YouSaid · the spoken record

Percival James Patterson

lines on the record: 61
first: 1997-09-24
most recent: 2005-09-24
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

“They believe we can provide shelter to the homeless and eradicate poverty everywhere; that once we have the political will and determination, we can prevent genocide and combat terrorism; that irrespective of gender, race, colour or religious creed, we can ensure for every person the inalienable right of human dignity. Let us spare no effort to build a single world free from want and fear, free from exploitation and oppression: a mother Earth where justice, liberty, prosperity and the wisdom of creative minds prevail in abundance. Let us here resolve to build one world in which every man, woman and child can realize the true purpose of life and enjoy its fulfilment. Let us determine that the time for action is now and sound the trumpet of hope for all mankind.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“These should be the responsibility of a revitalized Economic and Social Council. The future of generations to come rests not so much on the vigour of our debate and the declarations at the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, but on the action we take, commencing right here in New York, to make the United Nations stronger and more effective. All our citizens are demanding that collectively we emerge with a clear vision, that we display the courage and unrelenting commitment to build a world of peace, justice and equity, which we can inhabit together in true harmony. They are convinced that it is within our power to rid the only planet where human life prevails of hunger, ignorance, disease and strife.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“With renewed priority to development and the Millennium Development Goals, United Nations reform should empower the Organization by providing the resources and a clear mandate to do at least three things. First, it should ensure system-wide coherence, including with the Bretton Woods institutions and the WTO, in respect to the policies and operational activities which impact the achievement of the agreed development goals. Secondly, it should bring the resources of the development-oriented arms of the United Nations system to focus on development priorities that have been identified by Member States. And, thirdly, it should promote dialogue and partnership, review trends, particularly in resource mobilization, and implement measures to ensure that the Development Goals can be met within the agreed time frames.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The United Nations was established 60 years ago to bring peace and security to the world, and also to play a major role in promoting development. The United Nations must not allow, as has appeared to be the case in recent years, any part of its mandate to be usurped. The Bretton Woods institutions and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, now the World Trade Organization, have taken dominant positions on policies in areas of their specialization. These policies, however, have far-ranging implications across the economic, social and environmental spectrum. There is a glaring gap in overall international development policymaking, and in the capacity to secure coherence across the development, finance, trade and technology areas.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The link between disarmament and development is even more relevant today. The figures are indeed 26 startling. Roughly $1 trillion is now spent annually on weapons and military equipment of all kinds, consuming a massive share of the world’s resources. If such resources were channelled into development, the world would not only be more prosperous, it would be much safer and more secure. Our concern is not just about nuclear weapons. It is also about the proliferation of guns of every description, which endangers the lives of ordinary citizens, undermines the rule of law and threatens social stability. Those who manufacture such weapons must exercise greater control and support anti- proliferation efforts.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Developed countries must take the lead in changing production and consumption patterns: in an approach to the development and transfer of environmentally sound technology to developing countries on a preferential basis; in their level of commitment and support to fight against desertification and land degradation; and in the resources to be devoted to the management of waste and in the change towards the promotion of a culture of recycling. We must keep on pressing for the development and adoption of strategies that mitigate, and build resilience to, the impact of climate change. I have spoken thus far on development issues. But these are closely related to other critical areas of the international agenda. One such area is disarmament and arms control, which is in danger of becoming a neglected and forgotten goal of the United Nations.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“To attain the agreed development objectives, there must be a renunciation of the ill-conceived policies imposed on a number of developing countries under structural adjustment programmes begun three decades ago. We might dispute the causes and the sharing of responsibility, but no longer do we dispute the awesome reality of climate change. The evidence that climate change poses a long-term challenge to every part of the globe is irrefutable. Developing countries have maintained that climate change and other unsustainable pressures on our environment demand urgent attention.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We sent only the feeblest of messages from the High-level Plenary Meeting to our trade ministers, but unless they are given firm instructions to afford special and differential treatment to developing countries, the December Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Hong Kong will, like those held in Seattle and Cancun, yield a dismal collapse. We agreed in Monterrey that it was necessary to reform the international economic system and make it more coherent and supportive of the development policies of Member States. We also agreed that it was necessary to increase the voice and participation of developing countries in the international financial and trade institutions. Yet nothing has happened. We cannot allow the Bretton Woods institutions to remain forever impervious to our calls.