YouSaid · the spoken record

Roosevelt SKERRIT

lines on the record: 49
first: 2004-09-24
most recent: 2017-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“We need its humanity and we need it now to act truly as our United Nations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Today we need all the things required after a natural disaster that has affected an entire nation. We need water, food and emergency shelter. We need roads, bridges and new infrastructure, but we also need delivery capabilities. I call on those with substantial military capacities to lend us the rescue and rebuilding equipment that may be standing idle, waiting for a war. Let Dominica today be that war, because our landscape currently resembles a war zone. The battle we are in has brought us to our knees. We need resources now so that we can move purposefully towards rebuilding our beautiful island home. We will need to rebuild homes and villages. We will need to rebuild communities, schools, roads and bridges. We will need to rebuild a country, and we cannot do it alone. Above all else, we need the international community.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Let us take serious action against the realities of climate change. I promise that we Dominicans and other Caribbean citizens will play our part. We are in shock, but we are not bowed. We cry, but we do not despair. We will rise because Dominican people are strong, because Caribbean people are resilient. We will rebuild our Garden of Eden again for our children and for future generations. As a result of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015, we committed to creating a national vulnerability risk and resilience fund to improve our Government’s ability to respond to the impact of natural disasters. It has not yet been capitalized. We intended to transfer funds to it from our own treasury on an annual basis, but our capacity to earn has now been significantly compromised even before we have gotten it off the ground.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It will enable us to rebuild our nation — not as it was, but so that it is far more capable of meeting the realities of rising sea levels and warmer oceans. Not to do so would be to abandon those who have paid a steep price for what others elsewhere have created. It would be to let 72,000 Dominicans shoulder the world’s conscience on climate change on their own. Today, we ask members not to express their sympathies this week and then hope that our eyes do not meet next week. Let these extraordinary events elicit extraordinary efforts to rebuild nations sustainably. Let them unleash the innovation and creativity of global citizens to spark a new paradigm of green economic development that stabilizes and reverses the consequences of human-induced global warming. Let it spark a thousand points of light, not shame.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Though helpful, the amounts are usually grossly inadequate to rebuild infrastructure and maintain the gains and progress made in economic and social development in the wake of the likes of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, or even in the case of a tropical storm such as Erika, which occurred two years ago. Substantially more funds must therefore be made available to vulnerable countries for loss and damage so they can mitigate the risks associated with future incidents. The World Bank Facility must be recapitalized for greater coverage by using already committed funds from the Green Climate Fund. That will enable our countries to focus on improving people’s lives and supporting the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We need all humankind, all countries — big and small, developed and developing — to come together to save our planet. We must all live up to our obligations and commitments to do more. Inaction, and even inadequate action, destroys lives. The Green Climate Fund, which was created to help put mitigation measures in place and assist the victims of climate change, is commendable, but much more must be done to aid the countries that continue to bear the brunt of the impact of climate change. The World Bank established the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility to assist countries that have been affected by natural disasters.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The United Arab Emirates, for example, has risen to the challenge. We commend Sheik Mohammed Al Maktoum, its Prime Minister, for his announcement, in this year of Zayed, that his country will boost the theme of giving by “delivering even more goodness to all parts of the world”. Today we invite nations of similar might to follow his lead. The success of the twenty-first session of Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Paris, was a demonstration of the collective political will of Member States in taking action to combat climate change. One year on, the call to action must be even more urgent if we are to curtail the impact of climate change on us and future generations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Yet today 72,000 Dominicans stand on the front line in a war they did not choose, with extensive casualties from a war they did not start. The time has come for the international community to take a stand and decide whether it will be shoulder to shoulder with those suffering the ravages of climate change worldwide, whether we can mitigate the consequences of unprecedented increases in sea temperatures and levels, whether it will help us rebuild sustainable livelihoods or whether it will merely show some pity right now and afterwards flee, relieved to know that this time it happened to someone else. Today, we, the small nations of the world, need to know who our real friends are, the people who have our backs. Not all countries are sitting as inactive bystanders. Some of our traditional friends are playing their part.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Our homes are flattened, our buildings roofless, our water pipes smashed and our road infrastructure destroyed. Our hospital is without power and schools have disappeared beneath the rubble. Our crops are uprooted. Where there was green, there is now only dust and dirt. The desolation is beyond imagination. The stars have fallen. Eden is broken. The nation of Dominica has come to the General Assembly to declare an international humanitarian emergency — one that is centred in Dominica but also encompasses many of our neighbours, including our sister isle, Antigua, which had to evacuate its citizens from Barbuda. Dominicans have been responsible members of the global community. We have joined all of the major international battles, from the abolition of forced labour to the protection of patents.