YouSaid · the spoken record

Alva Romanus Baptiste

lines on the record: 67
first: 2013-09-24
most recent: 2015-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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“In the 31 years between 1914 and 1945, the world experienced two world wars, but in the 70 years since the end of the Second World War the United Nations has kept the world away from widespread war. Let us work, hope and pray that we remain true to our peaceful character and that, even in the midst of provocation, we seek to keep the world safe, projecting an orientation of enforcing peaceful relations and shedding no innocent blood. Therefore, from Saint Lucia to the President I convey once again our warmest congratulations as he guides our proceedings over the next year.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Let us continue to gather the light.” There will continue to be challenges and difficult issues that test the resolve of members, as well as those cited by many academics that are important to our international relations — for example, the resolution of national identity and self-determination issues; the increasing importance of non-State actors; great Power involvement in the third world; the role of religion in international politics; global militarization; and the perceived impotence of international law and international organizations such as the United Nations in dealing with very complicated forms of violent and non-violent conflict resolution. But we must continue to advance the principles of reasoned discussion, dialogue and discourse, and the unswerving pursuit of peace.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The Government of Saint Lucia, which has official relations with the Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan, notes the continuing interchange between that State and the People’s Republic of China, which is defined in particular by the economic relations in which they are mutually involved. We believe that as we retain the status quo of accrediting recognition to Taiwan, it is not for us but for themselves to indicate the appropriate template in the relations between the two countries. As I prepare to bring my presentation to its logical conclusion, I want to return to a reflective mode on the 70 years of the United Nations. There have been problems, of course, but there have also been successes. In the words of the late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy “Let us not curse the remaining dark.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We are firmly of the view that countries in our hemisphere committed to this perspective now have an opportunity, on the basis of the initiative taken by Pope Francis and by the President of the United States of America, to promote the path of peaceful resolution of disputes in full awareness of the fact that national or regional conflicts are inhibitors to persistent economic growth and therefore social stability. The normalization of relations within our hemisphere is also an indication that old conflicts and disputes kept frigid by the era of the Cold War, are giving way to new avenues of cooperation and collaboration among countries. In addition, the post-world-war period has begun to give way to new arrangements or efforts at reconciliation that permit peaceful relations in various parts of the world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The Government of Saint Lucia believes that this initiative opens the way to a full-scale reconciliation of hemispheric relations. It removes unnecessary impediments to our efforts at regional and hemispheric cooperation. It consolidates the channels that are necessary for pursuing viable paths of regional economic integration, and it allows small countries like Saint Lucia to utilize the scale of the regional platform to initiate plans and processes that can be mutually beneficial in the Caribbean region and in the hemisphere as a whole. Furthermore, it is another indication of the removal of situations and stratagems that serve only to create sources of insecurity.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Saint Lucia maintains its position that expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the Security Council is imperative to better reflect the contemporary world realities and achieve a more accountable, representative, transparent — and more important— relevant Security Council. We applaud what we have achieved during the past year by moving the process now to text-based 28/29 15-29822 02/10/2015 A/70/PV.26 negotiations, and look forward to the realization of that process. In Saint Lucia, and in the other members of the Western Hemisphere, there is a general sense of relief and welcome at the diplomatic reconciliation that has been taking place between the United States and the Republic of Cuba.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“So there is substantial concern that small States with limited material or diplomatic outreach do not have access to arrangements that allow them to speedily draw support from outside to inhibit or minimize environmental insecurity. The major countries of the globe, and indeed the members of the Security Council, would no doubt be sensitive to the issues of insecurity. But what small countries have always known, and larger Powers are now beginning to recognize, is that harmful events in particular sections of the globe have the potential to affect and draw in all of us as members of today’s integrated global system.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The quartet of global agreements forged towards that end — on disaster risk reduction, financing for development, the post- 2015 development agenda and the new climate change agreement yet to be finalized — are intended to usher in a new era of sustainable development for all. The adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals suggests that we have progressed our understanding of the profound challenges that face developing countries. However, the economic, social and environmental security of small island developing States like my own rests in the effective implementation of these agreements. Small countries like Saint Lucia can hardly withstand externally induced insecurity. We require for our development a context of regional and international harmony, which is dependent on linkages far from our immediate environments.