1st October, 2003
OPENING SALUTATIONS
Mr. President,
1. It is my distinct honour to congratulate you on your election to the Presidency of this the 58th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, on behalf of the Prime Minister, Government and people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. We share in the celebration of the election of a distinguished son of the Caribbean to steer the course of this body for the next year. My delegation pledges its full support to you and your bureau in the performance of this challenging task. I take this opportunity to also congratulate your predecessor, Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic, for his outstanding leadership of the 57th session.
2. I would also like to greet and pay tribute to the Secretary General, who continues to serve with great distinction, honour and exceptional courage. My delegation salutes the. Secretary General, for the tremendous amount of work he has undertaken since we last convened this august body.
CONDOLENCES IN REGARD TO EVENTS IN BAGHDAD, 19 AUGUST 2003
3. Mr. President, I wish to pause at this time to pay
tribute to Mr. Sergio de Mello, the late Special Representative of the
United Nations Secretary General in Iraq, and all UN staffers who were
killed or wounded in the deadly bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad
on 19 August, 2003 and 22 September. We feel this loss most deeply.
For us, the United Nations is paramount in ensuring the rule of law and
justice in an increasingly complex world. An attack on the United
Nations is an attack on the principles that bind us as an international
community. We must stand firm against efforts to undermine those
principles. There is no finer tribute to those who lost their lives than
by saying today: “ Now more than ever we need the United Nations.”
INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY, REVITALISATION OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
Mr. President,
4. Such events remind us that the world is changing dramatically. It is imperative that we, as an Organization, are able to respond to these changes quickly and appropriately. The Bahamas welcomes the ongoing efforts to revitalize the General Assembly and to reform the Security Council. It is essential that these principal bodies are able to function effectively if we are to have any credibility, and if we are to attain our goals of maintaining international peace, security, justice, and development. As we are all too well aware, the process of reform of the Security Council has stalled, as we remain deadlocked over critical issues. The time has come for us to take the hard decisions and agree to a practical programme of reform, that takes fully into account the need for more representative membership, as well as the need for a more democratic and transparent Council. My delegation has raised these issues in a number of bi lateral discussions with other concerned states and we look forward to working with you and other delegations as we strive to rationalize the work of the entire organization, while making it more transparent and accountable.
Mr. President,
5. While the problems in our own part of the world may
not have received as much international attention as conflicts in other
parts of the world, their resolution is of paramount importance to us.
The Caribbean is our home, and we will spare no effort to protect it against
those that seek to destabilize the region. The illegal transit of
drugs, weapons, and human beings, is an affront to us, and a serious challenge
to our regional security. The Bahamas is grateful for the support
the region has obtained from the international community in addressing
these areas but reminds that we need to continue to be vigilant.
We urge this Assembly to enhance its cooperation with the Organization
of American States (OAS) as that regional body strives to find solutions
to difficult problems involving territorial disputes between Member States,
and as it seeks to promote human rights and consolidate the foundations
of democracy in a number of its Member States. In this context , we welcome
the OAS Special Mission to Haiti as a demonstration of the region’s commitment
in this field.
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
Mr. President,
6. The Bahamas is strongly committed to the further strengthening of international efforts to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism in all its ugly forms, and supports the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on the elaboration of a draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism. We are continuously reviewing our national legislation in order to strengthen it in these areas, with particular emphasis on cracking down on the financing of terrorism. Even now a Terrorism Bill is before our Parliament. It will further strengthen the laws which limit the ability of those who would commit these heinous acts to obtain monies to fund their activities. The commitment of The Bahamas in this fight is unyielding.
Mr. President,
7. The fight against the forces that would act outside the rule of law to achieve political objectives has forced each country to review its commitment to freedom within and without its borders and determine how to protect the freedom our citizens so dearly cherish. Last year in our address to this Assembly, The Bahamas reminded this body that in our quest for security we must not undermine the very values that we indicate that we want to protect, preserve and defend.
8. But it is clear that our conventions and established and respected traditions are being challenged before our very eyes, and we must be careful to guard against this while ensuring that all of us are safe.
9. The Caribbean region as a whole is perhaps more sensitive than any other region to these issues of change and the implications for the way of life which we enjoy, characterized as it is an abiding respect for the privacy of the individual. It should be remembered that most of us in the region are Small Island Developing States, that are especially vulnerable on security and economic issues, but at the same time our peoples are fiercely proud of our independence and the traditions of freedom connected therewith.
10. No where is the paradox of the pressure on our now independent status more sensitive and apparent than in the exercise of a presumptive legal authority by a body of powerful but faceless unelected bureaucrats, being advanced from some of the developed world’s multilateral bodies which in the view of many threaten to re-impose the status of dependence without calling it so by name by undermining our economies.
