UNITED
NATIONS  GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
ADDRESS
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FIFTY-EIGHTH
SESSION
OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
"TOWARDS
A MORE VIABLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY"
16
SEPTEMBER 2003
Mr
Secretary General, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen:
The
leadership of the Fifty-eighth Session of the General Assembly,
the United Nations sole universal organ is, for me, a solemn
commitment. I am deeply honoured by the privilege that the
membership of this august Assembly has given to me, to serve
in this high office at this time of serious challenge for
the organisation, and for the world. This is also a significant
occasion for the Government and People of St Lucia. The
United Nations has always been a bedrock of our foreign
relations, and we have demonstrated our commitment to the
organisation through our sustained support for, and participation
in, its work. I wish to pay special tribute to the Prime
Minister of St Lucia, the Honourable Dr. Kenny D. Anthony,
whose personal commitment to the United Nations and multilateralism
underpins this Presidency.
My commendation
goes to my predecessor, His Excellency Jan Kavan, for the
leadership he provided to the General Assembly in what have
been critical times for the United Nations. I wish especially
to thank him for his co-operation and support, and for the
important contribution he made towards implementing the
letter and spirit of the General Assembly's decision to
hold early elections for the Presidency, to allow for a
smooth transition from the outgoing to the incoming President.
I want to assure Mr Kavan that we will be building on the
accomplishments the General Assembly made under his leadership.
It has
been said that "no one leaves footprints in the sands
of time by lying down". The footprints of our Secretary
General, Kofi Annan, are indelibly etched in the sands of
time, because of his continuing achievements and the pace
at which he works on behalf of our United Nations. I commend
him for his dedication and commitment, and look forward
to working closely with him to realise the goals and objectives
of the General Assembly.
I take
this opportunity to pay tribute to Sergio Viera de Mello,
Special Representative of the Secretary General, other United
Nations staff and all who lost their lives or were injured
in the terrible tragedy in Baghdad. It is important that
we support United Nations action to protect its staff from
terrorist attacks. I believe that the United Nations should
remain focused on its objectives in Iraq - to facilitate
the restoration of peace and security, to ensure the delivery
of humanitarian assistance and the restoration of sovereignty
to the people of Iraq. This would be the most fitting tribute
to the sacrifice and hard work of Mr Sergio Viera de Mello
and his colleagues.
In these
turbulent times, the world's people are looking to the United
Nations to safeguard what is fundamental to them, from sustainable
development to peace and security. The organisation is challenged
to live up to these legitimate expectations, which can only
be met by holding firmly to the principles and purposes
of the Charter, particularly its vision of co-operation
among member states in solving international problems.
Today,
the United Nations finds itself at a critical juncture,
challenged by an extraordinary set of circumstances and
the magnitude of new and existing problems. What, then,
should the United Nations do? We must actively pursue the
benefits of multilateralism. We must reaffirm the central
role of the United Nations, the most important multilateral
organisation ever established, and which has stood the test
of time. We must uphold the principles and purposes of the
United Nations Charter and international law. We must reassert
the authority of the General Assembly as the sole universal
organ charged under the Charter with important supervisory
and policy making responsibilities.
An examination
of past sessions of the General Assembly confirms the commitment
made by successive Presidents to the reform of the United
Nations, and in particular to revitalising and strengthening
the Assembly. The imperative of reforming the United Nations
has not changed. Indeed, in the current international environment,
it assumes greater urgency.
There
is a view that our fifty-eight year old organisation requires
not just reform, but radical transformation. The Secretary
General himself has indicated in recent days that the time
may have come for a radical restructuring of the Organisation,
including a realignment of the principal organs of the Charter.
He has further indicated that he plans to make proposals
in this regard. I am sure that I speak for all Member States
when I say that we look forward with keen interest in any
proposals, whether of a process or substantive nature that
the Secretary General may wish to submit for the consideration
of this Assembly. Following such a review, the Assembly
will be in a position to determine how to proceed, bearing
importantly in mind the views which will be presented on
UN reform by the many Heads of State and Government who
will be addressing the Assembly in the course of the General
Debate.
As Chair
of the Working Group on Revitalisation of the General Assembly,
I propose to assess the Group's work, so that we may determine
the essential next steps. As President, I am open to other
proposals for the revitalisation and strengthening of the
General Assembly.
I believe,
as the saying goes, that "to understand the future
we must look to the past." However, whilst we should
learn from our past experiences, we should not be held back
by them. In revitalising the General Assembly, we must therefore
balance continuity with change, determining what to hold
on to, and what to let go. We should systematically mark
each step that meets with success, so that we can hold fast
to what we have achieved, even as we make the strategic
choices for future achievements.
