Seychelles, 1994

Mr. President, may we congratulate Mr. Essy

and wish him every possible success in exercising your

mandate.

Seychelles would like to take this opportunity also

to pay tribute to the Secretary-General for the timely and

judicious initiatives which he is constantly taking to

promote peace, justice and development.

We have gathered together to express the profound

aspirations of the countries we represent. We all have

our specific problems, our differences, our advantages and

our handicaps. We all have many unresolved questions

which stem from an international situation where the

factors of political and economic instability are becoming

increasingly frequent.

The hesitations of a changing world tend to engender

a feeling of pessimism, as we see contemporary history

being made.

Between the industrially developed countries and

those who are still marking time on the path to

development, considerable barriers are blocking the road

to sharing and to solidarity.

We now see cruel dissensions arising among peoples

that were previously bound by brotherhood.

On the international scene, where we are witnessing

a relentless confrontation between divergent interests,

what place do we now give to the human dimension in

relationships?

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The end of this century is constantly being redefined

by shocks, upheavals and various types of aggression born

of negativism.

More than ever, the success of our societies will

depend on their capacity to absorb these shocks and, when

there is nothing or little left to reinvest courage,

determination and perseverance, in spite of sometimes

terrible lack of understanding.

But we also have to reinvest our capabilities, our

funds, our means and our inborn willingness - in other

words, unprecedented alliances have to be struck; for there

is no longer time to philosophize about the world we shall

bequeath to our great grandchildren. Because of the

unprecedented speeding up of history demographic,

economic and social projections are becoming alarming in

the medium term and no longer in the long term to which

we had grown accustomed through our cozy selfishness or

our defiance in the face of the unforeseeable.

The phenomenon of exponential growth, which is

widening gaps and encouraging rivalry, causes immediate

rather than delayed reactions. We have become our own

heirs! Undoubtedly, there is more food for thought in this

idea than in many statements.

That illustrates to what extent our efforts must be both

planned and creative. It also means that the immediate

problem to be tackled is to define our priorities. Here, my

thinking is consonant with much of what has been said

from this rostrum. Certainly there is no lack of those who

plead for a safer, healthier and more prosperous world.

And so many conferences and seminars have echoed the

same thought and have recalled this idea in their final

documents. But we are aware that we have to go beyond

this; hence, we are asking for action programmes which

mobilize experience, energy and imagination. When

continuity of effort is the key factor for success, we must

expand the underpinnings of projects, assess results and

renew assistance.

In other words, what we are advocating is a definitely

prescriptive approach, rather than the sort of analytical and

descriptive exercises which has been the comfortable route

of many international gatherings.

If we are specific in defining the areas of our

deliberations, then the ensuing action will necessarily be

based on precise, useful and needed dynamics.

This specificity, in the case of Seychelles as in the

case of more than 30 territories throughout the world, is,

from the point of view of development, the dual

constraint of geographic and demographic smallness and

being an island.

Need we recall that the situation of small island

States can, in many respects, provide indications as to the

future of mankind. Here, more than anywhere else,

because of their vulnerability - whether it be due to the

fragile ecosystems, the scant economic outlets or the lack

of human resources - any dependence necessarily impacts

upon the very future of the societies concerned.

The Global Conference on the Sustainable

Development of Small Island Developing States, held in

Barbados, was indeed extremely beneficial for us all. It

focused attention on the particular situation of those small

States whose relatively high per capita income does not

accurately reflect the reality of a situation which donors

tend to tie to any aid for development.

There is no doubt that that Conference has been the

source of great hope for the small island States. But

some remain sceptical. In any case, we hope it will lead

to a change in attitude on the part of the industrialized

countries with respect to the unique situation of small

developing island States, for it is the industrialized

countries that will not only have to take up and enlarge

upon the concerns of the small island States but also have

to set in motion the strategies and the plans of action,

which are the only real vehicles of change or of

development.

Far be it from us to engage here in singling out the

countries or international organizations concerned.

