ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR. HUSSAIN SHIHAB, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE (VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE DELEGATION), TO THE FIFTY-FIFTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me at the outset to associate myself with previous speakers in congratulating you on your election to preside over this historic session of the General Assembly. It is a tribute to your distinguished political experience and the invaluable contributions made by your country, Finland, to the work of our Organisation.
Let me also extend my appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Theo Ben Gurirab, the Foreign Minister of Namibia, for the excellent manner in which he discharged his responsibilities during the 54th session.
I would also like to pay a special tribute to our Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for the inspirational leadership and the moral authority he has brought to our Organisation. His report to the Millennium Summit, "We, the peoples", will remain a powerful and luminous beacon as we strive to make the world a more just and peaceful place for future generations, and the United Nations, a more effective, efficient and responsive Organisation in the new millennium.
Mr. President,
Exactly 35 years ago, today, the Maldives was admitted to the United Nations. We were proud to take a seat in this world body, which has seen steady growth in its membership, activities and influence. Today, we are pleased to welcome to our midst, the island nation of Tuvalu. We look forward to working with Tuvalu in furthering the cause of small island nations for a more economically humane and socially just world that is environmentally sustainable in the future.
Mr. President,
Wars, hunger and famine have marred much of the 20th Century. Terrorism, drugs and the spread of HIV/Aids threaten to destroy the peace and prosperity of our future generations. Economic inequality and social injustice have tended to increase, despite many laudable efforts to the contrary. As technological advances bring untold riches and opportunities to many, many more continue to live in deprivation, their lives becoming increasingly marginalised in a fast changing world.
Only a few days back, the new Millennium Summit brought together the largest ever gathering of world leaders in human history. It was not only a historic occasion but also one that rekindled the hopes and aspirations of the world's peoples. The Millennium Declaration adopted at the Summit charts out a future vision for the world in which "the peoples" has rightfully been given pride of place in our efforts to reshape the future of humanity. As my President, His Excellency President Gayoom, stated at the Millennium Summit, "the gap between expectation and result must be eliminated" in the new millennium.
Mr. President,
The leaders of the world have recognised the dangers posed to the future of humanity. They have pledged themselves for a better world - a world that is more just, a world in which every human being can live in dignity, a world that rejoices in its diversity of races, religions and culture. They have pledged to strengthen the United Nations so that it may have the resources and capability to deliver the dreams of 'we, the peoples' of the world. It now remains for us to translate these words into deeds, rhetoric to reality. Action must begin now.
Mr. President,
For over two decades, the Maldives has managed to make significant economic and social progress. We are indeed proud of what we have achieved, with the limited resources at our disposal. A stable political environment, a supportive international community and the creativity of our people have combined to help our economic growth. However, this does not reduce in any way the vulnerability of our economy. We continue to have a very small and narrow economic base comprising fisheries and tourism - both of which are extremely susceptible to external forces that are often beyond our control. Indeed, the precarious nature of our economy is readily evidenced whenever the price of tuna plunges in the international market. Similarly, any downturn in the economy of major tourist markets or regional instability casts a long shadow on our tourist industry.
Mr. President,
We neither wish to be, nor want to be cloaked in the LDC label forever. As a small but proud nation, we, too, would like to be a self-reliant country. National pride, unfortunately, does not feed our population nor educate our children. It is for these reasons that during the Economic and Social Council meeting in July this year, the Maldives argued against its removal from the LDC list, which would undoubtedly pull the rug from underneath our feet. Indeed, our successes in national development to date have been highly dependent on the concessional finance and developmental assistance enjoyed by us as an LDC country. The withdrawal of access to such concessional assistance, at this crucial stage of our development, would seriously cripple our developmental efforts. Our economy will slide backwards, if we lose preferential access to markets. Our debt burden will become unsustainable.
Mr. President,
We take some comfort in the decision made by the Economic and Social Council to defer the consideration of the recommendation to graduate the Maldives from the list of LDCs. The structural impediments facing our developmental efforts are so formidable that the country's graduation at this stage is not justified. Our geo-physical fragmentation, combined with remoteness from major markets, accentuate our vulnerabilities. Many of our vulnerabilities are unique. The Maldives, Mr. President, is not simply an island nation, it is a nation of many islands. In fact, we have over 1100 small low-lying islands. Our population is scattered over 198 islands, each of which needs to be provided with adequate administrative as well as socio-economic infrastructure. Poor and porous soil conditions prohibit most agricultural production, while avenues for economic diversification are extremely limited. Transport and communication costs are prohibitive. That is why, Mr. President, we have appealed to the international community to take a closer look at our situation and re-examine the issue of our graduation from the LDC list. We hope the international community will understand and support our case.
