Saint Kitts and Nevis, 1994

Once again

I am proud and honoured to have the opportunity to address

this assembly of nations and to convey to representatives

fraternal and cordial greetings from the Government and

people of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The convening of the

forty-ninth session of the General Assembly of the United

Nations provides the Governments of all Member States

with an important opportunity to reaffirm their

commitment to the cause of peace, democracy and the

pursuit of a higher quality of life for our peoples.

I wish to join other representatives by extending

warmest congratulations from the Government of Saint

Kitts and Nevis to you, Mr. President, on your election to

preside at this session of the General Assembly. I assure

you of my Government’s continued support and

cooperation.

Allow me, Sir, to thank the outgoing President, His

Excellency Mr. Samuel Insanally, for the astute and most

able manner in which he conducted and guided the affairs

of this body during its forty-eighth session despite

unprecedented trials and numerous challenges. His

resolve and his successes give credence to his

commitment to the planting of seeds of cooperation and

goodwill in every corner of the globe to ensure that our

children and grandchildren may feast on harvests of

peace, equality, freedom and democracy.

The Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, has faced many problems of great

complexity during the past year. I wish to congratulate

him on the outstanding manner in which he has been

carrying out the mandate of the Organization.

The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis shares the

commitment to democracy, respect for human dignity and

the protection of human rights. Our people enjoy the

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effective workings of the democratic process and the

safeguards provided by its institutions. We are determined

to do all that we can, in our time, to ensure that future

generations too will be able to exercise their democratic

freedoms in an atmosphere of political stability.

There is an ever-increasing thirst for democracy

throughout the world. In our hemisphere, military regimes

have been giving way to democratically elected

Governments.

Nowhere has this process been more dramatic than in

Haiti, where, in 1991, the people, in free and fair elections

under the keen scrutiny of the international community,

chose Jean-Bertrand Aristide as their President. For almost

four years the will of the people of Haiti and the resolve of

the international community have been callously frustrated

by the military, who usurped and have held on to power.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is in full agreement with the

resolute action taken by the United States, with the support

of the international community, to ensure compliance with

Security Council resolution 940 (1994). The multinational

force has been carrying out its work with dedication,

professionalism and restraint. While there have been some

untoward incidents, we must not be deterred. We must be

prepared to stay the course for the benefit of the people of

Haiti and for the growth of stable democracy in this

hemisphere.

The process of establishing democracy will not end

with the return of President Aristide; it will have just

begun. In order to support the process, it is absolutely

essential that the international community be ready to

mobilize significant financial and technical resources to

ensure the rebuilding of Haiti’s economy and institutions -

institutions destroyed by decades of neglect and

mismanagement. Saint Kitts and Nevis stands ready to

assist in the long and arduous task of helping the Haitian

people rebuild their economy.

For many years the international community struggled

to bring democracy to the majority of the people of South

Africa. Today South Africa can be held up as a beacon of

hope and a testament to the triumph of democracy. Last

year my delegation welcomed the announcement of the

holding of non-racial and multi-party elections - something

for which my Government had been calling since joining

this Organization 11 years ago. We have successfully and

emphatically closed the final chapter of the brutal and

unjust system of apartheid, and a new and democratic South

Africa has emerged from its ashes.

However, despite the successes, the new South

Africa is still on the threshold of unprecedented

challenges. The journey is long and arduous, but the

country’s leaders and its people have a wonderful

opportunity to right historical wrongs while at the same

time charting a new and purposeful course in their future.

The amalgamated voice of the people of South Africa has

been heard, not only within that country but the world

over. They have put their faith in the democratic process.

As South Africa sails the fresh and often tumultuous

waters of representative democracy and attempts to

institutionalize social justice, St. Kitts and Nevis reiterates

its commitment to join with the international community

to give that country and its people the requisite support to

develop lasting democratic and social institutions to

ensure that democracy does work and is seen to work for

every single citizen.

The contrasting realities of our world are quite real

and apparent. Whenever we believe that we have solved

one major problem, another presents itself elsewhere.

This notwithstanding, we can all be pleased at the current

movement towards peace under way in the Middle East.

