YouSaid · the spoken record

Forde

lines on the record: 150
first: 1977-09-24
most recent: 1980-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“There is need for a systematic, coherent and co-ordinated attempt to devise a long-term strategy that will ease the burden of oil-importing developing countries. Simultaneously, the search for alternative sources of energy should be intensified. Many countries have already embarked on this course of action. Without decrying these individual initiatives, Barbados believes that concerted efforts on the part of the international community are needed to deal with this problem. Barbados therefore welcomes the forthcoming 1981 United Nations Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy, and looks forward to participating fully and effectively in the work of this Conference. 28. Barbados has, in other forums and on other occasions, enunciated specific proposals for both the short- term and the long-term solution of the energy problem.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“It should involve the entire international community, with obligations and commitments to be borne by both developed and developing countries. It should be a major feature of our efforts towards a transformation of the world economic order. 25. We of the third world must ourselves also recognize the need to renew our commitment to work patiently and systematically towards the new order. Collective self-reliance and economic co-operation among developing countries are important bases on which to build such an order. 26. Central to the issues of economic growth and development are the world's energy resources. The continual increases in the price of oil pose serious financial problems for oil-importing developing countries like Barbados. The most recent price-hike will have a debilitating effect on our economy. 27.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“The first requirement for such a dialogue is the political will born of recognition of the interdependence of States. This interdependence must provide for the full recognition and acceptance on the part of all countries of the need for continuing structural adjustment. 24. As we enter the decade of the 1980s a new international development strategy will offer us the occasion to break the stalemate and start anew, building on our successes and learning from our mistakes. The international development strategy for the third decade ought to be the major instrument for the promotion of global economic development. That strategy should set a clear framework of realistically attainable objectives and targets.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“It was precisely this kind of self-interest and mistrust that prevented the fifth session of UNCTAD from achieving any progress on the structural issues of North-South relations. It is precisely this suspicion that has led to failure in the Committee of the Whole Established under General Assembly Resolution 32/174 and in the Preparatory Committee for the New International Development Strategy. It was precisely this lack of commitment that produced the limited results witnessed at the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development, held at Vienna from 20 to 31 August. 23. Barbados believes that the only way to rescue the world economy from the morass into which it has sunk is to initiate immediately a full, constructive and genuine dialogue on the real issues of structural change, trade, energy and monetary reform.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“These countries are prey, among other things, to severe balance-of- payments problems, unfavourable terms of trade, growing protectionist measures, inflation, unemployment, unstable exchange rates, the erosion of their already meagre savings, a lack of access to capital markets to finance reasonable rates of development and the all-pervasive problem of energy shortages and rising prices. 21. The failure to achieve any meaningful breakthrough on these problems has been due to the lack of genuine political will on the part of Governments to commit themselves to the actions needed to grapple with these problems. Too many of us—developed and developing alike—continue to think in terms of narrow national self-interest. 22.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“My delegation is therefore prepared to support any measure that would compel all violators to readjust their policies to curb the excessive outflow of their citizens. 19. This Organization must also pursue relentlessly the economic aspects of human rights. For the majority of the world's peoples continue to suffer from malnutrition and a lack of proper health care and adequate shelter, as the world economy fails into deeper and deeper recession. 20. The impact of the myriad economic problems with which we are faced today is being felt by all nations. However, the outlook is bleaker in the case of developing countries, whose economies are weaker and more vulnerable to external influences.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“In our view, there can be no true democracy where people are held without being charged with an offence known to law, are imprisoned for their political beliefs or are denied the right to a free and fair trial. 18. A particular human rights problem of global concern is the major exodus of refugees from their home countries all over the world. This problem has reached alarming proportions in Indo-China and poses a threat to world peace and stability. We are witnessing a callous disregard for humanitarian principles. Barbados whole-heartedly supports the creation of a special fund for refugees and upholds all efforts of the United Nations to alleviate such suffering. We must not allow political pacts and ideological alliances to prevent us from condemning the repressive policies of those countries which disregard and violate human rights.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“We shall continue to support initiatives which will eliminate violations of human rights wherever they occur. We follow developments in several countries with growing dismay, as we see grave violations of the most elementary human rights in both the political and the social sphere. 