YouSaid · the spoken record

Robertson

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS ROBERTSON

lines on the record: 48
first: 1993-09-24
most recent: 1994-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

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“This is an issue that should be addressed both in terms of reducing arms exports, as well as in terms of converting the resources to the requirements of peace and development. It would be remiss of me if I concluded my contribution to this debate without referring to the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, to be celebrated next year. As we all prepare for this historic occasion, we must reflect on the fact that this achievement is in itself a vindication of the principles on which the Organization was founded. If we are to survive beyond that milestone we must remain steadfast to these principles.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We believe that the Security Council must be truly representative in order to be fully effective. Expenditure on armaments continues to consume resources and to divert spending away from human development needs in both developed and developing countries. Military downsizing, particularly by developing countries, has yet to gather the momentum that was expected at the end of the cold war. The United Nations has a legitimate role to play in providing technical and other assistance to help developing and other countries shift human and material resources from military to civilian use. We note that the permanent members of the Security Council are also the world’s leading exporters of conventional weapons.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“This is why I underscored earlier my delegation’s strong belief that this Organization must become increasingly active in the promotion of long-term development, which is the necessary underpinning of a genuine and lasting peace. The United Nations must not shrink from this aspect of its mission. The military and ideological realignment of recent years has created new opportunities for peace. But these unprecedented developments must be supported by institutional reforms and by new approaches on our part. These institutional reforms must inevitably include the reform of the Security Council, the principal organ charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. In this regard, Jamaica fully supports the call for its enlargement.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“There can be little cause for comfort when, since 1945, 20 million people have died in wars and other conflicts. It is disturbing and instructive to learn that some 80 million persons now live in foreign lands, and that a million persons immigrate permanently each year, while another million seek political asylum as they flee both poverty and internal strife. The increasing flows of refugees and displaced persons worldwide threaten peace and stability and exacerbate tensions and conflicts between countries and in entire regions. We must strengthen international cooperation in this area and streamline national and international procedures for dealing with this grave problem. To be true to its mission, the United Nations must be an Organization that reduces both want and war.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The trade and economic prospects of countries in the region can be strengthened only by the priority now being accorded to regional and hemispheric relations and by the growing role, actual wand envisioned, for regional and subregional organizations, such as CARICOM and the newly established ACS, as well as by arrangements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In the case of NAFTA, which we support strongly, Jamaica and other participants in the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) programme continue to press for the adoption, by the United States Congress of the Interim Trade programme, which would significantly offset adverse consequences on existing conditions of access under the CBI. I feel compelled to return in these final comments to the mission of this Organization — peace and development.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Within the wider Latin American and Caribbean region, we are actively strengthening and widening cooperation among our countries. The establishment of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in July of this year was a historic development that provides for even stronger collaboration and cooperation. We hope that in the interest of the entire region, a process of sustained dialogue and accommodation between Cuba and the United States can be initiated, and that this will lead to conditions that permit the eventual full reintegration of Cuba into the region and into the hemispheric community. Jamaica welcomes the call 12 General Assembly 22nd meeting made by the Rio Group at its recent Eighth Summit meeting for the lifting of the trade embargo against Cuba.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The recent Security Council resolution sends a strong signal to the military authorities that the international community will accept no less than the prompt return of the legitimately elected President, the restoration of the constitutional authority of the Government of Haiti, the reform of the army and the police force, and the building of lasting democratic institutions. Jamaica, along with several of our CARICOM partners, is playing its part in this process by participating in the multinational force and in the United Nations Mission in Haiti. Developments in Haiti have underscored the wisdom of the philosophy of the countries of the Caribbean that maintaining peace and stability, within the context of democratic institutions and practices, must be the fundamental basis for the development of our region.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Government and the people of Jamaica welcome a non-racial, democratic South Africa into the international community of nations. In our own region, the situation in Haiti has been of great concern to Jamaica and our Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners. The wanton abuse of human rights that led to the death of Haitians within Haiti and of many of those who fled in unsafe vessels simply had to stop. We welcome the most recent developments in Haiti and the reaffirmation by the international community of its commitment to the Governors Island Accord. There can be no deviation from the critical elements to which we subscribed.