Suriname, 2004

On behalf of the

Government and people of the Republic of Suriname, I

extend to you my sincere congratulations on your

unanimous election to guide the work of this fifty-ninth

session of the United Nations General Assembly. We

are convinced that the wealth of diplomatic experience

and expertise you bring to this body will assist you in a

meaningful way during your presidency. I can assure

you that the Government of the Republic of Suriname

and its Permanent Mission stand ready to cooperate

with you in the coming months. It also gives me great

pleasure to salute your predecessor, the President of the

fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly,

Mr. Julian Robert Hunte, a fellow Caribbean national.

Mr. Hunte’s sterling and dedicated leadership has made

all of us, especially those from the Caribbean region,

proud. To Secretary-General Kofi Annan we offer our

continued support. We acknowledge the importance of

his remarks at the start of the General Assembly and

share his views regarding the application of the rule of

law, both domestically and internationally, as the

guiding principle in strengthening and preserving

democracy, defending and promoting human rights and

establishing peace.

We are keenly aware of the importance of the

United Nations, as the supreme multilateral institution,

in advancing multilateral diplomacy for the benefit of

humanity in a world in which we continue to struggle

to achieve peace, security and prosperity. The

international community expressed some time ago the

need for a more effective and efficient Organization

that would be better able to address the many

challenges our world faces today.

Under the inspiring leadership of your

predecessor, Mr. President, the fifty-eighth session of

the General Assembly achieved the reordering of the

agenda of the General Assembly aimed at its further

rationalization and at facilitating the uniform and

coherent discussion of development issues in the

plenary and the main committees of the General

Assembly. We must keep that powerful momentum for

change alive and take it a step further. We must ensure

that we do not regress from the results achieved and

ensure that there is continued progress in these areas.

The reform of the United Nations Security

Council remains one of the vital objectives of the

restructuring efforts of the Organization. In our view, a

restructured Council must be a reflection of the

membership of the Organization, improving its level of

transparency and making it more democratic. The

Council must be more inclusive and comprehensive in

its functioning, as security matters, because of their

multidimensional nature, affect the life and livelihood

of each and every one of us. The membership of a

restructured Council and, equally, its current

composition must ensure that the Council upholds the

fundamental principles of the Charter while retaining

its main focus: the maintenance of international peace

and security.

It is very disturbing to observe that, despite

intensive diplomatic and political undertakings, peace

and tranquillity in several regions of the world are still

a major concern and challenge that threaten the

democratic underpinnings of society. The time may be

opportune for the United Nations to spearhead the

process of involving relevant interest groups and civil

society at large in the different countries of a particular

region to assist in the establishment of sustained peace

in that region.

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We express our concern about the ongoing

political difficulties in the Middle East and in Africa,

resulting in violence and the displacement of many

persons.

The political crises in our own hemisphere —

especially in Venezuela and Haiti — have attracted

much attention and have been the subject of many

efforts by the United Nations and the Organization of

American States. We look forward to continuing and

sustainable political stability in Venezuela which, we

hope, will promote an environment of normalcy and

progress.

The political situation in our sister nation, the

Republic of Haiti, remains of great concern. Since its

inception as the first black independent republic, Haiti

has become the symbol of struggle and hardship, but

also of courage, survival and solidarity. That long-

battered country and its population need more

profound, constructive and long-term assistance to

improve the living conditions of the people of Haiti.

Earlier, I referred briefly to the multidimensional

nature of security and the need to give due attention to

social, economic and environmental threats. In recent

weeks, the Caribbean region, which is home to

economies that are already vulnerable, has felt the

force of nature in the most extreme manner. While

several countries have been battered — such as

Jamaica, the Bahamas, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and

several other islands — one country in particular has

been severely damaged: Grenada. I join all the other

nations that have already done so in calling for

immediate as well as long-term financial and technical

assistance for the Government and people of Grenada.

The Government of Suriname offers it condolences to

the families of the victims in Caribbean countries, as

well as in affected states of the United States of

America, where various hurricanes in recent weeks

have caused considerable damage and loss of life.

Another global threat that has an impact on every

country emanates from the activities of terrorists,

terrorist groups and State-sponsored terrorism. The

world will never forget the images of horrifying

terrorist acts such as the one that took place in Beslan

this year, where hundreds of persons, mostly children,

lost their lives. The Government of Suriname remains

committed to the fight against terrorism. We also

continue to believe that an effective and successful

battle can be waged through a comprehensive

approach.

The High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and

Change, which was established by the Secretary-

General with a view to receiving a global report on

international security, is a result of the renewed interest

in international security concerns. We hope that that

review will be one that will produce result-oriented

objectives and measures.

Suriname believes that development issues such

as the eradication of poverty and hunger and the

protection of the environment are among the extremely

important aspects to be addressed if one wishes to

obtain lasting and comprehensive security, which

encompasses, inter alia, military, political,

environmental, economic and social developmental

aspects.

Up to the present day, globalization has not

delivered on the promise of vast development

opportunities on a global scale. While we have to

acknowledge that globalization has created

opportunities, those opportunities have been restricted

to just a few societies. The opportunities that arise

from development in the world today are,

unfortunately, not within the reach of all humankind.

The current world order is still characterized by

economic disparities, unequal trade regimes, income

inequalities between and within countries, social

injustice and declining opportunities for hundreds of

millions. Globalization can only become a real option

for economic development if it becomes all-inclusive

and if we give it a human face by paying particular

attention to the negative impact it has on social

progress.

Suriname continues to believe that the United

Nations must regain its importance in the areas of

global development, if we want to be successful in our

efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve social and

economic development and stem the spread of

communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

The meeting on the subject of poverty organized

by the Government of Brazil under the auspices of the

United Nations points to a common awareness of the

fact that the global development agenda must be

advanced and that, therefore, the international

community must move from political will to action and

from commitments to implementation, granting

humanity as a whole an opportunity to develop.

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The upcoming 10-year review of the Barbados

Programme of Action will provide small island

developing States with a momentous opportunity to

promote their priority interests and concerns for the

next phase of the implementation of the Barbados

Programme of Action. While we anticipate that that

comprehensive review will result in concrete proposals

to advance the implementation process, we also expect

that the review exercise will take place in a spirit of

partnership. The upcoming meeting in Mauritius

should therefore generate greatly needed support,

genuine commitment and, moreover, the political will

of all partners in the process of furthering the cause of

achieving true benefits and progress for the many

people living in small island developing States.

In conclusion, I want to stress the need for the

United Nations to become more effective in dealing

with the current challenges in terms of terrorism and

security. At the same time, we must remain vigilant in

defending and strengthening democracy and

democratic values and institutions, so as to create a

stable political and social environment for progress and

sustainable development. We also need to continue,

and intensify, our battle against HIV/AIDS, illegal drug

trafficking and crime. Although globalization has

opened up opportunities, it is also our collective

responsibility to ensure that international trade

liberalization does not result in social and economic

marginalization, especially of smaller and vulnerable

economies.

To achieve those objectives, the United Nations

has to continue its restructuring process and become

not only the principal global platform in theory, but

also demonstrate its capabilities to act in practice. It is

in that context that my Government considers the

United Nations the most appropriate global multilateral

institution for the advancement of the living standards

of humankind as a whole and for achieving sustainable

global peace and security.