YouSaid · the spoken record

Arthur Robinson

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS ARTHUR ROBINSON

lines on the record: 53
first: 1987-09-24
most recent: 1990-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“Already I perceive a sense of renewed vigour and commitment in this Organisation, which embodies the hopes and aspirations of our community of nations. Let us work assiduously and unceasingly to increase respect for the rule of law, to advance the cause of justice and respect for the dignity of man and to improve the lot of our fellow human beings everywhere. Let this session attain new heights of human achievement. Let it match the aspirations of the millions who have so moved and inspired us by the cataclysmic changes that they have wrought in peace during the past year.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Trinidad and Tobago is the first country in the North Atlantic to have taken such definitive action. Demonstrating our concern over environmental issues, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has undertaken to host the Seventh Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Ministers Responsible for the Environment, to be held frost 15-23 of this month. It is expected that the Conference will formulate a regional action plan which will incorporate existing environmental policies, such as the Port-of-Spain Accord and the Amazon Declaration, and lead in the coming months to concrete programmes of environmental action. My Government wishes to reiterate its full support for the proposed International Conference on Environment and Development, scheduled to be held in Brazil in 1992.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Representatives will recall that the fortieth session of the General Assembly addressed the issue of large-scale pelagic fishing and its impact on the living marine resources of the world's oceans and seas. The General Assembly noted that largo-scale pelagic driftnet fishing was a highly indiscriminate and wasteful method that threatened the effective conservation of living marine resources. In Trinidad and Tobago it also threatens the livelihood of our artisan fishermen. Accordingly, in response to recent reports of vessels with large-scale driftnet fishing equipment operating off Trinidad and Tobago, the Government has imposed а ban on this type of fishing in its national waters and a prohibition of landing rights to vessels with such drift-net equipment.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Trinidad and Tobago was pleased to have become a part of the historic World Summit for Children, held a few days ago. The faithful implementation of the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the related Plan of Action will go a long way towards protecting the rights and improving the lives of our children. My government is committed to the sections outlined in these agreements, and will pursue their implementation as vigorously as we have pursued strategies related to the advancement of women and other United Nations initiatives which place people at the centre of development. Another particular concern of Trinidad and Tobago, as an island State, is the question of management and conservation of marine resources.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Attention needs to b· given to the importance of expenditures in essential areas such as health, education, housing and social welfare. Development is too often perceived in terms of economic growth, while the factors which affect the quality of life are neglected. If the real concerns of developing nations are ignored or are inadequately addressed, than the already great disparities between the North and South will increase dramatically and the gulf between the, will widen. In this regard, support for the Uruguay Bound and trade negotiations is imperative. Lot the forty-fifth session of the General Assembly set the stage for a collective response to the economic deterioration that has plunged many countries of the developing world into crisis, threatening their social cohesion, peace and security.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The impact of these factors has been exacerbated by the overwhelming debt crisis. The devastating cumulative effect of all this has been a large net transfer of resources from countries in the developing world to the developed world. I have said before, and I repeat, that no civilized community, can tolerate the continuation of such a state of affairs. The collective effort of the international community has yet to yield realistic and acceptable solutions to the immense and complicated problems created by external debt, debt servicing and this outward transfer of resources. The debt strategies which have been proposed to date have not addressed the plight of Middle-income debtor countries. Specific problems· are sometimes masked because of the general use of per capita gross national product as the measurement of economic development.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We urge that a peaceful resolution of the matter be found in a manner that restores the independence of Kuwait. Security, however, cannot be looked at merely in terms of police and judicial functions, although these are essential parts of the equation. We must also move speedily and purposefully to tackle problems that inhibit social and economic development in the world today. In many developing countries the symptoms of frustration and malaise are obvious, h punishing combination of external influences has drastically reduced real incomes and investment; annual growth rates continue to plummet; per capita gross national product continues to decline; non-fuel commodity prices have reached disastrously low levels; and deteriorating terms of trade militate against benefits from increased export earnings.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Where they are already in place, they must be strengthened, a court will ensure the greater effectiveness of these administrative and judicial arrangements and greater protection for security and sovereignty, particularly of small States. Essentially, it is stability and world order that are at stake. Neither a free State nor a free world can long endure without adequate safeguards for the rule of law. Trinidad and Tobago has repeatedly condemned the use of force as a means of settling disputes. We cannot accept, and we strongly condemn, such forcible annexation of a member state of this body as has occurred in Kuwait. We reaffirm our unswerving commitment to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all States in accordance with the principles of our Charter.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Some of these services already exist in relations between States; I refer to exchanges of vital intelligence, both formal and informal; arrangements for the transfer of offenders between States under treaties of extradition or by other modalities; arrangements for the reciprocal recognition of judgements and orders; for the reception of evidence; and the wide range of Co-operative and collaborative activity which the security and judicial services of friendly States already engage in routinely, both formally and informally. These mechanisms and practices are essential to our individual and collective security. Where they are absent, States must be encouraged to put them in place.