Mr.
Chairman,
Dear colleague Jose Antonio Ocampo,
Distinguished delegates,
Colleagues of the UN system and other IGOs,
Friends from the Non-Governmental Organizations,
1.
Introduction
It is
with great pleasure that I take the floor in my capacity
as the Secretary-General of the Mauritius International
Meeting and convey to all of you my warm greetings and a
cordial welcome.
This
morning, with the opening of the open-ended Preparatory
Committee for the Mauritius International Meeting for the
ten-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action, we
are commencing the most important process in the preparations
of the substantive outcome documents to be adopted later
this year in September. Your positive engagement in this
process and genuine commitment to the development objectives
of the Small Island Developing States will ensure the success
of the Mauritius Meeting. In this context, we are privileged
to have the leadership of our dynamic Chairman, the Environment
Minister of Norway, Mr. Borge Brende, whose keen interest
in a worthwhile outcome in Mauritius is well-known to us.
My special thanks to my colleague Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General
of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs for his
introduction of the Report of the Secretary-General on the
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action that
will serve as an excellent input and an analytical background
for the work that lies ahead.
The
Barbados Programme of Action, as crafted in 1994, is indeed
a comprehensive document that outlines the problems facing
the Small Island Developing States. The General Assembly
mandated the upcoming Mauritius International Meeting to
undertake a full and comprehensive review of the implementation
of the Barbados Programme, as called for in the Johannesburg
Plan of Implementation. In the course of our work for the
Mauritius outcome, I would like to underscore particularly
that the General Assembly resolution 58/213 decided that
"the International Meeting will seek a renewed political
commitment by the international community and will focus
on practical actions for the further implementation of the
Programme of Action, taking into consideration new and emerging
issues, challenges and situations since the adoption of
the Programme of Action". It is absolutely important
that we keep this specific decision in focus in our work
in the coming days and months. I would highlight specially
the reference to the "renewed political commitment"
and the "focus on practical actions".
The
Mauritius Meeting will examine as to why there have been
serious shortfalls in the implementation of the Programme
in the last ten years, and why matters have not advanced
after the five-year review in 1999 carried out by the 22nd
special session of the General Assembly. In addition, it
is necessary to incorporate concrete actions with regard
to new and emerging issues, like HIV/AIDS, Information and
Communication Technology (ICT), security and market access.
South-South cooperation should also figure prominently in
the efforts to promote sustainable development of Small
Island Developing States.
The
main questions before us today are: How can the International
Meeting in Mauritius make a positive difference in promoting
the welfare and well-being of the women, men and children
in the SIDS? How can the SIDS gain the support, genuine
commitment and political will of all partners to make substantive
headway in implementing the Barbados Programme? The positive
contributions of all stakeholders and members of the international
community will be crucial in this regard.
2. The preparatory process
The
Small Island Developing States, under the aegis of the Alliance
of Small Island States or AOSIS, led so ably by Ambassador
Jagdish Koonjul of Mauritius, have been intensely engaged
in preparations for the International Meeting. Regional
level preparatory meetings in Cape Verde, Samoa, Trinidad
and Tobago and the Seychelles have culminated in the SIDS
Inter-regional Meeting held in January this year in Nassau,
the Bahamas - the outcome of which will be submitted as
the Group of 77 and China Strategy Paper to this preparatory
meeting as the main working document for the Mauritius outcome.
As we
commence our substantive work, it is very important to bear
in mind that our consultations in New York should attempt
to reach agreement, albeit informally, on most of the outcome
document. Possibly only two or three major points may wait
for the political decision at the International Meeting.
Given the limited time available for extensive negotiations
in Port Louis, reaching such agreement before Mauritius
becomes critical for the success of the Meeting. It is heartening
to note that informal consultations among delegations have
already commenced and already a few sessions have taken
place under the able chairmanship of Ambassador Don MacKay
of New Zealand as the Facilitator. It is because of these
informal consultations and exchange of views that we come
to this preparatory meeting in much better shape than we
would otherwise have. I take this opportunity to convey
my deep appreciation to Ambassador MacKay for his leadership
and guidance as well as for the sincere efforts that he
is making to move the process ahead. We look forward to
his continuing stewardship of the informal process on the
way to and in Mauritius.