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who has graciously accepted the invitation of the Government of Jamaica to be at the inaugural meeting. Since I spoke to this body last year, the Republic of South Africa has resumed its seat in the General Assembly. The installation of a majority government in that country, under the leadership of President Nelson Mandela, is a historic development of which the entire international community is justifiably proud. The dismantling of apartheid was a consequence of the long and valiant struggle waged by the South African people. It was also a victory for multilateralism and an important reminder of the critical role that multilateral organizations such as the United Nations can play in resolving difficult international issues.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It must be emphasized, however, that the success of the Authority will require the cooperation of all parties concerned, in order to ensure that the goal of universality is achieved. It is important that the Authority receive the necessary resources to enable it to operate effectively, in a way consistent with principles and practices applied to institutions within the United Nations system. I wish again to pay tribute to those who have contributed to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to its ratification and to the establishment of the International Seabed Authority. We invite all States to join in the momentous first meeting of the Authority in Kingston from 16 to 18 November. We look forward to welcoming the Secretary- General of this Organization, His Excellency Mr.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“As is widely known, the Convention, which establishes a regulatory mechanism for the oceans, the seas and their resources, will enter into force on 16 November of this year. The inaugural meeting of the International Seabed Authority will be held in Kingston on that date. This will be both an end and a beginning. The event will mark the end of a process that began nearly twenty years ago and the opening of a new and historic chapter in international juridical and economic relations. The inaugural meeting will see the establishment of the International Seabed Authority. We are extremely proud that Jamaica will host this important organization, which has responsibility for regulating and exploiting the world’s vastest resource base.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We will work actively within the new organization to ensure the promotion of development through trade, placing special importance on those 11 General Assembly 22nd meeting provisions in the conclusions of the Uruguay Round which seek to ensure a regime of fairness and equity in the overall context of a programme of free trade. The international community and its institutions are dynamic. The choice is whether we actively shape the change that inevitably comes with the passing of time and with new circumstances, or whether we merely react to events. The World Trade Organization is an example of purposeful design by the international community. Yet another — a truly historic one — is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We will also meet in Beijing at the Fourth World Conference on Women to continue to put in place measures which will create an enabling environment for women. Jamaica will actively participate in these important processes. I have chosen to focus at the outset on what Jamaica sees as the development imperative and priorities of the United Nations because we are convinced that the path to development and the path to peace are one and the same. Jamaica fully supports an open, non-discriminatory trading system governed by transparent rules and with an effective mechanism for settling disputes. We therefore await the implementation of the conclusions of the Uruguay Round and the establishment of the World Trade Organization.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Two important conferences were held this year which offered opportunities for international attention and action. In Barbados, the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States adopted a programme of action which now requires the support and assistance of the United Nations system and the donor community for its speedy and effective implementation. The recently concluded International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo produced a landmark document highlighting the inextricable linkage between population, sustained economic growth and sustained development. Next year in Copenhagen, the World Summit for Social Development will endeavour to adopt a global approach to the eradication of poverty, the generation of productive employment and the enhancement of social integration.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Major developed countries should re-examine their opposition to the sound proposals for change that have been put forward repeatedly by developing countries — proposals that range from increasing international liquidity to longer adjustment periods. Over the years, the International Monetary Fund has moved from the supervision of a fixed exchange rate system to assisting developing countries through financial crises, while the World Bank has made the transition from post- war reconstruction to funding development in the third world. Now is an opportune time to reassess their respective roles, given new global dynamics and changing patterns of trade and investment. The Fund and the Bank need to quickly adapt to the current global economic system if they are to remain relevant to contemporary realities.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the two Bretton Woods institutions established under the umbrella of the United Nations. I wish to emphasize that we should continue to examine the roles and policies of these institutions. We must make the changes that five decades of experience indicate are necessary so as to improve the prospects for growth and development of developing countries — change which can be carried out without undermining the health and vitality of the international economy or the fiscal integrity of these institutions.