PERMANENT MISSION OF BELIZE

 

TO THE UNITED NATIONS

 

 

 

ADDRESS TO THE

MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY OF THE

UNITED NATIONS

55TH REGULAR SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

BY

 

THE HOURABLE JOHN BRICENO

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER,

MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES

AND THE ENVIRONMENT

OF BELIZE

 

 

 

NEW YORK 18TH SEPTEMBER 2000

 

 

A PRODUCTIVE FUTURE

 

Mr. President, on behalf of the Belize delegation I extend congratulations on your election to the chair. Your vast experience in International Affairs will greatly aid in our deliberations during this 55th assembly.

 

We are enriched by the presence of our newest member, the Republic of Tuvalu; we welcome Tuvalu to our UN family with the assurance of Belize's cooperation and support.

 

The recently concluded Summit, which produced a progressive and far reaching resolution has set the pace for our deliberations during this general debate. Though ambitious, the fulfillment of these goals is crucial to the future of our United Nations. In his brief address to the Summit, my Prime Minister stated "we are called to a new appointment with history, to bring democracy to global governance" and to "share a better and more productive future where all can live in dignity and peace." This, along with those goals put forward in the declaration sets before us an agenda for our way forward.

 

In moving forward we must begin by rededicating ourselves to upholding the fundamental principles of our Charter, principles which seek freedom from fear and want, where discrimination and hate is eradicated and the right of all people to live peaceful, quality lives is realized. Mr. President, these ideas are as relevant today as they were 55 years ago.

 

Despite the many advances we have made, many of us continue to allow our differences to lead to conflict, which result in overbearing suffering and hinders human development. We must avoid these costly conflicts for without peace we cannot grow.

 

At its inception this institution recognized that peace and the elimination of war was essential to human development. Although we seem to have reduced the likelihood of another global conflagration, we continue, at the regional and local levels, to allow our differences to divide us, resulting in overbearing suffering which further hinders progress and development.

 

As a global institution we must actively work to end all conflict. Our peacekeeping efforts, therefore, must be proactive and efficient. Our forces must protect innocent women and children; provide refuge to those who seek to promote principles of democracy and rise up against rogue individuals and organizations that threaten to undermine democratic governments. To achieve this, let us first commit ourselves to reinforcing the preventive capacity of the United Nations peacekeeping forces.

 

Mr. President, Belize regards peacekeeping operations as an important component of the United Nations. We agree that for our forces to be effective they must be well equipped and capable of defending themselves. We continue to meet the financial commitments assigned to Belize based on the principle of "capacity to pay." We welcome the recent Brahimi report, it is progressive and takes a comprehensive look at our peacekeeping efforts. My delegation supports the recommendations it advances.

 

Mr. President

 

Belize adheres to the principle of peaceful resolution of conflicts and in this spirit continues to work with Guatemala to arrive at a negotiated and peaceful resolution of our differences. Belize will comply with the recently agreed upon framework established through the Organization of American States.

 

For some time now, this institution has engaged in a conversation on development for the future, more specifically globalization. For developing countries, globalization, as it exists today, poses serious concerns that seem to fall on the deaf ears of those who continue to push us along what is obviously a destructive path. While we welcome the promises of this new economic order, we continue to fear globalization in its current form for what we have seen so far is neither responsible nor sustainable. It is not sustainable because those who lead the way seek only the advancement of their personal interests.

 

Mr. President, the proponents of globalization advised that market liberalization would lead to prosperity. We were encouraged to transform our economies and create more effective and efficient government. We have tried and continue to do so, however, our call for assistance with this transformation has not always been heard. Still, a lot of what has been asked of most of us we have done. The fact that today in Central America and the Caribbean every nation is legislated by a democratically elected government; the fact that we have opened our borders, markets and lifestyles to others, all indicate our commitment to transparency and effective governance.

