YouSaid · the spoken record

Denzil Douglas

lines on the record: 166
first: 1997-09-24
most recent: 2012-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
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

“Throughout the community, however, there run strong seams of commonality that can and must be better utilized in order to promote peace, the constructive airing of differences and the avoidance of violent conflict. Most importantly, when all else fails, we can and must settle the most vexing international crises through the good offices of this institution, our United Nations. That is the path that would serve all our best interests. I sincerely urge that we take it.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is therefore with the utmost conviction and clearest possible resolve that Saint Kitts and Nevis calls for the immediate end to the embargo. I recall that it was in July and August of this year that the international community participated in the games of the thirtieth Olympiad. At a time of rising international tensions and intensifying antagonisms, the time has probably come for us to introduce to other areas of international and intra-State realms of interaction the keen spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that has enabled the Olympics to function so constructively and so well for so many years. The international community is, by definition, diverse.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is only fitting and just that all remaining strictures pertaining to Taiwan’s standing among the international community of nations be removed. Saint Kitts and Nevis appeals to this body to ensure that that will indeed be done. In closing, I wish to stress here how unfortunate it is that, yet again, the case has to be made for the lifting of the embargo on Cuba. The embargo is not, as some may wish to suggest, a matter of merely bilateral import. Not only have we repeatedly heard Cuba oppose the situation in this very body, but we also know that the embargo’s continued denial of certain medical treatments to the Cuban people is simply unconscionable. Cuba and its people have made considerable contributions to international medicine and higher education, and the Caribbean has been among its most sustained beneficiaries.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“My delegation calls on all States members of this great body to similarly respect that most sacred pillar of international coexistence. Throughout the 29 years of our existence as a sovereign nation, the Republic of China on Taiwan has been a highly valued partner and ally. Throughout my nation, evidence of our collaborative efforts abound in areas as diverse as agriculture, agritourism, green energy, information technology, community development and education, to name just a few. In my own nation or even my region, however, Taiwan’s unfailing and valued contributions to the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the World Health Assembly and other forums have long demonstrated its outstanding credentials as a valued and impactful member of the global community.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I make the point because, over our almost 30 years of nationhood, Saint Kitts and Nevis has studiously examined both trends here at the United Nations and developments throughout the international community as we have evaluated our place in the world. Throughout that time, we have been faithfully guided by our belief in the rule of law. We believe that in the international arena, the rule of law was created to protect the vulnerable, like ours, and to remind us of obligations to our fellow human beings. We further believe that orderly and constructive coexistence requires not only citizens, but nations as well to be bound by the rule of law. Respect for international law has therefore, for our nation, always been our guiding force.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In his book The Rule of Law, he stated: “The core of the existing principle is, I suggest, that all persons and authorities within the state, whether public or private, should be bound by and entitled to the benefit of laws publicly made, taking effect (generally) in the future and publicly administered in the courts.” Although not comprehensive, in my country’s view that represents a solid basis from which to identify the essential elements of a continually evolving concept and an essential mechanism for conflict resolution and for ensuring respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of our people. I support the call of the Secretary-General for a comprehensive approach to strengthening the rule of law at the international and domestic levels.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The mammoth challenges and difficulties that our small multi-island State faces underscore the need to pay greater attention to the issue of special and differentiated responsibilities in a rather trying era. It also underscores the need for small, responsible nations like mine to have fair and calm paths to redress in our relations with far larger and infinitely more powerful friends and allies. A few days ago in this very Assembly, the nations of the world held the High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels. While there is often debate as to the exact meaning of the rule of law, my delegation and the people we represent are happy to align ourselves with the core principle on the rule of law, as distilled by the late Mr. Thomas Bingham, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Indeed, Saint Kitts and Nevis was forced to pursue a new economic development programme involving fiscal balance and debt restructuring, with built-in social safety nets. The assistance of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Union and our many local, regional and international creditors, including the United Kingdom and the United States, as members of the Paris Club, have helped us to alleviate the severity of the social impact of the economic adjustment and to restore confidence among our investors in the economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis. But we continue to face significant challenges, especially in relation to the attainment of economic growth in the context of a very sluggish and uncertain global economy.