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“This is further compounded by the increased security costs of responding to the negative impacts of the illicit trade in small arms and illegal narcotics, as well as reconstruction costs following natural disasters. The new global partnership for sustainable economic and social development provides a platform from which to tackle human security in all its facets. We firmly support the international community consistently working to minimize the causes of global and regional insecurity. In that vein, 2015 provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set a transformational global agenda for sustainable development.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“As I speak now, Joaquin continues its decimating march across the economic and environmental fabric of the Bahamas. These two most recent examples, only weeks apart, are vivid testimony to the ferocity of the threats that confront us. In addition, small States like my own find ourselves today trapped in a situation where the erosion of trade preferences and a decline in official development assistance and foreign direct investment have caused us to engage in increased borrowing to meet our current social and economic obligations resulting in high debt to GDP ratios. That has narrowed the room for fiscal policy flexibility and fiscal manoeuvring.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“How is our war on poverty supposed to succeed and be sustained if at every turn it is systematically undermined by the regressive imposition of policies by the international community, whether in the form of illogical economic graduation, insensitive erosion of trade preferences or inexplicable black listing of our financial jurisdictions? This geographic and economic insecurity has become the central source of domestic instability. To increase the specific gravity of our economic problems, from an environmental standpoint small States like Saint Lucia face growing insecurity as climate change unleashes increasingly deadly and destructive disasters upon us. We are now all aware of the recent devastation of Dominica by Tropical Storm Erika, which caused damage amounting to almost 100 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP).”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We have often experienced that through the volatile prices of oil and petroleum products. It has also been spurred by political turmoil and financial disturbances in far off regions but which often have a substantial impact upon our own plans for development and economic progress. The theatre of war is also present in our region. From an economic perspective, small States like Saint Lucia are literally terrorized by the constant attacks of the rich and powerful on any economic advances by the poor and powerless, which place our future in persistent peril. How can we be expected to be stable and secure if our vulnerabilities as small island developing States are constantly ignored and overlooked?”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Clearly, a powerful byproduct of conflict and war is the displacement of people — physically, socially and economically. Nonetheless, Saint Lucia and other small States expect that present events will reinforce the notion that we now live in one world where your troubles are mine and my troubles are yours, and that there will be a greater concern to have problems resolved through genuine diplomatic engagement rather than through the force of power. Countries like my own are acutely aware that the problems of others far away throughout the world can 15-29822 27/29 A/70/PV.26 02/10/2015 easily wash on to our shores. We are very mindful, therefore, that even when we do not feel directly impacted there is the very real possibility that the consequences may spill over into our region.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“This approach will not only lead to a general lessening of tension but may set the stage for the West and the Middle East to work out a rational and convincing strategy to tackle the root causes of conflict in that area, thereby re-establishing peace and tranquillity in that part of the world. In that connection, Saint Lucia appeals for a similar approach to the continuing Israeli/Palestinian conflict, one that will result in the resolution of that longstanding issue. In our seventieth year, we must assert the supremacy of international law and diplomacy. Resolution 181, of 29 November 1947, calls for the establishment of both the State of Israel and that of Palestine. My country reiterates its call for the recognition of the statehood of Palestine and its full membership of the Organization.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“In addition, Cuba’s support in combating various medical epidemics throughout the world, including the recent Ebola crisis in Africa, has been exemplary and legendary. Therefore Europe, despite the magnitude of the challenge, as a group of powerful countries can respond effectively within the framework of its integrated whole and be comforted and inspired by the example of Cuba. As a global community our interests cannot be served in the morbid scenario of conflict and war. It is in that context that Saint Lucia extends commendation to both the United States Administration and the Government of Iran for working out a diplomatic solution that will manage the nuclear threat in the region for the next 15 years. That is certainly in keeping with the peacebuilding mission of the United Nations.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“And even as we see the inevitability of Europe’s responsibility to bear the brunt of this tragedy, we recognize the long history of the interplay between Europe and the Middle East. As we see and hear some in Europe express concern about the magnitude of the challenge, we want to encourage and assure them that the right thing can and must be done. Smaller and poorer nations have demonstrated a humanity and generosity that has made a big difference whenever and wherever they assisted. In the Caribbean we offer the example of Cuba, which despite being saddled with a United States economic embargo for more than 50 years has been able to provide scholarships to train thousands of professionals from the Caribbean and Latin America every year.