Guyana, 2012

It is a distinct honour for me

to speak today for the first time as President of the

Republic of Guyana in this general debate of the sixty-

seventh session of the General Assembly.

To the President of the Assembly at its sixty-seventh

session, I extend my delegation’s sincere congratulations

on his election. I also pay tribute to his predecessor, His

Excellency Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who presided

over the sixty-sixth session with distinction during a

trying period for this body. The Secretary-General

deserves commendation for his unstinting service

to the Organization and our continued support as the United Nations negotiates the many issues that confront

our world.

The present international system is characterized

by change and crises. A tide of change is evident at all

levels, from the local to the global, and it is either being

precipitated or accompanied by multiple crises within

the global community.

In the economic realm, continuing adverse

conditions stymie global efforts to achieve

internationally agreed-upon development objectives.

Recovery from the global financial crisis is at best

incipient and sluggish. Several of the major contributors

to global output are grappling with unsustainable fiscal

balances that hinder their ability to stimulate lasting

recovery. The problems in those economies continue

to place a drag on global growth. Compounding those

difficulties is the slowdown in output in major emerging

economies. Naturally, those events have had serious

negative impacts on developing countries.

Although more resilient than in earlier times,

developing countries have paid a heavy price as a result

of the present difficulties in the world economy. That

has been reflected in growth that is generally lower than

pre-crisis levels. Already grappling with adverse trading

arrangements and the consequences of an inconclusive

and disappointing Doha Development Round, the plight

of developing countries has been made worse by the

prolonged global slump. Many of the gains made before

2008 have been erased by the continuing difficulties in

the world economy. The small, vulnerable economies of

the Caribbean face special challenges, compounded by

generally high levels of indebtedness and falling export

revenues.

It is within the unfavourable international climate

that we have to judge our own performance. Guyana

has had to face many serious challenges. However,

we have worked steadfastly to build a more resilient

economy and country. We have managed to forestall

the worst effects of the international economic crises.

Over the past six years, we have achieved an economic

growth rate of approximately 5 per cent per annum. The

growth rate is, I believe, the result of the investments

that we have been making in our people. More than

30 per cent of our budget is dedicated to education,

health, housing, water and social programmes to help

the most vulnerable.

Today Guyana has achieved universal primary

education, and we have come a long way towards attaining universal secondary education. However,

significant challenges remain in reaching people in the

remote areas of our country. If we are to encourage our

youth to become responsible citizens and prepare them

to be the leaders of tomorrow, we must ensure that our

education systems allow for the development of their

full potential.

I am therefore honoured to join the Secretary-

General in promoting the Education First initiative. We

are nonetheless conscious that the sustainability of our

growth and that of other developing countries will be

hindered if the weakness in the international economy

is prolonged.

Guyana therefore continues to advocate for reform

of the graduation policies and aid allocation criteria of

the international financial institutions to take account

of the structural vulnerability and level of economic

resilience of small States, for measures to ease the debt

burden, for renewed access to concessionary financing

for highly indebted middle-income countries and for

the strengthening of financial regulations.

The international economic crisis has also led to

growing negative social problems. Despite great efforts

by many countries, the war against narco–trafficking

is far from over. That scourge has an impact on all our

countries. It has also directly and indirectly engendered

the growth in criminal activity in our region. The

availability of guns in many societies — I would note

that we do not produce them — most of which has come

as a by-product of the narco-trade, has contributed to

the growth of gun crimes and murders in the region

and beyond. To deal with the problem, Guyana is ready

to cooperate fully with the international community to

bring the criminals to justice and free our people from

the multiple dangers that drug trafficking creates.

Even as our society advances, the issues we have

to deal with often seem to multiply. The issue of

trafficking in persons has also arisen over the past

decade as a major concern. We join with all democratic

and decent people throughout the world in condemning

that crime. Again, it is a campaign that requires a high

level of cooperation. We are ready to play our part.

If solving those collective problems requires greater

will, then other transnational problems such as the

climate crisis require urgent, immediate and decisive

action. Our failure to do so risks causing irretrievable

harm to humankind. Despite the strong scientific and economic case

for action, the global response to the climate crisis

falls short of what is required in terms of both scale

and urgency. The projected level of reduction in

greenhouse-gas emissions is much too low. Scientists

are warning us of the catastrophic consequences if the

rise in greenhouse emissions is not halted. Already

some States are facing imminent extinction.

To add insult to injury, the promise of fast-start

financing made at Copenhagen a few years ago has

not materialized. The result is that those most at risk

are effectively deprived of the means to adapt to that

existential threat. We cannot continue to deal with

threats to the survival of the planet with such casualness.

As a low-lying coastal State, Guyana is mindful

of the dangers posed by climate change. We have been

at the forefront of the appeals to the international

community to match its concern with tangible action.

It is clear that some countries are taking the issue

seriously. Norway has led the way by giving tangible

support in fighting climate change. Guyana, for its

part, has chosen to pursue a low-carbon development

strategy in order to ensure economic growth, social

progress and environmental sustainability for present

and future generations of our citizens.

But, as our experience patently demonstrates, that

path is not without its hurdles. Just three short months

ago, in Rio de Janeiro, we renewed our collective

commitment to sustainable development and to

ensuring the promotion of an economically, socially

and environmentally sustainable future for our planet.

We also agreed that the eradication of poverty was

the greatest challenge facing the world today, and we

recommitted ourselves to freeing humankind from

poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency.

We need, therefore, as a matter of exigency, to

respond to the plight of more than 1 billion of our fellow

citizens who bear the ache of hunger on a daily basis.