3. The organization of work for Mauritius
In line
with the mandates given by the General Assembly in resolution
58/213, the International Meeting will be hosted by Mauritius
this year from 30 August to 3 September. In addition, there
is the proposal to hold informal consultations, if considered
necessary, in Mauritius on 28 and 29 August preceding the
International Meeting.
Besides
considering the outcome document of the International Meeting,
our work here will be required to approve the provisional
agenda for Mauritius and the accreditation of NGOs to the
Meeting. I draw your attention to the provisional Rules
of Procedure for the International Meeting. In pursuance
of the provisional Rules of Procedure, regional groups have
endorsed most of their candidates for the 15-member Bureau
of the International Meeting whose formal election will
take place in Mauritius on 30 August. As the bureaux of
the Commission on Sustainable Development and the International
Meeting are different, I have urged the candidate countries,
which have already been endorsed by their respective regional
groups, to get more involved with the work of this preparatory
meeting so that their familiarity with and involvement in
the issues at stake will make their roles much more effective
in Mauritius
4. The nature of the outcome of the International Meeting
In the
course of my interactions with member states on the issues
before us at the International Meeting, I have been urging
them to look ahead, and ponder on the nature of the outcome
that they would like to see in Mauritius. I am aware that
it is not always easy to narrow down the number of priorities
in view of the varying perspectives of member states, and
especially the SIDS themselves. But in the final analysis,
I feel that it is essential to clearly and jointly identify
priorities focussing on the immediate coming years. While
there are many priorities, we are all aware that everything
cannot be implemented all at once, and hence, the necessity
to focus on specific issues.
Among
other things, I have also urged that the role of the intergovernmental
regional organizations like the Caribbean Community and
the Pacific Islands Forum be enhanced in the implementation
of the Barbados Programme. They are better placed than other
international organizations when it comes to the regional
countries. They know the region's strengths and weaknesses.
They know of the region's capacities and resources. They
are also better placed to initiate and push ahead with projects
and programmes with the governments of the region. Given
the need for effective implementation and its monitoring
following the International Meeting, it is necessary to
consider what needs to be incorporated in the outcome document
with regard to the implementation and its monitoring, particularly
by the regional intergovernmental bodies.
One
of the greatest problems of many of the Small Island Developing
States is their small size and minuscule populations. When
we factor in remoteness, the viability of many critical
projects become questionable. This situation discourages
external involvement and financing. One of the ways that
this handicap can be addressed would be to establish regional
programmes with national components. Regional organizations
can then put together and provide justifications for viability
and resource allocations. They will also be in a better
position to negotiate resources with development partners
and multilateral financial institutions.
I am
of the opinion that the International Meeting should advocate
a more dynamic monitoring mechanism for the implementation
of the Mauritius outcome. I believe that a proactive --
and exhortative -- monitoring system especially at the all
levels is a must if we want results. This approach to monitoring
requires that shortfalls in implementation be expeditiously
identified on a periodic, if not on an annual basis. Solutions
should then be suggested and implementation pushed forward,
while identifying the actors who will be responsible for
initiating the revamped process.
In the
course of our preparations, I have highlighted the role
of the private sector and civil society including non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in the implementation of the Mauritius
outcome. And in any development efforts or human endeavour,
we must continue to emphasize the roles and critical contributions
that women and youth can and will have to make. Our substantive
work here and in Mauritius must reflect these aspects in
a clear manner.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion,
let me reiterate what the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
said: "The Small Island Developing Countries are a
special case both for environment and development."
No single group of countries is as vulnerable as these small
islands and that places them at a distinct disadvantage
compared to other developing countries. This more than anything
else makes it incumbent on the international community to
recognize the unique vulnerabilities of the Small Island
Developing States and to engage their support to sustainable
development efforts of these countries within this context.
If the
Mauritius Meeting is to have a meaningful outcome that has
the maximum support of the international community, it is
essential that all stakeholders participate enthusiastically
in, and contribute to, the preparatory process. The spirit
of partnership is the most important ingredient in making
the outcome worthwhile and its realization possible. The
international community, equipped with the lessons of the
last ten years, now needs to come together to support -
in real terms - the genuine aspirations of the Small Island
Developing States and their determined efforts for a new
resurgence in Mauritius to bring true benefit and progress
for the women, men and children of this most vulnerable
segment of humanity. Only that way, the big potential of
small islands can be realized.
I wish
the PrepCom all success in its work.
*****