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Suddenly, the leaders and peoples of the European countries to which those migrants on the move have sought refuge find themselves gripped by surprise and concern as they search to find the correct reaction to this humanitarian crisis. We can well understand the dilemma faced by receiving countries, which have to balance their particular national interests against their wider global responsibility. They know that the more new immigrants they accept, the more they will have to accept as others desperate to escape those situations of suffering and trauma flock to friendlier fraternal nations. We note that this huge migration flow is towards Europe, some of whose countries border or face the Middle East zone. Although we are geographically far away from the crisis, the human suffering burns our collective Caribbean heart.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“As we engage in this process of introspection and reflection, we must seize the opportunity for rededication and regeneration for the United Nations to continue addressing the increasingly complex issues of human survival. The President has assumed office at a time of tremendous trial for many people throughout the world. Today many of our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters in Iraq, Libya, Syria and elsewhere find their lives transformed by graphic experiences of disturbance, personal trauma and, in some instances, much physical and mental pain. That is a human tragedy of unthinkable proportions, and the people of Saint Lucia and other small countries look on in near disbelief at the huge exodus of people from those previously prosperous countries.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“For 70 years we have been coming to the General Assembly to deliver statements of glorious intention, only to be disappointed by inaction or adverse decisions. After 70 years the time has come to confront our collective conscience and reconcile our words with our actions. As we subject ourselves and the global Organization to new levels of critical examination we must answer the question: are we still on course to securing a world of peace or are we evading the urgent 26/29 15-29822 02/10/2015 A/70/PV.26 course of duty which calls upon us to act with wisdom, humility and love for humankind? We must also focus on what we have achieved and the work that we need to do, now and in the future.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“As I address this historic seventieth session of the General Assembly, I join in the chorus of congratulations to the President on assuming the high honour and Office of President of the General Assembly. Please permit me to take this opportunity to wish him a successful tenure, which I am sure will be guaranteed by his experience as Speaker of the Parliament of Denmark. It has been 70 years since this great vessel of peace took flight following the atomic destruction of the Second World War. At that time, people throughout the planet were of one mind that the pursuit of peace was the supreme objective. For 70 years we have grappled with our mission in the midst of war and conflict and sometimes we have even questioned our effectiveness.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We must look to our past to understand our present, and we must plan our future by analysing our present and applying the lessons of our past. It is in that connection that I feel compelled to conclude by inviting careful consideration of the words of the late United States President Woodrow Wilson, who asserted America’s historical leadership and commitment to international democracy and freedom in these words: “We shall fight ... for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations”.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Without that, the Samoa Conference could be construed, in the words of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., “as a meaningless drama on the stage of history ... shrouded with the ugly garments of shame”. Eighth, Saint Lucia stands for freedom, democracy, non-discrimination, sustainable development, poverty eradication and special and differential treatment for SIDS, all of which are important ingredients of our most precious pursuits and aspirations: peace and prosperity for our people, the recovery and resilience of our Caribbean region and stability and security in our world. Finally, it is fitting and opportune that as we ponder the possibilities of “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda”, we deliberate carefully on the opportunities and alternatives to the current world order.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Fifth, we must take advantage of new, meaningful opportunities for cooperation and partnership, not only with traditional partners but also, setting aside long-standing geopolitical contentions, with a range of non-traditional partners, such as Taiwan. Sixth, developed countries should not pursue trade and macroeconomic approaches that are detrimental to the well-being of small island developing States. Seventh, we must determine a clear and effective strategy by which SIDS can translate the outcomes of the Samoa Conference into concrete results — results that build on existing international commitments and include the means of implementation to support the national and regional development efforts of SIDS.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Second, the rapidly changing nature of international relations mandates the need to subject the United Nations system to new levels of critical examination, with the central objective of strengthening the internal machinery of our Organization and reforming it to truly reflect today’s geopolitical reality. Third, we must as an international community do all within our power to ensure that the Cold War does not resume even though the post-Cold War dividends have not yet materialized for much of humankind. Now is an excellent time to divest ourselves of any residual effects of the Cold War, such as the blockade imposed on our sister island of Cuba and to remove Cuba from the so-called terrorist watch list. Fourth, we make a plea for reparations as a matter of principle.