Not long ago the prospect of peace in any form seemed

practically impossible. However, today the peace process

seems to be gaining a firm foothold in that region. The

international community must be ready to give unreserved

support to that process and afford it more durable

mechanisms for success.

My Government welcomes the consolidation of

peace and the efforts at cooperation between the

Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation

Organization. No one could have predicted that so much

would have been possible, and in so short a time. The

rapidly changing face of Middle East politics augurs well

for the overall peace process, quality of life and stability

of the entire region. In this spirit, my delegation applauds

the joint Declaration officially ending the state of

belligerency between the State of Israel and the

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This historic event marks

yet another bold and positive step on the road to ensuring

a lasting peace in the Middle East. My Government calls

upon the countries in the Middle East to give peace a

practical chance.

As prospects for peace continue to flourish in the

Middle East, the tranquillity of the Gulf region is once

again being threatened by an Iraqi troop build-up near the

Kuwait border. It is time for the people of Kuwait to feel

secure within their own borders. It is time for full

compliance by Iraq with Security Council resolutions

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pertaining to the aggression against Kuwait. It is time for

Kuwait nationals detained in Iraq to be returned to their

homeland. It is time for Iraq to pursue peaceful policies

with its neighbours. Once again the Government of

St. Kitts and Nevis urges the Government of Iraq to respect

the finalization of the demarcation of the boundary between

Kuwait and Iraq, which was accomplished by the Iraq-

Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission on

20 May 1993, and to respect and abide by Security Council

resolution 833 (1993), which guarantees the inviolability of

the boundary between the two States. It is the fervent hope

of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis that international

support for this resolution will act as a deterrent, both now

and in the future, against conflict between Kuwait and Iraq

and will at the same time help enhance stability and

security in the region.

The constantly changing realities of the present world

situation call for Member Governments to harden traditional

attitudes while making genuine attempts to search for

pragmatic solutions requiring different and unprecedented

approaches and compromises. It was against this backdrop

that at the last session of the General Assembly my

Government called upon the warring factions in the

Yugoslavian conflict to come to the negotiating table.

We note with great satisfaction that the leaders of

Croatia and Bosnia and Herzergovina have managed to

arrive at a peaceful settlement of disputes. However, my

Government abhors the wanton murder, "ethnic cleansing"

and systematic persecution of innocent people which still

characterize the brutal conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

These atrocities and the flagrant and consistent violation of

human rights are an affront to everything we as human

beings hold sacred. The international community must

continue to express its just indignation at the atrocities in

this arena of conflict. At the same time, we must pursue

all initiatives to find a just and lasting solution, preferably

at the negotiating table.

Last year my delegation commended this body for its

tireless efforts to keep the international community from the

brink of nuclear warfare and called upon all countries

signatories to the Treaty on non-proliferation to continue to

abide by it and to urge those who had not yet become

parties to it to do so. We repeat this plea today. We also

look forward to an indefinite ban on all nuclear testing.

I must reiterate, however, that we should not stop

there, but should aim also for the non-proliferation of all

weapons, including chemical, biological and conventional.

In this regard, St. Kitts and Nevis also supports the

moratorium on the export of land-mines, and goes even

further by calling for a ban on their manufacture as well

as their export. Land-mines continue to cause tremendous

misery and untold hardship for many populations world-

wide long after conflicts have ended. In most cases the

victims of these land-mines are poor farmers and innocent

children.

It is our sacred and solemn responsibility as world

leaders to ensure a safe world for our nation’s children.

My delegation therefore congratulates the United Nations

on its consistent efforts to fulfil its humanitarian missions

in the many different theatres of tragic suffering

world-wide. The humanitarian catastrophe which has

been unfolding in Rwanda threatens to destabilize the

fragile economic and political balance of its neighbours.

The scope and scale of this human disaster,

unprecedented in the history of modern-day Africa,

should catapult us to seek a peaceful end to the crisis.

Reports on the revolting policy of "ethnic cleansing" and

indiscriminate massacres of women and children strike a

familiar, mind-wrenching note in our collective psyche.

Although its resources are minuscule, St. Kitts and

Nevis could not fail to make a financial contribution to

the United Nations relief effort in Rwanda. We must act

decisively to mobilize more resources from every possible

source to intensify the relief effort in that tragic country.

