Trinidad and Tobago, 2001

Trinidad and

Tobago would like to congratulate the President on his

election to preside over the fifty-sixth session of the

General Assembly. His unanimous endorsement by

both his regional group and all Member States is

testimony of the high esteem in which he and his

country are held by the Organization. He may rest

assured of the full cooperation of my delegation as he

engages in the task of presiding over the work of the

United Nations.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago takes

this opportunity to thank Mr. Harri Holkeri, President

of the Assembly at its fifty-fifth session, for the skilful

manner in which he guided the Organization during his

tenure.

My delegation also congratulates the Secretary-

General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on his election to serve this

body for a second term. Mr. Annan has brought a

unique vision and a sense of purpose to the United

Nations, engendering in the Organization a renewed

spirit to address the issues confronting the international

community at the dawn of this century. In so doing he

has sought to put the basic rights and collective

aspirations of human beings at the centre of the work

of the United Nations. It is not surprising therefore that

both Mr. Annan and the Organization that he so

effectively heads should this year be recipients of one

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of the world’s most coveted and prestigious awards, the

Nobel Prize for Peace. Trinidad and Tobago extends to

them its most sincere congratulations.

It is with an equal sense of pride that I also feel

compelled to mention that the twin island State of

Trinidad and Tobago is the birthplace of another of this

year’s Nobel laureates, Sir Vidiadhar Naipaul, recipient

of the Prize for Literature.

It is propitious that 2001 was proclaimed the Year

of Dialogue among Civilizations by the General

Assembly. It is a clear acknowledgement by the

international community that it is only through

dialogue that the voices of diverse peoples, and their

approaches to the many challenges that face them, find

expression. Indeed, tolerance and respect for diversity

remain key components of the strategies that must be

developed to address these concerns. Dialogue that is

fair and free of fear speaks not merely of a civilized

society but of a society that will endure. History will

judge us, not by our so-called progress, but by what we

as people, as nation States and as a world community

allow to endure.

In this regard, the fundamental values enshrined

in the Millennium Declaration are so integral to this

process that they can never be overemphasized. They

provide the much needed guidance required in

maintaining focus and commitment as we strive to

address these global challenges. Indeed, in the context

of unfolding world events, there appears to be a greater

and more urgent need to recommit ourselves to the

values inherent in dialogue among nations.

Two months ago, in our host city of New York, in

Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania, the world

witnessed the most heinous terrorist assault. Many

Member States, including my own, count their citizens

among the victims. We have all been affected by the

diverse and widening repercussions of that assault. It

was a harsh and tragic reminder that we live in a global

environment and that events in one country can have an

impact on each and every one of us.

We must recognize those vicious acts for what

they are. No country is immune from terrorism. We

have a collective responsibility to send a strong and

clear message that such acts will not go unpunished.

Action has been initiated to counter them. Member

States must therefore pursue with renewed vigour, at

the national and international levels, all appropriate

measures designed to combat this scourge against

mankind. In keeping with this stance, Trinidad and

Tobago has already acceded to 11 of the international

conventions against terrorism. Trinidad and Tobago

vehemently condemns terrorism in all its

manifestations, wherever it occurs.

Acts of terrorism have their origin in the hearts

and minds of the misguided. There are now looming

threats of recourse to bioterrorism, chemical warfare

and even nuclear weapons. The international

community should not delude itself that conventional

tactics will return that sense of security that many parts

of the world enjoyed prior to 11 September. A world

forum like the United Nations must address the

fundamental underlying causes — the social,

economic, political and psychological conditions that

provide a fertile breeding ground for terrorism. We

have a moral responsibility to our citizens, to our

children and to coming generations, to make the world

a better place for them by denying the terrorist his use

of fear and intimidation.

Let me extend, on behalf of the Government and

the people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, our

condolences to those who lost their lives in the recent

tragic aeroplane crash.