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Over the past decade, many SIDS have lost considerable momentum in their development progress by having to contend with post- disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction costs, which invariably have brought increased debt. The Caribbean has been a particular victim of those events since I spoke here last year, and we hope that following the recent Samoa Conference, a certain urgency will be attached to the matter. Saint Lucia would like to reiterate a few points. First, we emphasize the persistent use of diplomacy as a prime instrument for the pursuit of normalized relations among all States.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That is critical, considering the fact that along with the specific problems that have been identified as continuing to inhibit sustainable development, the instability of the present international economic system only serves to aggravate the precarious position of small States. In that connection, we stress, as we did when addressing the Assembly last year, the importance of assistance arrangements, including further development of the Adaptation Fund so that our countries can cope with the negative effects of sea level rise. In view of Saint Lucia’s urgent requirements, we also emphasize assistance for the construction of facilities that can protect our countries against untimely natural disasters due to climate change. Losses from disasters in SIDS continue unabated and continue to outstrip our capacity to cope.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The Commonwealth Secretariat has also shown that, while the compound annual growth rate of per capita income of SIDS between 1970 and 2000 was 0.73 per cent, that of the world economy was almost three times higher, at 2.07 per cent; and that, in the period between 2002 and 2012, SIDS had one of the lowest compound annual growth rates, at 1.23 per cent, as compared to 4.96 per cent for developing countries, 4 per cent for least developed countries and 3.23 per cent for sub-Saharan Africa. The Saint Lucia Government wants the recommendations of the Samoa Conference to be given the international attention that they deserve.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“As the Commonwealth Secretariat recently pointed out, research has shown that countries most exposed to preference loss are mainly SIDS, such as Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. From our regional point of view, the Caribbean Community’s continental States of Belize and Guyana are included in that list.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In that regard, we make a case for reparations as a matter of principle. Secondly, Saint Lucia has welcomed the deliberations of the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in Samoa earlier this month, and the efforts made in that regard by the United Nations. The recent Samoa Pathway conclusions have re-emphasized the persistent and peculiar problems inhibiting the development of small island developing States (SIDS). In the words of the recent SIDS declaration, there is an insistence that “small island developing States remain a special case for sustainable development”, without which “success will remain difficult”.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Specifically, at their meeting in July 2014, the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community decided that a case for reparations should be elaborated beyond the relationship between ourselves and the relevant European Governments and that Caribbean States should, in seeking support for that objective, “advance the reparations case during the sitting of the United Nations General Assembly in 2014”. I carry out that mandate now on behalf of the Government and the people of Saint Lucia, who, in concordance with the peoples of other CARICOM member States, seek the award of reparations as a specific way in which those who in centuries past held the reins of power without accountability can now in recompense make a specific contribution to the nation-building programmes of our Governments beyond existing commitments.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“First, speaking of Africa and the Caribbean region in that context, I come to a matter of great historical and contemporary concern to the people of Saint Lucia and the Caribbean Community as a whole, which I adumbrated in my address to this body last year. It is the issue of the need for the metropolitan Powers to come to terms with the manner in which the Caribbean States were historically created and organized and the consequences of that for their standing and situation in today’s world.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I shall now turn to the theme of this year’s General Assembly, “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda”, to navigate two issues of paramount importance to Saint Lucia as a small island developing State. At this juncture, I must congratulate the President of the Assembly and his country, Uganda, on this theme, which is charged with invaluable significance for my region and for Africa, as we are challenged in building an impregnable substratum of economic and technological self-determination to successfully deal with the development challenges of our times.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“My country again makes a plea for fuller participation by Taiwan, particularly in the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. Taiwan has the experience of engaging in a technological revolution that has enhanced its economic development and the welfare of its people, and in many respects that State has become a viable economic development model for small States. Hence we believe that the Government and people of Taiwan have much to offer developing countries, and so we would support any institutional initiative that would allow that country to make a contribution through those mechanisms of the United Nations that are devoted to solutions to issues of technological, economic and social development.