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“There are now internationally agreed programmes for the last three named groups and an emerging consensus for a special programme for Africa under African leadership. The special programmes for these groups of countries were reaffirmed at our High-level Plenary Meeting. We now need to implement them with urgency. We have long recognized that export trade is the most sustainable source of resources for development as well as the best stimulant to investment and employment. The current international trading rules and systems are heavily stacked against developing countries. We must resolve to transform international trade into an engine of growth. The policies, rules and modalities of global trade must have development focus. Why have we failed so miserably to fulfil the Doha mandate for a development round?”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“It is wrong to apply the weight of economic power to pressure developing countries for political purposes. This causes severe hardships and jeopardizes development efforts, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. There are developing countries which face peculiar, if not unique, development challenges. The Group of 77 and China has consistently argued that Africa, the least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and the small island developing States face special and tremendous challenges. These are magnified in a globalized, liberalized and competitive international economic environment and with the increasing incidence of more devastating natural disasters. The arguments are gaining acceptance.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“And sixthly, the sudden erosion of trade preferences has created significant economic hardships for many developing countries without the resources or time to diversify their export base. The net result is that there have been insufficient new resources available to the vast majority of developing countries to invest in meeting long-term development goals. Policy space for developing countries to act effectively and the timing and quality of the resource flows are also very important. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China calls for the elimination of aid conditionalities which restrict the policy options for developing countries and thereby the real effectiveness of development cooperation. Further, we stress the need to cease the use of unilateral coercive measures against developing countries.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“That has led to net transfers to developed countries every year since 1998. Secondly, foreign direct investment has been concentrated in, and is becoming almost confined to, the larger, faster-growing developing countries. Thirdly, the increase in ODA since 2000 has largely been the result of resources targeted for emergency assistance, debt relief and technical assistance. Together they accounted for 50 cents of every aid dollar in 2004. Fourthly, debt relief has been limited to those highly indebted poor countries which have satisfied International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions for disbursements. Fifthly, the terms of trade continue 25 to work against commodity- and preference-dependent developing countries.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“This is a most positive initiative at a time of high and volatile energy prices and insecure supplies. From our partners in the developed world there has been a gradual recovery of private foreign direct investment and in the provision of official development assistance (ODA). We welcome the increase in debt relief, including debt cancellation, for many of the most highly indebted poor countries, as well as the renewed focus on Africa and on HIV/AIDS. However, the review has also revealed some trends that are cause for anxiety, and therefore worthy of our attention. First, a significant part of the resources mobilized by developing countries has been used to finance debt-servicing payments to multilateral development banks and to increase foreign-exchange reserves held in developed countries.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“There has been a strengthened focus on South/South cooperation, which has seen trade among developing countries growing faster than their total export trade and an increasing flow of investment. At the second South-South Summit, held in Qatar in June, we agreed on a major programme of South/South cooperation that is already having results. I shall cite just two examples. First, the Governments of Qatar, China and India pledged donations at the Summit to launch a South fund for development and humanitarian assistance. Secondly, last week at Montego Bay, Jamaica, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela signed, with several Caribbean Governments, the Petrocaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement to enhance energy security, facilitate socio- economic development and advance regional economic integration in the Caribbean.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Development goals and targets cannot be met within the time frames without a massive addition of resources, both financial and technical. No one can remain safe and secure, or even content, while living in an oasis of wealth surrounded by a desert of poverty. Not to be forgotten is the unfulfilled agenda of gender equity. The empowerment of women must be a vital ingredient in all our social and economic programmes. We agreed at Monterrey on a comprehensive approach to mobilize the financing needed for real global development that specified the contributions required from developing and developed countries alike. Our review has revealed that, as a group, developing countries have delivered on their commitments. Most have achieved a level of economic growth and have increased domestic resources and foreign-exchange reserves.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“At the current pace, some regions and countries will miss several of the MDGs by decades. In certain areas, such as the elimination of hunger, we could be centuries away. We are likely to miss global targets in the areas of infant and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases and environmental sustainability. Limited financial resources, debt, restricted asymmetrical trade opportunities and HIV/AIDS have been identified as major inhibiting factors. Beyond those constraints, during the past five years many developing countries have suffered devastating natural disasters, which have disrupted economic growth, damaged production, destroyed infrastructure and dislocated populations, causing economic losses that amount to years of gross domestic product (GDP).”