Despite the gravity and topical nature of the

phenomenon of terrorism, we cannot allow the spectre

of terrorism to deter us in our sense of purpose as we

pursue developmental objectives aimed at the

betterment of our peoples. Neither should we allow it

to deflect attention from other activities which impact

just as negatively on our societies, such as the illicit

drug trade and the illegal trade in small arms. For its

part, my Government has enacted legislation

authorizing the confiscation of the assets resulting from

drug trafficking. In like manner, existing legislation

will be strengthened and relevant measures put in place

as part of my country’s contribution to the international

effort in the fight against terrorism.

It is this very need to preserve democracy, the

rule of law and respect for human rights, that spurred

the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to propose, in

1989, a renewed focus on the establishment of a

permanent International Criminal Court. We will

continue our efforts to have the crimes of illegal drug

trafficking and terrorism included within the

jurisdiction of the Court.

At the national level, the Government of Trinidad

and Tobago recognizes the need also to maintain a

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focus on promoting economic growth and creating a

better quality of life for all its citizens as key elements

in preserving democracy. In this context, the

Government has identified nine key objectives aimed at

creating a healthier, better educated and highly skilled

nation, capable of fully participating in the life of the

national community and the wider global society. But

even as we pursue these objectives, we know that, as a

small island developing State, we have special needs

and vulnerabilities. Therefore what is required is a

supportive, regional and global environment. That is

why we accord special significance to the

achievements of the various development targets set

out at last year’s Millennium Summit. As a small

island developing State, we would like to remind this

Assembly of the Summit’s resolve to implement,

rapidly and in full, the 1994 Barbados Programme of

Action and the 1999 outcome of the twenty-second

special session of the General Assembly pertaining to

the needs of small island developing States.

Trinidad and Tobago is also of the view that trade

remains one of the essential elements for our economic

growth. While safety and security concerns have

become a priority, the onus is still on the international

community to guarantee the strength and stability of

commodity prices, on which the majority of developing

countries depend to finance their growth and

development.

Consideration must also be given to extending

debt relief to middle-income countries, as this will free

resources otherwise allocated to debt servicing to assist

in the financing of critical sectors, such as health and

education. Trinidad and Tobago, for example, currently

utilizes a significant portion of its gross domestic

product to meet debt servicing requirements —

resources which would be better utilized in our fight

against the AIDS pandemic, which is fast emerging as

a major development challenge, not only for Trinidad

and Tobago, but for many of our sister islands in the

Caribbean and elsewhere in the world.

Resource mobilization at the national, regional

and international levels is central to the development of

small island States. Trinidad and Tobago has

consequently given priority to the mobilization of

domestic resources within an overall macroeconomic

policy which encourages the creation of a competitive

business environment.

Success in domestic resource mobilization is,

however, heavily dependent on the external

environment and linked to success in accessing the

markets of developed countries. Many of the factors

which impinge on the process of attracting foreign

capital lie outside the control of developing countries.

Trinidad and Tobago faces the particular problem of

attracting foreign investment in the non-oil sector,

which affects the overall development of the social

infrastructure. Foreign direct investment also tends to

flow where profits are highest, not necessarily where a

sound policy for the creation of a hospitable local

environment has been instituted.

Of equal significance for developing States is

next year’s International Conference on Financing for

Development, at which the central issue of reforming

the decision-making system will be under review.

International financial institutions, for their own part,

must therefore work to ensure that developing

countries are allowed to participate more fully in all

policy decisions which directly affect them.

Similarly, the special and differential treatment

provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

agreements must be implemented if developing

countries are to maximize their potential gains of trade.

Trinidad and Tobago is convinced of the need for the

WTO to recognize the differences in the levels of

development capacity which exist among its members,

including developing States. Our position on this issue

was clearly enunciated at the just concluded Doha

ministerial meeting. Trinidad and Tobago therefore

welcomes the agreement reached at that meeting to

make special and differential treatment operationally

effective to facilitate development and to ensure that

modalities for further commitments, including

provisions for special and differential treatment, are

established by 31 March 2003. We also welcome

agreement on a work programme to examine issues

related to the trade of small economies for the fuller

integration of small and vulnerable economies into the

multilateral trading system. We will remain actively

engaged as the process unfolds.