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We in the Commonwealth of Dominica have long pursued and respected an existence that preserves our little Eden. The Morne Trois Pitons has been a national park for 40 years and a UNESCO World Heritage Site for 20. Our livelihoods are part of our ecosystem. That is how my people and my country earn and survive. But what is our reality at this moment? It is pure devastation, as Dominicans bear the brunt of climate change. I repeat — we are shouldering the consequences of the actions of others, actions that endanger our very existence and all for the enrichment of a few elsewhere. We dug graves today in Dominica. We buried loved ones yesterday, and I am sure that when I return home tomorrow, we will discover additional fatalities as a consequence of this encounter.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is to mock the thousands of my compatriots who in a few hours will watch the night descend upon Dominica without a roof over their heads, in fear of sudden mudslides or whatever else the next hurricane might bring. We as a country and a region did not start this war against nature. We did not provoke it. But the war has come to us. There is no more time for conversation. There is little time left for action. While the big countries talk, the small island nations suffer. We need action and we need it now. We in the Caribbean do not produce greenhouse gases or sulphate aerosols. We do not pollute or overfish our oceans. We have made no contribution to global warming that can move the needle, yet we are among the main victims on the front line.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In the past, we would prepare for a single heavy storm per year. Now thousands of storms form on a breeze in the mid-Atlantic and line up to pound us with maximum force and fury. Prior to this century, no other generation had seen more than one category 5 hurricane in its lifetime. This century, it has already happened twice and, notably, these two events occurred in the space of the last two weeks. I should add that we are only midway into this year’s hurricane season. In the case of Dominica, it had been only two years since we lost lives and endured substantial physical and infrastructural damage from the ravages of the floods and mudslides caused by Tropical Storm Erika. To deny climate change is to procrastinate while the Earth founders. It is to deny a truth that we have just lived.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In keeping with the Organization’s regard for fraternity, we take this opportunity to express our condolences to our brothers and sisters in Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Cuba, Saint Martin, Saint Thomas, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as well as to those who have suffered losses in the host country, the United States, in Texas and Florida. For our brothers and sisters in Mexico, we stand in prayerful solidarity following the catastrophic earthquake this past week. Warmer air and sea temperatures have permanently altered the climate between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Heat is the fuel that takes ordinary storms that we could normally master in our sleep and supercharges them into a devastating force.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I come to the General Assembly straight from the front line of the war on climate change. With physical and emotional difficulty, I have left my bleeding nation to be in this Hall today because these are the moments for which the United Nations exists. It is why we have always collectively respected and held dear the values of this Organization. We congratulate the President on his election and wish him well in upholding the ideals of humankind’s greatest invention.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“For many small island States, securing a new global commitment to meaningful change will be the benchmark for judging the success of the session. Let us therefore resolve at the sixty-third session of the General Assembly to effect the meaningful change that can make a difference in the lives of our peoples. Dominica stands ready to play its part.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We endorse the Secretary-General’s conclusion that the crisis is a moral outrage, as well as his concern that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is threatened by the double jeopardy of high food and fuel prices. All of that calls for meaningful change — change in attitude and change in practice. The people we are elected to serve are committed to and long for that change. They have mandated us to make the necessary change. The question is, are we so committed? Are we ready? Are we going to agree to and effect meaningful change? That, for many, is what the sixty-third session of the General Assembly is all about: meaningful change for the good of all, meaningful change that will make a difference, meaningful change that will transform lives, meaningful change that will replace talk with action.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Reports by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which have helped to underscore the gravity of the problem. One states that “World food prices have roughly doubled over the past three years, but between April 2007 and April 2008 alone they increased by 85 per cent.” Of particular concern is the price of rice, a staple for many people in the developing world. The price of rice has trebled since September 2007, rising by some 160 per cent just within the first quarter of this year. We concur with the views of the Secretary-General about the worsening food crisis, which could push an additional 10 million people into hunger and poverty, over and above the existing 800 million.