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“That was a solemn pledge made by us to the most disadvantaged peoples of our world — the poor, the hungry, the illiterate, the homeless, the sick — to infants, mothers and the unborn, as well as to nature, which must sustain the existence of the whole human race. This year’s Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reveals that one fifth of humanity survives on less than $1 per day, and that 2.5 billion people fail to earn $2 daily. The recently concluded High-level Plenary Meeting has revealed that we have made slight progress, more so in a few regions, to meet some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But we are nowhere on track to achieving the promises of any of the major development-oriented United Nations conferences or summits held since the adoption of the MDGs. Progress has been uneven.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the current session of the General Assembly. May I also express our deep appreciation to Mr. Jean Ping for so ably guiding the work of the General Assembly during its fifty-ninth session. I am honoured to address the General Assembly today in my capacity as Chairman of the Group of 77 and China. Five years ago, I was among the leaders of nations, rich and poor, who met here under the auspices of the United Nations and made a compact to rid the world of the most dehumanizing conditions afflicting a 24 large portion of humankind.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Whatever may be our colour, culture or creed, we belong to a single race — that is, the human race. We occupy a single planet, which has more than enough to enable each person and every nation to enjoy the abundance which Mother Earth has to offer and for all its people to dwell together in harmony. Now more than at any time in its history, the United Nations is the best vehicle to procure global peace and to foster international cooperation. Let this, the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, loudly and clearly proclaim that the renaissance of the United Nations has indeed begun.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“An equitable framework to finance national and global development, to fuel expansion of international trade and to foster sustainable development must be placed on the front burner, whether we gather in Qatar, in Mexico or in South Africa. 23 If the global conferences to be held in those three places are to succeed, Member States must be guided by full recognition that this new era of global relations demands, as I said, more ingenious approaches to confidence-building and to development as a precondition for international peace and security. In closing, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Han on his assumption of the presidency of this session of the General Assembly and to commit Jamaica’s total support for the attainment of our common goals in the service of all humankind.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“There are enough good people in all our societies — who together are the silent majority of the world’s people — to ensure that by choosing this new path we can indeed make a real difference. We have to find a better way than the one a divided world has been pursuing. That way has to lie through the United Nations as an organization — but a United Nations revitalized, its agencies repaired, reformed and responsive to a culture of new values appropriate to our time. This new era of global relations demands bolder and more ingenious approaches to confidence-building and to development as a prerequisite for international peace and security.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“That is why I do not call for reform but advocate instead a renaissance: a rebirth which offers the chance of facing the twenty-first century with sound values no longer predicated on a world of adversarial States but on an interactive world of people that has espoused neighbourhood values of respect for life and liberty, for justice and equity, for tolerance and caring; values that balance rights with responsibilities, that elevate the democratic ethic at both the national and the global levels. We are a long way from that consummation, however devoutly we may wish it. But we are sufficiently frightened by the prospects that confront us to recognize the need for humanity to take “the path less travelled by”.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“A General Assembly that occupies more of the stage and reorders its work to make it more focused and more result-oriented, will allow each of us a meaningful role in world governance through our work in the Assembly. It is in the interest of the world community to have a more vigorous and effective General Assembly which can and should play a vital legitimating role in the United Nations, consonant with the universality of its membership. Here in the General Assembly, we are the practitioners of international affairs. At the heart of the conduct of those affairs must lie a sense of realism. I too am conscious that the accumulated baggage of decades cannot be shed in a single heave.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The special value of the General Assembly is its universality, its capacity to be a forum in which the voice of every Member State can be raised. It provides the opportunity for countries to ventilate issues, to bring complaints to the floor in the general debate and to suggest new ideas in committees. But the assumption surely must be valid that deliberation should inform action. High among the changes that should mark the renaissance of the United Nations is the revitalization of the General Assembly as a universal forum of the world’s States. Even with a reformed and somewhat enlarged Security Council, many Member States with a capacity to contribute significantly to the policies and programmes of the United Nations and to global governance will have to remain on the sidelines.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Today, our greatest hope lies in people: in people of all races, of all genders, of all faiths; people of all continents and oceans; people of all ages; the “ordinary” people of the world and those who hold themselves to be of higher station. All the world’s people are affected by the calamities that loom; all must be involved in turning humanity away from gloom and in finding the light. The Charter does not set out the principal organs of the United Nations in a hierarchical order, but the General Assembly is the only principal organ under the Charter that embraces all the Members on a one member, one vote basis. It is the symbol of the United Nations as a universal organization in the best democratic tradition. And so, I believe that it is within the General Assembly that the true renaissance of the United Nations must begin.