Vanuatu, 1997

I am privileged today to be able to congratulate

the President, on behalf of the Government of the

Republic of Vanuatu, on his election to preside over the

Assembly at a period critical to the life of the

Organization and its role in future relations between our

countries and peoples. I should like to assure him of the

full support and cooperation my delegation and my

country will lend him and his country, Ukraine, during his

mandate.

I should also like to take this opportunity to express

the warmest congratulations of the Government and

people of Vanuatu to the President of the preceding

session, Ambassador Razali Ismail of Malaysia, on the

role he played during a period in mankind’s history that

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will be noteworthy for a series of events that were

important both on an international level and on various

regional levels.

This is also a special opportunity for me to welcome

the new Secretary-General of the Organization, Mr. Kofi

Annan, and to reiterate the support of the Republic of

Vanuatu for him in carrying out his mandate as Secretary-

General and, in particular, for the new initiatives he has

taken and committed himself to take in the process of

dialogue and consultation with all Member States with

regard to the future of the Organization.

After more than 50 years of existence, the United

Nations today finds itself facing an economic and

international political situation that is increasingly complex

and particularly more difficult for small developing

countries in general, and especially so for the least

developed small island countries, like the Republic of

Vanuatu.

This situation should be recognized as one of the

major challenges to the international community and one

that must be dealt with through more committed

international cooperation, particularly favourable treatment

being given to meet the specific needs of those countries

and populations that are its victims.

For the Republic of Vanuatu, the highest priority

remains the economic development and social well-being of

its population, more than 80 per cent of whom live in rural

areas or on islands far from the administrative and

commercial centre.

The maintenance of political stability and social

harmony in a country depends and will continue to depend,

first and foremost, on the country’s orientation and

economic development process. The rhetoric of certain

development partners in trying to make their technical and

financial assistance contingent on the political commitment

of government leaders and on the maintenance of peace is

futile with regard to the Pacific region. Such rhetoric tends

rather to challenge the very integrity of these leaders and

their commitment to socio-economic development in their

respective countries.

Genuine international cooperation must not only be

based on the high-priority socio-economic needs of the

developing countries and on the interests of the donors; it

must above all be anchored firmly in respect for the

principles of sovereignty and mutual acknowledgment of

the competence of the national political authorities in the

exercise of their functions in office. In the framework of its

restructuring and in the context of new international

challenges, the United Nations is called upon to play a

leading role in international cooperation on the basis of

these new elements.

In this regard, the Government of Vanuatu most

warmly welcomes the Secretary-General’s initiative to

establish a special development account for the

developing country Members. I also wish to recall the

importance and role of regional and subregional forums

in the process of establishing and strengthening

international cooperation. In our part of the world, the

South Pacific Forum and the Melanesian Spearhead

Group are concrete examples of such cooperation and

their initiatives deserve the recognition and support of the

international community.

On 24 October 1995, during the commemoration of

the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the

United Nations Charter, the head of the delegation of

Vanuatu declared from this rostrum the support of the

Republic of Vanuatu for the reform and rational

management of the United Nations system. Today, I

reaffirm the support of my Government and congratulate

Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the courage and

determination that he has demonstrated in drafting and

implementing this crucial reform. I fully share the

Secretary-General’s point of view when he emphasizes in

his report that “Reform is not an event; it is a process”

(A/51/950, para. 25).

It is well known that, throughout today’s world,

reform is also the sine qua non for a State’s sustainable

economic and ecological growth and development.

Indeed, the global challenges that States must face require

the constant review and ongoing reform of development

policies and of the institutions of state, in order that the

latter may become instruments and tools adapted to and

honed for the accomplishment of specific tasks, while

contributing to the vision of development that we have set

for ourselves.

Seventeen years after attaining its independence, my

country, Vanuatu, has made great social and economic

strides. However, the disproportionate challenges facing

a small island State such as Vanuatu determined us to

initiate a reform programme early this year. This global

reform programme, as we call it, covers the formal and

informal economic sector as well as the public sector, in

the broad sense of that word. With our reform, we would

equip our country with the means to meet the major

development challenges of the twenty-first century and to

avoid or reduce the effects and risks, natural and

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otherwise, that stalk all developing countries and small

island States in particular.

This vision of the future that we have crafted for our

country requires the creation of dynamic economic

conditions in which the private sector is the major

protagonist. In most cases, attempts by Governments to act

directly in the production of goods and services have purely

and simply failed. It also requires the establishment and

development of appropriate institutional machinery for

technical and financial assistance that will promote the

creation, development and growth of private enterprise

while placing greater responsibility in the individual.

As the General Assembly is aware, it is not enough to

create conditions for the development of a dynamic private

sector that is a driving force for growth if we seek

development that is economically and ecologically

sustainable and fair. Indeed, in our case, we consider the

reform and revitalization of the State as another sine qua

non of this sustainable and fair development.