17. Because of our deep concern, we will continue to support any action to improve the international machinery for the promotion and protection of human rights. We will also relentlessly speak out against abuses wherever they occur, even if our candour calls down on us the temporary wrath of our friends. That is why we abhor the growing denial of human rights which has appeared within the Caribbean, particularly the denial of the right to dissent and to support or establish political parties of one's own choosing.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Nations cannot fulfil the aspirations of their peoples in an atmosphere of violence. Barbados has in the past year experienced threats from mercenaries. It is for this reason that we will continue resolutely to support action to eliminate terrorism and the use of mercenaries. These growing evils must be deplored as unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of other countries, calculated to create world tension and instability. At this session my country will seek the support of all States for a strong resolution against the recruitment, training or harbouring of mercenaries and will work towards agreement on an international convention to eradicate this evil. 16. On numerous occasions, in this and other forums, the Government of Barbados has spoken out in defence of human rights.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“This has in turn increased militarization in the area, as many States, menaced by international gangsters, find it necessary to devote scarce resources to the purchase of arms in order to protect themselves. 14. Barbados has been constant in its view that the acquisition of arms uses up scarce human and material resources, which would be better employed in the development of our countries and in the fulfilment of the basic human needs of our people. We firmly hold the view that disarmament should be general and complete. Unfortunately, only very limited progress has been achieved in disarmament over the past decade. As an earnest of our dedication to the goals of total disarmament we will, within a few days, ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 15.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“We stand uncompromisingly opposed to any kind of imperialism or colonialism. It follows, then, that Barbados rejects the pernicious imperialist doctrines of "balance of power", "correlation of forces" and "spheres of influence", and, as a corollary, subscribes to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, a principle which this Assembly has upheld on many occasions. The people of sovereign countries must be left in peace to practise self-determination and to solve their national problems as they see fit. The cold war in the Caribbean region has created a situation where marauders, pirates and mercenaries threaten populations with destruction.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“On the one hand, one super-Power continues to pursue its Messianic, hegemonic and ideological vision of a world where all countries will adopt its economic, social and political system. On the other hand, the other superpower exhumed the obsolete concepts contained in the Monroe Doctrine and the philosophy of "manifest destiny" , dusted them off and paraded them to the world as new solutions to contemporary problems. 13. Not since the days of the slave trade has the Caribbean experienced such a web of international confrontation and intrigue. In the confusion occasioned by the introduction and intensification of the cold war in the Caribbean, Barbados wants to make its position clear. In 1966, Barbados did not win its independence to give it up again by becoming a vassal State of any superpower.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“A comprehensive peace can, in our view, be achieved only when it is recognized that the Palestinian people have a right to full self-determination and a homeland of their own and that Israel has an equal right to exist within secure borders. Such a peace will never be achieved in a condition of spasmodic raids and continual expansion of new settlements. 11. Over the years we have heard many a speaker rhapsodize about the virtues of detente. We were told that the cold war had come to an end and that a new era of peaceful coexistence had dawned on the erstwhile cold warriors. 12. During the last year, however, it became obvious to the people of the Caribbean that this belief is a dangerous illusion, as contending super-Powers opened up a new front within the region.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“We fully support the Commonwealth agreement and hope that the talks now taking place between all the parties to the conflict will shortly lead to a negotiated settlement satisfactory to all parties. 10. But even in areas where the process of decolonization has ostensibly been completed new forms of colonialism reappear or self-determination is not being fully realized. The Middle East is one such area. The attainment of true self-determination for the Palestinian people, as the Secretary-General has reminded us, "is central to the political, economic and military stability of the world". For there to be peace with stability, negotiations must take place among all the parties. The efforts made at Camp David are only tentative steps along the road to a comprehensive settlement.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“This reliance, based as it is purely on economic considerations and naked self-interest, should not be a smoke-screen for the abandonment of principle and for delaying the true independence of Namibia and the final liberation of the black peoples of southern Africa. Barbados renews its oft-repeated call for the imposition of total economic and military sanctions against South Africa in order to compel that country to end its recalcitrance with respect to Namibia and to abandon its iniquitous and oppressive regime of apartheid. 9. The recent proposal on the Rhodesian conflict agreed upon only a few months ago at the Meeting of Heads of Government of Commonwealth Countries in Lusaka represents in our view a promising step towards an ultimate solution to the Rhodesian problem.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“The high hopes which many of us held almost a year ago for an early solution to the problems of Namibia on the basis of the plan of action approved by the Security Council have all been dashed by the wilful obstruction by South Africa of the establishment of a United Nations presence in Namibia to supervise and control elections. While Barbados agrees that the full cooperation of all concerned is essential to the implementation of the Security Council's plan of action, we are of the view that the Western Powers have a special responsibility in this regard. 