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It was not without flaws in its inception, and some flaws have remained to hobble its capacity to initiate the renaissance of which I speak. It is within that context that the demand for the reform of the Security Council becomes even more urgent, since the Council’s present design and functioning weaken its capacity to fulfil its mandate. We must remove all existing constraints on the capacity of the United Nations. Even as we work to improve it and to reform it, we must proclaim the United Nations to be the temple in which we can all worship. “We, the people” must be made a reality to fulfil the commitment made in their name by the Charter of 1945.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We can hardly return to the principles of a feudal world in which military and economic strength are concentrated in the hands of a few, while we indulge in an illusion of order through the marginalization of the many. In our interdependent, interconnected world, that is no longer a credible option. Our only way forward lies here in the United Nations. If this institution did not exist before 11 September, we would have to create it now. We have to be inspired by the vision that propelled the generation of 1945 to pursue the path of collective responsibility for peace and human progress through a regime of 22 multilateral action anchored by the United Nations. It was coterie of Governments, in a rare moment of collective wisdom and creativity, that settled the United Nations Charter.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Democratic superintendence of the global economy has to be a central feature of the fresh global architecture we seek to fashion during this decade. That new global architecture must incorporate appropriate arrangements for a start to be made in raising global resources for global purposes in ways that do not generate alarm. The persistence of gross poverty, the long list of environmental abuses, the disturbing reduction in development aid and the vagaries of foreign private investment make a compelling case for global revenues. The world faces crucial choices. We have to identify and follow a guiding principle if humanity is to make an enlightened response to the challenges we face.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We delude ourselves if we believe that all those engaged in street protests, whether in Seattle, Washington, Prague, Quebec city or Rome, are simply anarchists. International institutions must not only be accountable; they must be subject to democratic governance as well. It is becoming more widely recognized that a new global institutional architecture is needed to establish representative superintendence of the global economy, directed towards enlargement of social and economic justice worldwide and targeted to a sharp redirection of the numbers mired in gross poverty and deprivation. Some of the desired progress may be possible through existing institutions, but more radical reform may also be required.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The unemployed, those who are ill but have no health care, those who are cold but have no proper heating, those who are old but have no social support — for these victims, “security” means a meal, a roof, a job, medicine, warmth and relief from poverty in general. But those needs are just as real and insistent, and they represent for them the most immediate denial of their rights as human beings. During the last decade, the process of globalization, deregulation and privatization has swept the world. It is incontrovertible that it has not been a golden age for a large proportion of the world’s people: not just for the 1.3 billion absolute poor in developing countries whom the benefits of globalization seem to have bypassed, but for many millions in industrial countries also.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“These fears are compounded by other blights — the blights of disease, ignorance and bigotry towards people on the basis of ethnicity, religion and gender; the blight of cruel and autocratic governance in some places; and, most pervasive of all, the blight of poverty. The expansion of the global economy in the last four decades has not eliminated gross poverty or even reduced its prevalence. A sophisticated, globalized, increasingly affluent world currently co-exists, globally and within countries, with a marginalized underclass. The hungry, the homeless and the destitute are less impassioned about the physical insecurities of terrorist repression or the damaging consequences of military warfare.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“And so I stand at this rostrum today to call for a United Nations renaissance, for a rebirth of this Organization, which will not just permit it to be the harbinger of peace, but which will empower it to foster a climate that will usher in a new age of global development and a dynamic partnership for human prosperity. We are living in a time of fear, not just in this country or here in this city, but worldwide: fear for the lives of people; fear for the state of economies, national and global; fear that our propensity for wanton destruction may impair the capacity of the planet itself to sustain life.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We have to remember that they constitute the generation of tomorrow, in whose hands will rest the future of international peace and security. 21 Nor must we forget the importance of humanitarian assistance to the innocent people in conflict-torn areas of the world and to refugees and displaced persons, as well as to those who are victims of natural and man-made disasters. For them, the United Nations must become a beacon of hope for the peace and stability that will enable them to lead normal and productive lives. Military strikes cannot by themselves eradicate terrorism. In our response, we need to be mindful that the time has come for us to inaugurate a new era of peace — not simply through preventing war, but by eliminating the causes that give rise to strife and violence.