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“I am confident that there is now greater understanding of the utility and practicability of an international criminal jurisdiction by Member States and that, guided by the requisite political will and vision, substantial progress will be made at this session towards its establishment. We conceive of an international criminal court not as an end in itself or in isolation/ but as part of a whole range of services required for effective law enforcement.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Indeed, I am pleased to note that in its report the International Law Commission has advised that the establishment of an international criminal court is more feasible at this time and has recommended, moreover, that international traffic in drugs should be considered a crime against humanity. Even more recently, the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held at Havana, passed by consensus a resolution encouraging the International Law Commission to continue its work in relation to the codification of international criminal law and the establishment of an international criminal court. In the resolution passed by the Congress special provision was made for the protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of States.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“In June this year, a meeting of the Committee of Experts on an International Criminal Jurisdiction, held at Siracusa, Italy, building on the foundations laid down by scholarship and expertise over the years, fully supported and elaborated a comprehensive draft statute on such a court. We are aware that the proposal for the establishment of an international criminal court has raised fundamental questions. Some of these relate to jurisdiction and sovereignty. There is no gainsaying that these issues are extremely important. They do not, however, present intractable problems and can be satisfactorily addressed in the interests of progress and our- collective security.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“In response to the menace of international criminal activity, my delegation introduced at the forty-fourth session of the General Assembly a new item which sought to establish an international criminal court. The General Assembly mandated the International Law Commission to examine that proposal and to submit a report at this session for its consideration. We are convinced that an international criminal court will enhance and strengthen the capacity of the international community to deal with international crime. I have myself discussed this proposal at various International and regional bodies, including meetings with my fellow Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The most pernicious manifestations of international criminal activity, including the illicit traffic in drugs and terrorism, continue even as we enter this United Nations Decade of International Law. Governments of large and small States are becoming increasingly aware that international criminal activity is not only lucrative, efficient and resilient, but is also resistant to control measures. More disturbingly, these forms of crime do not respect national frontiers or jurisdictions. It is a cruel irony that as our planet becomes smaller through advances in science and technology, especially in the field of communications, open societies have become more vulnerable to those who deal in terror, degradation and death.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“As freedom enlarges and expands and more democratic systems are established, notably in Eastern Europe, but elsewhere as well, new issues of security are certain to arise. We need to address this question of security on two fronts, it is essential that there be the fullest possible collaboration among States at regional and international levels in the investigation, prosecution and elimination of serious crimes. Events such as I have described as occurring in Trinidad and Tobago are usually linked to criminal activities in other States. The spread of democracy and open societies adds a new urgency to collaborative measures which must be taken by the international community to contain these criminal acts.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“President, like our highly respected Secretary-General and all representatives in this Hall, would agree that it speaks volumes for the people of our country that we were able to overcome this peril without any external intervention. May I express, on behalf of my country, my gratitude to our CARICOM colleagues, Venezuela, other hemispheric countries and countries beyond the hemisphere which responded in the crisis to our need for food, medical and other essential supplies, and may I also express our deep gratitude for the numerous expressions of moral support that we received from all parts of the world. Trials of the offenders are now taking place, but the situation still poses a challenge to our security and legal systems.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“A new breed of fanatics claiming divine inspiration, but acting rather under satanic impulse, blew up our police headquarters, shot their way into our Parliament, held the Prime Minister, ministers, parliamentarians and other citizens at gunpoint, bound them hand and foot, inflicted torture, shot the Prime Minister in his leg, caused several fatalities and held all under threat of death. This small, but rash and reckless band of adventurers seized the only television station, committed and instigated sundry other acts of damage and disorder while its leader proclaimed a new government without a single intelligent clue as to what was to what done thereafter. I am sure that you, Mr.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Trinidad and Tobago continues to play its part in the effort to bring about democratic changes in Haiti. In this regard we have joined with our fellow colleagues in the Caribbean Community (CAKICOM), with the Organisation of American States (OAS) and with other Members of the United Nations itself in ongoing efforts to achieve this objective. It is ironic that while Trinidad and Tobago, a free, open and democratic society, has been assisting in establishing the democratic process in other States, our owe democracy was recently imperilled in a most extraordinary manner.