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Particularly trying as well, and very troublingly and destabilizing for many countries throughout the region — and indeed the world at large — has been the global economic crisis that made itself manifest in 2008, the ramifications of which have been trying and testing regional economic planners to the limits ever since. In no way of our making, that global economic crisis has severely complicated the task of governance in advanced economies and more so in highly indebted middle-income nations like mine. It has introduced both new variables and additional unknowns to our economic planning models, and has, in a nutshell, thrust upon us a backdrop of global volatility that none of us could have anticipated, that none of us welcome, and that has created immense difficulties for all of our people.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“This body can be assured of our full participation in the process and in the post-Rio+20 sustainable development agenda. Permit me to point out, however, the extent to which the best-laid plans of countries like mine are repeatedly upended by decisions made in nations far beyond our shores. I mentioned earlier the impact of externally generated carbon emissions on our economic prospects. I also discussed the severe national security threat posed to our region by foreign-made small arms and weapons that have been finding their way into our nations.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Saint Kitts and Nevis therefore applauds the decision to convene the third United Nations Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in 2014. Small island developing States, by virtue of our size and geographic profile, are clearly among the world’s most vulnerable nations — hence the recognition of our need for special attention where sustainable development is concerned and the importance of everyone remembering the absolutely essential nature of special and differentiated responsibilities where small island States are concerned. I therefore urge that clear targets be established now so that we can all prepare thoroughly and well for the 2014 Conference, at which urgently needed attention will be paid to the ways in which our own vulnerabilities as small developing States might best be reduced.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The recently held United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) set the stage for a reconfiguration of the global programme on sustainable development, and signaled a new era in the sustainable development agenda of the international community. Two decades of debate and deliberation were instrumental in our being able to frame the dialogue, and envision a path for the two decades ahead of us. If we are to even approach the potential of Rio+20, it will be essential that we first face up to, and then break, the strictures of indifference and narrow self-interest that have plagued us for far too long. It is therefore incumbent upon us and future generations to view our responsibilities as parts of an ongoing continuum, with each of our efforts benefitting from and building upon the work that came before.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I must commend the Secretary-General for his visionary leadership and the Governments and financial institutions that have committed generously to ensuring that high-impact clean energy is utilized globally. My Government wishes to place on record its appreciation to the Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan and other development partners for their valuable assistance to my country in the area of renewable energy, which will positively impact our energy cost-reduction efforts as we move towards realizing a full green economy by 2015 in order to bring much-needed financial relief to our people.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“And the absence of corrective and restitutional action on the part of the industrialized nations involved is neither constructive nor understandable in this highly interdependent world. The physical, mental and financial burdens that other countries’ energy usage has inf licted on countries like mine has been enormous, plunging us deeper into debt and severely frustrating our efforts to meet our Millennium Development Goals. While a shift to renewable energy will not instantly solve the myriad problems caused by a significantly fossil fuel-based global economy, the embrace of green energy will indeed help to halt the intense downward spiral into which our fossil fuel-based economies have thrust our planet. And so we strongly urge that green energy be made an absolute priority globally.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Whatever the debate being waged internationally regarding the question of climate change, and however dramatic the rhetorical jousting within various circles on the issue, we in the Caribbean can attest to the radical climatic shifts that our region has undergone in recent decades. Moreover, it is very troubling that the largest contributors of greenhouse gases are still not taking responsibility for the increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, coastal degradation, coral reef bleaching and decimation, infrastructural damage and loss of lives that their actions have wrought. Our peoples, our maritime integrity, our soils and our infrastructure are all interrelated contributors to our overall social and economic viability.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Any discussion of global health must address the issue of HIV/AIDS, and because our ultimate objective must be the complete eradication of that dreaded disease — as opposed to the lifelong management and accommodation of same by millions of people around the globe — I appeal today for a wise, determined and discerning onslaught against the scourge at the local, national, and international levels by us all. Here and now, we must recommit ourselves to eradicating the stigmatization of and discrimination against people living or associated with HIV/AIDS. The abuses of human lives that perpetuate discrimination and stigmatization must come to an end. We in the Caribbean are committed to achieving exactly that. I wish now to address a matter that is profoundly troubling to small island States like mine.