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“These include the burden of debt; inadequate flows of official development assistance; the debilitating brain drain; the reverse transfer of resources to multilateral financial institutions; the social costs of structural adjustment and the non-transparent trade barriers and protectionist measures that remain in place in industrialized countries against the products of developing countries even as the general trend towards liberalization and trade in goods and services is accelerating. The agenda must strengthen the role of the United Nations in the area of international economic policy- making and coordination. It must seek to enhance the relationship of the United Nations with the Bretton Woods institutions.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The United Nations must now work vigorously towards the implementation of an agenda for development. A meaningful agenda for development must set priorities in programmes and resources that respond to the challenges posed by the international environment for developing countries. These priorities must address all issues to which adequate multilateral solutions have yet to be found.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“This is a matter of concern to Jamaica as we, like a large number of other developing countries, have placed high developmental priority on export-led growth and on attracting investment flows. Structural adjustment programmes have also been undertaken at great social cost. The contributions of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in areas such as institution-building, poverty alleviation, productivity enhancement, small enterprise development and financing, and the strengthening of human resources, continue to be vital elements in enhancing the productive potential of developing countries. This will, in turn, enable our countries to benefit more fully from and to participate more effectively in a liberal and increasingly organic global economy.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It has become evident that no State by itself can control the spread of environmental degradation and pollution, transnational migrations and diseases such the AIDS epidemic. Economic globalization and the accompanying liberalization of trade and financial flows, now link developed and developing economies, North and South, East and West. Global solutions and coordinated strategies must consequently form the basis of our actions. 10 General Assembly 22nd meeting Globalization brings new opportunities, but it also brings new dangers. Despite the general trend towards improved economic management, economic disparities are widening. Developing countries are being marginalized from the growth trends in the international economy.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The past year has seen human misery and dislocation of fearful proportions in Haiti, on the high seas of the Caribbean, in Rwanda, in the refugee camps of Zaire and Tanzania, in Bosnia and in Afghanistan. Their underlying causes are political, social and economic. The United Nations can and should bring to these and other situations a broadly encompassing view of the indivisibility of political, economic and social processes. The Organization and its resources and the will and vision of its Members must be mobilized to address the imperatives of social and economic development. We must seek to promote a new era of international cooperation for global human security. The global nature of this challenge is inescapable.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“My outlook was, and still is, one of optimism, an optimism rooted in the recognition that the old political and military order has passed and that history has, for the second time in less than two generations, provided us with the opportunity to embark on a process of international consensus-building. This is an exciting and daunting task, particularly for a small island State like Jamaica, whose faith and commitment to multilateralism and the United Nations remain unwavering. Our most pressing collective challenge is to make this Organization a more effective instrument for peace and development. The United Nations is being called upon to respond to a host of new challenges, including emergency humanitarian assistance, peace-keeping, peacemaking, development and post-conflict rebuilding.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“May I, on behalf of the Government and the people of Jamaica, convey warmest congratulations to Mr. Amara Essy on his election as President of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. I wish to assure him of the full support and cooperation of the Jamaican delegation in the deliberations on the many important issues before the Assembly. Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassador Insanally of Guyana on the skilful and innovative manner in which he presided over the forty- eighth session. We in the Caribbean are justifiably proud of his contributions to the Assembly’s deliberations. Last year I emphasized that the international community was at a crossroads where we were faced not only with matters of economic progress but also with an environment full of conflicts and strife.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We are gathered here because we all have pressing national concerns and we believe there remains an enduring faith in multilateralism, which carries the potential for stronger, more broadly based development over the longer term, if only all players agree to reaffirm their commitment and play fully their roles within the global framework of cooperation. There is no doubt that this will be difficult, but shared objectives, shared commitment and shared responsibilities will ensure a better world for all mankind. As we contemplate the challenges posed by the present global, economic and political environment, we must commit ourselves to a new dialogue within the United Nations system to forge a global partnership for peace, democracy and economic progress.