11. In this connection, The Bahamas is particularly concerned along with its regional neighbours about the threats to its way of life in particular as it is underpinned by the legitimate wealth creation in its financial services sector. There are those who argue that the financial services sectors in our region undermine economic development and wealth creation in developed states but we maintain that the evidence shows that the wealth accumulation facilitated by the financial service sectors in the region assists in the further development and economic growth of the developed world. Our country is committed to fair and equitable trade in services on a level playing field with established rules, without ever changing goal posts.
12. Over the next year, we shall endeavour to bring this matter more clearly into focus by calling for and seeking to convene in this and other assemblies a global forum on the pressures being applied to small and vulnerable states in ways which threaten the independence of these countries and which some argue is an unlawful interference in the internal affairs of a nation state. It is imperative, that any rule-making forum on these issues be open to all member states of this august body. Similarly, all rules emanating therefrom must be equitably applied.
13. And so Mr. President, The Bahamas as it brings these matters to the attention of the world repeats the obvious. The fight against international terrorism must be a major focal point of this Assembly and so should other matters such as the fight against HIV/AIDS, the protection of the environment and the sustainable development of our fragile ecosystems.
14. The Bahamas is committed to fighting on all of these
fronts. It is especially concerned about the future of the world's
children and young people as HIV/AIDS threatens to undermine decades and
centuries of progress in health care in developing healthy populations
that facilitate economic growth throughout the developed world. The
Bahamas is a leader of the fight against AIDS in the region and around
the world. We urge the continued and unrelenting fight against the
disease, to rescue the world’s developing nations from the clutches
of this most recent scourge. It must take all of the political will
and financial power of the world's nations to ensure that the scourge is
brought under control and then eliminated.
CHILDREN
Mr. President,
15. The Bahamas welcomes the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on children, held from 8 to 10 May, 2002, and looks forward to participating in the consideration of the follow-up to the outcome of the session directly in plenary at this session. It is of critical importance that we reaffirm our commitment to implementing the provisions of the outcome document ‘A World Fit for Children’, in the four priority areas of health, education, protection of children from abuse, exploitation and violence, and combating HIV/AIDS. Our country and its people are especially concerned about the safety and security both physical and economic of children and the need to foster an atmosphere of love and care so that they may grow into their rightful places in the adult world.
THE REVIEW AND INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF THE 1994 BARBADOS PLAN OF ACTION ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (BPOA+10)
Mr. President,
16. The Bahamas, as do many of the Small Island Developing States, depends heavily on the environment, that is the natural beauty of the land, the sea and marine life. Tourism is our lifeblood. For the region the natural environment is the primary source of sustenance and therefore, we cannot allow our environment to be destroyed. Doing so threatens our very survival. We therefore, are acutely aware of the challenges Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face within the context of achieving sustainable development. The sustainable development of our country therefore remains of critical importance to the Government, and thus, we as a matter of the highest priority, continue to take steps to preserve and protect our environment.
17. We are also committed to working with all the other
Small Island Developing States and the other members of this organization,
civil society and all other concerned stakeholders, including NGOs, to
ensure that the Barbados Plan of Action is fully implemented. In this regard,
The Bahamas welcomes the convening of the International Meeting to Review
the Barbados Plan of Action, which is to take place in Mauritius in 2004,
and we are proud to host the Inter-regional Preparatory Meeting in Nassau
which will be held prior to that, from 26 to 30 January, 2004. It
is our hope that the renewed commitment to this International Meeting by
all member states would take us a step closer to honouring our commitment
to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
SMALL ARMS, CRIME
Mr. President,
18. It is an inescapable fact that there can be no social or economic development without security. For many of us in the Caribbean in particular this security is being undermined by the activities of those trafficking in illegal drugs and weapons. By virtue of its geographical location, The Bahamas continues to be an unwitting transit point for illegal activities, including the illicit trade in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. What is often overlooked by those who are consuming countries is that The Bahamas neither produces these substances, nor is it the final destination for them. However, as a transhipment point, The Bahamas is suffering from a plethora of illegal activities associated with this trade, including the deadly nexus between illicit drugs and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. These weapons, which are illegal in The Bahamas, are contributing to an increase in violent crime in my country, and they are undermining the economic and social fabric of our nation. We therefore welcome the outcome of the First Biennial Meeting of States to review implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held in July of this year. At the same time, we call on developed countries to take the same extraordinary methods they use in seeking to stop drug trafficking into their countries to stop illegal small arms from reaching our countries from their countries.
CONCLUSION
Mr. President,
19. We believe that the United Nations Charter constitutes a viable and firm foundation on which the organization can balance and achieve its objectives, to maintain international peace and security and to promote economic and social progress. I wish to reaffirm The Bahamas’ commitment to the principles enshrined in that universal document which will stand as a guiding beacon as we continue to chart a rocky, yet inevitable, course toward peace, security and sustainable development for all of the world’s inhabitants. While progress may seem meager, we must not be swayed from our course and we must remain confident that the benefits of our activities and efforts will redound to future generations. Now more than ever the world needs the United Nations.
I thank you, Mr. President.