Maldives, 1999

At the outset, I would like to

congratulate Mr. Gurirab on his election to preside over this

historic session of the General Assembly. It is a tribute to

his rich experience and to his great country, Namibia.

His predecessor, Mr. Didier Opertti of Uruguay, also

deserves our appreciation for the excellent manner in

which he discharged his important responsibilities.

Permit me also to pay tribute to the

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his dedication and

commitment to the ideals of the United Nations.

As we meet for the final session of this century, and,

indeed, of this millennium, we are faced with a future that

holds for us promises and perils, hopes and fears,

opportunities and challenges. We cannot secure a better

future unless the root causes of the problems of our times

are resolved. The United Nations, as the only truly global

Organization, is best suited to address these problems. Its

role, therefore, must be reaffirmed and must remain

central to our efforts in the reconstruction of a more just

world order where human security is guaranteed.

Since the establishment of this Organization, small

States have earned a legitimate voice in multilateral

diplomacy. I am delighted today to welcome the three

new Members of the United Nations, the Republic of

Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of

Tonga. As small States, Maldives and the three new

Members share numerous interests and concerns which

are vital to our common survival and progress.

We stand at a crossroads. This is an ideal

opportunity to review our past performance and to map

out innovative approaches to address existing and

emerging problems. As we get ready to enter the new

century and the new millennium, we in the Maldives have

developed Vision 2020 for our country, based on the

lessons of the past. The Vision sets out major directions

for the next two decades. We envision a community that

is just, caring and peaceful. Our country must continue to

be one in which good governance, democracy and the

welfare of the people are given the highest priority. We

seek a society where gender equality is a reality and

where everyone has the opportunity for self-actualization.

We want our children to be happy, creative and safe.

These aims can be realized only through a high level

of economic achievement and social progress. However,

our resources are meagre. We face numerous natural

hazards and are vulnerable to a wide range of man-made

threats. Nevertheless, we remain firm in our determination

to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. But for

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that to happen, our own efforts must be supplemented by a

supportive international environment. That much we need

and that much we seek.

Nevertheless, the withdrawal of that supportive

framework seems, regrettably, to be imminent. The

Maldives has been earmarked for graduation from the list

of least developed countries (LDC) next year. We do not

feel entirely comfortable with the LDC label. Indeed, we

would like to enter the new millennium as a self-reliant

country. National pride, however, cannot transcend harsh

economic reality. Our economy is small and narrowly

based. Capacity for economic diversification in the

immediate future is limited. Graduation would therefore

impose unbearable burdens on us. The General Assembly

is to review the graduation process and its criteria this year.

I appeal to you to consider the realities on the ground. I

call upon you to look beyond abstract indicators to the

inherent vulnerabilities of small States. My President has

already conveyed our concerns in detail to the President of

the Economic and Social Council. The Commonwealth has

strongly supported our case.

The liberalization of trade and the globalization of the

economy have created windows of opportunity for increased

economic growth. Their impact, though, has created a

particularly difficult economic road for developing

countries. Globalization must progress without

marginalization and without further impoverishment. The

seven nations of the South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation (SAARC) are working together to enhance our

prospects in the new international economic climate through

greater regional cooperation.

Yet, ominously, on a global scale the gulf between

rich and poor nations has reached tragic proportions. These

harsh economic realities have been accompanied by the

fragmentation of the international will to foster greater

equality. Aid programmes had previously supplemented

domestic savings in recipient countries, but today they are

not even adequate to save the destitute, leaving many

developing countries with little choice but to replace their

visions of advancement with those of survival and life-

support. The world's present focus on poverty eradication

only underscores its past failure to narrow the gap between

the rich and the poor. It is disheartening to note that the

gap has more than doubled since 1950.

I am happy that a number of international initiatives

on social issues have taken place during this decade. The

Maldives attaches great importance to the fulfilment of the

Copenhagen commitments and the implementation of the

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We look

forward to their review meetings next year to give a fresh

impetus to our action. In South Asia, the Maldives has

called for the drawing up of a social charter that will

institutionalize social development in the region. We are

also pressing for a SAARC convention on regional

arrangements to promote and protect child welfare. I hope

that the convention will be adopted as we mark the tenth

anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The international social agenda is indeed a

demanding one. It cannot be addressed by national

Governments acting alone. Cooperation among States and

partnerships with inter-governmental and non-

governmental organizations are essential for victory on

this front. At the same time, our approach to economic

performance needs to be re-oriented towards human

security and ecological safety. We need to temper our

obsession over economic growth with concerns for the

quality of life. We all accept the importance of

sustainable development. We all agree on the need for

effective global action to achieve environment-friendly

progress. Yet, the clear message that has emerged from

the review of the Barbados Programme of Action

completed this week is that of weak commitment and

poor implementation. Our deeds must match the

sentiments we have expressed. We must deliver on our

promises.

