Guyana, 2004

The General Assembly,

this most democratic and representative of United

Nations organs, has served for almost six decades now

as a forum in which all States, no matter their size or

status, may address with equal voice issues of interest

and concern to them as well as to the international

community. It has indeed become the parliament of

humankind.

To the President of the General Assembly, a

distinguished son of Africa, now falls the task of

guiding the deliberations of this fifty-ninth session. I

would like to offer him my delegation’s warm

congratulations and good wishes as he assumes his

high responsibilities.

I would like to extend to the outgoing President,

The Honourable Julian Hunte, our appreciation and

thanks for his magisterial direction of the Assembly’s

activities over the past year. His performance is a

source of pride and satisfaction, not only to his native

Saint Lucia, but also to the wider Caribbean

community, to which both our countries belong. Allow

me also to convey to the Secretary-General, Kofi

Annan, our gratitude for his sure and steady leadership

of the Organization during these tumultuous times.

The speakers who have preceded me in the debate

have all expressed their preoccupation at the rising

level of threat to global peace and security, as well as

to our common economic and social security. Intense

conflict in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and

elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa and Europe has

destroyed thousands of innocent lives and wreaked

havoc on the States involved. At the same time, despite

the many promises of globalization, development

continues to elude the majority of countries, especially

the poorest and most vulnerable. The HIV/AIDS

pandemic has not abated, continuously robbing us of

precious human and financial resources. Altogether,

the international scenario facing us is distressing,

offering scant hope for early improvement. Like others,

therefore, my delegation cannot help but state its

concern at the ever-worsening international climate.

While most of our problems are man-made, many

of our States, such as those in the Caribbean, must also

face the constant threat of natural disasters. The recent

wave of hurricanes that destroyed our sister State of

Grenada and severely battered other island countries,

such as Haiti, the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands,

the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, has shown how

destructive the forces of nature can be to our

development. The Government of Guyana extends its

solidarity and support to all those afflicted, as well as

to the United States of America, whose state of Florida

has also been seriously struck. Such is the frequency of

these phenomena that the international community

must now seek to devise stronger and more responsive

machinery to address their consequences. In this

regard, Guyana attaches high importance to the

outcome, next January, of the International Meeting to

Review the Implementation of the Programme of

Action for the Sustainable Development of Small

Island Developing States, which will be held in

Mauritius, and the World Conference on Disaster

Reduction, in Kobe, Japan.

The scourge of terrorism has now reached such a

scale that it has been aptly described as a third world

war. Scarce resources must now be diverted from

development to the war on terror. Yet the rampage of

destruction continues unrestrained. The process under

way to stem the illicit global trade in small arms and

light weapons and to forge more effective international

instruments against terrorism and transnational crime

commands Guyana’s full support. We anxiously await

the report of the United Nations High-level Panel on

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Threats, Challenges and Change, in the hope that it will

offer practical recommendations for preserving global

peace and stability. The time may have come, we

believe, to fully implement the collective security

system that is envisaged in the United Nations Charter.

The age of globalization and liberalization in

which we now live has undoubtedly brought with it

laissez-faire attitudes and policies that have seriously

affected societies everywhere. Lawlessness and

violence are the new order of the day, threatening to

destroy established systems of governance, especially

in weak States, as demonstrated by the recent

interruption of the democratic process in Haiti, the

newest member of our Caribbean Community

(CARICOM), which has exacerbated social conditions

in that country. The Inter-American Democratic

Charter and, indeed, our own Charter of Civil Society

for the Caribbean Community expressly condemn such

breaches of democracy. Notwithstanding our concern at

these developments, Guyana stands ready to help the

fraternal people of Haiti overcome their social distress.

CARICOM, of which both Guyana and Haiti are

members, is currently coordinating our humanitarian

assistance to the island.

Respect for the fundamental tenets of the United

Nations is essential if we are to avoid conflicts. The

Charter is clear in its proscription of the use of force

except under the particular circumstances of Chapter

VII. In this context, let me say that Guyana supports

the reform of the Security Council through an

expansion in the membership of both the permanent

and non-permanent categories and a general

improvement of its modus operandi. After careful

deliberation and in an attempt to break the current

logjam in the discussions, my Government has decided

at this stage to support the aspirations of Brazil, India

and an African State to permanent membership. We

believe that their participation as developing States in

the work of the Council will make that body more

balanced, representative and, ultimately, more

accountable to the Assembly for the maintenance of

global peace and security.