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“The successful conduct of internationally monitored free and fair elections in Nicaragua, in which my own country played a part under the aegis of the Organisation of American States, bodes well for the entire region; and Trinidad and Tobago hopes that both Government and Opposition in Nicaragua will seek to establish an environment which will encourage sustained peace and development. We are truly saddened by the recent turn of events in Haiti, although the latest information seems to give some cause for optimism. Growing tensions and instability have resulted in the postponement of the registration process and possibly of the elections. We remain hopeful, however, that the schedule for the inauguration of the elected President of the Republic on 7 February 1991 will be honoured.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“In this context we urge those States with influence in Pretoria to intensify their efforts to persuade that regime to quicken the process of fundamental change. We welcome wholeheartedly the role of the United Nations in the assistance provided to Namibia in the conduct of free and fair elections. In this process Trinidad and Tobago fait honoured to play a part. We strongly support the proposal of the President of the United States of America for a permanent capability in the United Nations to render this kind of assistance to countries that seek it.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Continued violence would place in jeopardy the recent political gains made by the majority; it would derail the nascent negotiating process; it would provide a pretext for these forces opposed to a change of the status quo in that troubled country. Trinidad and Tobago wishes to reiterate, and cannot overemphasise, that in the interest of all of us this opportunity to move South Africa away from apartheid must not be squandered. The principal actors and the stage are in South Africa, but the effects of failure would be global. While encouraging the process of reconciliation and negotiation in South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago remains mindful of the need for the international community to maintain existing sanctions until meaningful and permanent change has taken place.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“With his release from prison, the long dark night of apartheid began to give way to a glimmer of hope for the new dawn. The regime in Pretoria, it would appear, has at last recognised that the system of apartheid can no longer be sustained. State President De Klerk has indicated by his latest pronouncements that Pretoria may now finally be prepared to break with the past. It is, however, critical that the South African regime accelerate the process of change, and move rapidly from "talks about talks" to genuinely constructive dialogue with the leadership of the black majority on the key issues which would lead to the formation of a non-racial and democratic society. The disturbing issues of violence in the townships, particularly in Natal and the Transvaal, needs to be addressed urgently by both Pretoria and the black leadership.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Similarly, we are heartened by the fact that representatives of the Korean people have finally set aside mutual distrust and hostility and have taken the first, tentative steps on the road to reconciliation. Earlier this year the Assembly welcomed to its ranks an independent and sovereign Namibia after decades of struggle against oppression. In so doing the international community fulfilled a mandate dating back to the earliest years of the United Nations. With the independence of Namibia the final chapter in the history o£ colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa has nearly come to an end - a fact which must strengthen the resolve to excise for all time the cancer of apartheid. The epic struggle, heroic sacrifice and iron determination of one man. Nelson Mandela, have not gone unnoticed by the world Organisation.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“Yet it should be noted that the end of the post-Second-World-War dispensation in Europe - an end symbolised so dramatically just two days ago by millions in a reunited Berlin - was brought about not by force of arms but by economic development, technological progress and the democratic aspirations of peoples. Herein, I suggest, lies a lesson for the entire international community as we search for new underpinnings for stability and security and for the establishment of a new international order. Although the dramatic improvement in East-West relations and the radical changes in Eastern Europe have captured our attention, profound transformations have also taken place in other parts of the globe. It is in this context that we feel encouraged by the decision of the parties to the Cambodian dispute to sit around the negotiating table.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We applaud those far-reaching changes, which have altered profoundly/, and I trust irreversibly, once familiar features of the international landscape. The international community now enters confidently into the post-cold-war era. It is a time vibrant with hope and promise. It is also a time of continuing challenges and perils, as we have seen dramatically demonstrated in the current situation In the Middle East. The end of the cold war has not brought an end to attitudes, assumptions and reflexes of bygone eras. Even as arms reduction takes place in the main theatre of past East-West confrontation, arms races are intensifying in other regions, leading to the increasing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, λ false and elusive security continues to be sought in military hardware.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“We extend a hearty welcome to our new Member, Liechtenstein, The unexpected, unprecedented and profound changes which have occurred in the world over the past year make the beginning of the 19S08 one of the most exciting times in modern history. The most rigid political and economic systems have, overnight as it were, been radically transformed. Iron-cast barriers have been broken down. We have witnessed the passionate determination and irrepressible will of millions of people in concerted action for freedom. Super-Power competition and rivalry are being replaced by co-operation. Disengagement from authoritarian rule gathers pace globally. Finally, the prospects appear more favourable than ever for the United Nations to play the role envisaged for it in 1945 by the founding fathers.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“May I on behalf of my government add our warmest congratulations to you, Sir, on your unanimous election as President of this session of the General Assembly. The session takes place at another crucial juncture in human history. It is a Moment which requires strong commitment and enlightened guidance. Fortunately, these have been the hallmarks of the diplomacy of your remarkable country over the years. For that reason we are convinced that your presidency will contribute significantly to a harmonious and successful session. My delegation also pays a tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Joseph Garba of Nigeria, for his exemplary leadership throughout the forty-fourth session.”
