Ambassador Patrick A. Lewis

Permanent Representative of

Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations

Mr. President

It is with profound pleasure that I greet you, a diplomat of your experience and stature, and one worthy to preside over the functions of the Fifty-First Session of the general Assembly. I wish to recall that it was your country and mine that brought the "Question of Antarctica" to the United Nations, and we have worked closely together for a number of years. We have made progress, as countries from various parts of the world have joined us in an effort to preserve Antarctica as a heritage for mankind. Your efforts in regard to the betterment of the global community is deeply admired by my countrymen, and it is with a sense of genuine cordiality, that we refer to Malaysia as a friendly and brotherly country. Permit me also to sincerely thank your predecessor, Professor Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal, who so ably led the historic 50th session of the General Assembly.

Mr. President

 

On July 7 of this year, Hurricane Bertha passed perilously close to Antigua and Barbuda and some damage was sustained on our twin-island state. Small island developing states like ours are subjected to various natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes. In 1974 we experienced an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, which caused considerable destruction. A volcano on the island of Montserrat some fifty kilometers from our shores, has been active for the

 

past fifteen months. Our people live in constant fear of fall out and tidal waves from a major eruption.

The natural phenomenon presently plaguing Montserrat could be a prelude to a disaster which can destroy small islands globally. Evidence of the warming-up of the planet has clearly emerged, and "extreme weather events" have become more frequent and intense. Last year Hurricane Luis unleashed its fury on our country for 48 hours, and was declared to have been the worst storm of the century .

Then Hurricane Marilyn followed in the wake of Hurricane Luis, intensifying the damage. Indeed, we remain grateful to the countries and institutions which provided various forms of assistance to help in the reconstruction.

In addressing the Organization of American States' General Assembly this year, our envoy reminded that "development is not sustainable if a score of storms and hurricanes are to trample through our region each year. Sustainable development is not achievable if each year we are forced to respond to a score of storms and hurricanes. Carbon dioxide emissions, caused by the burning of petroleum, coal, wood and gas, since the start of the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe two hundred years ago, have begun to place survival of small islands in jeopardy. Harmful production, wasteful consumption, and dangerous disposal patterns continue to characterize the behaviours of the largest industrialised states. We must therefore reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the agreed Toronto targets. Together, let us address the challenge so that we may bequeath to future generations a better and a safer world than we inherited." Our demise will only signal the beginning of the end of a marvelous civilization, more creative and more inventive than any which has gone before.

Mr. President

Between July 1 and 15, Antigua and Barbuda played its part at the human settlement conference in Istanbul--Habitat II, and we are urging that the Istanbul Declaration and the Plan of Action be adhered to. It must be recognized that it is in the cities and towns of the new urban world where most of us will ultimately live and work, that most economic activity will take place and goods produced. It is where most pollution will be generated and national resources consumed, with impacts felt far beyond city limits. Moreover, it will be in the cities and towns of this urban world where growing social tensions and conflict, rooted in poverty and maldistribution of resources, will be resolved, and where the key to true human security will be found.

The problems of urbanisation are not limited to the more endowed countries. We too, despite our small size have to cope with the varying patterns and outcomes that demand responses which have at times threatened to overwhelm us. Nevertheless, I am happy to report that in Antigua and Barbuda we have made considerable progress toward control and adequate regulation.

Under the guidance of the Development Control Authority and the Central Housing and Planning Authority major initiatives have been undertaken with assistance from the United Nations Centre for Human Settlement and the United Nations Development Programme. The Government, in partnership with other sectors of society, is playing a multiple role in improving living and working conditions on an equitable basis to enable all its citizens to enjoy adequate shelter, affordable basic services and sustainable human settlements. The Government of Antigua and Barbuda performs the functions not only of a national policy-maker and housing administrator, but also serves in the capacity of lender and developer. In these roles it has ensured that interest rates are kept at reasonable levels and repayment periods for loans are as long as twenty years. In its regulatory role, the government of the Labour Party has put forward development standards, stipulated building procedures, and integrated land and shelter policies with programmes for reducing poverty and assuring employment, for environmental protection, for improvement in education and health, and for providing clean water and sanitation facilities.

Mr. President

This is indeed a strange and puzzling world. With reference to sustainable development the myth has gathered momentum along the lines that the developing world is making significant strides forward. World Bank data, however, demonstrates that over 60 per cent of the countries in which the United Nations and other bodies have development assistance operations have witnessed declines in real per capita income over the decade ending in 1994.