8. Barbados is fully aware of the importance of South Africa as a major source of supply of mineral resources for some of the Western industrial nations.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“At its thirty-third session the General Assembly expressed its commitment to the right of the people of East Timor to self-determination and reaffirmed an earlier resolution calling for Indonesian withdrawal from the Territory of East Timor, Indonesia's invasion and annexation of that small country continues to be of the utmost concern to Barbados. Barbados will continue to give its unqualified support to the people of East Timor in their just struggle against foreign occupation. 6. In the case of the Western Sahara, Barbados also lends its principled support to the Saharan people, through their legitimate representative, the Frente POLISARIO, in their efforts to resist colonialism. Barbados commends Mauritania for its initiative in relinquishing its claim to part of the Sahara Territory. 7.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“There can be no doubt that the yielding of any part of the territory of Belize, no matter how small, will result in instability and threats to the peace and security of the entire region. Despite the overwhelming international support for Belize's right' to self-determination as demonstrated in this forum, this Organization has come no closer to the resolution of the problems which impede Belize's progress to independence. We call upon those countries which persist in abstaining in their votes on this issue to respect principle and recognize the importance for the Latin American and Caribbean region of having the question of Belize resolved in accordance with the legitimate wishes of the Government and people of Belize. 5. There can be no compromise on the principle of self-determination and the issue of decolonization.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“The inexorable process continues, although not without hitches. It is to be hoped that, at the thirty-fifth session, this Assembly will welcome at least three other Caribbean States as full Members, namely, St. Vincent, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla and Antigua. 4. But if our efforts in the cause of decolonization are not redoubled and our voices not constantly raised, we will see a continuance of the delay in the attainment of full independence by another Caribbean sister country, Belize. Barbados continues to deplore the persistent and intransigent claim of the Guatemalan Government to the Territory of Belize in defiance of world opinion and United Nations resolutions.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“President, especially because of the high regard in which you are held as your country's non-resident High Commissioner to Barbados, and also because of the close historical and cultural links which exist between the United Republic of Tanzania and Barbados. 2. The admission to membership in this Organization of our sister Caribbean State, Saint Lucia, is a source of great pride and satisfaction to Barbados and the Caribbean. It contributes to our optimism about the effectiveness of the United Nations in pursuing the principle of universality of its membership as well as of parity among all Member States, regardless of their size or wealth. 3. Since the landmark resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960, many countries, including Barbados, have broken the bonds of colonialism and joined the ranks of the free.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Mr. President, at a time when the question of the speed with which this Organization can proceed with the decolonization of the remaining non-independent Territories in Africa is still perhaps the most pressing issue before this Assembly, it is particularly significant that you should have been chosen to preside over our deliberations. Your outstanding chairmanship of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples has amply qualified you for this post. For Barbados, it is doubly pleasurable to offer congratulations to you, Mr.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“This is our inescapable obligation to the millions of diverse peoples whose hopes depend on decisions made here in this United Nations. History will never absolve us for failing them.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The world is grateful for the characteristically outstanding services he has rendered throughout the past year. 88. Let me, in conclusion, restate some of the principles which my country applies in the conduct of foreign affairs. Small as we are, we are irrevocably committed to morality in international affairs. We reject duplicity, double-talk and subterfuge as constituting a primitive approach to diplomacy. The practice of primitive diplomacy is one of the major obstacles to the solution of the world's problems. 89. We call on this body to make a new start at this thirty-third session of the General Assembly and to rededicate and recommit itself to fairness, equity, rationality and truth in world affairs.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“My Government believes that the time has come for the United Nations to work our precise guidelines to be used in the recruitment of women and other persons from developing countries in order to ensure the elimination of the cultural bias which has historically minimized the chances of candidates from the developing world. The Government of Barbados stands by the principles in General Assembly resolution 32/17 B of 1977, which Barbados took the initiative of sponsoring at the thirty- second session of the General Assembly, as the most effective way of ensuring that regional imbalances in the Secretariat are corrected and the principle of equitable geographical distribution fully implemented. 87. With these qualifications, my Government thanks the Secretary-General for the excellent report he has produced.