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“That is why the Caribbean Community has taken the lead on this matter in recent years, with the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. Therefore, in the light of the clear nexus between a healthy workforce and a nation’s economic potential, I urge this body today to move forward to launch a United Nations campaign to curb the global toll of NCDs as we move towards the realization of our Millennium Development Goals. At the time of last year’s High- level Meeting on NCDs, there was a commitment both to ensuring that this grave issue remains high on the development agenda and to ensuring concrete action in that regard. Hence, the type of global effort previously recommended would constitute precisely the type of concrete action to which we committed ourselves one year ago.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“While we focus on the well-being of our people, my Government has strengthened its primary health care with increased attention to reducing the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and has updated an implementable plan of action that addresses the priorities in keeping with the Political Declaration on NCDs (resolution 66/2, annex). As part of our national sensitization mechanism on health-related issues, we are institutionalizing a culture of wellness with emphasis on healthy lifestyles. Similar responses have been initiated at the regional level, as we encourage Member States to participate effectively in the multilateral institutions to voice our positions on the issue of NCDs.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Small arms and light weapons always follow illegal drugs, and we in the Caribbean are simply not equipped to deal with the externally created crime fallout. On that point, I wish to stress that before its closure, the Barbados branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime provided critical, hands-on collaboration in this high-priority area of fighting crime. With its presence now having been withdrawn, the vital support that we need simply is not there, leaving us to adjust as best we can at precisely the time when drug- and deportee-related crimes continue to be a major hemispheric challenge.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We are aware that changing cultural values are influencing the use of weapons by some in our nations, and we understand the importance of focused and effective policing and partnership on matters of security. In that regard, we urge the international community to make the production of a much-needed and long-overdue arms trade treaty an absolute priority. The interests of democratic nations everywhere cry out for the establishment of international standards and controls governing the illicit f low of conventional weapons, and I urge the establishment of a dedicated secretariat to assist States parties in that regard. I ask: How can small Caribbean nations be expected to deal single-handed with the double misfortune of being located between regions of massive drug production and regions of massive drug consumption?”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“On behalf of my Government, I would also like to express our deep appreciation to the United States of America for its highly valued support, in the form of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, offered to both my country and our Caribbean region in our fight against drugs and criminality. It also addresses the issue of the reform that is required to ensure that our youth embrace renewed alternatives to lives of unproductivity and look towards a new hope for peace and prosperity through respect for human life. That is of great importance to us. The continuing f low of foreign-made small arms into our Caribbean region, however, concerns us greatly. Originating beyond our shores, those weapons have dire consequences in terms both of human life and of the economic stability of our nations.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The Security Council must continue to ensure that it executes its mandate to enable the institutionalization of a culture of peace and security. Respect for democracy and the democratic principles espoused by the United Nations must inform the thrust of our engagement as we reject intolerance for diversity and embrace peaceful coexistence for all people. I take this opportunity to condemn the recent, senseless attack on the United States consulate in Libya, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives. It must be condemned from the highest level. Saint Kitts and Nevis is grateful to be a stable, socially cohesive nation.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“As the geographic distance that divides us shrinks into insignificance and becomes increasingly reduced by our interdependence and partnership, it is equally significant that we strive for the effective and lasting settlement of disputes. Libya and Syria, of course, are just two of the many cases that come to mind, with the myriad and multifaceted questions that they raise, not only regarding the advisability of intervention, but also with reference to such issues as the timing of any intervention, the form of any intervention and, of course, the associated humanitarian and relief-related consequences of any such intervention. The complexity of those challenges demands a sober redoubling of our efforts and underscores the fact that social upheaval and human trauma anywhere must indeed concern us all.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We are aware that the challenges associated with that task are demanding and will indeed require our focused attention, strong partnership and visionary leadership if we are to make significant strides in an era embattled by a plethora of issues that threaten the realization of our various development goals. We have no doubt that he will provide the degree of attention they so urgently deserve. I must also at this point, on behalf of my delegation, thank Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, for so ably presiding over the work of the Assembly during the past year. Our focus this year is on continuing to steadfastly promote an environment of peace and security, which are the critical requirements for sustainable development for our peoples.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“On behalf of the Government and people of Saint Kitts and Nevis, I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election to the presidency of General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. His task, we know, will be far from easy in the light of the wide range of taxing issues that will be brought before him. As he embarks on his tenure, it is our hope that under his astute leadership, the myriad issues that define the work of the Assembly will continue to find relevance for all of us. It is imperative, therefore, that the mobilization of commitments required to advance the agenda of this sixty-seventh session begin now.