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We also applaud the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for establishing in 2004 a Special Petroleum Fund for member States of the Caribbean Community, which has provided timely grant funding to meet general development objectives. Those two initiatives by the petroleum-exporting States of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago are shining examples of South-South cooperation and are deserving of emulation by other oil-producing States. They demonstrate that meaningful change, if earnestly pursued, can make a difference in the lives of the small and most vulnerable. The global crisis in the availability and price of food presents yet another unprecedented challenge to developing countries. It is another area where meaningful change can make a difference.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“31 08-52265 Since the volatility in oil prices has placed national balance of payments and foreign exchange reserves at risk, the Petrocaribe pact has taken on increased economic importance as a critical lifeline for many developing economies of the Caribbean and Central America. The initiative has become the single largest source of concessionary finance to the Caribbean region, with credits to importing countries from June 2005 to December 2007 amounting to some $1.17 billion. In contrast, traditional donors and multilateral assistance during the period in question amounted to approximately one quarter of the Petrocaribe figure. The Commonwealth of Dominica joins with other countries of our hemisphere in expressing our appreciation to Government of Venezuela for the Petrocaribe initiative.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Take, for example, the response of the nations in the Caribbean and Central America to the global energy crisis. As expected, the surging price of oil has adversely impacted the economies of the small island States of the Caribbean. To address the energy crisis in the region, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela came up with an innovative initiative known as Petrocaribe in 2005. That initiative supplies fuel through a flexible payment facility to some 18 net oil-importing countries in the Caribbean and Central America. Petrocaribe also makes provisions to guarantee regional energy sovereignty by establishing an energy security arrangement through providing a reliable and timely supply of oil from Venezuela and increasing fuel storage capacity in the Caribbean.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“What that means for us is severe damage to the infrastructure of human settlements, including contamination of fresh- water supplies and agricultural lands and the pollution of marine eco-systems caused by the indiscreet and unsustainable practices of others. Why speak of change if industrialized nations, in particular, refuse to heed the warnings and show greater commitment to saving the planet and reversing climate change? Meaningful change should quicken the pace of the climate change negotiations at Poznan, Poland later this year, with the objective of providing a realistic and attainable framework for the 2009 agreement in Copenhagen. Change ought not merely to be a slogan or an excuse for inaction. Let me reaffirm that change can be real and meaningful.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I briefly recall those dire circumstances to emphasize the resolve, resilience and determination of our people, as well as what may be described as the insensitivity or indifference of others to the plight of small developing Member nations. The meaningful change of which I speak and for which our populations yearn must be reflected in our attitudes and approaches to each other. Why speak of and proffer change if our attitude to the issue of the fundamental differences between nations — small and large, rich and poor — remains the same? I think here of the issue of climate change. The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that sea-level rise caused by global warming is likely to exacerbate storm surges and coastal erosion on small islands.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In 2002 and 2003, the Commonwealth of Dominica suffered one of the worst economic crises in its history. That was due in part to the deteriorating fortunes of the banana industry, precipitated by a United States of America-supported challenge to the European Union banana import regime before the World Trade Organization. What might have been an academic argument for some became an issue of survival for us. There is no country in the world that has been more dependent on banana exports than Dominica. That fact meant nothing to those who engineered the near-demise of the industry in the Caribbean members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States as they put the WTO mechanisms to work to their benefit. The result was severe economic crisis and hardship, from which our farmers are yet to recover.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“My question is: Why is the response to devastation in Georgia so different to our response to devastation in Haiti? In the international financial markets, turbulence of unprecedented and horrific proportions has taken place. The last fortnight alone has broken decades-old records for corporate closures, collapses and job losses. The effects of those events will be felt equally, and perhaps even more severely, in small developing countries such as those in Latin America and the Caribbean. I speak today as the leader of a small developing island State whose economy was effectively paralyzed due to a series of decisions taken by representatives of developed nations and multilateral agencies who seemed totally unmindful of or indifferent to the impact of such actions on small and vulnerable economies.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“What is the response of Canada and the 08-52265 30 European Union? Where is the billion-dollar reconstruction package for the people and Government of Haiti? We, the international community, are in Haiti. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti has been in the country for over three years now, and has done a commendable job to help to restore the democratic, social and economic institutions of Haiti. But we know what is needed to bring about real and meaningful change, in the quality of life of the more than 8 million people of that great country of Haiti. Yet, we shrink from committing the resources and programmes needed to achieve those results. We are providing life support to Haiti, not support for recovery and reconstruction.