Saint Kitts and Nevis, 2011

I wish, on

behalf of the Government and people of Saint Kitts and

Nevis, to express gratitude for the honour of addressing

the General Assembly. I also extend on their behalf

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sincere congratulations to Mr. Nassir Abdul-Aziz

Al-Nasser on his election to preside over the General

Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. My delegation also

wishes to thank Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the

General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, for his

leadership during a very busy and demanding session.

Our new President’s tenure coincides with a time

when there is on the Assembly’s agenda a confluence

of global issues with particular relevance for the small

island developing States of the Caribbean.

Most delegations recently participated, for

example, in the United Nations High-level Meeting on

HIV/AIDS, held in June; the United Nations High-

level Meeting on Youth, held in July; and the United

Nations High-level Meeting on Non-communicable

Diseases, held a few days ago. The convening of those

meetings gives ample acknowledgement of the

challenges that we still face in our relentless pursuit of

a healthier world, and of the pivotal role of health and

social cohesion as vehicles of national and global

development.

The President has the awesome responsibility of

piloting us through follow-up actions resulting from

those weighty deliberations. My delegation is confident

of his capacity and experience for the required

leadership, and assures him of our fullest support.

The President has declared as his theme for the

session “The role of mediation in the settlement of

disputes by peaceful means”. Certainly, my delegation

supports the pacific settlement of disputes, and we

likewise acknowledge mediation as a preferred vehicle

in preventing or settling conflicts.

In this endeavour, our small island Caribbean

States would wish to be engaged in the support

mechanisms in tangible ways, such as are already laid

out in the provisions of such landmark resolutions as

Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), which

addresses the non-proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction.

The people of my country and my region have

great respect for the idealism that gave birth to this all-

important Organization. Our ideals are indeed

synonymous with those of the United Nations system,

and our expectations are assuredly no less stately than

those of large and powerful nations.

At a time such as this, the United Nations must

show its unifying character by assuring that all

Member States are equipped to play a role in the

maintenance of international peace and security and in

the building up of one another. We are our brother’s

keeper.

In today’s global community, we must rely

heavily on collective actions and solid partnerships, if

we are to overcome the many common challenges that

we face. Among those challenges are the misguided or

ill-considered choices that are made by too many of

our youth.

A critical and defining aspect of my country’s

future, and indeed a prospect that will largely define

tomorrow’s world, is our youth. It is therefore worthy

of mention that youth violence has attained epidemic

proportions in the Caribbean. We appreciate that youth

violence is invariably symptomatic of deeper

individual, community and societal issues, and that a

multisectoral, integrated approach is required to

redress the problem.

At the national and regional levels, States of the

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are actively

grappling with this challenge, and we are pleased to

have participated in the discussions on this topic at the

recent High-level Meeting. There is a need, however,

to reinforce the fact that there is a role for United

Nations agencies in supporting our efforts to reverse

the bothersome trend of youth violence, with all its

implications for many critical sectors, including

security, health and development.

Accordingly, we shall be heightening our

engagement with WHO, UN-HABITAT, UNICEF and

other relevant United Nations and international

development agencies in this endeavour.

The challenge of youth violence is also linked, to

some extent, to the proliferation of small arms and

light weapons. While my country acknowledges the

strides made in our region with respect to small arms

and light weapons, through the recent adoption of the

CARICOM Declaration on Small Arms and Light

Weapons, there is still a long way to go. It is

imperative, therefore, that we work together to bring a

solution-focused approach to the problem of easy

access to small arms and light weapons in our

countries. CARICOM here calls for an arms trade

treaty.

Related to this challenge is the issue of human

security and development. My country is committed to

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working diligently at the national and regional levels,

and to collaborating internationally, to improve the

lives of our people.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is a relatively small

country, and it is usually the small and vulnerable that

are most severely impacted when global shocks and

crises occur. That is why, as a region, we promote

collective action to enhance our resilience, promote

human security, lessen our vulnerability and build

stronger economies.

Such has been our widely acclaimed best-practice

approach with regard to HIV/AIDS. Saint Kitts and

Nevis applauds the General Assembly for convening

the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. The Joint

United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

has collaborated with the Pan Caribbean Partnership

Against HIV and AIDS, in keeping with its

commitment to support countries achieve the

Millennium Development Goals and also in ensuring

that HIV prevention, care, treatment and support

services are provided to all in need.

The agenda is still a full one and the challenge no

less daunting than it was 10 years ago, in a region with

the second highest global prevalence rate of HIV. We

therefore anticipate and encourage the continued

support of UNAIDS and other health and development

agencies.