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Efforts to achieve a durable ceasefire have been thwarted at every turn. Numerous resolutions of the Security Council have been ignored. We recognize the positive efforts of some permanent members to influence a return to the peace process, but the Security Council should not be marginalized in these initiatives. Jamaica again urges the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to spare no effort in complying with agreements already reached. We call on both parties to remain engaged in the quest for a durable peace. We dare not neglect the millions of children worldwide who suffer from hunger, disease and ignorance. In situations of conflict, children are the most vulnerable victims. We have all been horrified by their exploitation as child soldiers and by the trafficking and sexual abuse that numerous children have suffered.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“For the past two years, Jamaica has worked with other members of the Council to make peacekeeping operations more efficient; to create strategies for sustained peace-building; to bring warring factions to the peace table and, beyond that, to promote compliance with resulting accords; and to put in place mechanisms for protecting those most affected by situations of conflict, especially the women and children. We are pleased with the work already undertaken in respect of the Brahimi report on peacekeeping operations. Through a number of tribunals, we have demonstrated that the United Nations will act to end impunity. Despite sustained international efforts, however, several flashpoints still remain. Jamaica is deeply concerned about the continuing cycle of violence and reprisal in the Middle East.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“To defeat the forces of terror, our collective action must be firm, decisive and broad-based. International law must become a binding framework for the total defeat of terrorism. Jamaica welcomes the ongoing efforts to elaborate a draft comprehensive convention against terrorism. We hope that during this session of the General Assembly the momentum will be seized to achieve measurable progress in this critical area. At the same time, the international community needs to take action aimed at achieving the universality of the existing conventions and other instruments against terrorism. Jamaica is accelerating its domestic action to achieve those objectives, and this morning I was pleased to sign the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The catastrophic attacks, cynically perpetrated on the International Day of Peace in the city that is host to the United Nations, as well as elsewhere, have, in their wanton slaughter of innocents and awesome destructiveness, sent shock waves around the world. The messiahs of terror have, by the sheer magnitude and horror of their unprecedented crime against humanity, unified nations and people in the determination to remove the spectre of terrorism in all its many forms, wherever it is manifested. Jamaica stands firmly with the international community on Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) against terrorism. As a member of the Council, we assert, with particular emphasis and deliberation, our unwavering commitment to the cause of ending this pernicious evil.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“I am delighted to join in the chorus of warm congratulations already expressed before this Assembly to the Secretary- General of our Organization, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, and to the United Nations itself, on the joint award of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. We also include in this proud salute those who have fallen in the line of duty, while recognizing those who continue to serve in areas of danger, all for the cause of peace. It is a fitting tribute that that Prize, dedicated to the cause of peace and so richly earned by our Secretary-General in his own right and by the United Nations Organization collectively, has been conferred on them this year. No one doubts that the accolades are truly deserved. They are most fitting at a time when the entire world is in upheaval.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Let not narrow self-interest prevent us from taking bold and decisive steps to meet these challenges. Jamaica and the Caribbean Community stand ready to play their part in a cooperative effort to attain global equity and prosperity. All of us owe it to ourselves and to succeeding generations. I urge the international community wholeheartedly to embrace this venture in a genuine spirit of solidarity and harmony. History will not forgive us should we fail to do so.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Let us resolve to equip the United Nations with the necessary tools, including the requisite financial resources in accordance with Charter obligations, to enable it effectively to undertake its leadership role in safeguarding international peace and security in ensuring the economic and social well-being of mankind. It is our responsibility, and our peoples are looking for an institution energized to act effectively and swiftly to address the challenges that confront us as we approach the twenty-first century. Let us exploit the opportunity we now have to fashion a United Nations which reflects the hope and aspirations of all mankind for sustainable development, for lasting security and for enduring peace. The new millennium beckons with its endless possibilities and challenges.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Not all Member States will readily embrace the reform proposals that have been introduced, yet no one can deny the need for meaningful action to strengthen and improve the United Nations system. We must therefore seek to find common cause and summon the collective will to implement the measures that are necessary for its revitalization. It is our collective responsibility. Effective reform of our global institution requires broad agreement on the main features of the new global environment. We must clearly define the role the United Nations is expected to play in the next millennium. Our common vision must be one in which the United Nations can act as the catalyst for change and an instrument of progress on behalf of all peoples of the world.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In welcoming these steps, we must however emphasize that reform is not synonymous with cost cutting. Reform is not about doing less; it is about doing better. We would therefore wish to see a process that strengthens the capacity of the United Nations to deliver the services required by Member States as well as cement the linkages among the organs of the system while preserving comparative advantages, complementarities and synergies. The exercise must improve the capacity of the United Nations to take preventive action and respond 7 swiftly to crises. Above all, for small developing nations such as my own it is important that the Organization continue to play a leadership role in defining global development priorities.