James Gustave Speth, the Special Coordinator for Economic and Social Development, in a forceful and moving presentation at the opening of the 1996 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council, presented two major ironies of the current situation. He declared that now that the world is freed from the distorting effects that it had on development cooperation; that just when the development assistance community has learned so much more about how to succeed and do its job well; and just when the needs of the developing world are growing rapidly and dramatically; just at this precise time the resources that are needed for development cooperation are shrinking rapidly and dramatically. In the last four years, real development assistance, has declined by 20 to 25 per cent. The other irony is that just when there is a better understanding of the essential links between peace and development cooperation; that just when the United Nations is called upon to assume much greater responsibilities, in the follow-up to conferences and in post-conflict peace-building and in other areas; and just when the United Nations is reforming and strengthening itself to do these things; the United Nations finds itself threatened by a financial crisis that afflicts both its assessed and voluntary contributions. Indeed, Speth not only sees the above as ironies but tragedies of our era.

Mr. President

This, the major international organization, is restructuring itself and endeavouring to undertake meaningful reform. Whereas it may be true that the existing financial crisis is primarily a "crisis of payment," there is no denying the fact that there is unnecessary waste being generated here, whether in regard to the duplication of work detail, the excessive copying of documents, the scheduling of numerous meetings destined to accomplish nothing, or a myriad of other undesirables. Financial concerns are not, however, the only issue with which the body is seized. Reform is being undertaken in a multi-pronged manner, which in itself will be a long process which can be justified in a Benthamite way by emphasizing the greatest good for the greatest number.

Presently, even though the discussions have been considered to have "progressed," there is not even the glimmer of a discernible outcome in regard to the "Question of Equitable Representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council." Though consensus exists on expanding the Council, the manner in which it can be achieved equitably remains to be resolved. Antigua and Barbuda is firm in its declared position that any expansion should include Developing Countries, and that both the groups of Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean should be represented; and would similarly like to

see certain restrictions placed on the use of the veto. We understand that all efforts at restructuring and reform in the United Nations, however, should be focused on economic growth and development.

In this whole process of misunderstandings the regional commissions are being placed under attack through cutbacks and in some instances calls for dissolution. This is particularly hard on those of us who are being served by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. We see ECLAC as a regional organisation which has already reformed itself and should not be penalised by calling for further "reforms." ECLAC has rendered valuable service through sub-programmes on economic development; social development; international trade, development financing and transport; industrial, agricultural, and technological modernisation; environment, natural resources and human settlements; statistics and economic projections; integration of women into development; regional integration and cooperation; economic and social planning; and population. In all of these fields ECLAC collaborates with governments of the Americas in the investigation and analysis of public policy, provides technical assistance and training, and promotes regional cooperation.

For those of us in the Caribbean, it is imperative that ECLAC be fully sustained to continue assisting us in these and other areas. This comes against the backdrop of pressures being asserted upon the Caribbean, which Prime Minister Lester Bird described at the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting on July 6. He spoke of the right wing voices that are ready to impose upon the states of the Caribbean Community a new colonialism under a variety of guises, such as those of limited sovereignty, and extra territoriality. Indeed, even the economic survival of some Caribbean states is threatened as a result of pressures brought against the countries whose sustenance almost entirely depends upon the production of a yellow fruit.

Most of the countries affected by the banana dispute are former European colonies, and continuation of their historic access to European markets is crucial to their economic survival. Without some form of protection the banana industry in the CARICOM states would collapse, leading to severe social dislocation which would ultimately manifest itself in political catastrophe.

Recognising the significance of banana production to some of our economies, the European Union has a programme in which a small portion of its market is reserved for Caribbean producers, a portion that is less than 10 percent. This has certainly not been a major problem for the big companies, as a handful of multinational concerns still control 60 percent of the European market and 70 percent of the overall market. But it appears that Bob Herbert, writing in the New York Times of May 13, was correct when he asserted that "for the multinationals, enough is never enough." Indeed, for countries, where literacy rates are in the 90th percentile, and where political prisoners are unheard of; it would be disastrous if the economies of these societies were to be destroyed through the destruction of the banana industry.

The bleakness of the above-mentioned is, however, followed by the ideas expressed at the Tokyo Conference on Development Strategy in March of this year, where it was posited that there is the will to sustain a new global partnership and make it effective. The consensus was that the issues which stretched beyond mathematical economics, that is, issues such as those incorporating poverty, the environment, the advancement of women, and food security had to be tackled at both national and international levels.

It was nonetheless brought out that many developed countries are experiencing harsh financial difficulties, which are imposing severe limits on their capacity to contribute to the International Organisations. As such, the nations of the world had to respond to the challenge of poverty by striving for its eradication. Secondly, the key to our success underscores nations working together to build and implement a development strategy to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Third, in the process of working out and implementing a new development strategy, it is crucially important to reinvigorate the roles of international organisations and in particular the United Nations.