 

In Belize we have done our part to ensure equitable development. We enjoy a vibrant and working democracy where 85 percent of our voting population exercise their franchise to vote, we have an open economy where all are encouraged to participate, we have partnered with civil society to address social needs and protect our precious environment. We have been responsible; yet all we see of globalization is the threat of the elimination of our current economic sustenance. If this is to be the legacy of globalization then those of us who have so far suffered at the hands of this new order must ask if globalization today is responsible, if it is good. We continue to believe that it can be.

 

Señor Presidente

 

En el orden económico actual, pequeñas economías como la nuestra solo pueden aspirar a un futuro productivo si los arquitectos de esta nueva modalidad nos proporcionan la assistencia necesaria. Los países desarrollados deben comprometerse a que el proceso de globalisación sea no solo libre pero tambien justo. Al igual que nos exigen la apertura de nuestros mercados, dichas instituciones y los administradores de la globalisación deben ser mas abiertos, democráticos y representativos. Asi como nos asociamos con la sociedad civil para afrontar nuestras necesidades políticas y socialeas, ellas deben trabajar conjuntamente con las agencias civiles internacionales para cubrir las nesecidades de los mas pobres. Nunca cumpliremos el objetivo de lograr un mundo justo sí la pobresa continua affectando a nuestros pueblos. Erradicar la pobresa es nuestra responsabilidad moral.

 

Mr. President

 

We agree that true sustainable development cannot occur without the protection and preservation of our environment. This must be a path that combines the efforts of all nations. We in Belize understand that we have a global responsibility to protect our natural resources this is why we are signatories to the Convention on climate change and are in the process of signing the Kyoto protocol, however, our efforts can only be effective if others are equally committed. We encourage our developed partners to continue to honor the commitment they made in Rio to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a timely manner. Currently over 40 percent of Belizean land is under protected status; our precious coral reefs are closely monitored and our tropical rain forests carefully managed. Together with local NGO's we seek an adequate balance between the protection of our natural resources and the fulfillment of the development needs of our people, agreeing that our environmental protectionism must work in harmony with our developmental needs.

 

SOCAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS

 

Over the last year a lot was accomplished, on social issues we reaffirmed our commitment to the development of women during the Beijing + 5 conference. Copenhagen + 5 addressed the need for greater social development and together with our partners in CARICOM, Belize actively participated in the Non Proliferation Treaty Conference. Belize continues to push for an end to the shipping of nuclear waste through the Caribbean Sea.

 

These successes however, should not distract us from the suffering and injustices still being endured by millions of people. In Africa the situation in Angola, Sierra Leon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo concerns us. The spread of the HIV/AIDS virus is alarming; we must do what is necessary to assist those afflicted.

 

We are troubled by the situation in Timor. The recent events, which resulted in the death of UN peacekeeping personnel, were tragic. We condemn this act and join with the Secretary General in expressing our condolences to the families of those who gave their lives for the cause of peace.

 

Mr. President,

 

Belize joins others in support of the Middle East Peace Process. We continue to support the right of the Palestinian people to self‑determination. Likewise we call upon this organization to recognize the desire of the 23 million people on the Republic of China on Taiwan the opportunity to contribute and participate in the work of this organization and other international bodies.

 

Mr. President

 

The Millennium Declaration adopted by our heads of State and Government reminds us of our responsibility to protect those fundamental values such as freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and responsibility. It calls for collective action to be undertaken by developed and developing nations, to advance the cause of peace, protect our children and preserve the planet for future generations. These are goals that can be achieved through greater inclusion and genuine concern for each other. We must find new ways of thinking to help us reform those institutions, which create inequality therefore dividing us. Let us commit to reduce redundancy, eliminate waste and refine our responsiveness to member needs, but let's do it quickly.

 

Mr. President, the United Nations is our truest form of global representation, it possesses the capacity to elicit the best of all of us. Together, our ability to accomplish those ideals set out in the millennium declaration is possible. Let us rededicate ourselves to its fulfillment.

 

I thank you.