Mr. President,
Since the adoption of the Barbados Programme of Action, the Small Island Developing States have been waiting for the international community to meet the pledges made at the SIDS Conference, while their socio-economic and ecological challenges have increased manifold. We, therefore, are happy that the world leaders at the Millennium Summit have once again highlighted the special needs of small island developing states, including the necessity of developing a vulnerability index that can truly capture the unique features of these states. The leaders have also resolved to implement rapidly and in full the Barbados Program of Action and the outcome of the twenty-second session of the General ssembly. These are welcome developments, which we hope will be soon translated into action by the international community.
Allow me, Mr. President, to stress the importance of the early completion of the vulnerability index called for by this Assembly. In developing this index, we believe, the international community should take into account not only those factors that are similar among the SIDS but also those that are unique to particular island states. For example, while some may be prone to cyclones and hurricanes, others may be more affected by beach erosion or coral bleaching.
Mr. President,
The Maldives has consistently voiced its concerns over the negative impact of environmental degradation on small island states. We welcomed the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. Unfortunately, the slow pace of its ratification by the international community continues to endanger many small island developing states. It is indeed regrettable that, to date, only 23 countries have ratified the Protocol. We are, however, heartened by the fact that the Millennium Declaration calls upon the international community to expedite the early ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, to ensure its entry into force by the 10th anniversary of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 2002. We call upon the United Nations to take a leading role in making the relevant resolve of our leaders at the Summit a reality. As the President of the Maldives, speaking at the Millennium Summit, declared, and I quote, " our quest for progress must be sustainable. We have no right to destroy the earth. Ecological damage must be stopped. Global warming must be curbed. All low-lying countries must be saved." end of quote.
Mr. President,
The protection and security of small states continue to be an issue of critical concern to my country. Among the 189 members that comprise the United Nations today, many are small countries which require protection from a variety of threats to their security.
The Maldives believes that within the ambit of international peace and security, which had always remained a high priority on the United Nations agenda, small states' security should continue to receive special consideration as a political and moral obligation of the international community. The interest and concern of the United Nations on this issue should not be allowed to diminish even in the future.
Mr. President,
Globalisation is today a reality. No country, large or small can swim against the tide of globalisation and the digital revolution that is reshaping the modern world. Globalisation must benefit all countries. Its costs must be shared evenly by all countries. The LDCs must be granted duty- and quota-free access to the markets of developed countries for its exports. They deserve debt relief, including debt cancellations, in return for demonstrable commitments to poverty reduction. Development assistance needs to be increased. We remain hopeful that the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries to be held next year will usher in a new era of development for the LDCs.
Mr. President,
During the course of last year, the United Nations has been able to record some important achievements. The follow up world conferences on women and on social development have reaffirmed the goals of creating a more just and tolerant society. Modest but significant progress was achieved by the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference towards freeing the world from the scourge of nuclear arms. Efforts towards the establishment of an international criminal court are moving ahead. A valuable framework for strengthening the United Nations peacekeeping operations has been laid out by the Brahimi report.
Yet, many shortcomings and frustrations continue to plague the world community. Conflicts based on ethnic arrogance rage on. Poverty persists at a level that is morally repugnant. The spread of HIV/aids pandemic needs to be urgently addressed. International peace and security continue to be threatened by terrorism and drug trafficking cartels operating within and across borders.
Mr. President,
A comprehensive and permanent peace settlement in the Middle East continues to elude us. This is disappointing. We would like to reiterate our full support for the cause of the Palestinian people and encourage the sponsors of the peace process in the Middle East to continue to pursue their efforts towards achieving a lasting peace in the region.
The situation in the gulf continues to trouble us. Peace, progress and security in the region can never be achieved unless all unresolved issues are complied with fully by all the parties concerned, in conformity with the relevant United Nations resolutions. We would like to re-affirm our unwavering support to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kuwait. As I did mention before, we continue to believe that the United Nations has an obligation to uphold the security and territorial integrity of all member states, including the small states.
Mr. President,
The Maldives firmly believes that the myriad of challenges facing the world today can only be effectively addressed through a multilateral framework, in which the United Nations must play the central role. Despite the many shortcomings it may have, it remains the only truly universal organisation where global issues can be addressed. We believe that an increasingly interdependent world calls for a strengthened multilateral system with an effective international legal regime that is respected by all nations. It is with this conviction, that the Maldives has become a State-Party to a number of international conventions and treaties, including the eight conventions and treaties to which we became party to during the Millennium Summit, taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the Secretary-General.
We fully support the steps being taken by the Secretary-General in the reform process of our Organisation. While there have been much progress, more remains to be done. Reform of the Security Council to reflect the political reality of the modern world is essential, if the United Nations is to remain a credible and effective organisation, enjoying the confidence of the peoples of the world. Reform of the United Nations must aim at enhancing the legitimacy of the Orgainsation, make the United Nations more democratic and transparent, and reinforce the UN's ability to uphold equality among nations.
Mr. President,
Our Leaders at the Millennium Summit have illuminated the way forward. It now remains for us to move forward, in concert, for the benefit of the peoples of the world.
Thank you.