They are found on every continent, in every city and in

rural communities across the world.

Their plight is worsening. Food prices are surging

once again, and risk rising even further as severe

droughts decimate crop yields. Those who suffer from

chronic hunger today cannot wait until the international

community agrees on a post-2015 development

framework. They cannot wait until we craft new

sustainable development goals. They need action now. The decades-long under-investment in agriculture

and rural development needs to be urgently reversed if

food security is to be guaranteed on a sustainable basis.

In line with the Five Rome Principles for

Sustainable Global Food Security, Guyana calls for an

acceleration of the twin-track approach to enhancing

direct action against hunger for the most vulnerable

and for promoting medium- to long-term sustainability

in agriculture and rural development. In that context,

increased international support for the expansion of

rural infrastructure is critical.

Ms. Flores (Honduras), Vice-President, took the

Chair.

If we are to maintain our credibility, we must avoid

indecisiveness on the issues that afflict humankind. We

are only three short years away from 2015, the year we

set for ourselves to reach important goals for improving

the security of our planet and enhancing the quality of

life for all. We must do what we promised to do and we

must do so without delay.

Greater alacrity is also needed in the area of politics,

where tensions and unrest in many corners of our globe

threaten to undermine international peace and security.

The tide of democratic change that has swept the

planet and raised the expectations of peoples for social

progress and better standards of life in an environment

of enlarged freedoms is receding. Those legitimate

aspirations deserve the respect and encouragement

of the Governments concerned and the support of the

international community. No people should be denied

the right to live in dignity or to live a life free from

fear and want. At the same time, we must be careful to

guard against the superimposition of agendas based on

ulterior designs that are alien to those noble aspirations.

While we give solidarity and support where needed,

let us not forget that this body crafted an important

principle of self-determination.

Human rights and fundamental freedoms are best

preserved in an environment of peace and security.

Respect for the rule of law and tolerance for the faiths

and beliefs of all humankind must continue to be the

guiding principles through which we build harmonious

societies. While we condemn the attacks and insults

that the recent film heaped on Islam, we believe

that nothing of that nature can justify the murder of

diplomats and the violence we have seen. We therefore

extend our sympathy to the people and Government of the United States of America on the murder of

Ambassador Christopher Stevens and others in Libya.

We believe that the best homage we can pay to their

memory is to work even harder for a just, peaceful and

tolerant world.

In concert with the proposed theme of this debate,

the United Nations must continue to pursue peaceful

solutions to political conflicts, no matter how slow and

painstaking the process may be.

It is my country’s sincere hope that peace will soon

come to the Syrian people. Guyana urges the renewal

of efforts to bring the warring parties to the negotiating

table. The international community must contribute to

peace and not to the exacerbation of strife and conflict.

Any abandonment of its role in bringing peace to Syria

will result in greater suffering in that country and

undermine security in that part of the world. The United

Nations must therefore persevere in finding a peaceful

end to the conflict. We therefore support the efforts of

the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations

and the League of Arab States in trying to bring the

conflict in Syria to a peaceful end.

I also wish to underline Guyana’s strong support

for the peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict. We are of the view that the resolution of that

conflict, which has lasted for too long, is key to a lasting

peace in the Middle East. Guyana recognizes the State

of Palestine based on its 1967 borders and supports its

aspirations to full membership in the United Nations.

The Palestinian people deserve the same rights as

people everywhere: to live in dignity, security, freedom

and independence, at peace with all their neighbours

and with the right to move freely in their own land.

Guyana is encouraged by the continuing efforts of

the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic of South

Sudan to resolve their differences through negotiations.

We are hopeful also that the people of Mali will be

able to overcome their current crisis and restore the

celebrated legacy of Timbuktu.

Having regard for the principle of the sovereignty of

States set down in the United Nations Charter, Guyana

wishes to place on record once again its firm opposition

to the economic, financial and commercial embargo

imposed against its sister Caribbean State of Cuba. We

call for an immediate end to the policy. Cuba has made

great contributions to the social development of many

developing countries. The lifting of the blockade can

allow it to do much more. The myriad challenges affecting our world today

pose a formidable test to the multilateral system that

embodies our collective aspirations for peace and

development. Such challenges tax our collective resolve

to act in the best interest of humankind.

The United Nations was established at a time

when the vast majority of the human family was not

represented in its councils and most nations could not

speak on their own behalf. That is not the case today.

The near universal representativeness of its membership

gives the United Nations unparalleled legitimacy among

world institutions. The governance of the Organization

needs major reform if it is to reflect the realities of the

present time and give full expression to the aspirations

of the world’s peoples. For the Security Council, the

imperative for reform is particularly urgent. I reaffirm

Guyana’s steadfast support for timely reform of the

Council through an expansion in both the permanent

and non-permanent categories, with particular regard

to the representation of developing countries.

The United Nations must also be reformed in a

manner that will enhance its contribution to global

economic governance, in keeping with the purposes

of its Charter. The United Nations has an important

role to play in addressing the democracy deficit in

decision-making on such matters, which often have

far-reaching implications, particularly for small States.

Reforming the United Nations along those lines will

provide it with greater legitimacy, which is key to its

effectiveness in the eyes of the world. That legitimacy

will be enhanced by the delivery of results that meet

the expectations of the global citizenry in areas where

action is most needed.

In conclusion, allow me to recognize the great role

played by this body over the years in promoting world

peace. It has done a lot to contain and resolve regional

and local conflicts. In our time, the United Nations has

become indispensable in tackling pressing global issues.

We must therefore all work together to strengthen the

Organization so as to make it more effective in the face

of the many challenges that are ahead.