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WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Summit
Meeting of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Johannesburg,
1 September 2002
Statement
by
Anwarul
K. Chowdhury, United Nations Under-Secretary-General
and
High Representative for the Least Developed Countries,
Landlocked
Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
Mr.
Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished
delegates,
Ladies
and Gentlemen,
At the outset I wish to convey your Excellency and
all the distinguished participants of the Summit of the Alliance
of Small Island States the warm greetings of the Secretary-General
of the United Nations. On my own behalf, let me also extend
my best wishes for the success of this important meeting.
The United Nations has long recognized the developmental
challenges of small island developing States, arising from
their small size, remoteness and isolation from the mainstream
of the world economy and international trading system, vulnerability
to natural disasters, fragile ecosystems, vulnerability to
exogenous economic and financial shocks, and limited or lack
of natural resources and fresh water.
The
adoption of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States in 1994 was
a turning point in recognizing the special needs of these
countries at the global level and in galvanizing international
support for their sustainable development. The Barbados Programme
of Action provides the United Nations system organizations
with a clear mandate to assist the small island developing
States within their respective areas of competence and comparative
advantage, be it in the area of international trade, environment,
technology, research and advocacy. Then, the twenty-second
special session of the General Assembly, held in 1999, undertook
a comprehensive assessment and appraisal of the implementation
of the Barbados Programme of Action and called for concerted
efforts to support its implementation. The importance of the
Special session is that it identified priority areas of action,
namely, climate change and sea level rise, natural disaster,
fresh water resources, coastal and marine resources, energy
and tourism. The lack of adequate resources was identified
as one of the major constraints to the full implementation
of the Programme of Action. The annual review by the General
Assembly of the implementation of the Barbados Programme of
Action served as an important mechanism for monitoring its
implementation and the contributions made by the relevant
stakeholders.
Mr. Chairman,
The
Secretary-General of the United Nations is fully aware of
the magnitude of the problems faced by small island developing
States and he is genuinely committed to further mobilization
of the UN system-wide efforts aimed at mitigating consequences
caused by the developmental and ecological vulnerabilities
of the Small Island Developing States. In his recent report
to the General Assembly, the Secretary-General pointed out
that because of their geographic location, economic situation
and environmental problems, many small island developing States
encounter special difficulties in coping with the effects
of globalisation and trade liberalization. It is absolutely
crucial to the success of the Barbados Programme of Action
to be able to count on the contributions of all development
partners and the UN system organizations and international
financial and development institutions. It is necessary for
the United Nations and the multilateral financial and development
agencies to move with urgency to strengthen the sustainable
development prospects of this group of countries and to strengthen
human and institutional capacity, appropriate technology transfer
and support for their efforts to achieve diversification.
To
effectively assist these countries in addressing their multifaceted
problems of economic, social, environmental nature, the existing
arrangements have to be improved with a view to establish
efficient and highly visible monitoring and follow-up mechanism.
Alliance of Small Island States consistently emphasized this
need at the General Assembly. In this context, upon the recommendation
of the Secretary-General, the General Assembly established
the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed
Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States (OHRLLS), whose main responsibility is to
coordinate, advocate, report and mobilize international support
measures and resources in favour of the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS
at the global level. By appointing me as the High Representative
last March, the Secretary-General has entrusted me with the
challenging responsibility to carry out the above tasks. One
of the key mandates of my Office is to provide support to
the coordinated follow-up of the implementation of the Programme
of Action. My Office has already emerged as a strong advocate
for the issues related to the small island developing States,
as mandated by the General Assembly. I have already designated
the focal point for this purpose in the OHRLLS. During the
welcome luncheon on the occasion of my appointment as the
High Representative, hosted by Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni Slade
of Samoa in his capacity as Chairman of AOSIS in New York,
I had very useful exchange of views on the activities of my
Office.
Mr.
Chairman,
Economic
and social development and environmental protection are inextricably
linked. For development to be sustainable, communities must
set priorities, as environmental protection must aim to serve
people who are already at risk in real and practical ways,
especially the poor and the most vulnerable. The international
community must now turn seriously to live up to their commitments
and to respond to the challenges faced by these countries.
In this context, needless to emphasize, the Ten-year review
of the Barbados Programme of Action is highly important. The
Barbados+10 should not merely take stock of, but must engage
in its practical and progressive implementation. It is necessary
to find a renewed vision for the future of the men and women
in the small island States. Mr. Chairman, please rest assured
that my Office will work tirelessly to ensure success of this
process in close cooperation with the Department of Social
and Economic Affairs, UNCTAD and other relevant UN system
organizations and other relevant stakeholders.
In addition, it is necessary for the small island developing
States themselves to work more concertedly, especially in
the areas of capacity-building and the strengthening of their
institutions in the long term. I believe, today’s meeting
will serve as a powerful impetus to this end. In this connection,
I would particularly welcome the communiqué issued at the
Thirty-Third Pacific Island Forum held in Suva earlier this
month.
Mr. Chairman,
In conclusion, I wish to emphasize that the attainment
of sustainable development for small island developing States
requires the full commitment of the international community
to effect special measures to assist them to address the challenges
of globalisation, trade liberalization and economic and environmental
vulnerabilities. My Office is determined to spare no efforts
to forge the global partnership and commitments to a resurgence
of political will matched by adequate technical and financial
resources for the full and effective implementation of the
Barbados Programme of Action. Please be assured, Mr. Chairman,
my Office is prepared to extend its services to the AOSIS
in any way that is necessary to support the Alliance in its
efforts to make the attainment of the above goals closer.
I thank you very much.
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