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Humphrey, former Vice-President of the United States of America, who felt it necessary to emphasize to individuals, like those of us in this Hall today, our responsibility to ensure that the United Nations is a force for verifiable, constructive change in the world. In reminding us and those who will come after us of what is expected of us, he said: “The heroes of the world community are not those who withdraw when difficulties ensue, not those who can envision neither the prospect of success nor the consequence of failure — but those who stand the heat of battle, the fight for world peace through the United Nations.” This we must do today and forever.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“For Saint Kitts and Nevis, multilateralism is a sine qua non and the only effective approach to lasting peace, effective security and sustainable development. We have seen the fallout from unilateral action. Many of us have paid the price for the decisions and actions made in isolation by a few. I emphasize that it is the fundamental right of all humankind to choose its own destiny. At the same time, we have a collective duty to act responsibly and to work in the interest of the common good. That is the premise of multilateralism. That is the promise of my Government, and, Mr. President, my delegation stands prepared and willing to support you in this cause. I recall that it was Hubert H.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“With the help of the international community, we can reconcile the objective need of pharmaceutical companies to receive proper compensation for their research, development and investment without prejudice to those who are in urgent need of care and without politicizing the issue. We, too, are very concerned about the challenges that non-communicable chronic diseases pose to small countries like ours and to mankind in general. In this regard, we join with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago in calling on the United Nations to convene at the earliest opportunity a special summit on non-communicable chronic disease. In conclusion, Mr. President, my Government applauds your initiative to pursue effective responses to global crises and strengthen multilateralism.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The problems posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic are a real and growing threat, not only in terms of loss of life and livelihood, but also to the extent that the disease eliminates the most productive groups in our society and demands outlays of capital that would otherwise be allocated to economic and social development. The Caribbean Community, through the Pan-Caribbean Partnership, has made gains in tackling the medical aspects of the disease. The President returned to the Chair. But we need to do much more to fight stigma and discrimination and to increase access to inexpensive antiretroviral drugs and treatment for those infected with the disease.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“And while we commend the United Nations for its continued assistance to Member States in our crime-fighting efforts, we urge that it extend its support by reopening, in the spirit of developing an effective multilateral approach, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime regional office in the Caribbean. The challenges we must meet are vast. The non-proliferation of nuclear weapons today and a world free of nuclear weapons tomorrow should be the goals of us all. Within the Pan-Caribbean Partnership, we continue to develop and expand regional responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“An attempt to define a regional response to the problem was made at a recent two-day regional 09-52586 28 symposium, held on 22 and 23 June 2009 in Saint Kitts and Nevis, on the theme “Confronting the challenges of youth crime and violence: Defining a multisectoral response”. We would like to call upon Member States to join us today in submitting a draft resolution in support of an integrated approach and multisectoral response to violence prevention, which we would wish to place on the agenda of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly. My Government strongly condemns all forms of violence, including transnational organized crime and terrorism.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It spans several areas, including public security, governance, development and public health. The human, social and financial costs of violence are unacceptably high. In addition to physical injury and death, violence has a serious and lifelong impact on mental and physical health, including non-communicable diseases and HIV/AIDS, and damages the social fabric, leading to unsafe communities. Ultimately, violence slows economic and social development in those countries that can least afford it. However, scientific evidence amassed in recent years clearly demonstrates that violence and its consequences can be successfully prevented. But, at present, an integrated approach to violence prevention is lacking.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The reality of coexisting in a global village, the prevalence and sophistication of modern technology, the enhanced communication infrastructure and the free movement of capital and people have given rise to an unprecedented escalation in crime and violence. Youth alienation, youth rage and youth brutality are troubling global phenomena in urgent need of global analysis and action. And so, this moment demands that this body, with its unique capacities and capabilities and as part of its quest for international societal stability, marshal all available resources to better identify the underlying causative factors and come to a clear agreement as to how, individually and collectively, we can halt and reverse this destabilizing trajectory. Violence is a multisectoral public-policy challenge.