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We advocate the adoption of procedures that will make it more democratic and transparent in decision-making. We recognize that there are important and delicate issues at stake and that we should proceed with care, but we have a concern that the process should not be mired in endless debate. We believe there is a sufficient consensus on proposals to form the basis for decisions soon. We also acknowledge that more efficient management and more scope for effective initiative by the Secretary-General and his staff are essential to a strengthened United Nations structure. We support the Secretary-General in this endeavour. Jamaica also endorses the need for measures to improve efficiency, and we have no quarrel with reform to streamline and rationalize the system.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“But we must realize that the international society which the United Nations now serves is vastly different from the one in existence when the Organization was originally created. The reshaping of the United Nations therefore has to take into account new and complex international realities. Without compromising the fundamental objectives of the Charter, we need new rules and procedures to guide us. Of special importance is the reform of the Security Council, in terms of both composition and mode of operation. The Council is a vital organ in the working of the United Nations. It is essential for its effectiveness that it command the confidence of the international community. Jamaica supports an expansion of membership of the Council which will make it more representative of the international community.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is evident from all the forces at work that the imperatives of interdependence, the impact of globalization and the interlinkage in global problems require a renewal and strengthening of multilateralism. With the end of the cold war, we now have within our grasp the opportunity to establish a lasting framework for international cooperation and to build genuine partnerships that will guarantee a future that is secure for all. The challenges of the emerging world order are best addressed by multilateral approaches. Isolationism and unilateralism cannot be viable options, but multilateralism can thrive only if there are effective multilateral institutions. The United Nations remains indispensable as the only universal mechanism capable of addressing issues of global impact and concern.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Within the Caribbean Community we have taken these threats seriously and have committed significant resources to confronting them. Our geographical proximity to the major destination for the consumption of drugs makes the Caribbean particularly vulnerable as a transshipment point. We therefore view bilateral and regional cooperation as critical to combating drug smuggling. An associated problem that is particularly dangerous for us is the smuggling of arms and weapons of destruction, which is a significant factor in spreading a cycle of crime and violence. CARICOM has pushed for a regional initiative to attack this problem. We look forward to hemisphere support, particularly in restricting illegal exports from the main areas of manufacturing and sale of small arms.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We urge Member States to give full support to the Ottawa process for the conclusion of an international treaty to ban this category of weapons so that there can be universal obedience. The threat to international peace and security can no longer be viewed in purely military and political terms. Illicit trafficking in drugs poses a serious threat, as all too often we witness the pervasive and pernicious effects of the production and consumption of illicit drugs. The massive demand and the lure of profits from the trade have spawned a transnational network of criminals with considerable resources and influence. The activities of these groups are particularly threatening to small States such as those in the Caribbean, where the State apparatus is often stretched to deal with their coercive capability.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The conclusion of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the fiftieth session of the General Assembly and the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention have enhanced the prospects for real progress towards the goal of general and complete disarmament. We nevertheless acknowledge that more needs to be done in 6 the areas of arms regulation and disarmament, in respect especially of conventional weapons and the proliferation of small arms. We welcome the steps being taken to prohibit the use of anti-personnel landmines, which should be regarded as a category of inhumane weapons that can no longer be allowed to cause the maiming and loss of life of civilians.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is our hope and expectation that the membership of the United Nations will be able to devise a specific scheme of assistance for a small and courageous people. We all look to the United Nations to help in emergencies, but above all, to be effective in keeping the peace. It should be ready to respond promptly to crises as they occur and to defuse tensions and conflict situations through preventive diplomacy. We believe the present time affords a significant opportunity for creating the framework to fulfil this role and for us to shape a rapid- response capability. In recent years, a number of unilateral as well as multilateral measures have resulted in a more positive climate for international peace and security.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“I speak on behalf of the Community in acknowledging the categorical commitment given by the administering Power, the United Kingdom, for both emergency assistance to Montserratians and for the sustainable development of that territory. The costs of reconstruction are immense. Members of the Caribbean Community have offered constructive support to the recovery efforts. We believe that the international community should also respond in a humanitarian gesture of solidarity. I therefore take this opportunity to appeal to the General Assembly to demonstrate appropriate support for Montserrat through the adoption of tangible measures to assist in the rebuilding and sustainable development of that island.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)