With regard to non-communicable diseases

(NCDs), the Caribbean can be justly proud that the

initiatives in the Port of Spain Declaration of 2007 —

“Uniting to Stop the Epidemic of Chronic NCDs” —

which arose out of the first-ever heads of Government

summit on the subject, has resonated across the globe,

resulting in the just concluded High-level Meeting with

a consensus on launching an international wellness

revolution.

Non-communicable diseases are to a large extent

preventable. It is therefore essential that the outcome

document from the High-level Meeting mirrors many

of the chief concerns of the Port of Spain Declaration,

aimed at encouraging Governments and the private

sector to collaborate on increasing avenues for

exercise, healthy diets and smoke-free zones for the

benefit of the general public.

A long-term reduction in the enormous costs of

treating heart failure, diabetes and hypertension, and

the resulting 60 per cent to 70 per cent mortality rates

from NCDs, is worth the investment in protecting

human capital and the development of our various

regions.

I am extremely proud that the Government of

Saint Kitts and Nevis has the lead responsibility for

human resources, health and HIV/AIDS in the

Caribbean Community, and continues to play a

pioneering role.

We recognize the urgent need to make good on

pledges resulting from the High-level Meeting, which

can only augur well for a future in which due

recognition must be given to the role of health in

overall development.

It would be remiss of me not to highlight the

significance of the United Nations Conference on

Sustainable Development. Next June, during this sixty-

sixth session of the General Assembly, all eyes will be

on the Rio deliberations aimed at achieving

convergence on the social, environmental and

economic dimensions of sustainable development. I

fully support the main objective of the Conference,

namely, securing political commitment. That is the

critical factor for success throughout the Rio+20

processes and beyond.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is one of the small island

developing States (SIDS) referred to in chapter 17 of

Agenda 21. Throughout the past 20 years, the

international community has made tremendous strides

in addressing SIDS challenges to sustainable

development. Regrettably, many an encouraging step

forward has been offset by painful setbacks.

The effect of climate change is a bane that is felt

on a daily basis in Saint Kitts and Nevis, as in other

islands. The question is no longer “if” and “how”, but

rather “when” and “by how much” we will be affected.

We need desperately to upgrade pre-emptive measures,

to counter the imminent threat of climate change.

A defined strategy to aggressively promote

climate financing is highly recommended. It will be

vital if our countries are to successfully address the

effects of climate change without tapping into already

limited and depleted resources. My delegation

encourages other Member States to join the call for the

full implementation of climate financing.

In addition to pursuing outcomes that benefit all

States, my delegation would like to highlight certain

challenges that some members of the international

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community face, with which the General Assembly can

assist. I speak of Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba and

Taiwan.

We must ever remember Haiti, one of the most

populous member States of CARICOM. We should

remain acutely aware of Haiti’s trials and struggles

against natural and man-made catastrophic events,

unsettling social and political vicissitudes and

economic hardships. Their effects have set Haiti many

years behind, compared to the rate of development of

other nations in the region. We therefore encourage the

fulfilling of the many goodwill pledges that have been

made for assistance in its reconstruction efforts.

Another CARICOM member State, Antigua and

Barbuda, continues to be locked in an underdog

struggle to benefit from its success before the World

Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body. We again

urge a speedy, fair and just resolution to this gaming

dispute.

Also within the Caribbean, the people of our

sister nation of Cuba continue to endure much hardship

as the consequence of a 50-year commercial, economic

and financial embargo. The Assembly and the

international community have consistently called for

the lifting of the embargo. Our country reiterates its

call, and the call of regional neighbours and the

international community, particularly the General

Assembly, for a speedy redress of this matter.

Since 2009, Taiwan has been invited by the World

Health Organization to attend the annual World Health

Assembly (WHA) as an observer. This practice and the

related arrangements have established what has been

termed the WHA model, which sets a useful precedent

for Taiwan’s greater participation in the United Nations

system. It is the view of my country that in today’s

highly integrated and interconnected world almost all

issues demand full participation by, and cooperation

among, international partners. As one of the world’s

leading economic and technological powerhouses,

Taiwan can contribute substantially to the international

community.

We therefore urge the United Nations to find a

suitable way to allow for Taiwan’s meaningful

participation in its specialized agencies and

mechanisms, including the International Civil Aviation

Organization and the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change.

I have presented some of the challenges that we

encounter as a country and region, challenges to which

the Assembly has itself given prominence. I have also

given consideration to some of our aspirations for the

sixty-sixth session and beyond. They are issues that

demand collective inputs and interventions.

We are all part of the global community, and

problems that permeate our tightly woven fabric

invariably spread to affect us all in some way or

another. It is incumbent upon us all, therefore, to

ensure that the results of our collective enterprise and

diligence allow for the realization of our desired goals.

Surely, working together with purpose and integrity

will ensure that we rise on the same tide. Let us rise

together.