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“A Security Council which is truly representative and functions effectively has to be a priority for all of us, because peace and security, in the military and political sense, are interwoven with our economic and social security. We in the Caribbean cannot, and have no desire to, remain aloof from this debate. We must ensure that a strengthened United Nations is placed in a position to play a dominant role in the elaboration of processes of peace and development and in their implementation based on genuine interdependence, global partnership and shared responsibility.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The surging tide of change over the past five years has seen the responsibilities of the Security Council increase, with the establishment of 17 peace-keeping operations and the Council’s further involvement in conflict resolution through the good offices of the Secretary-General and the dispatch of fact-finding missions. The time has therefore obviously come for a review of the Security Council’s composition to ensure that it is truly representative of the increased membership of the United Nations and reflects the democratic principle on which the United Nations is founded - that is, the sovereign equality of all States. The reform process in which we are now engaged within the United Nations must clearly include the Security Council, the body charged with the responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“For that reason, my delegation agrees that the reform processes now under way should aim at maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Forty-eighth session - 7 October l993 19 Organization. Further, my delegation intends to participate fully in the work of the open-ended ad hoc working group which will continue to consider the process of revitalizing the General Assembly. Other discussions related to the restructuring of the United Nations system must be transparent and informed by the principles of democracy and the rules of international law and by those principles enshrined in the Charter. My Government wishes to address the issue of the Security Council in the context of the increased membership of the United Nations, which rose to 184 this year.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We must pay a tribute, as well, to the Secretary-General and his predecessor for the initiative they took to promote a dialogue aimed at addressing issues of concern to some States in order to achieve universal participation in the Convention. The integrity of the Convention as a whole must be maintained, and our search for universality must recognize the overwhelming support for the Convention by the international community as a whole and the need to preserve its fundamental aspects. Let us therefore in our noble quest for universality concentrate on the manner of the implementation of the Convention in those areas of concern to some States. If the United Nations is to play an active and dynamic role in promoting a new global partnership, it must examine its capacity and capability.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“I expect that before the end of this forty-eighth session of the General Assembly the sixtieth ratification will be deposited with the Secretary-General, thus setting the stage for the Convention’s entry into force. There can be no question that support for the Convention continues to be overwhelming. Our ultimate goal must be to achieve universal participation in a Convention which is designed for mankind as a whole. It is therefore appropriate that all the Convention as soon as possible. As the pace of ratification intensifies, it could serve as a catalyst for deepening the process of universalizing the Convention by addressing creatively the manner in which the provisions of the Convention are to be implemented on an ongoing, contemporary basis.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We take this opportunity to call upon the Members of the Assembly to give full support to the adoption by the Conference of a plan of action for the sustainable development of small island developing States. This will be the first test of our readiness and commitment to implement the decisions taken at the Earth Summit. Equally, Jamaica fully supports the World Conference on Population and Development, to be held in Cairo in 1994; the World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Copenhagen in 1995; and the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in 1995. It gives me great pleasure to allude to the 1982 law of the sea Convention, which was signed in Montego Bay, Jamaica, 11 years ago and has now been ratified by 58 countries.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The goal of sustainable development provides a holistic framework for the United Nations and its Member States to shape a world in which care and respect for human beings is equalled only by care and respect for the planet which we inhabit. At the Earth Summit in Rio, we undertook to implement measures that would safeguard our natural habitat. Some of the decisions taken in Rio have already begun to take effect. These include the establishment of the Commission on Sustainable Development and the preparations for the convening of the first Global Conference on Sustainable Development of Small Island States. My delegation wishes to stress the importance of this Conference, which is to be held in Barbados next year.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We were consequently appreciative of the initiative taken by the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement to meet with the Chairman of the Group of 7 in Tokyo. We regard this as an encouraging beginning. The agenda for development cannot be complete if it does not include consideration of the problem of external indebtedness and formulation of specific solutions for its resolution. A review of the role and functions of the Bretton Woods institutions is therefore necessary. Similarly, the reality and inevitability of regional economic integration processes must be confronted in the agenda for development, as well as the protection of the environment, following the ground-breaking achievements of the historic United Nations Conference on Environment and Development last year in Rio de Janeiro.