I have,
for example, consulted the General Committee about implementation
of its mandate, as well as about enhancing its role and
functioning, to better assist the President in the management
of the Assembly. I believe initiatives such as this hold
great promise for our revitalisation efforts.
Indeed,
we are most effective when our goals are achievable. Then,
we can act quickly and decisively, with co-operation, across
all regional and other groups, and secure commitments from
individual member states to deal with the issues at hand.
During
months of wide-ranging consultations, I have been inspired
by the assurances I received of renewed interest in the
General Assembly and by the generally held view that the
global problems and crises challenging the United Nations
and the world have opened a window of opportunity for the
General Assembly to broaden its impact on global affairs.
We must therefore move boldly to respond to the critics
of the General Assembly - not in our words, but in our deeds.
Member states must demonstrate the power of multilateralism
and the value of the Assembly, by ensuring that debate goes
hand in hand with action, that solutions fit the problems,
and that our Assembly has a prominent role in global initiatives
for a better world. I am cautiously optimistic that this
Assembly is ready to seize the opportunity, and move forward.
Let
us begin by placing the General Assembly at the centre of
the unfolding global socio-economic transformation. Globalisation
and trade liberalisation, in particular, are leading the
way, changing both the structures and processes of the world
economy, through a rules-based system. But these twin processes
will have failed if they result only in enriching the few
at the expense of the many, or creating and accentuating
inequity and injustice in the global economy. Further, Globalisation
and trade liberalisation are moving at such a rapid pace
that most developing countries often have no time to act
- only to react. Coming to terms with the rules of the system
is posing a serious challenge for many developing countries,
even as they endeavour to confront other serious economic
problems, including mounting debt, volatile commodity prices,
increasing poverty, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In recent
years, many developing countries have seen a sharp reversal
in the economic and social gains they had made. Also, the
global system has yet to recognise the need for special
and differential treatment, far less to make the necessary
provisions for this important purpose. Since participation
in the world economy is key to national economic growth
and prosperity for all countries, these matters are becoming
even more urgent.
The
General Assembly has an important role to play in ensuring
that globalisation and trade liberalisation are compatible
with achieving equity in the global economy, and that aspirations
of all countries for sustainable development, prosperity
and peace are met. The Assembly has been the guiding light
behind a decade or more of summits and conferences, the
objectives of which were to assist member states, particularly
those in the developing world, to meet their development
goals. The international community must deliver on the promises
made in these forums, more especially in working towards
the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
It has
been argued that leadership on global development issues
rests with development agencies and international financial
institutions, and not with the United Nations. It is a fact,
however, that the General Assembly is mandated by the Charter
to give policy guidance on development issues. It is the
only universal forum in which all member states may participate
equally in the process. Therefore, it is the General Assembly
that must ensure coherence in the system.
The
Assembly started to construct the essential bridge between
decision-making and implementation in its initiatives during
the Fifty-seventh Session, on Integrated and Coordinated
Implementation and Follow up to the Outcomes of Major United
Nations Conferences and Summits in the Economic and Social
Fields… During this session, we must advance this work
and take action on other pressing development issues, such
as commodities trading and corporate accountability. We
will pursue many of these issues through interactive dialogue.
Many
developing countries do not have a wide range of development
choices available to them, and in fact face serious challenges
due to their special circumstances. In Mauritius in 2004,
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will again provide
leadership on these issues and bring to the fore the broad
range of challenges confronting them. They will, yet again,
call for action to address their growing vulnerabilities
and the particularly difficult decisions they are forced
to make in the current global environment. We urge the international
community to support the successful outcome of the ten-year
review of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development
of Small Island Developing States, as well as the implementation
of suggested measures arising from the review.
African
leaders have themselves taken the initiative for accelerated
economic growth, sustainable development, poverty reduction,
and the improvement of the living standards of the peoples
of Africa in the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD). The General Assembly has expressed its strong support
for NEPAD. It must now encourage the United Nations system
and the wider international community to contribute in a
meaningful way to the implementation of the goals and objectives
of NEPAD.
The
forthcoming High-level Plenary on HIV/AIDS will be of critical
importance, especially for Africa, and for the Caribbean,
because of the debilitating effect that this deadly pandemic
has had in these regions. Indeed, HIV/AIDS is one of the
most significant challenges to development in the countries
affected. We hope that the HIV-AIDS High-level Plenary and
the High-level dialogue on Financing for Development, both
so critical to socio-economic development, can be driving
forces for action-oriented solutions in these areas. We
believe the Assembly must also address conflict and development,
aware as we are that internal conflicts not only impact
peace and security, but can also significantly retard socio
- economic development.