1990-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 45 (1990)
“If the measure of a State's ability to make a significant contribution towards this end is the extent of its coercive power, then we in the Caribbean are indeed irrelevant to the deliberations of the Assembly. But we do not hold that power can be so narrowly defined or that international affairs can be conducted on the basis that might is right. It is the cause of man, the cause of human dignity, for which we plead. It is for this reason that we remain committed to the community of the United Nations; because it is here that the weak, the poor, the oppressed, the hungry millions who form the majority of the peoples of this earth, can find a voice and receive a hearing among the leaders of the world. And I am confident that their voices will be heard.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“It is incumbent upon us, as developing countries, to take bold and decisive steps to improve our performance and economic structures, and to make them more efficient and responsive to the goals and aspirations of our peoples. Several of our countries are doing exactly that. Collectively, the countries of the South must awaken to our vast potential and diverse strengths. These must not be squandered but harnessed in our striving for development. Joint action by the international community, however, is the inescapable imperative for our continued existence on this planet. We the Members of this body are committed by our Charter to work towards a world in which nations coexist in peace based on respect for law and justice.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We owe it to our peoples, which hopefully follow our deliberations, to search for and find new and imaginative responses to this crisis- We believe that the agreements struck at the recently concluded seventh session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will provide a basis on which we could build and advance. We emphasize that solutions to the problem must be based on the acceptance of shared responsibility between debtors and creditors. We support the several positive proposals put forward to that end at the recent joint meetings of the Bank and Fund in Washington. We of the developing world need not wring our hands in despair or be mere passive observers of international economic interaction.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Their impact on an expanding world economy can be enhanced only if they are provided with a larger capital base and allowed more flexible and innovative approaches. The debt problem has largely been met with a series of uncoordinated responses determined out of frustration and anxiety. Debtors are thus caught on a treadmill of debt-servicing and rescheduling and have in fact become net exporters of capital. The perverse situation in which developing capital-deficient countries are forced to be net suppliers of capital is neither acceptable nor sustainable.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Such decisions lack sensitivity to changing situations and to the negative effects of declining national income, particularly on vulnerable groups. Decision-making by multilateral institutions should surely take into account a wider range of economic and social factors. It has now come to be accepted that structural adjustment is an imperative for developing countries during this period. Structural adjustment must, however, be regarded as only one aspect of a meaningful, growth-oriented process. Multilateral financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which have been the main proponents of such policies, should be afforded the necessary resources for an expanded and supportive role in this process.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“My Government consequently welcomes the decision taken last year at Punta del Este to launch a new round of multilateral trade negotiations within the context of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. This decision provides the international community with an opportunity to tackle, and resolve, the problem of the many impediments in the international trading system. The need to facilitate capital flows to developing countries must also be urgently addressed. Concessional assistance has stagnated and the international commercial banking sector, stunned by the debt crisis, has moved swiftly to withdraw and to reduce its exposure in developing countries. In addition, countries like Trinidad and Tobago are denied access to resources solely on the basis of the criterion of per capita gross national product.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The new international economic order, which was conceived as a vehicle for promoting a more equitable distribution of global wealth and resources between developed and developing countries, has continued to elude us. The fundamental rules of the existing international economic system are still determined by a few wealthy nations and weighted against the economic aspirations of developing countries. Many States advocate a free and open trading system, but too often words are not matched by the necessary action to encourage access to domestic markets. We cannot overemphasize the fact that measures to facilitate trade remain a vital requirement for redressing the imbalances in the flow of resources.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Most developing countries have experienced in the 1980s sharp economic and social decline. The world economy has grown but slowly and, in the process, the benefits have accrued largely to the developed countries, with the result that the gap between developed and developing countries continues to widen. For the countries of the developing world the major constraints inhibiting growth and development have been chronically low commodity prices, difficulties in securing financing for productive investments, the imposition of trade barriers which restrict access to export markets, and the burden of servicing a tremendous external debt. These influences on the world economy must be addressed if we are to avoid in the 1990s the hardship and wasted opportunities of the 1900s.