However, two years after the Rio Summit we are very

disappointed to see that the provisions of Agenda 21 have

rarely given rise to actions. Does this mean that the

concept of lasting and sustainable development is going

to be severely compromised because of a lack of

solidarity and international support and failure to respect

commitments?

Let us get to the core of the problem. The

harmonization of development policies and measures to

protect the environment necessarily implies the definition

of specific budgetary categories by priority, based on

criteria of complementarity as between national effort and

international efforts. This must be done free from any

spirit of charity, as well as divorced from any evaluation

based on per capita income.

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Let us not forget the backdrop to all this, the fact that

in an era where everything occurs on a worldwide level the

individual and collective responsibility of States calls for a

global approach and equitable sharing of the cost and moral

investment the environment represents. Those

responsibilities must be consciously assumed.

All these are indicators that merit the attention - the

unwavering attention - of decision-making bodies and

international donors. In the past, many pronouncements

have concluded on a hopeful note. Joined together in an

orchestral score, such notes would barely fill out a refrain

in praise of development, one that, like a clear conscience,

can often sound hollow.

And yet we do not doubt the wisdom of our

negotiating partners. There are surely some who would like

to deal with questions of development from a dialectical

viewpoint, but that is not true of us. If, for us, the essential

thing is not to hesitate to be specific, we seek, in return,

measures that will be real, meaningful and measurable.

More generally, this could apply to the role women

should play in the development process. This is an old

debate. Fortunately, the time is now past when women

were viewed as non-conventional vehicles of progress.

Abolishing a principle, however, although paving the way

for many improvements, can also generate a considerable

potential for inertia, for the walls of hypocrisy, as we all

know, are infinitely thick. It is not enough to quote some

cases of women who are entrepreneurs or decision-makers,

There have always been some effective women. The

important thing is to modify behaviour and practices in real

terms, at the societal level, and to analyse and transpose

those models and ideas which have from time to time led

to good results. That is what we expect from the Beijing

Conference.

Where natural prerogative is concerned, we cannot of

course speak of delegating authority but here too of

equitable and responsible sharing. Indeed, do we in fact

have a choice?

Women must act within their communities as a

proponent force that is open to change and capable of

enriching the dynamic processes linked to changing values.

It is impossible to give life without being concerned about

survival, without being deeply aware of the changes that

affect the individual or the society whenever they give rise

to uncertainty and muddy the waters.

Humanism obviously owes a great debt to women.

Let us enrich it with our understanding. The woman’s

identity is strong, but in many places there is still a lack

of both recognition and expression, which are the

foundations of her legitimacy.

The ideal of legitimacy is a noble concept, in

addition to being a good working notion. It is legitimate

to look forward to the fulfilment of the promises made in

solemn declarations; it is legitimate to expect that

intentions so boldly and courageously stated will become

promises, and it is also legitimate, when the urgency of

the matter no longer leaves time for either declarations of

intention or promises, to take action. Consensus can

come later.

Here, and in the same spirit, I should like to

emphasize our interest in the proposal made by the

Director-General of the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for swift

humanitarian action - what we might call a "spontaneous

reaction" - whenever called for. For here again we are

talking about the legitimacy that endows the human entity

with dignity and makes it worthy of respect.

Before concluding I should like to appeal to all

countries and peoples present here to unite our efforts to

take one large step towards world brotherhood. Let us

overturn the rigid barriers of all kinds of self-interest, let

us be attentive to the needs of others and the future of our

planet. Let us shape our relationships for active solidarity

and willing adherence to the principle of shared

responsibility.

On such vital questions there is no place for trite

official statements. In coming decades, no one will be

fooled by our unwillingness to engage, openly, fully and

with determination, on the path of well-being, especially

when it is the neediest of us who most require it.

That is the price of true unity among nations. And

we in Seychelles harbor this desire to stand alongside all

countries in concluding the unprecedented alliance that

will guide the great ship of mankind towards the shores

of the third millenium.

It is up to us to ensure that those shores will be

welcoming ones.