Small island developing States have few options that

they can pursue on their own. International cooperation is

vital to ensure that sustainable development strategies are

viable for them. It is also necessary to help them adapt to

the dangers posed by global warming and climate change.

As we have reiterated on numerous occasions, the

Maldives could very well cease to exist if the sea level

rises by one metre. Many other low-lying regions would

suffer a similar fate. Should the sea level rise by one

metre, the developed countries too would be affected

significantly, and the direct impact on biodiversity would

be unfathomable. The Maldives is therefore deeply

disappointed by the lack of action in implementing the

Barbados pledges.

While great Powers may be able to look after their

own security needs, the small States need to rely on

institutions of collective security. I am happy to recall that

10 years ago, the Assembly adopted resolution 44/51,

which recognized that the international community has an

obligation to make provision for the protection and

security of small States. We are grateful for the support

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of the international community for our initiative on this

issue, but we remain concerned that time and again the

response of the United Nations to crises, especially those

involving small States, has been found wanting in speed

and in effectiveness.

It is a pity that we have to enter the new century and

the new millennium still carrying baggage containing many

unresolved and deep-seated problems that confronted the

United Nations at its birth.

One such problem is the Middle East problem. Peace

in the Middle East still remains elusive. Hesitant steps have

been taken, but many issues remain unresolved. The

Maldives has welcomed the Middle East peace process

from the beginning. We are disappointed at its slow

progress and look forward to a more earnest and bold

search for peace. Once again, we express our full support

to the Palestinian cause and call for the full implementation

of the relevant United Nations resolutions on lasting peace

in the region.

Eight years after the Gulf war, there are still many

unresolved issues that affect the security and progress of

the region. The Maldives calls upon all parties concerned

to fully comply with the resolutions of the United Nations

on the subject. We regret the suspension of talks between

Kuwait and Iraq on outstanding bilateral issues, including

that of missing persons, and believe that the resolution of

these issues should be pursued within the existing

framework of relevant United Nations resolutions. The

Maldives reaffirms its unwavering support for the

independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of

Kuwait. We reiterate our belief that the United Nations has

an obligation to uphold the security and territorial integrity

of all Member States, including smaller States.

The post-cold-war years have seen the bitter betrayal

of the promise of greater freedom and development. Rather

than seeing a celebration of human rights and the legitimate

rights of communities to their own identity and cultural

values, arrogant ethnocentrism and intolerance appear to be

rampant. Indeed, the violent disintegration of States and

civil wars have led to the most gruesome crimes against

humanity. Genuine aspirations have often been met with

brutal force, as in Bosnia and Kosovo. Protracted disputes,

such as in Kashmir, are continuing to exact a high price in

human lives and constantly endanger security at both the

regional and international levels.

Strategies of nuclear deterrence which presumably rely

on the credible threat of mass destruction cannot be

justified on moral grounds. We welcome the steps that are

being taken to increase nuclear safety. We continue to be

alarmed by the increased risk of nuclear war that

accompanies proliferation. The Maldives is a staunch

supporter of non-proliferation. We firmly believe that the

world will be a safer place without nuclear weapons. We

hope that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) review process will find ways to achieve

progress in all aspects of the non-proliferation regime.

The continuation of many conflicts and the flaring

up of others call into question the efficacy of this

Organization. It is not only the passage of time that

demands the reform and restructuring of the United

Nations. The most persuasive argument is the urgent need

to increase the ability of the United Nations to realize the

objectives for which it has been set up. Whatever reform

is undertaken should be instrumental in that sense.

Reform must enhance its legitimacy. Reform must make

the United Nations more democratic and transparent, and

it must also reinforce the United Nations ability to uphold

equality among nations.

As we step into the new century, the world has

reached a major turning point. We are bidding farewell to

one millennium and are marching with determination into

a new one. It is one in which a stronger commitment to

multilateralism will be essential. Many of the hazards that

we are faced with do not recognize national borders. The

world has become closely integrated, and communities

have become highly interwoven across national frontiers,

necessitating global approaches to global problems.

Advances in science and technology give us cause for

optimism in our efforts to overcome several of the

challenges that confront us today. These are assisted by

new mindsets of cooperation and emotional intelligence.

We need to nurture the positive strands and prune the

negative. Yet the new century will not usher in a new age

unless hope and progress become universal.

The new millennium will not set an enlightened

course for world politics until right can triumph over

might and double standards give way to justice for all.

That is the millennium challenge.