Hence, public administration must be made more

effective and freed from any adverse political interference,

allowing us thus to reestablish transparency, confidence,

stability and the security of private investment. Our reform

is designed above all to eliminate existing injustices and not

to create others, which would represent failure and

backsliding. With our reform, we seek equitable

development that takes into account the development needs

of our children and of generations to come. The

redistribution of the benefits of reform and the situation of

women, children and other disadvantaged groups must be

seriously considered in the implementation of this reform.

Guaranteed fairness requires the assignment of the

highest priority to education through the allocation of

available resources. Only an up-to-date and high-quality

education will equip each individual with the necessary

skills and allow him to satisfy his basic needs and maintain

his dignity.

It must be clear to all that the decision of the

Economic and Social Council on 18 July to graduate my

country, the Republic of Vanuatu, from the list of least

developed countries was a surprise. I take this opportunity

to reiterate the position of the Government of Vanuatu, as

reflected in the official correspondence between my

Government and the Secretary-General, the President of the

Economic and Social Council and a certain number of

friendly countries Members of the United Nations.

While recognizing the sensitive nature of this

question, the Government of Vanuatu solemnly calls on

this Assembly to consider putting off the question of

graduation to the year 2000, when the indicators for

identifying least developed countries will be finalized by

the Committee for Development Planning.

My Government recently launched a global reform

programme and will need the full support of the donor

community in order to implement our reform and give our

country the infrastructure indispensable to our growth.

Similarly, during the Global Conference on the

Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing

States held in Barbados, it was decided to develop

indicators for the vulnerability index appropriate to this

category of United Nations Member.

In this context, we consider the decision of the

Committee for Development Planning to be premature

and in no way reflecting the spirit of that United Nations

resolution. Moreover, with more than 80 per cent of our

population living in the countryside on food-producing

subsistence agriculture; a well-paid expatriate population;

and official development assistance equal to the State’s

annual budget and representing 20 per cent of our gross

domestic product, we feel that the Committee for

Development Planning’s decision can only stem from a

lack of adequate information.

We do not understand why least developed countries

in the same situation as Vanuatu are treated differently

and demand that we receive exactly the same treatment as

any that, like us, meets two of the current identifying

indicators for least developed countries, as laid down in

the Committee’s report.

(spoke in English)

As recognized by the Rio Conference and the Global

Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small

Island Developing States, held in Barbados, the issue of

environment and its close association with the concept of

development has become highly complex and sensitive.

The convening of international conferences and the

formulation of international treaties such as the

Framework Convention on Climate Change are a clear

demonstration of the significance of environmental issues

in our development efforts.

Small island countries like Vanuatu and other Pacific

island countries have taken some tough decisions to

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introduce restrictive measures internally in support of the

international call for environment protection. They have

also committed their Governments and nations to the

principle of instituting a legally binding instrument which

would guarantee the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

to an internationally accepted level.

To the Pacific island countries, particularly the low-

lying nations, a failure to fully address the issue at hand

and to reach an acceptable solution could put into question

the commitment of the international community, and could

constitute a great security risk for our islands and our future

generations.

The Republic of Vanuatu recognizes the United

Nations initiatives and engagement in the globalization and

liberalization of trade. The building up of the multilateral

trading system since 1995 is a manifestation and reflection

of the United Nations effort and desire to create a global

and uniform trading environment that is conducted and

based on the new rules and obligations provided in the

Marrakesh Declaration.

My country has embarked on a wider process of

consultations to seek membership of the World Trade

Organization (WTO). The challenges and opportunities

offered by this new regime are considerable, and therefore

weaker economies like ours require time to adjust to their

economic policies in order to accommodate the prescribed

obligations and requirements of the multilateral trading

system.

In this context, we would like to develop a common

approach through the United Nations system, as well as the

European Union, as our partners, in coming to terms with

the demands and obligations of the newly established

multilateral trading system. While all of us, in particular

small islands and least developed States, recognize the need

to come to terms with the World Trade Organization, we

cannot and should not allow ourselves to be unduly

pressured by its demands on these matters where we need

to protect our trade preferences and interests.

What we perceive to be negative and of less relevance

to us in the World Trade Organization must be changed

according to our interests. There needs to be scope for all

the small and vulnerable States to be accorded sufficient

time to undertake reforms in trade and investment

competitiveness with a view to creating a positive impact

on the economy, particularly in their efforts to source

private capital flows and foreign direct investment.

Allow me at this point to refer to the future relations

between the 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific States

(ACP) and the European Union when the current fourth

Lomé Convention expires in the year 2000. After some

25 years, it is important to take stock and reflect on the

challenges, opportunities and weaknesses of the

Convention by reviewing the existing framework of

cooperation. From a wider ACP perspective, there is

generally a stronger desire and willingness to retain and

strengthen the existing framework of cooperation in the

areas of political, economic, trade and development

assistance.

I would like to take this opportunity to strongly urge

the international community, through this fifty-second

session of the General Assembly, to recognize that there

are realities which continue to warrant the need for

continuity of the partnership between the ACP States and

the European Union beyond the year 2000.

In conclusion, allow me to reaffirm my

Government’s support for the process of reforming our

great Organization which was begun by Mr. Kofi Annan

in order to enable it to deal successfully with the

challenges of the twenty-first century.