We, the Members of the United Nations cannot

pamper our consciences with pious speeches on what the

United Nations ought to do to alleviate the suffering,

while at the same time rendering the Organization

impotent by refusing to give it the necessary financial and

material capabilities it so desperately needs to carry out

its functions more effectively.

The United Nations is being called upon with greater

frequency to respond to a greater variety of conflicts,

suffering and development needs. If the Organization is

to be able to respond effectively, we must evaluate from

time to time not only our resources, but the way in which

we manage those resources, and ensure that there is

greater accountability in such management. In short, the

United Nations, recognizing the responsibilities entrusted

to it by the international community, must be more

accountable to its Members. What we are suggesting,

therefore, is a more balanced relationship predicated on

the principles of responsibility and accountability. The

delegation of Saint Kitts and Nevis welcomes the creation

of the Office of Internal Oversight Services; its creation

is not an end in itself, but a means to ensure that there is

greater accountability within the Organization.

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We must remain cognizant of the fact that the

fundamental sovereignty of all States, large or small, is

respected equally by the United Nations. If necessary, the

United Nations will protect the rights of the small against

the power of the large. It has institutionalized the rights of

small and micro States to exist and to coexist with the big

and powerful nations. All independent States, therefore,

irrespective of their size and population, are equal under

international law. Every effort should be made, therefore,

to enable small States to participate more fully in the day-

to-day decision-making process of the United Nations. One

way to achieve this is through more equitable geographical

representation within the Secretariat, and I appeal for this

to be implemented.

Another way in which the United Nations can be made

more globally inclusive is by bringing more Members into

the fold. Last year, my Government called upon the United

Nations to begin the process that would lead to the ultimate

re-admission of the Republic of China in Taiwan into the

United Nations.

My Government stands firmly behind that appeal and

we repeat this appeal here today. The Republic of China

in Taiwan continues to adhere to the Charter of the United

Nations and to govern itself by the principles of

international and humanitarian law. It has proven

repeatedly that it is a country committed to peace,

democracy and development, not only for its 21 million

people, who are entitled to proper representation

internationally, but for all peoples, that their quality of life

may be improved. The Republic of China in Taiwan is a

major international player in commerce, trade and

development assistance, and would make a significant

contribution to the work of the United Nations.

I would now like to turn our attention to the question

of sustainable development and small States, and to

commend quite highly the efforts of the United Nations in

bringing the reality and concerns of small island developing

States to the forefront of international focus.

The Declaration of Barbados is a step in the right

direction. It recognizes that small island developing States

have special and peculiar needs. We, in small island

developing States have been saying this for a long time.

Our very survival as a people and as independent States is

dependent on the sustainable development of our human

resources and the maximization of our scarce material

resources. These limited material resources are under

constant and severe stress despite our efforts.

Although we recognize the Conference in Barbados

as a giant step for small island developing States, the

discussion must be taken much further, beyond

conference halls and into communities, and translated into

practical tangible benefits. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, for

instance, over the past ten years we have been engaged in

projects and programmes whereby we seek to create a

sound and pragmatic balance between economic and

social development, on the one hand, and environmental

protection on the other.

However, existing problems and innovative attempts

by small island developing States to improve their

standard of living very rarely receive consistent support

from the developed world. Micro States like Saint Kitts

and Nevis are being called upon to prove their viability

within the international community. The irony lies in the

fact that when we manage to raise our standard of living

to a decent level, the international community withdraws

or reduces its support under the pretext that our GNP per

capita is too high.

I do not believe that we should have to reiterate the

vulnerability index of small States like mine. Although

Saint Kitts and Nevis does not produce or use any

significant amount of material to damage the ozone layer

or contribute to coastal erosion and rising sea levels, we

are among those which suffer most as a result of their

impact. Small island States like mine suffer greatly from

environmental and natural disasters, yet we lack the

capacity to respond to and recover from them. The

objective reality of our individual and collective

experience speaks volumes. We have seen how less than

a month ago, tropical storm Debbie — insignificant,

really, as a tropical storm, not strong enough to be a

hurricane — devastated the banana industry in Saint

Lucia, thus wreaking havoc on that country’s economy.