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“It must first establish, as its basic premise, the need for a favourable international economic environment and a non-- discriminatory trading system, the latter being dependent on a speedy, balanced and comprehensive outcome to the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations. Without these conditions, the efforts of developing countries to build self-sustaining economies - efforts often accompanied by painful adjustment strategies and difficult economic- liberalization programmes - will be frustrated. The need for a constructive North-South dialogue to be reactivated has therefore become urgent, and has certainly become one of the most pressing challenges we face in elaborating our agenda for development.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Similarly, conditionality applied to loans by international financial institutions must be designed to be more appropriate to developing economies. More specifically, adjustment must take place over an extended 18 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session period, must minimize social distress and must be growth- oriented. My delegation therefore attaches great importance to the formulation of an agenda for development. That process should proceed with the sense of urgency and vision with which the undeniably constructive "Agenda for Peace" has been promoted. Such an agenda must be forward-looking and must address fully the wide range of issues pertaining to development, taking into account the specific circumstances and needs of developing countries and groups of countries.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The consequence of this policy is that even those resources generated by developing countries themselves are not available for the pursuit of national development objectives, as they are pre-empted by debt-servicing. I should like to refer to trade liberalization and trade arrangements, especially with regard to countries undergoing structural adjustment. In my own region, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has put in place mechanisms to enhance regional trade. At the same time, however, the Community is faced with the Herculean task of avoiding or minimizing the likely short-term to medium-term adverse impacts on its members of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) when it takes effect. We have had to make vigorous efforts to ensure that the gains achieved under existing agreements are not eroded.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“And such people are to be found in every region. The processes of structural adjustment are rendered extremely difficult in the absence of sustained international support - either directly, through the sustained infusion of external resources by way of development assistance and debt relief, or indirectly, through reduced protectionism in industrialized countries. Let me give an example related to debt. Although my Government has managed to reduce the stock of external debt, debt servicing remains the most debilitating constraint on the country’s economic development. The fact that international financial institutions, to which much of Jamaica’s debt is owed, refuse to consider the rescheduling of loans continues to be a major concern of my Government.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“In short, we have undertaken a thoroughgoing process of structural adjustment, which has created a private- sector-led, market-driven economy. For countries that are undertaking economic structural adjustment the social consequences are high indeed. Tight monetary and fiscal management reduces the capacity to provide basic social services, such as health, education and housing. Yet, if human needs are not adequately met, if human resources are not developed, we destroy the very basis of sustained development: our people. Migration - national and international - is one of the clearest manifestations of social ills. If people do not find economic security in their native land, they go wherever they can find it - from rural to urban area; from one country or one continent to another. So today there are some 35 million displaced persons.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The Security Council Summit meeting on 31 January 1992 concluded with a statement in which it was said that its members recognized "that peace and prosperity are indivisible and that lasting peace and stability require effective international cooperation for the eradication of poverty and the promotion of a better life for all in larger freedom". (S/23500, p. 5) We strongly support that view. For many developing countries, including my own, market-oriented reforms have been a high priority. We have made fundamental changes in economic policy, including monetary and fiscal austerity, trade liberalization, divestment of public enterprises to the private sector, liberalization of foreign-exchange markets and general deregulation of economies.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“This new era following the cold war presents mankind with new opportunities for a more rational and equitable management of problems at the global level. I refer, in particular, to the struggle against poverty and ethnic strife, human-rights violations and environmental degradation. The end of cold-war confrontations - political as well as military and ideological - should not be replaced by economic conflict. We must grasp the opportunity for constructive action and now work towards an era of cooperation that is not distorted by ideological and political tensions.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“However, in the light of the grim evidence that dangerous elements are at work in Haiti, clearly determined to deny the Haitian people security, democracy and development, the international community cannot relax its vigilance. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is scheduled to return to Haiti on 30 October. His return will mark the beginning of a long and difficult period of reconstruction. He will need the full support and commitment of our Organization, as well as of the entire international community. There is urgency in the call for economic and technical assistance. Indeed, the Government of Jamaica has already offered, within our means, to provide Haiti with some technical assistance.