To Trinidad and Tobago, as a member of the

African-Caribbean-Pacific Group of States (ACP), of

critical concern, too, is the inordinate and unjustifiable

delay in granting the waiver request for the ACP/

European Commission Partnership Agreement. It is an

issue which has serious systemic implications for the

Organization and it is for this reason that Trinidad and

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Tobago, like fellow ACP members, considered it

imperative that it be addressed at the ministerial

conference.

In the sphere of health, no one would dispute that

a real connection exists between a nation’s

development capacity and the health of its people. In

this regard, my Government has noted with special

interest the call to strengthen the resolve adopted at the

Millennium Summit to halt and reverse the spread of

HIV/AIDS by 2015. At the heart of our concern is the

fact that the Caribbean region ranks second among the

regions of the world where AIDS is the leading cause

of death in the 15 to 44 age group, a distinction our

region can ill afford to bear.

Trinidad and Tobago again demonstrated its own

commitment to international efforts by hosting last

month the Tenth International Conference for People

Living with HIV/AIDS. Further, Trinidad and Tobago

was among those countries specially selected to

participate in phase II of the HIV/AIDS vaccine trials,

which aims to develop a safe, affordable and accessible

vaccine. The Government, too, has successfully

negotiated with pharmaceutical companies a 90 per

cent reduction in the cost of antiretroviral drugs.

Trinidad and Tobago also supports the establishment of

the Global Fund for AIDS and Health. As a member of

the Transitional Working Group of the Fund, we will

seek to ensure that, in the modalities of the Fund,

accession will not be burdensome and bureaucratic and

that special consideration will be given to the most

seriously affected countries.

Another element in the pervading cycle of

underdevelopment is the presence of persistent poverty.

Trinidad and Tobago fully supports the call of heads of

State and Government at the Millennium Summit to

strive to cut in half by 2015 the proportion of people

living in extreme poverty. At the State level, Trinidad

and Tobago’s progress in the area of poverty

eradication is illustrated by the high ranking it has

enjoyed since 1977 in the United Nations Human

Development Index.

Likewise, Trinidad and Tobago remains

committed to the agreement on the economic and

environmental goals of the United Nations. We

therefore welcome the agreements reached at the sixth

session of the Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,

especially the establishment of a special climate fund, a

fund for least developed countries and the Kyoto

Protocol adaptation fund to be established in order to

finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes.

We now encourage developed countries to ratify the

Protocol so that it can enter into force as quickly as

possible.

As a small island State which relies heavily on

the marine environment for our petroleum, natural gas,

fishing and tourism industries, we are also committed

to upholding the principles and fulfilling the

obligations of the United Nations Convention on the

Law of the Sea. We support the work of the

International Seabed Authority in respect of the

development and exploitation of minerals of the deep

seabed for the benefit all humankind. In our quest to

ensure the preservation of the marine environment, we

reiterate that the question of the transhipment of

hazardous waste through the Caribbean Sea is a cause

of deep concern to the region since, in many instances,

the marine environment constitutes the only

meaningful resource on which some States depend for

their very economic existence.

Against a landscape of differing stages of

development, of differing cultural perspectives and of

disparate and competing interests, what does emerge is

an undeniable strength of purpose within this body that

unites us all in a shared commitment not only to

improving the standard of human life, but to preserving

it at all costs. Harnessing this strength of purpose

ultimately depends on every Member State’s

appreciating its inherent value and the value it adds by

its participation in the work of forums such as these. It

is for this reason that we must continue the dialogue,

albeit more vigorously, to ensure that the interests of

peace and security are better served. Reform of the

Security Council must therefore be advanced in a

meaningful way. Democratization of the Security

Council will require more equitable representation.

This goal can be accomplished only through the

expansion of the Council in both the permanent and the

non-permanent categories.

The task before us is not insurmountable. We

must deepen the dialogue to accelerate implementation

of the goals defined at the Millennium Summit and

specified in the various global conferences and reviews

which have taken place to date. We must ensure that

the process of implementation is conducted within a

spirit of equity and justice. Equal attention must be

given to all groups of countries, developed and

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developing, large and small, landlocked, transit and

small island developing States. Trinidad and Tobago

remains fully committed to this process. Let us make

this fifty-sixth session one of defining the process of

implementation.