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Reduced spending on arms by the industrialized nations can result in the release of enormous financial resources for development. We of the developing world ourselves, however, also have a responsibility in this process to reduce spending on armaments. Too many of our developing nations expend inordinate amounts of scarce financial resources on increasingly sophisticated weapons. These acquisitions very often tend to disturb regional balances and to aggravate tensions, leading to the perceived need for more and more weapons and to the negation of efforts to attain the desired goals- Every effort must be made to break this vicious circle. Its cost in human, material and financial resources is unacceptable- I turn now to the global economic and financial situation.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“It is a development of the first importance and engenders optimism for the future. The leaders of both countries merit our warmest congratulations on this historic step. It is becoming increasingly apparent that threats to security are not only military in nature. My Government shares the views of those who recognize the importance of social and economic development as a stabilizing factor in the quest for security. From its inception the United Nations recognized disarmament and development as two of the fundamental issues facing the world community· The recent International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development not only reaffirmed the validity of this perception, out also underscored the profound linkages between these two most urgent challenges of our times.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“I recognize that the task will be a long and difficult one, but it is one we ignore only at the risk of continued global instability and disorder. The issue of nuclear disarmament continues to be a source of great concern to the international community. All nations, large and small, developed and developing, would be affected by the consequences of a nuclear conflagration. For this reason, we will continue to voice out deep disquiet and apprehension over the spiralling arms race and to highlight the dangers of nuclear arsenals which, in the final analysis, add to a sense of insecurity among peoples throughout the world. We welcome the recent agreement in principle entered into between the United States and the Soviet Union on the elimination of intermediate range nuclear missiles.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We trust that these efforts will be rewarded with an early peace. We are also painfully aware that problems of equal gravity remain, and I refer, in particular, to the Palestinian question, the resolution of which is fundamental to peace in the area. In this connection, we endorse the proposal for an international peace conference on the Middle East. We also urge an intensification of the search for a just and lasting peace which recognizes the rights of all States in the region to exist within secure and recognized boundaries and which guarantees a homeland for the Palestinian people. It is not only in the Middle East where problems afflict us. Throughout the world there are areas of conflict which must be satisfactorily resolved.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“It is also in the spirit of those ideals and aspirations that my Government looks forward to the early ratification of the amendment to the Charter of the Organization of American States, which would permit Belize and Guyana to take their rightful place in the family of American nations. Trinidad and Tobago is a proud member of that distinguished family. We value highly our links with the nations of Latin America and the wider Caribbean with which we share common traditions, common origins and common interests. And we shall work towards a strengthening of these bonds in the years to come. I turn now to the situation in the Middle East. Permit me to congratulate the Secretary-General on his dedicated efforts, with the full backing of the Security Council, to bring about an end to the conflict between Iran and Iraq.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The Procedure for the Establishment of a Firm and Lasting Peace in Central America, signed by the Presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua in Guatemala City on 7 August 1987, is a laudable attempt by the peoples of the region to solve their problems by a regional initiative. The Guatemala agreement is a delicate plant which will need careful and sensitive nurturing if it is to blossom as it can, into the enduring peace which the peoples of the region so deeply desire and need. The agreement responds to the historical imperatives of the region and reflects the ideals and inspiration of the great liberator, Simon Bolivar.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“It is also of the utmost importance that this Organization closely monitor the situation in the other 17 countries on the United Nations list of Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories. The United Nations must seek to protect the rights, including the right to self-determination and independence, of the peoples of these dependencies. We must assist in ensuring that no policies or practices are adopted in these colonies that may eventually lead to heightened tensions and conflict in their post-independence period. I turn now to the situation in Central America.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We invoke the support of the international community for the Namibian people in their just struggle for self-determination, freedom and genuine independence. Essential ingredients in any measures of support are, first, strict adherence to Decree No. 1 for the Protection of the Natural Resources of Namibia secondly, unswerving support for the universally accepted United Nations plan for Namibian independence contained in Security Council resolution 435 (1978); thirdly, rejection of and dissociation from any illegally installed administration in the Territory? and, fourthly, the extension of sanctions adopted against South Africa, which must be mandatory and comprehensive.