United Nations Day Marked In The Bahamas
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viagra times;”> NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS
23RD OCTOBER, 2015
Before proceeding with this morning’s event, I wish to convey to you that I offered sincere condolences to the French Ambassador on behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas to the Government and people of France for the deaths that occurred in Southwest France as a result of a serious traffic accident yesterday.
I am also deeply saddened by the events which unfolded overnight at Bahamar abut which I had spoken to our EU partners so hopefully yesterday. A decision made while I was speaking to you has left as many as 2,000 people jobless. It reminds me that amidst the glory and grandeur of world summitry and statecraft, we serve in these institutions and jobs as guardians and protectors and supporters of people: young and old. Our work while we are on the stage is never done. Our successes are not measured by the signing of agreements, the toasting of glasses, the smiles for the cameras but how what we do impacts and helps people. I emerge this morning stronger than ever in my belief that I must do all that I can to help those in need. That must be the core mission of all of us and of the United Nations.
This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the one truly global organisation, the United Nations. A few weeks ago, at UN Headquarters in New York, Member-States gathered together under the theme, “The United Nations at 70 – A new Commitment to Action”, to reaffirm the values to which they committed when they subscribed to the Charter: the values of democracy; the rule of law; the protection of the weak and vulnerable; to the elimination of all forms of discrimination. I said at the start of my remarks then that “each year at this time, we join the struggle anew to fight for those values”.
The Bahamas is an enthusiastic member of the United Nations, having joined the UN forty-two (42) years ago in September 1973 following our independence on 10th July, 1973. We are dedicated to the Organisation and have either served or are offering to serve for the betterment of the world and the nation.
I wish to recall the following:
• The Sustainable Development Goals are with us now, with the Right Honourable Perry Christie among the world leaders who unanimously adopted the ambitious, transformative and universal 2030 Agenda, which is to chart our way forward for the next fifteen (15) years, and solidify and reaffirm our commitment to the pillars of this organisation, and to environmental protection;
• People of African Descent have moved into an international decade [2015-2024 – under the theme, Recognition, Justice, Development] which they are to use to: showcase and have their history, their talents and their capacities recognised; to have justice rendered to them; and to have them be able to progress and develop in a concerted manner;
• The whole world is affected by the issue of climate change – The Bahamas certainly witnesses it daily and the world is witnessing its impact this summer and fall, especially the oddness and severity of the different events associated with it. We need to depart Paris with an enlightened perspective on moving forward to protect our planet and its people. The Bahamas is in an existential dance with this issue, and as a maritime country, we keep playing our part, and are committed to keep doing so, to safeguard the world’s oceans through our direct involvement in the International Maritime Organisation, on which my Colleague Minister, the Honourable Glenys Hanna-Martin, the Minister of Transport of Aviation, so ably and succinctly spoke to yesterday afternoon. We also have the SIDS DOCK initiative – officially launched during this year’s UN General Assembly – which was jointly developed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5C’s) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in co-operation with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). The initiative is meant to assist the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific and Caribbean regions to address the impacts of climate change, provide them with a collective, institutional mechanism to assist them in transforming their national energy sectors into a catalyst for sustainable economic development, and help generate financial resources to address adaptation to climate change;
• Human Rights have been brought to the forefront on global discussions, particularly with the significant migrant flows from areas disrupted by conflict and discord. We must take care of, and not neglect, underlying development issues that face the region, lest that benefit be threatened. We must stop the escalating crime and violence from drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, and juvenile gangs. This may not be the right place to do so but The Bahamas played a part in the development of the Arms Trade Treaty and wants to play its part in finding solutions to global human rights challenges by vying for membership of the Human Rights Council; and
• As in the theme for the Decade of People of African Descent, reform and economic and social development cannot attained without the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Bahamas is committed to this achievement, and has actively participated in various meetings on gender equality and the advancement of women, regionally and here at the United Nations.
None of what we hope for ourselves is going to possible without all of us coming together, to make some sweet sounds. We need the United Nations, now more than ever.
I will close here by telling you that I cannot get rid of the beat in my head left there by the drum major who called on his young charges, Rhythm and Youth, to create a new and invigorating beat. We have to pave the way for the youth based on our experiences, but time comes when they affect where we all will go, where they lead us. These young musicians certainly demonstrated that they are well on their way to doing so, certainly in the world of music.
Thank you all and Happy United Nations Day.