We need special attention. We need special regimes.

As I have done in the past, I appeal for greater equity

within the international economic system. The time has

come for the developed world to rethink the outdated

policy of trying to make a single prescription fit all

countries. We need to develop a more durable, and

country-specific approach, based on fairness, economic

circumstance and need. Above all, the concept of the

vulnerability index must become part of the economic

language and armamentarium of all multilateral and

national development institutions.

Indeed, the developing world should not view our

small island Caribbean States as dumping grounds for

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over-produced consumer items, but see us as developing

economies whose fragile banana and sugar exports need to

be protected.

The Declaration of Barbados underscores the fact that

small island States have sovereign rights over their natural

resources. The developed world, therefore, cannot claim

paternity over our biodiversity under the pretext that their

technology was used.

Further, on the issue of the environment, I would like

to call upon the developed countries to de-link economic

assistance, trade and investment from environmental

protection. In most cases, small island developing States

are penalized for allegedly exploiting limited resources and

for so-called environmental degradation.

I urge the international community to assist developing

countries to obtain the wherewithal to gauge the

exploitation of resources and to do environmental impact

assessments so as to ensure that the precarious balance is

maintained.

Social, economic and political advancement in small

developing countries should not be held to ransom by the

industrialized world as a way of punishing them for

environmental degradation. The protection and preservation

of the environment is a global responsibility and must

engender a collective approach. The industrialized world

must take responsibility for much of the damage to the

environment and work towards a framework for

international cooperation and partnership in preserving it.

Developing countries ought to be given assistance and

be presented with alternatives to destroying the forest or

depleting the limited resources at their disposal. While the

international community moves ever closer to the

realization of economic blocs, special attention must also be

devoted to the fragile commodities export sector in some of

these countries, and the need for special regimes to be put

in place to ensure the viability of most of these small

economies, which do not have the advantage of economies

of scale and large consumer markets.

I should like to repeat my fervent appeal to

Governments of developed countries and to multilateral

agencies to become more supportive of and responsive to

the needs of small developing countries by providing the

technical assistance, information-sharing, technology

transfer and investments, and to promote human resource

development through education and training.

I call on the international community to honour its

commitment made in Barbados in May 1994:

“The international community should cooperate

with small island developing States in the

implementation of the Programme of Action ... by

providing effective means, including adequate,

predictable new and additional financial resources in

accordance with chapter 33 of Agenda 21;

facilitating the transfer of environmentally sound

technology, including on concessional and

preferential terms as mutually agreed”.

(A/CONF.167/9, Annex I, Part Two, III.1)

This will ensure success in achieving our goal of

sustainable development.

There is nothing more noble than the gift of life. At

the important and historic World Summit for Children of

1990, participating Governments agreed to make the

world a much safer place for future generations of

children. At the United Nations Conference on small

States, we decided to commit our efforts to the efficient

use of land resources, to work towards creating better

education and improved health care, and to exploit natural

resources on a sustainable basis.

If we achieve this, we shall indeed be bequeathing

to our children and their children a much safer world. It

is against the backdrop of safeguarding our children’s

future that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis

participated in the International Conference on Population

and Development in Cairo. We fully support the view

that the issue of population control must be addressed.

Although we share the view that a population

explosion may eventually threaten the Earth’s capacity to

provide in a sustainable manner, we do not believe that

simply trying to control population growth will by itself

solve the serious problems that we are facing today. My

Government is of the view that a concerted attempt to

redeploy much of the world’s resources, to discover new

resources and to use them more equitably would better

serve the interest of development for all peoples.

I cannot but remind us all that the international

menace of drugs and drug trafficking still looms large.

The danger and the trade are ever-increasing. We should

continue to wage a determined and aggressive war on

drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, which seek to

undermine and unravel the social and political fabric of

our societies.

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The challenges facing the United Nations are

monumental, but not more so than those facing individual

nations, large or small, or individuals in poor communities,

as well as in affluent societies. We occupy a global

common. Therefore, we must together find practical

solutions to the problems of hunger, poverty, war, crime,

development and freedom in every corner of our world. If

we fail, none will be secure, none will be at peace, none

will be free.