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“My Government will continue to interdict economic, cultural, sporting and other links with South Africa. At the international level, we will continue fully to support measures aimed at ending the apartheid system, including the imposition of comprehensive mandatory sanctions under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. We strongly condemn South Africa's acts of aggression against the front-line States, and the use of the illegally occupied Territory of Namibia as a platform for the launching of attacks. The sacrifices of the front-line States in the anti-apartheid struggles of the peoples of South Africa and Namibia are deserving of the maximum political and economic assistance by the international community.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“In reality, therefore, we are a crucible where a new civilization is taking shape. Compounded of the civilizations of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, Caribbean man is forever developing new and exciting variations of cultural synthesis. Our commitment to the brotherhood of man, our historical evolution and experience as a people determine decisively our attitude to world affairs. Hence our attitude, for example, to the system of apartheid practised in South Africa. We consider that system a heinous assault on human dignity. Its continued existence is a burning reproach to all of us here today, a blot of shame on our international community. Its perpetrators must understand that their conduct is repugnant and totally unacceptable to civilized humanity. There must be no accommodation with apartheid in South Africa.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We have created the only new musical instrument of the twentieth century out of an industrial artefact, the steel oil drum. We have married it to our indigenous rhythms, the rhythms of carnival and calypso, and made it into a versatile instrument capable of rendering the most intricate musical compositions. Out of many transplanted peoples brought together to service the capitalist and plantation systems, a human phenomenon has evolved - a coexistence and intermingling of peoples of varied ethnicity, religion and culture with growing appreciation of the values of each other's culture and philosophy, and with increasing awareness of a shared identity of ideals. The peoples of the Caribbean form a virtual Diaspora of their own, and their culture has always exerted and continues to exert a subtle influence far beyond its boundaries.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The Caribbean region has often been simplistically regarded as a historical backwater, a mere tourist destination whose main offerings are sea, sun and sand, yet the reality is that geographically, historically and culturally the region constitutes a link between North and South and East and West and has played - and continues to play - a part in world affairs out of all proportion to its size and population. We take pride in our intellectuals and artists who have become world figures - Marcus Garvey, C. L. R. James, George Padmore, Eric Williams, V. S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott, George Lamming, Arthur Lewis, to name but a few. Our sportsmen, particularly in the field of cricket, have written their names in international halls of fame.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We in the Caribbean are the product of the cataclysmic historical forces that fashioned European, African and Asian civilizations. We are the triumphant survivors of the dehumanising horrors of slavery. We have been influenced and inspired by the great revolutions and liberation movements of Europe, America and the third world, whose themes have been the inalienable rights and the quintessential dignity of man. In the Caribbean we cherish passionately the concept of the dignity of the human being. If we oppose war, racism and the iniquitous system of apartheid, as well as terrorism and totalitarianism, if we struggle to eradicate poverty, famine and disease, it is because we consider them to be an offence to human dignity. The struggle against these forms of oppression is deeply rooted in our history.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Apart from our institutional arrangements, we are in the process of building a network of relationships and contacts among each other at the level of private enterprise organizations, labour bodies and professional groups and associations, as well as intensifying our cultural and sporting contacts. The Government which I have the honour to lead is deeply committed to the ideal of regional unity. We have cultivated a closer relationship with other CARICOM leaders and have consciously adopted a CARICOM perspective in our dealings with the wider world. We applaud the move towards a political union within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean states, a sub grouping within CARICOM. It is by such incremental steps that we will move towards the realization of our inevitable Caribbean destiny.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We contend with the psychology of dependence, sometimes reinforced by political oligarchies whose narrow interests are served by the time-worn strategy of divide-and-rule. We have come, through long and difficult years, to the hard-won understanding that co-operation among States enhances independence and does not detract from it. We have therefore been forging closer economic ties and have progressed from а free trade association to a common market, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), serviced by a secretariat and a number of regional institutions.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)