One
of the United Nations' outstanding successes is its contribution
to the self-determination of a majority of people worldwide,
whose countries now sit, sovereign and equal, in this General
Assembly. The United Nations must remain critically engaged
in the decolonisation process through the Committee of 24
to ensure that the remaining non-self-governing territories,
many of which are in the Caribbean, are able to exercise
their right to self-determination.
The
United Nations has overall responsibility for keeping the
peace and making the world a more secure place, with special
responsibility given to the Security Council. Undoubtedly,
the peaceful settlement of disputes is still an ideal for
which the United Nations must strive, even as internal and
inter-state conflicts remain pervasive, especially in Africa,
Asia and the Middle East. Indeed, events in the Middle East
continue to be of grave concern to us all. I recall that
in my consultations following my 6 June election, there
was some expectation as to what might be accomplished by
the proposed "Road Map". The situation, however,
continues to deteriorate, and calls for renewed commitment
on all sides, and for new ideas and approaches for peace
in the region.
The
destruction of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad
on 19 August 2003, demonstrates that the danger is not only
to those embroiled in conflict, but also to those who work
in the service of the people of the world.
Indeed,
targeted United Nations involvement can help to break the
vicious cycle of internal turbulence and violent upheavals,
which lead to economic decline and stagnation, and further
exacerbate the conflict. The United Nations is a reservoir
of experience and expertise for rebuilding countries in
the aftermath of conflict and war. In this volatile global
environment, we need to provide the organisation with the
means to fulfil its mandate to maintain peace and security,
and to tackle the underlying causes of conflict and war.
In doing so, the United Nations must be sensitive to the
right of the people of affected countries to find their
own solutions. Acting in any other way could well erode
the credibility of the organisation.
The
General Assembly will have the opportunity to review these
important matters when the Report of the Security Council
comes before it. As required, I will summarise discussion
of the Report to inform the future deliberations of the
Security Council. I expect that both the report and summary
will reflect the crises and challenges the United Nations
faces in the area of peace and security.
On the
issue of Security Council reform, we cannot retreat from
taking a decision on this matter. For more than a decade,
we have deliberated on this issue, and have made very little
progress. I expect that the pronouncements made on this
issue in the General Debate of the Fifty-eighth Session
will determine whether the political will exists to move
reform forward.
International
standard setting is an area in which the United Nations
has excelled. Today, multilateral treaties set standards
for the promotion and protection of human rights, including
the rights of women and children, and govern important areas
of international relations, such as transnational crime,
the seas, disarmament and the rising challenge of terrorism.
As we
reflect on the second anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, and other attacks around the world, we are reminded
that we all live in the terrible shadow of terrorism. Terrorism
is not only an issue affecting the peace - it also negatively
impacts social cohesion and the quality of life, disrupts
critical economic activity and destroys infrastructure in
the states and regions affected. I believe that the international
community should take a two-pronged approach to terrorism
- we must confront terrorism, wherever it occurs, and in
whatever form it takes; and we must address the root causes
of terrorism, as a long-term solution to halting horrific
action by the desperate, misguided and disenfranchised.
Even as we fight the scourge of terrorism however, we must
do so with the utmost respect for human rights, fundamental
freedoms and international law.
The
United Nations cannot be expected to carry out its mandates
without adequate resources. In this budget year, we should
commit sufficient resources to enable the organisation to
respond effectively to the present demands of the global
community, within acceptable parameters of responsible budget
management.
Approximately one hundred (100) Heads of State and Government
have decided to participate in the General Debate of the
Fifty-eighth Session of the General Assembly. I will be
listening carefully to their priorities, which will provide
the framework for this Assembly's work.
I have
often been asked in my consultations what I would wish to
be the hallmark of the St Lucian Presidency. My thinking
is clear on this matter. I want this session to be an action-oriented
one, in which decisions are implemented, and in which we
work together for this purpose. The people of the world
are looking to us to give them hope, seeing that we are
working to implement solutions to their problems. The world
cannot afford talks which collapse in stalemates, as unfortunately
happened in Cancun. The resultant delays in tackling problems
which require urgent solutions allow those problems to fester
causing needless suffering and deterioration into irretrievable
situations.
However,
I have high hopes that the General Assembly is ready to
break new ground and to record significant accomplishments
during this Fifty-eighth Session. To do so, however, requires
us to choose principle over expediency, precision over ambiguity,
objectivity over bias, and creative thinking over inflexibility.
Above all, we need action over inaction. We must ensure
that the policies we pursue during this General Assembly
serve not only our national and regional interests, but
also the interest of all the world's people.
My appeal
to you is that we work together, to ensure that this session
is remembered as one in which the General Assembly moved
forward and firmly re-established itself as the premier
policy-setting body of the United Nations.
I thank
you.
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