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Barbados is flabbergasted at this claim, inasmuch as my Government has submitted the names of well-qualified Barbadian women to the United Nations Office of Personnel Services during the past year and up to now there has been no positive action taken by the Secretariat to recruit these women. Barbadian and Caribbean women have successfully completed their studies at some of the most reputable universities in the world, work in all of the professions in our countries and have demonstrated the capacity to shoulder responsibilities as well as any man. I make bold to say that there is no work in the Secretariat for which vacancies exist that women in the Caribbean cannot undertake. 86.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“But within the bureaucracy itself the lofty principles adumbrated .in the Secretary-General's report often seem not to be applied. There are far too many Secretariat employees who tiptoe in fear around the corridors of the United Nations whispering that they are victims of racism -and sexism but are afraid to seek redress because they are terrified of any reprisals that such action may incur. 85. The Secretary-General's report refers to difficulties in recruiting women at senior levels in the Secretariat and explains that the problem stems from finding "suitable and available women candidates" [see A/33/1, sect. XI].”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The Secretary-General's report on the work of the Organization [A/33jl] stresses the importance of a highly efficient impartial international civil service, when; men and women of ability from every region perform their duties with impartiality and integrity. Barbados subscribes to this ideal, but we should be completely disingenuous if we did not assert clearly and unequivocally that we are a long way from attaining the ideal wished for by all countries. My delegation also wishes to point out that the weaknesses evidenced in the structure of the Secretariat are not limited to the external political pressures adverted to in the report. To be sure, Barbados deplores the unseemly pressure exerted by certain States and the sometimes veiled intimidatory tactics that are employed. 84.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Kyprianou, the distinguished President of the Republic of Cyprus [22nd meeting], must have been moved by the sincerity of his remarks about his country's problems. His challenge to the world community to assist in re-establishing a demilitarized Cyprus, with its independent sovereignty intact, is one that this Assembly should accept. Barbados regrets that that country remains occupied by foreign troops, with its two great communities still locked in antagonistic - postures. Barbados supports the United Nations resolutions on Cyprus and hopes that negotiations between the two communities will lead to the development of an understanding that will result in the early withdrawal of foreign troops from Cypriot territory, for only in this way will tension be eased and peace and security in this area secured. 83.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“However, the Camp David talks in themselves cannot bring in the region the peace that is hoped for, for just as it is unrealistic to talk of a solution that does not include the recognition of the right of Israel to exist within secure boundaries, so it is equally idealistic to contemplate a solution that does not recognize the rights and aspirations of the millions of Palestinians at present forced to live in other countries, on the West Bank and in Israel, without a real homeland of their own. Barbados believes that the Palestinians and their just claims cannot be wished out of existence, and that their right to determine their destiny is inalienable and must be respected. 82. I am sure that everyone in this Assembly who listened this morning to the eloquent and moving speech by Mr.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The Government of Barbados believes that negotiations should take place between all the parties involved to bring a just, comprehensive and lasting peace to the region. Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) constitute the basis of any such solution. 81. Barbados applauds the efforts made at Camp David by Egypt and Israel, because we are convinced that any dialogue helps to increase the possibility of understanding between the protagonists in the Middle East.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We recognize that small countries, while subscribing to the principle of aut dedere aut judicare, might not have the capacity to implement this principle effectively. In such cases bigger countries must be prepared to assume responsibility for bringing international criminals to justice, thus assisting the smaller countries, which do not have the capacity to do this, to comply with international law without sustaining reprisals from criminal groups with greater resources than the small States themselves. 79. There are other areas of the world where the attainment of peace and security is still an intractable problem. I now make mention of two in particular. 80. In the Middle East, disorder remains of the kind that can easily spread to the rest of the world.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“For these reasons, we support the initiative of the Government of Mexico in undertaking a study of the. build-iv of conventional arms in an effort to arrive at a convention for their limitation. 78. Barbados believes that nations cannot fulfil the aspirations of their people in an atmosphere of violence, and that is why the Government of Barbados has resolutely supported action to eliminate international terrorism of all kinds. Barbados therefore subscribes to the Montreal, Hague and Tokyo Conventions, which were designed to create an orderly international environment. However, Barbados feels that the international environment can be secure only if the rule that there is "no safe haven" is applied to international criminals.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Barbados deplores the use of mercenaries in certain parts of Africa and in Nicaragua not only as unwarranted interference in the affairs of those countries but as an attempt by undemocratic and unwanted regimes to silence the voices fighting for human rights and true liberation. 77. We in the developing world should ourselves be aware that the sale of conventional arms is another means by which the transfer of resources is effected from the undeveloped to the industrialized and developed world. It is the self-interest of the latter group of nations that continues to lead to the misuse of scarce resources and to a still greater widening of the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots". Developing countries should not mistakenly continue to believe that their true interests are served by ready access to military assistance.