For Guyana, as for the rest of the international

community, the situation in Iraq continues to be a

source of preoccupation. We would wish to see peace

and stability quickly restored to that country and its

people. Similarly, we urge an end to the suicidal

conflict between Israel and Palestine and a return to

negotiations leading to the creation of an independent

Palestine and peaceful co-existence between the two

States.

As conflicts and humanitarian crises such as the

one in Darfur continue to multiply, the United Nations

is being called to do more with less. We therefore call

for the strengthening of regional arrangements, such as

those of the Organization of American States and the

African Union, acting in concert with the United

Nations, to assist in the search for durable solutions to

conflicts and disputes.

It is also imperative that we strive with greater

determination to secure our economic development and

social progress. For more than six decades now, the

international community has diligently sought answers

to the development dilemma, moving from one facet to

another, from disarmament to basic needs, from

economic growth to full employment, from partnership

to national ownership and from good governance to the

free market. Thus far, however, the various models of

development followed have failed to achieve their

goals. In the continuing exploration, this year’s Human

Development Report has added culture to the list of

crucial elements. As a small, multi-ethnic State,

Guyana fully accepts this proposition and is committed

to preserving the culture that has brought our nation

together in service to our national development.

At the same time, we believe that cultural

diversity is a contemporary reality and must be

recognized by all States. Too often, strategies for peace

and development ignore this reality with disastrous

results. Not enough consultation and coordination are

undertaken to ensure that programmes and projects are

in keeping with nationally defined priorities and local

circumstances. It is necessary, if failure is to be

avoided, for there to be greater dialogue and

cooperation in the planning process for development.

National leadership remains a sine qua non for

successful development and must be strongly

supported by our development partners. In this spirit,

Guyana renews its support for the New Partnership for

Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and other such

initiatives based on strong national leadership and full

international cooperation.

President Lula of Brazil and the World

Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization

are to be commended for calling this Assembly’s

attention to two major challenges facing the

international community today, namely, poverty and

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the inequities of globalization. Although we daily see

on our television screens the emaciated faces of the

hungry, we are yet to be stirred with the compassion

and generosity of heart needed to relieve their misery.

As globalization gains further ground, many more will

fall victim to further marginalization, especially in

small developing countries that are unable to take

advantage of globalization. My own country has

recently seen a devastating blow to its sugar industry,

on which thousands of our people depend, as a result of

trade liberalization and the reform of the European

Union’s sugar regime. Unless small States like ours are

provided with special and differential treatment, they

will be excluded from the global economy.

Next year, the world’s leaders will meet to review

the progress made in achieving the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs). All the indications are

that there is hardly enough time to achieve our

objectives. We can therefore ill afford to stand still. We

must determine now what ought to be done to build

and sustain momentum to meet the 2015 targets.

Guyana’s experience has been that these are not likely

to be achieved without sustained economic growth.

Although we have sound poverty reduction and

national development strategies in place, we know that

success depends in fair measure on a fair and

supportive international environment. We therefore

urge that high priority be accorded to greater debt

relief, the mobilization of development finance and the

creation of equitable trading conditions to enable

developing countries such as ours to achieve economic

and social progress.

It must be realized, however, that the MDGs,

although important and laudable, will not in

themselves bring about comprehensive and sustainable

development. They are but a subset of the development

agenda, which must include, if it is to be successful,

political, economic, social and environmental

considerations. Without a holistic and well-coordinated

approach, lasting solutions to our problems will not be

found. It is for that reason that my Government

continues to advocate the establishment of a new

global human order based on genuine interdependence

and partnership between developed and developing

countries. We are at a point in time when terror, war,

poverty and social chaos threaten to engulf all

humanity. We therefore hope that when the relevant

item comes before the Assembly next month, it will

receive the further support of the international

community.

Within recent years the United Nations has faced

mounting criticism for its lack of responsiveness to

global challenges and for its failure to be democratic in

some of its decision-making. While there is often a

rush to act on particular issues that are deemed

important by some countries, much less attention is

paid to the concerns of the vast majority. As a

consequence, the credibility and even the legitimacy of

the United Nations have been called into question. If

that trend continues, the hard-earned prestige of the

Organization will be debased and its effectiveness

curtailed. There can be no worse danger to humanity

than the rejection of multilateralism. We believe

experience has now clearly shown that unilateralism

cannot resolve the problems of our contemporary

world. Only through joint endeavours can we hope to

achieve the freedom from fear and the freedom from

want to which all our peoples aspire.

As has been so aptly said, the United Nations

may not take us to heaven but it can certainly save us

from hell. Let us therefore renew our commitment to

the high purposes and principles for which it stands.