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Once again, I draw the attention of this body to Saint Lucia’s firm and consistent belief that the historical anomalies of the Cold War still in our international system should not be allowed to inhibit the contribution of countries desirous of participating in, and enhancing, the advancement of developing countries simply because there are issues surrounding their particular status. In that connection I would refer, as I did on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia last year, to the participation of Taiwan in international organizations, particularly those that focus on technical arrangements or the resolution of important issues that are of value to the international system as a whole or to its member States.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“A specific example of where that applies relates to our efforts in pursuing collective arrangements and unimpeded cooperation against the menace of the movement of narcotics through the Caribbean Sea and their decimating march across the moral, social and economic fabric of our region. The drug barons make no ideological distinctions among countries as they continue to exploit weaknesses deriving from outmoded political stances that impede effective regional cooperation. As we all know, those pursuing the sale of narcotics make special efforts to attract the youth of our countries, compromising the essential resource base for our future economic development and social stability.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In that context of the emergence of new balances of economic and political power and new flexibilities in the use of diplomacy, including within our hemisphere, Saint Lucia once again reiterates its plea for the removal of the blockade imposed against the Republic of Cuba. More specifically, my Government calls for the removal of Cuba from the so-called terrorist watch-list. That is a residual effect of the Cold War, which is over. Given the scourge of the traffic in narcotics in particular, we call for further cooperation among all countries in the hemisphere and a setting aside of the old Cold War postures as necessary conditions for balanced development and peace.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Specifically, we would mention the establishment of the New Development Bank, which further facilitates the efforts of developing countries for economic reconstruction. The establishment of the World Trade Organization and the single-minded immediacy with which it has pursued international trade liberalization have threatened the very foundations of our economies, particularly in agriculture, which has suffered sudden and certain destruction. From our perspective, therefore, another dimension has been added to the efforts of small States such as Saint Lucia to navigate the consequences of sudden international economic liberalization and globalization.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Saint Lucia reiterates its appreciation for the work of ALBA, an institution committed to assisting countries without requiring ideological commitment to this or that position but recognizing the priority of economic and social development and preferring the peaceful resolution of disputes above all other concerns. In consonance with that posture, we commend the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for its contribution to the Ebola eradication budget, and Cuba for its dispatch of 156 doctors to West Africa to assist in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus. Saint Lucia welcomes the initiative by Brazil, India, China and South Africa, along with Russia, to extend and deepen the assistance available to other developing countries, thereby widening the scope for their advancement towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Consequently, Saint Lucia is encouraged by the possibility of enhanced flexibility in decision-making being permitted to members of the international community via the emergence of large, developing States in such a manner that they are now characterized as increasingly significant actors in decision-making relating to the resolution of global issues. When I addressed the Assembly last year, I referred to the emergence of institutions such as the Union of South American Nations, which includes some members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America — Peoples’ Trade Agreement (ALBA). They have opened up opportunities for assisting our countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals, to which we are all committed.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“From our perspective, we can only express the wish that negotiations and cooperation among the larger Powers and between themselves and other Middle East countries continue, even as some members of the international community felt it necessary to resort to the use of force in the area. We reaffirm, even in the midst of great global complexity, our country’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes. While many developments in our world hold the seeds of our region’s continued marginalization, we also want to accentuate the more positive trends emerging in the international community that are leading to the creation of space in our global arena.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We are relieved to see that the contentions in the Middle East, specifically in respect of the Palestine issue, have returned to the negotiating table. That is in concert with earlier developments relating to contentions between the NATO Powers and Iran, as the various parties were able to adopt postures of mutual discussion and engagement. That has led recently to what seems to be jointly negotiated stances to the extremely complex situation in Syria and to the emergence of the so-called Islamic State, which has been spreading disorder and contention in the wider Middle East.