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Soon after the Georgia crisis, the United States Administration announced a $1 billion reconstruction package for Georgia, pledging that $500 million of that package was to be delivered by December of this year. That is commendable indeed; but what of Haiti? That Caribbean country just south of the Florida keys is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. It is virtually a ward of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. It was devastated by the two worst hurricanes of this season — Gustav and Ike. We saw heart-wrenching images of women and children who had lost everything, caught in razor wire as they fought each other for inadequate relief supplies. What is the response of the United States Administration, the United States Congress and the United States presidential campaigns to the devastation in Haiti?”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Besides the loss of lives and personal injuries, natural disasters have inflicted billions of dollars worth of damage on small developing States. Most of those States are incapable of starting any short- or medium-term recovery programme on their own because of their limited resources. Compare their plight with that of some developed countries where regions have been similarly devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes and mudslides. Those regions have been declared disaster areas and national resources have been mobilized to build and rebuild in record time, in some instances better than before. Let us compare the cases of two small countries: Haiti, in the Caribbean, less than four hours away from where we are meeting in the commercial capital of the world, and Georgia, on the Black Sea coast.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“What is really needed is meaningful change and a greater global commitment to making that change happen. When I speak of meaningful change, I mean change that goes beyond lip service and makes a noticeable difference in the lives of entire populations. Many countries cannot achieve such change alone. They need vital support from countries with advanced economies. Four years ago, when I addressed this body, I appealed for meaningful structures to be instituted to minimize the suffering and harmful effects of natural disasters on small developing nations in particular. I am disappointed that no real progress has been made. Today, I address the Assembly against the backdrop of hundreds of fatalities and thousands of casualties from what so far has been a very active 2008 Atlantic hurricane season.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“As small States, we increasingly feel we have fallen off the radar screen of developed countries, which seem inconsiderate of our plight, especially in the key areas of trade and financing for development. We keep hearing about a need for change. Indeed, around the world, change is being proffered as the panacea to all challenges and problems facing humankind. When everything else has failed, change, it would appear, becomes the only answer. As one of the youngest heads of Government who will address the General Assembly, I believe I have a duty to communicate to the world body that the word “change” is beginning to ring hollow with young people around the world. Over the past decade, many countries have taken steps to effect change, as recommended. Sadly, in far too many instances, things have remained pretty much the same.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“They observed, quite rightly, that it was “driven significantly by a severely unbalanced… economic system, made even more unbalanced by speculation; a climate … and environmental crisis; as well as a crisis of confidence in international institutions that were created to provide policy advice and coordination on global issues.” Mr. Siles Alvarado (Bolivia), Vice-President, took the Chair. Today we endure the consequences. For small and vulnerable States in the Caribbean, such as ours, globalization continues to significantly change the dynamics of economic survival and sustainability. Our efforts to diversify our economies, adjust to global developments and stay competitive represent a formidable undertaking.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“On behalf of my delegation and the Government and the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, I would like to 29 08-52265 congratulate the President on his election to preside over the sixty-third session of the General Assembly. We are especially pleased that, for the first time, a national of Nicaragua is presiding over this body. Let me assure him of my delegation’s fullest cooperation. We are meeting at a time of great international uncertainty. It stems from various global crises related to the availability and affordability of food, an increasingly unstable international financial system and volatility in the supply and cost of energy. In a statement to the High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council last July, China and the Group of 77 commented on the predicament currently facing the world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“That requires a massive educational programme to demystify international relations and motivate more young people to participate and help shape their world. I wish delegates every success in their deliberations at the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“As a consequence, crime rates and civil conflicts are increasing, threatening the stability and the security of developing countries such as mine. We therefore call for the early conclusion of the negotiations on a legally binding international instrument to control the indiscriminate supply of small arms and light weapons to non-State actors. In conclusion, I reaffirm Dominica’s commitment to the United Nations agenda. For us, the United Nations is the embodiment of our collective will to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Given that those goals will create a new world order that the young people of the world will inherit, I urge that greater numbers of youth be involved at all levels in the decision-making process.