and teaching a man to fish, Grenada

applauds the sacrifices of the Republic of China in this

regard.

Indeed, the Republic of China has wrought an

economic miracle, to the point where it is the fourteenth

most important trading country and its foreign reserves

rank among the top in the world.

The international community cannot simply ignore

the aspirations of such a dynamic and generous people,

and should thus ensure that the fundamental right of the

22 million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan to

participate in the activities of the United Nations be fully

respected.

Equally, in the name of humanity and justice,

Grenada calls for the lifting of the economic embargo

against the Republic of Cuba. World opinion is definitely

swayed towards this, and consequently overwhelming

support is given year after year to the relevant resolutions

at the United Nations on this issue. Sadly, though,

enforcement is still outstanding. As we are about to close

another chapter in the history of mankind, we appeal to

the Government of the United States of America to once

more take the lead in showing its humane qualities and

ease the pain and suffering of ordinary Cubans. It should

therefore suspend all sanctions unconditionally.

As we look to the new century we must urge that

there be a Middle East of peaceful coexistence,

particularly between Israel and the Palestinians.

We certainly hope that past events in the Balkans —

particularly in Yugoslavia — will not be repeated; and

that the principle of self-determination will be respected

globally, the situation in East Timor being a case in point;

that the various pockets of conflict around the world will

be resolved amicably; and that any changes contemplated

within the United Nations system will take into account

the concerns and aspirations of smaller nations.

Grenada believes that, with the collective efforts of

all States and the purposeful involvement of the United

Nations, democracy, social justice, good governance,

solidarity and the economic prosperity of all our Members

could be achieved.

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Finally, my country extends its concern and sympathy

to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and, more

recently, to our friends in the Republic of China on Taiwan,

a country so helpful to us in the promotion of sustainable

development.

We are also mindful of the situation in East Timor and

hope that as soon as order and security are restored,

independence, for which the majority voted, will take root.