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We believe that that can only be disadvantageous to small countries like ours, because in forums such as this we tend to find a return to demands for automatic commitment to one side or the other. As a small country, we have called for negotiations to prevail in the pursuit of the rearrangement of continental European relations, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. Despite being a small country far away from the situation in Europe, we have long had, and continue to have, an integral relationship with that continent. It is particularly on that basis that we call for diplomacy to prevail, and we have been gratified to see recent signs indicating that that is likely to be the path pursued on the European continent.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That is why we, from our small corner of the globe, venture to express the view, in this most significant of international forums, that the tensions and the tendencies towards war now emerging should be subordinated to the search for solutions in which the principles and objectives of the Organization, particularly its preference for the negotiated resolution of conflicts, are pursued as far as practicable. The escalating conflicts have negative effects on the access of small States to the attention of larger Powers, and therefore they retard the positive contribution of the international community to our own concerns. In that connection, we have observed, with a certain disquiet, tendencies in Europe that indicate a possible resumption of the Cold War on that continent.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“On the other hand, the benefits expected from the end of the Cold War, with the potential for normalizing relations on the European continent and in lands and regions far distant from Europe, now seem to be doubtful of fulfilment, as signs, tensions and pressures once associated with the Cold War are evolving, bringing about renewed concerns for the international community as a whole. When such tremors emerge, it is much harder for small States like ours to get the attention of the major Powers with regard to the evaluation and discussion of our own issues and objectives. Those can be successfully resolved only if the dominant members of the international community can relate to them, without the positions and tensions that emphasize allegiance on the part of small Powers to this or that side.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Those were compounded by concerns around geopolitical conflicts and unresolved trade issues, as well as trade and macroeconomic approaches that favoured industrialized countries to the detriment of developing nations. Given that in nature’s irreversible onward march, unresolved problems are brought forward and compounded by succeeding problems, this year the General Assembly has convened at a time of increased turmoil. Since our discussions last September, it is undoubtedly the case that dissension and conflict have increased in the Middle East — the arena that inevitably sets the price for petroleum and its associated products, which are utilized by the peoples of the global community, rich or poor.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Exactly one year ago, on 30 September 2013, I had the unsurpassed glory of delivering my maiden address to the General Assembly (see A/68/PV.21), and I used that occasion to pay homage to the great architects of world peace who fostered the birth and initial dynamics of our United Nations. In so doing, I used the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations as a ready compass to set my course as I navigated the issues that occupied the forefront of our attention at that time, under the captaincy of former President John Ashe, who successfully piloted our Organization of peace through the turbulent seas of global uncertainty. The issues that commanded the attention of the international community then included global terrorism and the tensions in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Saint Lucia’s hope is that as we navigate uncharted waters, we continually refer to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, to which I have referred, in order to ensure that our great Organization remains on course, as together, with mutual purpose and mutual aid, we make a new period in history.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying, he might say: all my life and all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world — the fight for the liberation of mankind”. It is to that aim that my country and I devote every moment of our time. As I conclude, Mr. President, I thank you and extend to you Saint Lucia’s best wishes and support for your successful tenure of office as you pursue the tasks of the coming year, some visible and some undoubtedly not yet foreseen.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“I would like to reiterate the importance for small States like Saint Lucia of deliberate and sustained efforts to resolve disputes peacefully. We support strengthening the institutional arrangements of the United Nations in order to help it better fulfil its mandate. As the Assembly is aware, CARICOM has been actively engaged in developments relating to reform of the Security Council. It is an issue that Saint Lucia’s Permanent Representative has been directly involved in, particularly the question of expanding both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council and thereby giving that body’s decision-making greater legitimacy. We look forward to further progress on the matter. For my part, I can only echo the words of the great Russian writer Nikolai Ostrovsky, who said, “Man’s dearest possession is life.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That decision mandates our Governments to collectively seek reparations, on behalf of our citizens and countries, for the period of exploitation experienced during the transatlantic slave trade. Our Governments have therefore initially agreed to the establishment of a Caribbean reparations commission that will prepare the relevant documentation and strategies for pursuing the practical achievement of that goal, with a central focus of righting the wrongs of the past and elevating the status of our people. In that regard, we will continue to conduct a process of diplomatic outreach, not only within our own hemisphere and the States of the African continent, the geographic location of our ancestors, but also within the wider United Nations family.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)