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Consistent with the overriding principle of pursuing universal consensus and our own national development goals, Dominica chose on 24 March 2004 to act in conformity with General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 1971 by establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, thereby honouring the one-China policy. Dominica lauds the hand of friendship extended and the demonstrated commitment of the People’s Republic of China to assisting small developing countries, which are hard-pressed to fulfil their social and economic agendas in the light of the adverse impact of the evolving new world order on their economies. In the Caribbean region, as in other regions of the world, we are witnessing the devastating impact of the proliferation of small arms.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“My Government has made an important decision to support the humanitarian efforts to bring stability to the people of Haiti. We remain convinced that only the full implementation of the provisions of Security Council resolution 1542 (2004) will lead to the return of democratic governance in Haiti. Dominica commends the United Nations for bringing visibility to the problems of the world’s indigenous people during the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. With the impending end of that Decade this year, we urge the world community to maintain the momentum of the Decade and renew its commitment to support the future aspirations of the world’s indigenous peoples through greater contributions to the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“17 Participation in such an insurance plan would not be a charitable act. Each Member State would be required to pay a premium that is affordable for that country, and the funds accumulated could be used to repair damage done to the economy, especially in cases where the productive sector of a country’s economy has been reduced to paralysis. Events in the last year have underscored that peace and security in the world, social progress and economic prosperity require the consensus of Member States, the strict implementation of universal norms and commitment to multilateral action. In that regard, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti deserves the support of all Member States, especially those in the Latin American and Caribbean region.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Unspeakable devastation has taken place in Grenada; Jamaica has suffered substantial loss of life and damage to property; parts of the Cayman Islands were submerged, and the death toll in Haiti and Santo Domingo has been horrendous. In the United States of America, the state of Florida has experienced disaster of immense proportions. The recent experience of natural disasters underscores the importance of the necessity to put in place rehabilitation programmes that would enable destroyed economies to be revived in the minimum time. The Government of Dominica believes that an insurance fund should be set up under the aegis of the United Nations. States at risk of natural disasters that devastate their economies ought to be able to receive insurance payments to rehabilitate their economies when they are damaged by such natural disasters.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We believe that the early exposure of young people to leadership and positions of responsibility would help to accelerate the process for achieving the goal of a world without prejudice. I have sought to summarize those issues that are of special concern to small, vulnerable States such as Dominica and others in the Caribbean. In this regard, I cannot overstate the importance of the Assembly taking cognizance of some unique features of island life, particularly in the tropics. As you are aware, Sir, at this time of the year, small island States in the Caribbean and parts of the North American continent are exposed to the threat of devastating hurricanes. This year, major disasters have occurred on several islands.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The South African example shows that when persons of good-will and intellect get together problems can be resolved without recourse to terror and violence. The United Nations has demonstrated its capacity to trigger the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the past, and my Government is persuaded that it can continue to do so if permitted. I have the great honour to be the Prime Minister of Dominica at the age of 32. We in Dominica subscribe to the view that the young people of any country are its best hope for a brighter future, to be achieved through constructive change. My presence here attests to the commitment of the Dominican nation to treat younger generations not as inexperienced know-nothings, but as people with the potential to excel, to whom we must provide the best tools for ensuring quality leadership.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The continuing attention and support of the international community remain important prerequisites in the pursuit of efforts towards conflict resolution. The Government of Dominica urges an immediate end to attempts to use violence as a solution to the problems of the people of our planet and calls for a greater degree of rationality to be employed as we address the very thorny problems of life today. We are satisfied that the more rational approach that we are suggesting can solve many problems that have been in existence for generations. Prior to the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, no one would have believed that, after years of bloodshed between the races, a post-apartheid political order could have accommodated dialogue between the races in that country.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Every cent spent on addressing this threat is a cent taken from our campaign to sustain the fight against trafficking in narcotic drugs and human beings, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases and the degradation of our common environment. Water security, food security, energy security and health security are other important goals that stand to suffer if additional resources are not found to pursue them. Conflicts in various parts of the world are consuming scarce resources that are critically needed for development and poverty alleviation. On the African continent, civil conflicts in the Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are having catastrophic consequences for the lives of large numbers of people.