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“A major cause of the arms race in the developing world is the attempt by superior Powers to treat developing countries as spheres of influence. It behoves us all in the United Nations to strive to eliminate outdated geo-political concepts, such as the theory of the spheres of influence, by ensuring that the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of countries is respected. 76. In this connexion, small States, such as Barbados, must view with alarm the proliferation of mercenaries recruited from abroad, sometimes with the connivance of a foreign Government, to disrupt and dislocate governmental functions in other countries.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Barbados believes that the establishment of the Disarmament Commission as a deliberative body and subsidiary organ of the General Assembly is a significant advance towards the achievement of the goal of general and complete disarmament under effective international control. A blueprint for general and complete disarmament must be implemented without delay. This requires a supreme act of statesmanship on the part of the countries of the world. We must work through the United Nations to rid the world of the kind of insecurity that propels nations into the arms race under the misapprehension that the more arms they acquire the greater the security they will enjoy. 75. Many developing countries have unfortunately been caught in the vortex of a race for the acquisition of armaments, albeit conventional.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The Final Document emanating from the tenth special session took cognisance of the role of the United Nations in the field of disarmament, although it represented a potpourri of suggestions reflecting divergences of opinion among the countries participating in the tenth special session. 73. Despite the high-sounding words uttered at the special session, some nations are still proceeding with a build-up of arms. This gives cause for grave concern. The policy of Barbados is and always has been that disarmament should be general and complete, so as to create a situation where resources now wasted on non-productive military activity can be used for purposes of development. 74.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We call on the world community to assist us in these endeavours. 72. Barbados welcomed the convening of the tenth special session of the General Assembly, which was the largest and most representative meeting ever convened to consider the problem of disarmament. That session demonstrated the recognition that the arms race is a problem for all mankind and that its solution requires the widest range of inputs from every region in the world. This principle must be applied with vigilance, for all too often there will be the temptation to treat the problems of armaments as a private matter between nuclear States.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Many States in the developing world have passed legislation for the regulation of fishing and the exploitation of other resources within their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones and yet are unable to enforce such laws because of the absence of machinery to monitor adequately the areas of national jurisdiction. 71. Within the Caribbean, we have had to stand idly by while rich nations, such as Japan, exploit our scarce sea resources without making any contribution to the economic well-being of the region and without any regard to the ecological and environmental damage to the area. We urge all Caribbean countries to take cognisance of the urgency of devising adequate combined protective measures to ensure the proper exploitation of the region's resources for the benefit of the region's peoples.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We reiterate our conviction that the current deadlock between parties to the negotiations on the law of the sea must be ended to the satisfaction of the peoples of the world if we are to move one step further towards the achievement of an environment of peace and security. 70. The appropriate specialized agencies of the United Nations also have a duty to assist small disadvantaged States to prepare adequate plans and take appropriate steps for policing and safeguarding the limited resources within their national jurisdictions.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The resources of the sea-bed must be placed under an international authority so that the benefits may be shared by all, for the equitable distribution of the wealth of the sea-bed is another important element in the establishment of a new international economic order. 69. Barbados accordingly supports the view of the Group of 77 expressed during the resumed seventh session of the Conference on the Law of the Sea, which pointed to the dangers of uncoordinated action by individual countries. Barbados therefore categorically rejects plans now being hatched in the legislatures of certain developed and industrialized countries to take unilateral action in exploiting the resources of the sea-bed.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“That is why the Government of Barbados, despite a heavy financial burden and limited human resources, has faithfully participated in all sessions of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. It is therefore cause for regret that progress at that Conference has been slow. Too many issues still remain undecided. 68. The position of Barbados is and always has been that the resources of the sea beyond national jurisdiction represent the common heritage of all mankind and that the exploitation of the sea-bed must not be conducted in a chaotic fashion, with multinational corporations engaged in a predatory scramble for the lion's share of the wealth of the sea. The development of sea-bed minerals must be regulated by a regime of law that reflects the just interests of all the peoples of the world.