Of significant concern to developing countries was the statement that in efforts to secure sufficient resources, it is important to take steps in other policy areas, such as trade or technological transfer. Additionally, the globalisation of the world economy makes it important to promote the development of human resources, and the capacity of institution building in developing countries. In its 1996 Human Development Report, the United Nations Development Programme acknowledged that although some countries are experiencing unprecedented economic growth, the quality of human development does not always reflect this progress. While many countries of the developing world are struggling with the implications of trade liberalization and globalisation, individuals within these societies are faced with a complementary struggle. The sad fact is that as long as selective liberalisation between countries remains, individuals within countries will find it more difficult to escape the downward spiral into the depths of poverty. It is hardly a stretch of the imagination to recognise therefore, that an early investment in building human capacity is incumbent for any society wishing to achieve economic and social development that is both equitable and sustainable.

Mr. President

Whereas it can truly be said that the 1990s signaled the end of the Cold War and witnessed the dissolution of a bi-polar world, the conflicts witnessed today are localised and appear to be gathering momentum as a result of ethnic, religious, and civil considerations. There is clearly an upsurge of micro-nationalism which fosters separatist considerations. There is much social disruption, mass starvation, and the spread of contagious diseases. Of an extremely frightening nature is the fact that access to victims are often rendered difficult or impossible. There is clearly a deepening lack of security for relief personnel and supplies. Clearly there is a need for the demobilisation of para-military groups, for de-mining; and for an intensification in regard to peace-making, peace-keeping and peace-building. It must be recalled that the UN came into existence to ensure peace among nations. With that in mind we should be prepared to take steps beyond a Non-Proliferation Treaty, and a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and move toward the elimination of weapons of mass destruction within a time-bound framework.

Responses to the myriad of desperate problems have to be inter-disciplinary in nature; as there is no single U.N. agency which can control, pacify, and rehabilitate effectively. The Secretary General's report of June 21, 1994 entitled "Strengthening of the Co-Ordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the United Nations," brings this out clearly.

Recognising the dangers of increased international criminal activity in the region, Antigua and Barbuda is working with its neighbours and expects to receive additional assistance from bilateral and multilateral sources to initiate a national drug and money laundering control policy. Priorities of the policy include legislative and regulatory reform, increased interdiction activities, technical training, preventive health and public education and training. Given its multidimensional nature, the drug problem is one which the United Nations system is particularly well equipped to address. However, working alone, the organisation is helpless to tackle this scourge that cuts across all sectors of society, impacting on families, health, and economic activity. There needs to be greater co-ordination among nations if the blight of narcotics is to be meaningfully tackled. Strong and determined efforts within certain countries will be seriously undermined if there is not a united global approach to manifestations and practices which will destroy not only the fabric of our societies, but the lives of countless individuals.

The plague of terrorism must be controlled, and the appeals by two South Asian nations to have an international convention against terrorism must be heeded. Often terroism is linked to Narcotics. The states of the Eastern Caribbean not only have fears of subversion, but are also concerned by the intense violation of the ports, harbours, and the corresponding graft as their countries serve as transit points.

Mr President

In concluding I would like to say that as the representatives of the global community, we have to live up to the trust placed in us by our constituencies. Multilateralism has to be paramount, as we strive toward ways and means for better management of our planet. We must agree on common values for common survival. Our constituents are calling for an end to senseless violence, and for the re-emergence of concepts of compassion and equity. They are asking for our dialogue to be creative and forward looking.

The peoples of different regions must be prepared to make sacrifices, and suppress the barriers that divide, barriers such as hatred, selfishness, and bitterness. Let us not forget the words of Philip Vundla, an ANC executive: "What you achieve by violence, you will need greater violence to maintain. Those who say the answer is bloodshed have other people's blood in mind, not their own."

But the fundamental need in regard to advancement remains that of economic reality. Michel Camdessus of the International Monetary Fund reminded the leaders of the G.7 countries on June 24, that "too many refusals to grant development assistance have the alibi that such funds are wasted. This slippage, as well as the so-called donor fatigue, must be vigorously combated if the international community wishes to be in a position to keep the poorest countries from marginalization and to steer the world away from the tensions and crises that extreme poverty cannot but engender whenever it occurs. Marginalization is not inevitable, and every country has its opportunity in this globalized world."

My country recognises the fact that we are in an era of unprecedented change and opportunity, a period in which scientific developments and technological advancements seem almost miraculous and offer an improved quality of life, the United Nations should become embedded in reality, and push the critical issues involving destitution and social injustice to the centre of both national and public debate.

Antigua and Barbuda prides and cherishes the United Nations, and we believe that it has been unjustly judged, more by its failures than by its successes. But the work done in regard to health, human rights, peace-keeping activities, disaster mitigation, and assistance to developing countries presents an enviable record.

The United Nations has the capacity for achievements in areas beyond the reach of national or regional authorities. Subsequently, the nations which compromise this August body, must redouble their collective commitment for translating vision into reality. In this way we will thrust the United Nations manfully forward into the dawning twenty-first century.

I thank you Mr. President.