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The issue of security continues to be prominent on the international agenda, and the global anti-crime campaign intensifies, as concern heightens in the face of emerging threats to our citizens and to society. This development is the result of a new wave of crime and violence, especially among the youth population. In the hemisphere, there is increased focus on human security in relation to the transnational nature of the categories of crime — especially illicit trafficking in drugs and firearms — that are linked to anti-social behaviour, particularly among our youth. An emerging trend in the global analysis of crime points to a new variable: young people as victims of crime. Studies show that, in increasing numbers, the victims and perpetrators of crime are young men.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In such an approach, we are forced to appreciate the value of belonging: the need for all peoples of the world to be embraced within the fraternity of nations and to be allowed to contribute to the common good. The Republic of China on Taiwan, a constructive partner to a range of countries around the world for so long, has a great deal to contribute to specialized agencies and programmes of the United Nations, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization, given that climate change and aviation safety affect its own development, as well as the well-being of all mankind.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I also wish to urge the United Nations to strengthen the Small Island Developing States Unit with additional resources to make it more effective in addressing the concerns of Member States. I look forward to the Unit’s assistance as we work towards the five-year review of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States at the current sixty-fourth session. I urge Member States to ensure that the agreed goals of the Mauritius Strategy and the commitments made are implemented and to support initiatives proposed during the review exercise. In multilateralism, constructive partnership is an effective strategy.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“And we urge that the emitters embrace the measures needed to compensate for the risks and the losses resulting from climate change. We continue to collaborate regionally and to work towards efforts in the areas of disaster preparedness, reduction and mitigation. We recognize that high dependence on fossil fuels is untenable. Therefore, with support from the Organization of American States and private enterprise, we are exploring renewable sources of energy, including geothermal energy, in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. As the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol approaches, my Government welcomes the recent commitments by some industrialized countries to do more to address harmful emissions. I hope that that will be translated into concrete results on the environment and climate change at the Copenhagen summit later this year.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Again, though those changes began far beyond our shores, climate change has been inflicting a massive and disproportionate blow on nations such as mine, causing us now to urge, in the strongest possible terms, timely and effective action. Saint Kitts and Nevis is not interested in stale debates about blame; we are interested in action, and we want to play our own part. In the interest of advancing global stability, therefore, we urge unrelenting commitment to emission targets by industrialized nations. We urge that the major global emitters take the lead in ensuring that the resources are in place so that small island developing 27 09-52586 States can meet our adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer and capacity-building goals.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Whereas small countries such as Saint Kitts and Nevis have tiny carbon footprints with negative environmental impact, global warming and climate change, with their effects, do not discriminate. We can all agree that the incidence of catastrophic climatic events, such as hurricanes, floods and mudslides, continue to cause more destruction and claim more and more lives each year. The geography of our small islands is changing. Sea levels are rising, and the marine life on which many of our citizens depend for their livelihoods is fast diminishing. Our coastlines are being affected. Our reefs are paying a high price. The long-term implications for food production are dire indeed.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“And we intend to participate enthusiastically in the process to ensure that the recovery is comprehensive. We have common challenges and a shared responsibility to tackle them. We in the Caribbean have repeatedly called on the international community to recognize the special circumstances attending the realities of small island developing States, not as a favour to us, but as a practical way of addressing the multifaceted and complex issues that we face. For instance, on the issue of environmental protection, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has always urged a multilateral approach. The interconnectedness of our planet, then, is indeed real, and nowhere is it more so than on the issue of climate change.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is no secret that our efforts can sometimes amount to very little, because, through no fault of our own, it is a fact that when global crises occur, small vulnerable economies tend to pay a disproportionately high price. But under my leadership, Saint Kitts and Nevis will not play victim or assign blame. We prefer instead to work vigorously at the national level and to collaborate actively internationally so as to introduce measures and systems that transform our economy and improve the lives of our citizens. Going forward, we want our voices and ideas to inform whatever new architecture is developed, so as to avoid the mistakes of the past. Therefore, we will support the measures established to follow up on issues pertaining to recovery from the global financial and economic crises.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In addition, the global economic crisis, which began far beyond our shores, has nonetheless made its way to us and made it necessary for my country to develop and introduce its own stimulus package, thus forcing us to sacrifice urgently needed tax revenues in the interest of protecting employment and to find the means to shore up and advance the viability of our own private sector. Nevertheless, we are continuing to invest in our people through education and retraining programmes and by working to attract international investments in critical sectors to generate employment and other business opportunities. By doing this, we hope to prepare for the future, when the global economy eventually rebounds.