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Barbados recognizes that the financial resources at the disposal of the United Nations agencies are not boundless, but my Government contends that they may be more efficaciously and rationally used if criteria such as the size of the country, its potential for development and the finite nature of the problems confronting small island developing countries are properly taken into account in determining the quantum of assistance a country receives. Let us concentrate on curing, and not merely on alleviating, problems. 67. Like other small island countries which have spoken before us, such as Iceland, Barbados places the greatest emphasis on the importance of the sea to the future of its economic well-being. The sea constitutes one of our most vital resources.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“This results in a totally artificial and unrealistic evaluation of a country's wealth, with the absurd classification of certain countries with vast natural resources as poor and others with limited resources as wealthy. The application of this criterion to countries such as Barbados militates against the achievement of relative self-sufficiency, since, on the attainment of a certain level of development, vital assistance is withdrawn or inadequately distributed. 66.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Its role in preventing another international conflagration within the past three decades is well known and recognized by all. Its specialized agencies have rendered yeoman service which has not attracted the same attention and publicity as certain political issues which the United Nations has been seized. The Government of Barbados believes that, despite these achievements, there is still room for improvement and that the specialized agencies of the United Nations could have been more effective in solving certain problems permanently had different approaches to the allocation of technical assistance been employed. 65. As is well known, the quantum of assistance which a country receives is largely determined by its gross national product per capita.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We must renew our commitment to examine the problems thoroughly and to work patiently and systematically towards achieving at the earliest possible moment our goal of a new international economic order. Self-reliance and third-world solidarity and economic cooperation are important planks on which to build the strategy and foundation for such an order. Any division in the ranks of the developing countries will only be used by the industrialized nations for maintaining the wide and dangerous "economic divide" between North and South and between the industrialized and the non-industrialized. 64. The Government of Barbados acknowledges the inestimable benefits which the presence of the United Nations in a troubled world has brought to all the peoples of the world.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“By the same token, developing countries, fired by the desire for better living standards, will ensure by their efforts that there is a transformation of the world economic order; but it will be a transformation whereby the terms of trade are more equitable, whereby technological development becomes the common property of all mankind and whereby those countries now overburdened by debt—the result of a system which places producers of manufactures in a superior position to the producers of primary products and raw materials—will be relieved of their anxieties. We third-world countries must ourselves," however, recognize that we cannot wait for some deus ex machina to yield the result which is so anxiously sought by all of us in the developing world.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Harvey Leibenstein in his book Beyond Economic Man has reminded us of Tolstoy's -critique in War and Peace of those military experts who predicted the outcome of battles by looking at the quantifiable elements of the strength of the opposing systems only. Historically, however, it has been proved that in such situations fighting spirit and morale often prove to be the more decisive factors. 63.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“These assumptions, while dismissed by modern economic thought, still continue to motivate the behaviour of negotiators from the developed countries. 61. Developed countries, in the negotiations for a new international economic order, are still preoccupied with looking at quantifiable variables. Consequently they conclude that, since the relationship between the developed and the developing countries is asymmetrical, with a preponderance of economic power weighted in favour of , the developed countries, then it is possible to continue ad infinitum an international system of dependency without full and fair participation by the developing countries of the third world. 62. This myopic view amounts to a serious miscalculation on the part of the developed countries.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Proposals for a transformation of these structures have been made and discussed at the sixth and seventh special sessions of the United Nations, at UNCTAD and at the Conference on International Economic Co-operation, and, recently, in the Committee Established under General Assembly Resolution 32/174, otherwise known as the Committee of the Whole. 60. Barbados deplores the lack of progress in those bodies and attributes this to a dominance of obsolete mercantilist thought. We cannot accept that relations among nations should continue to be conducted on the basis of a "zero-sum" principle, which assumes that the extent of a country's increase in the enjoyment of goods and services is equal to the loss of goods and services enjoyed by other countries.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Those of us who live in the Caribbean must renew our call to the colonial Powers and the neo-colonialists as well to hasten the process of decolonization in the area and to desist from attempting to re-establish or perpetuate areas of influence which undermine genuine democratic freedom for Caribbean peoples. 59. Very often when countries achieve formal independence they inherit institutional structures bequeathed by the departing colonial Power—structures which the ex- colonial Power continues to use to manipulate the decision-making of its erstwhile colony. These imperialist and neo-colonialist structures often stunt the economic development of third-world countries.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)