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The brutal and bloody terrorist acts of 11 September 2001, committed in New York City, not only had reverberations for relatives, friends and the society in general in which the brutal murders took place, but also had serious repercussions of an economic nature in places quite distant from the scene of the crime. That notorious event had a very deleterious effect upon the Dominican economy. It drastically contracted our tourist industry, which has yet to recover fully. The focus on terrorism and the cost of complying with requirements to prevent terrorist attacks in a region that is renowned as a zone of peace are challenging our commitment to social and economic development.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We hope that it will galvanize the international community to make a greater commitment to provide the critical additional resources necessary for advancing the implementation obligations of the next phase of the Programme of Action. My country is alarmed at the rise of terrorism in the world. Indeed, as we move towards a more united world where people of different races and colours are 16 called upon to demonstrate greater respect and tolerance for each other, violent attempts at solutions are counterproductive and have the unintended consequence of harming mere bystanders.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“A resolute commitment on the part of the resilient population of Dominica, with the timely help of some friendly countries and institutions, saved our country from total disaster. The lesson, which is abundantly clear to my country and to other small States, is that a new global economic order must be balanced and sensitive to the interests of its weakest members. The situation of small island developing States will be the focus of attention in January 2005, when the International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action convenes in Mauritius. The Barbados+10 Meeting will afford us the opportunity to make a full assessment of the Programme of Action and to evaluate its successes and shortcomings. Dominica and other small island developing States attach great importance to the International Meeting.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“A subsequent decision by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to publish what has been described as a “blacklist” had a very adverse impact upon the offshore banking sector in my country. Dominica would like to make a plea for greater transparency and inclusiveness in the formulation of agreements which relate to development financing, trade and international tax matters. Participation ought to be substantive, not a mere formality, which is the case more often than not. We do not subscribe to the notion that mere presence constitutes significant participation. Notwithstanding our participation in multilateral institutions, the two shocks to which I referred were exogenous — originating outside our country and having nothing to do with the internal economic management of Dominica.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“At this stage, globalization consists of a wide variety of treaties, some bilateral and others multilateral. From this slew of agreements, there is yet to be discerned a clear set of principles that address the idiosyncratic features of small island States when they function as economic units. Within the past six years, the economy of my country has had to withstand a number of shocks — the byproducts of multilateral treaties to which States in situations similar to that of my country have had only a minuscule input. A dispute between the United States of America and the European Union resulted in a ruling by the World Trade Organization that destroyed the banana industry, which was the backbone of the economy of Dominica.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The multilateral institutions, however, need to be reformed if they are going to be relevant in the current global dispensation. The coordination of the United Nations effort, in harmony with national efforts, must be the focus of this institution if it is to positively impact on the lives of the majority — the vulnerable and marginalized people of the world. Dominica is a small island State with all the strengths, as well as the weaknesses, of countries with small economies. That is why we look to the United Nations as a forum in which small countries can air their views, with the aim of collectively influencing the agenda of the Organization in some way. The central question for all countries in the world today relates to the kind of arrangements that will constitute the economic order when the globalization process is complete.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In an international environment of turmoil and a world going through the turbulence of economic reconstruction as globalization proceeds, the Secretary-General has remained a clear, calm and moderating influence on all parties to conflict. His level-headed approach has done much to ensure the relevance of the United Nations, which the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica cherish highly. The numerous challenges facing the globalized world demand a common endeavour from all the nations of the world. Guaranteeing human rights, peace and security and ensuring social and economic justice for all require international cooperation and concerted multilateral action. Dominica is of the firm conviction that the United Nations continues to be the global institution most suited to the pursuit and coordination of these global initiatives.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Allow me first of all to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the mantle of the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty- ninth session. My delegation wishes to assure you of its full support and cooperation in bringing about the successful outcome of this session. My Government expresses its deepest appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Julian Hunte, for the outstanding manner in which he presided over the work of the fifty-eighth session. Under his visionary leadership, significant progress was made in advancing the revitalization of the General Assembly and in ensuring the return of development to the forefront of the issues addressed by the Assembly. 15 No words of praise are adequate to describe the yeoman’s task undertaken by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)