Suriname, 2013

Allow me at the outset, on

behalf of the President of the Republic of Suriname, His

Excellency Mr. Desiré Delano Bouterse, and the people

and the Government of Suriname, to congratulate

you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election.

With your election you bring honour to your country,

Antigua and Barbuda, and to the Caribbean. With your

background in sustainable development, you are well

prepared to lead us in our deliberations on this year’s

theme, “The post-2015 development agenda: setting the

stage”. I assure you of the support and cooperation of

Suriname during your presidency.

I should also like to take this opportunity to pay

tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for his

leadership during the sixty-seventh session of the

General Assembly. Furthermore, I commend Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon for his management of the United

Nations with regard to peace and security in various

parts of the globe.

Setting a new stage urgently requires much effort

at the national as well as the international level to

achieve the ultimate goal of improving the standard of

living of our peoples and bringing about the sustainable

development of our countries. The Millennium

Development Goals are an important first step towards

addressing some of the worst socioeconomic conditions

facing approximately 40 per cent of humankind,

targeted as they are at reducing the worst manifestations

of underdevelopment.

In our view, the success of the Millennium

Development Goals depends on two sets of simultaneous

actions: first, a reorientation of national responsibilities;

and, second, of equal importance, the reorientation of

the international community. Such reorientation will

enable us to chart a more meaningful path towards

meeting the targets of the Millennium Development

Goals and moving towards the post-2015 Development

agenda.

That is particularly relevant if we take heed of the

2013 report on the Millennium Development Goals,

which reveals some rather interesting facts, such as:

most developing countries are performing well in

meeting the targets; and developed countries, which

have committed themselves to Goal 8 by making their

aid pledges viable and effective, are nevertheless well

behind in their general performance in meeting the

targets.

Official development assistance is in constant

decline, and the agreements concluded in 2001 within

the context of the World Trade Organization to improve

access to international markets have been stalled during

the Doha Round. That stalling has proved to be so

harmful that dealing with market access on behalf of the

poorest nations has been left out of subsequent agendas.

Furthermore, as we all know, the ongoing financial

and economic crisis is having a detrimental impact

on developing nations because official development

assistance is drastically declining.

Clearly, a number of large developing countries,

mainly in Asia, as well as some countries endowed with

natural resources in Africa and South America, have

made substantial economic progress. Their statistics,

however, should not blind us to the fact that inequality

is rampant and that almost 1.2 billion people are still

living in extreme poverty and do not have access to

affordable and adequate health services, while millions

of children are still denied their right to primary

education.

We have learned the important lesson that developing

countries are obliged to undertake adequate measures

to strengthen economic interactions among themselves

in addition to ties with their traditional trading partners

in the North. We must give substance to South-South

cooperation. That is an important consideration for

setting a new stage for global sustainable development.

In this context, foreign direct investment is considered

to be a factor of vital importance.

It is encouraging to note that a number of countries,

including my own, Suriname, have been upgraded

from low-income status to middle-income status by

international financial institutions and United Nations

agencies. Our efforts to develop prudent macroeconomic

and appropriate fiscal policies, combined with our

initiatives to diversify our economy, and the sacrifices

borne by our people, have led to this improved status.

Applying per capita income as the major indicator for

determining our development status has, however,

manoeuvred us into a position where we have lost

access to the necessary concessional loans and grants.

The conclusion can be drawn that our people are being

punished for their ability to overcome some of the

obstacles that have made them less fortunate in the past.

Within this interdependent world, we will continue

to build on our own strength as the main driving

force for the achievement of our development agenda.

Furthermore, we believe that building upon national

strengths, within the context of participation in

subregional and regional cooperation frameworks, is

the right way forward to finding proper solutions for

development. On the basis of what has been achieved

at the regional level, a global approach might become

more feasible.

Suriname shares the view that we should base the

post-2015 development agenda on a people-centred

approach, with a specific focus on the most vulnerable

in society, in particular, women, youth, the elderly

and people with disabilities. In so doing — and

this

we emphasize — we should strike the right balance

between our positive macroeconomic situation and a

micro situation that is in dire need of improvement.

We are in the course of developing policies and

programmes to fight non-communicable diseases that

have led to decreased productivity. Non-communicable

diseases have now become the leading cause of death in

Suriname and in other countries in our region. There is

special emphasis on improving education and bringing

it closer to our socioeconomic reality. We intend to work

more closely with relevant international organizations

such as the Pan American Health Organization, the

World Health Organization, UNESCO, UNICEF and

others.

The Government also attaches great importance

to issues involving young people. In this regard, a

large-scale after-school programme with the aim of

enhancing better learning for youth deserves mention.

The successful experiences in regional cooperation

mechanisms, such as the one in the Caribbean

Community (CARICOM), as well as the one that is

being considered in the Union of South American

Nations (UNASUR), are clear examples of how youth

can contribute to the connectivity between peoples and

the enhancement of unity.

Taking into account global processes and cognizant

of the opportunities and challenges from CARICOM

and UNASUR, the post-2015 development agenda

should emanate from an inclusive, intergovernmental

process. That process should be directed towards: the

continued eradication of poverty; a people-centred

approach, combining economic activity with the social

need for education and health care, thereby promoting

the welfare and well-being of all; and the integration of

economic and social action and strengthening of human

capital.

Global warming has a direct negative impact on

the development of small island developing States

and low-lying coastal States, including Suriname.

Suriname shares its grave concern regarding the state

of the global climate and the stalled United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change process.

The Government of Suriname strongly recommends

that the General Assembly face these challenges by

making them part of the post-2015 development agenda.

In setting the stage for development goals

beyond 2015, we cannot ignore the various threats to

international peace. International peace, security and

human rights are indispensable in creating an enabling

environment for sustainable development. Suriname

is well aware of the fact that national sovereignty

and national security are seriously affected by the

indiscriminate use of violence in fighting terrorism

and other forms of transnational organized crime.

Challenges related to armed conflicts, poverty, food,

the environment, education, public health, migration

and energy require increased collaboration. In this

respect, partnership among Governments, international

and regional organizations and civil society is a must.

We applaud the South American and Caribbean nations

for their efforts towards regional peace and stability.

Their willingness and capacity for further dialogue and

persuasion is a better way to achieve and maintain peace

than the use of violence and military intervention.

We are proud to belong to a region that has declared

itself a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

We express the hope that the two-State solution to

the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will gain more substance,

allowing the peoples of both countries the prospect of

peace and prosperity. Suriname maintains the position

that the multilateral process within the United Nations

should prevail in the search for a peaceful solution for

the crisis in Syria.

The Cuban people have the right to participate

as full members in all regional organizations, and we

strongly urge that all obstacles that have prevented

their full participation so far be removed, including the

outdated and inhuman unilateral economic, financial

and commercial embargo.

With regard to the Republic of Haiti, the

international community tends to lose attention for

the necessary follow-up activities to get Haiti back

on its feet. Once again we call upon the international

community to fulfil its commitments.

In closing, I take advantage of this opportunity

to inform the Assembly that, exactly 30 days ago,

my country, Suriname, took over the pro tempore

presidency of the Union of South American Nations,

a young and vibrant regional body. We pledge that

Suriname will, during its presidency, further the goals

of UNASUR and contribute to international peace,

security and sustainable development.