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Nearer to home, in the Caribbean, the Government of Jamaica and its partners in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have placed the resolution of the Haitian crisis high among their priorities. CARICOM has been actively involved at the United Nations in the effort to bring the issue of Haiti before the Security Council, and I express my Forty-eighth session - 7 October l993 17 Government’s appreciation to the member States of the Latin American and Caribbean Group for their support in this process. We also commend the Special Envoy of the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the Organization of American States, Mr. Dante Caputo, for his untiring commitment to this issue.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Jamaica has participated in building consensus for the United Nations resolution to lift sanctions, and it intends to lift them immediately upon the adoption of the resolution. The situation in the States of the former Yugoslavia is also an agonizing chronicle of tragic strife, suffering and abuses. We continue to hope for a just settlement on the basis of Security Council resolution 859 (1993), which affirms the fundamental principles on which such a settlement should be based. Jamaica too hails the signing of the peace accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization on 13 September 1993, while fully recognizing that the progress achieved, despite its significance, is but an initial step. Indeed, there are complex matters that will face negotiators in the months and years ahead.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Unfortunately, the situation in Somalia continues to be tragic and dangerous. We hope that, through the efforts of the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) and others, there will be a speedy return of peace to this land fractured and devastated by civil strife. Jamaica regrets the continuing loss of life of members of the UNOSOM forces. Developments in South Africa are moving in a positive direction. We welcome the decision to hold, on 27 April 1994, elections open to all parties which will mark the transition of South Africa to a democratic and non-racial society, and we eagerly anticipate the establishment of the Transitional Executive Council. The call by Mr. Mandela for the removal of sanctions is a welcome one.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We therefore wish to pay tribute to the Secretary-General and his dedicated staff of professionals who have played a critical role in the search for resolution of bitter conflicts in every region - conflicts which have inflicted massive human suffering and devastation of the land. In Cambodia, elections have taken place and a new Government has been installed. That achievement in Cambodia will, we hope, mark the beginning of a new era of peace and stability in South-East Asia. On the African continent, we welcome the signing of the Cotonou Peace Agreement on 25 July, and we urge that all the parties to the conflict in Liberia remain committed to this Agreement and work with the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to bring lasting peace to that country.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“A shared economic development consensus could provide the basis for more equitable participation for the less developed countries. Whether mankind succeeds in seizing the present opportunity for peace and economic progress depends crucially on the United Nations as a mechanism for a new global dialogue based on genuine partnership between States with widely differing philosophies, policies and practices. The United Nations, with severe constraints of financial and human resources, has in the past year courageously attempted to meet these challenges, understandably with mixed results.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The present dilemma is how we can capitalize collectively on the advantage offered by economic globalization, while avoiding political fragmentation owing to the resurgence of religious and ethnic intolerance and chauvinistic nationalism. Globalization, if not complemented by a comprehensive global economic framework, could lead to wider disparities between developed and developing countries, leaving a growing portion of the world’s population mired in poverty as entire productive sectors and economic activities are marginalized from the dynamic of economic growth in the world economy. The United Nations is the only forum that can forge a global institutional consensus, a multilateral regulatory regime, and commonly subscribe to goals and understandings that will reduce the tendency to economic inequities.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Today the global community is at a crossroads in history, poised between the prospect of peaceful economic progress through globalization and technological advancement and a relapse into conflict fuelled by poverty, political tyranny and ethnic strife. This situation has emerged with the end of the cold war, which has ushered in ideological détente, and where the threat of nuclear conflict between super-Powers has receded. This is not, however, a cause for complacency, because unsupervised economic globalization coupled with an escalation of political fragmentation could ignite fierce conflict between economic blocs and social groups world wide.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to see you, a son of the Caribbean, presiding over the General Assembly at this forty-eight session with the skill, competence and wealth of experience we have come to associate with you. My delegation is confident that under your leadership this session of the General Assembly will complete its vitally important agenda. I also wish to express to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Stoyan Ganev of Bulgaria, our appreciation for the most able manner in which he presided over the forty-seventh session. 16 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session May I take this opportunity also to welcome formally to the United Nations the six countries - the Czech Republic, Eritrea, Monaco, the Slovak Republic, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Andorra - which joined the Organization this year.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)