Grenada, 2013

I wish to extend my sincere

congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as

President of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth

session. The fact that you were elected by consensus

speaks in unequivocal terms of the high esteem in

which you are held by your colleagues and the respect

that you command in this forum. I am confident that

your vast practical experience at the multilateral level

will serve you in good stead as you guide this session

to a fruitful outcome. In the same breath, I pay tribute

to your predecessor, Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for his astute

stewardship at the previous session.

Allow me to begin by expressing our solidarity

with the people of Kenya, while condemning in the

strongest terms the cowardly acts of terrorism that were

seen last week.

I thank you, Sir, for selecting as the theme for this

session “The post-2015 development agenda: setting

the stage”, which, in my delegation’s view, embodies

the fundamental concerns of all countries, but will

find particular resonance with small island developing

States (SIDS) like Grenada. This is an area where the

multilateral system must demonstrate its effectiveness

not only to improve the lives of ordinary citizens but also

to maintain confidence in our multilateral institutions.

We look forward to key performance indicators linked

to tangible outcomes, rather than more analysis and

more reports.

Grenada endorses the call made at the United

Nations Conference on Sustainable Development for

the future we want. In that context, we must build on

the successes of the Millennium Development Goals

and Agenda 21. Indeed, for a post-2015 development

agenda we welcome a framework that goes beyond gross

domestic product and recognizes the assets of natural

capital. Grenada encourages the international financial

institutions to go even further by also recognizing the

liabilities associated with natural disasters caused by

climate change. Those liabilities underscore the need

to reassess the basis on which small island developing

States are graduated to middle-income status, thereby

losing access to concessionary funding that is sorely

needed.

The unilateral graduation of many small island

developing States to middle-income status is premature.

I therefore reiterate the call made in Agenda 21 for a

more holistic and comprehensive set of indicators for

classifying States. Grenada endorses support for low-

income and fragile economies. Moreover, it is clear that

several of the SIDS newly promoted to middle-income

status continue to struggle with high debt burdens,

which are worsened by climate change and high fossil-

fuel import bills. Many SIDS also struggle with low

productivity and low levels of competitiveness and with

severe financial constraints, and, in some cases, they

struggle with limited prospects for immediate growth.

The point is that per capita income used as a sole

measure without the context of climate vulnerability

does more harm than good. To illustrate that point, as

damaging as Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina were to the

United States economy, the costs ran between 0.5 per

cent and 2 per cent of the gross domestic product of the

United States. That is in sharp contrast to the costs of

between 20 per cent and 200 per cent of gross domestic

product when hurricanes hit island economies.

Therefore, Grenada is joining with other SIDS in

urging the shareholders, the donors and the boards of

the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank

to translate the recognition of climate vulnerability

in small island States into a meaningful package of

financial and official development assistance for SIDS.

The issue of the graduation of SIDS is an issue that

has been raised year after year. Let us return to the

General Assembly next year confident that progress on

that matter has been made. In that regard, we wish to

suggest for consideration during your presidency, Sir, a

call for a substantive paper and a debate on the issue.

Ideally, the outcomes of that debate should be provided

as an input towards the 2014 third International

Conference on Small Island Developing States, to be

hosted by Samoa, and as an input to the Secretary-

General’s debate on climate change scheduled for

September 2014.

Also contributing to the indebtedness and fiscal

unsustainability of small island States are the volatility

and high prices for fossil fuels. On average, small

island developing States are paying between 20 cents

and 40 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, some

as high as $1. That contrasts with prices of 5 cents to

15 cents in developed countries. We welcome, therefore,

the initiative of the Alliance of Small Island States in

establishing the SIDS DOCK Support Programme.

We also wish to express gratitude to the donors and

institutions for helping to facilitate that programme.

In addition, the Government of Grenada is taking

major steps towards creating a green economy. One

of the priorities for Grenada’s Prime Minister, The

Right Honourable Keith Mitchell, is the dismantling of

a monopoly that is contributing to high energy costs

on the island of Grenada. The Government is seeking

partners to help create a level playing field, which

will allow many more private-sector players to have

a role in innovative and substantive power-generation

solutions, while positioning Grenada as an exemplar for

a sustainable planet.

Mr. President, as you have chosen the theme of

sustainability for the sixty-eighth session, so too

has the Government of Grenada chosen sustainable

development as the organizing theme for the

development of our island and for our engagement

with international partners. Grenada is a party to more

than 40 multilateral environmental agreements. The

push to harmonize local laws with those international

instruments is testament to Grenada’s commitment to

that agenda. The reasons are clear, the causes of climate

change and the impacts of climate change are negatively

affecting Grenada’s ability to fulfil its social contract

with its people, including its ability to fully deliver on

the Millennium Development Goals.