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The international economic crisis has made clear the urgent need for the restructuring and repair of the global economic system. As this moves forward, I urge that the very real vulnerabilities of small States that happen to have high per capita gross domestic product be more clearly considered and reflected in multilateral policies, deliberations and procedures. We seek support for a new debt forgiveness initiative within the framework of the reform of the international financial institutions and through the materialization of a concept of middle-income highly indebted countries, in which peculiarities and vulnerabilities no longer trigger punitive actions such as premature graduation from concessionary financing.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Kitts and Nevis is confident that the President’s central role in the coming year will help us to craft a template for collective action. I would like this General Assembly to be able to see the world from the perspective of a small middle- income heavily indebted country. The country that I 09-52586 26 have the honour of leading is a small one — the smallest nation in the Western hemisphere. Despite the recent downturn, small economies like ours continue to display resilience and to make the sacrifices necessary to sustain ourselves. As far as our access to capital is concerned, our hard work and sound management have had unexpected, harsh and destabilizing implications, with unwelcome restrictions vis-à-vis debt relief and other key matters.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“To that end, my Government will support an enhanced role for political forums such as the United Nations to strengthen multilateralism. We owe this much to the citizens around the world, who still look to the United Nations for hope — rooted in the belief that through our efforts their aspirations will be realized. We live in complex times, and unexpected developments challenge our resolve daily. But we cannot and must not relent. We must double our efforts and use the convening power and political authority of this Organization and others like it to find common ground, even in the face of strident and sometimes divergent views. That is how we build that indispensable architecture so as to create a legacy worthy of future generations. And that is no small feat; it is, in fact, a monumental task. But the Government of St.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“And their complexity means that no country can act alone. The circumstances that precipitated the virtual collapse of several financial institutions were not created by small States such as St. Kitts and Nevis. Yet, as in the case of climate change, their consequences have been forced upon us and we are left to fend for ourselves. But, if we are to learn anything from the crises we face today, it should be that collective action and partnership are necessary not only in the management of conflicts but also in building effective, comprehensive and sustainable infrastructure to protect our citizens’ future. The ever-changing global landscape will require that Governments and institutions work to establish common regimes and international regulatory frameworks for some time to come.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I congratulate the President on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session and assure him of my Government’s full support; and if I may, through him thank his predecessor, His Excellency Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua for his leadership during his presidency of the sixty-third session. Our world is defined by issues of politics, the environment, trade and finance at the global level. Last year’s financial crisis, which continues to reverberate throughout the world, stands as a sobering reminder of the interconnectedness of our economies and the knowledge that multilateralism is indispensable. Whether we are speaking about global trade, monetary and fiscal policies, human rights protection, health and public security or protecting the environment, these issues have become interlinked.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is indeed an honour to address the General Assembly at its sixty- fourth session. Today, we converge in this Hall to outline how, from the perspective of our respective nations, this esteemed body might uphold the rights of all mankind, secure world peace and indeed, ensure the very survival of planet Earth. We converge here in order to arrive at some collective insight regarding the interests of the world’s various peoples as well as the interests of humankind itself. We have come here not only to be heard, but more importantly to listen and ultimately to commit ourselves, both as a body and as independent, sovereign States, to constructive, ameliorative action.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Globalization was meant to facilitate the free movement of goods and services, not to provide an opportunity for erecting artificial and unilateral barriers that punish poor and less competitive countries. Let us do the right thing about climate change. And together, one step at a time, let us do the right thing by using the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to address the fundamental development challenges facing developing countries in Africa and throughout the world. All that and far more is within the power and the capacity of a reordered United Nations and of Member States that are willing to take personal responsibility in that regard.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“And so I continue to believe in the United Nations, but beyond that, I have faith — an abiding faith — in the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis, whose confidence in themselves as a nation and whose commitment to the future have made possible the successes, positive growth and development that they have achieved, as well as the international partnerships that they have established, over the past 25 years. Therefore, I say to the States Members of the United Nations: Let us commit to doing the right things. Let us continue the important work to reform and revitalize the United Nations. Let us tackle food security by recognizing that globalization was meant to improve our lives, not to worsen them.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)