SPECIAL SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
12TH JANUARY 2004
MONTERREY, MEXICO

ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

 Mr. Chairman, it is an honour and a pleasure to be here in Mexico at this special summit.  I thank you most sincerely on behalf of the people of The Bahamas for all the courtesies that you have extended to me and my delegation.
 
The Bahamas embraces all of the themes and objectives of this Summit.  It is committed to the Summit process that acts as a kind of invisible hand to move the hemisphere toward noble, workable and specific objectives.  It is my wish, however, to address the issue of Social Development.
 Mr. Chairman, The Bahamas fully supports the objectives of the Declaration that seek to enhance the social development of peoples in the region.
The Bahamas seeks to lead the way by its investment in education, in social programmes for the poor, disadvantaged, disabled and dispossessed.  The largest budget item in The Bahamas is that segment dedicated to education.  We will continue to invest in education because we know that the way to eliminate poverty is though the education of our citizens, and the development of the human person.
We are especially concerned about the need for technical and vocational education in our country.
 We recognize the need for substantial investments in housing and in the quality of neighbourhoods including the addition of green spaces for the recreation of the public.
 In the area of health, The Bahamas has an exemplary programme in reducing infant mortality, in the delivery of health care throughout our archipelago and an impressive programme in fighting HIV/AIDS.
 I would wish, however, to address more specifically paragraph 22 of the Declaration, which seeks to recognize the role of migratory labour in our region.  The Bahamas often struggles with this issue.
We are the host to tens of thousands of Haitian labourers, mainly unskilled labour from the north of that country, many of them undocumented and illegal migrants.  It has caused a drain on our social resources but we also recognize that these labourers have helped to develop our economy.
 In our bi-lateral relations with our sister Caricom nation Haiti, we have agreed on a framework for the orderly flow of migrants to our country and a way forward to the regularization of those who have been living in the country before 12th January 1985.
Our laws and public policy will not countenance violations of the rights of these workers, and anticipates that with regularization will come contribution to the tax base of The Bahamas and with it access on a legal basis to all the services which the country provides to any resident.
The story of migration to The Bahamas from Haiti and its social and economic impacts is one of the forgotten migration stories of this hemisphere.  But as Prime Minister of The Bahamas, I bring it to this forum so that those people will not be forgotten, and further that the international community will not forget Haiti.
 In the view of The Bahamas, there can be no such thing as Haiti fatigue.  We must continue to be engaged in Haiti and try as best we can to assist that country to fulfill its true potential.  Disengagement is not an option.  We must engage with evenhandedness and not seek to blame one side alone.  If we disengage, then failure will have consequences for all of our countries, not just Haiti and The Bahamas alone.
 Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Paragraph 22 now reads as follows:

We recognize the importance of cooperation between the countries of origin, transit and destination, to ensure the full protection of human rights of all migrants, including migratory workers and their families and the observance of labour laws applicable to them in accordance with the commitments agreed to in the Santiago and Quebec City Summits.  We support the adoption of programmes for orderly migration as a factor of economic and social development, and we will cooperate in the fight against illegal trafficking in persons, which especially affects women and children.