So far I have spoken only about economic

sustainability and environmental sustainability. The

third pillar of sustainable development relates to

social sustainability. Grenada is a society in which

social development is given equal weighting with the

importance of investment and economic growth driven

by the private sector. On 13 May, a mere three months

after assuming office, my Government ratified the

International Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Racial Discrimination. We are proceeding

apace to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons

with Disabilities, thus demonstrating that Grenada is

committed to the removal of all forms of discrimination.

Grenada associates itself with efforts to dedicate the

Caribbean region to the development of humanity. We

also acknowledge that through the ages the Arab world

has contributed enormously to the world of science

and mathematics, including the very numerals we use

today. We see a modern Arab world taking positive

steps to take the lead in developing breakthroughs on

the key issues that confront our planet. We very much

welcome initiatives such as Masdar City and the hosting

of the International Renewable Energy Agency by the

United Arab Emirates. The role of Qatar in hosting

the United Nations Climate Change Conference is

also noteworthy. Grenada joins with other countries in

seeking to deepen our relationship with the countries of

the Gulf Cooperation Council and places a high degree

of importance on the peace and security of the region.

We are mindful that the region and the entire United

Nations system have been seized of the issues of peace

and security during United Nations Week. Grenada and

many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean

are home to a vibrant and entrepreneurial diaspora

from the Middle East, including people from Syria and

Lebanon. As a consequence, Grenadian citizens are

very concerned about the prospects for peace in Syria

and the wider Middle East.

Grenada condemns, in the most vehement terms,

atrocities and crimes against humanity. We therefore

believe that those responsible for the recent deadly use

of chemical weapons in Syria must be held accountable

by the international community. Moreover, Grenada

welcomes Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), on

destroying Syria’s chemical weapons, and is encouraged

by the commitment of the Syrian Government to comply

with that resolution. More importantly, my delegation

hopes that that breakthrough could be a stepping stone

to the resolution of the already brutal and bloody civil

war in Syria, which has been fuelled by conventional

weapons.

On 3 June, Grenada joined 83 States in signing

the Arms Trade Treaty on the very first morning that

the Treaty was opened for signature. Work is already

under way at the national level for the ratification of the

Treaty, yet another signal of Grenada’s commitment to

peace and security. Moreover, being the first country

to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions,

Grenada intends to use its experience to raise awareness

on that particular matter, especially in the Americas.

On the question of Israeli-Palestinian relations,

Grenada remains convinced that a two-State solution is

essential to ending that conflict and urges both parties

to conduct the present round of negotiations in good

faith. Grenada has good relations with the Government

and people of Israel and is a strong advocate for

Israel’s right to coexist in peace with its neighbours.

Furthermore, Grenada has long been a supporter

of the people of Palestine. Grenada is proud to have

joined with neighbouring countries in recognizing

the State of Palestine and in signing a memorandum

of understanding based upon friendship and upon an

understanding of a two-State solution.

As with most of the world, Grenada looked at

the Arab Spring with great interest. The use of social

media underscores the rise of technology as a tool for

democracy on a 24/7 basis, and my Prime Minister

places great importance on the use of information and

communication technologies as a way to engage our

youth. As Egypt goes through its transition and its

people’s call for freedom, dignity and social justice is

heard, we encourage the leaders to learn the lessons of

the recent past and respond to the will of the people

in moving forward to a system of true democracy and

respect for human rights and inclusive processes for

nation-building.

Finally, my delegation uses this occasion once

more to express our solidarity with the Cuban people,

who continue to suffer from an unnecessary economic,

commercial and financial embargo that is a relic of the

Cold War. Grenada once again calls on the United States

of America to respect the views of the overwhelming

majority of humanity and lift the onerous measures

imposed over five decades ago now.

We support your theme, Mr. President, for this

sixty-eighth session and wish to assure our partners that

they can count on Grenada to be an active participant in

these deliberations and in the implementation of their

outcomes.

Grenada is open for business. My Government

recognizes that a tried-and-tested route to sustainable

development involves a significant component of

foreign direct investment. Grenada therefore reaches

out and seeks new friendships while maintaining and

building upon its existing and long-standing relations

with many States members of this body.

In 2014 Grenada marks its fortieth anniversary of

independence, and we invite each and every Member to

celebrate with us on 7 February. We also see our 40 years

as a milestone that recognizes 40 years of struggle,

40 years of development. But also, more importantly, it

marks 40 years of expectations not yet fully delivered

upon. As such, my Government, under the leadership

of our Prime Minister, sees this year as the year of less

talk and more action, the year of tangible deliverables,

and the year that great socioeconomic strides are made.

We have a young and vibrant population that cannot

wait any longer, that should not wait any longer, and

with the help and cooperation of our friends, new and

old, we will deliver. They will not wait any longer.