Distinguished
Heads of Government,
Secretary-General Carrington,
Excellencies,
I thank
you for your gracious invitation to take part at this 25th
Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government
of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Grenada in my capacity
as the Secretary-General of the International Meeting convened
by the United Nations to be held in Mauritius. I am honoured
to respond to the request to brief you on the preparations
for the International Meeting that would undertake the ten-year
review of the Barbados Programme in favour of the Small
Island Developing States (SIDS).
At the
outset, allow me to pay tribute to the admirable cooperation
that has evolved among the fifteen member states of CARICOM.
That is most exemplary. Other regions and developing countries
could surely pick up the positive and relevant aspects of
this worthy manifestation of regional cooperation. Regional
collaboration enhances cooperative development and, above
all, creates an atmosphere that is conducive to better understanding
among nations, fostering, as a result, peace and stability
among them.
This
important role of CARICOM finds expression in the cooperation
agreement signed seven years ago between the United Nations
and your organization. In fact, this agreement was formalized
by the General Assembly of the United Nations with a view
to enhancing the dialogue between the UN and CARICOM. Earlier
this year in April, the Third General Meeting between our
two organizations took place in New York in which I had
the pleasure of participating. Secretary General Carrington
must have briefed you on that meeting.
At this
point in time, the present CARICOM Summit is of special
interest to all of us and in particular to me in view of
the explicit interest it had expressed in the preparations
for the Mauritius International Meeting. Following the postponement
by the host government, the General Assembly had approved
the new dates of the Meeting from 10 to 14 January
2005. Last two days - 13 and 14 January - have been identified
as the Summit segment. Two days of informal consultations
are also envisaged on 8 and 9 January in case those are
needed. A civil society forum is also planned in Mauritius
immediately prior to these dates. A good number of side
events are also being planned.
A considerable
amount of work has already gone into the preparations
for the International Meeting -- both organizational
and substantive. The three regional preparatory meetings
of the SIDS during the latter part of last year presented
their respective inputs to the Inter-regional Meeting in
Nassau last January. As you are aware, the outcomes of this
inter-regional meeting were the Nassau Declaration and the
AOSIS Strategy Paper. After the Group of 77 and China endorsed
the Paper in March, it was presented on behalf the Group
to the open-ended intergovernmental preparatory committee
meeting held during the 12th session of the Commission on
Sustainable Development from 14 to 16 April this year in
New York. The prepcom that worked under the guidance of
Ambassador Don MacKay of New Zealand as the Facilitator
decided to undertake negotiations with the Strategy Paper
as the working document. The April negotiations were prolonged
and much remained to be done to reach the final outcome.
A second round of informal consultations was, therefore,
convened by Ambassador MacKay in New York from 17 to 19
May. Progress at this round also fell far short of expectations,
possibly influenced by the shifting of the Mauritius meeting
dates. Hence, a third round of informal consultations is
planned during September/October in New York.
I have
been urging member-states to conclude their negotiations
on the outcome document for the Mauritius meeting during
the upcoming round. Of course, it is also realistic to expect
that one or two issues could be carried over to Mauritius
for a final political guidance from the leaders. Another
outcome of the International Meeting in the shape of a Political
Declaration will be guided, according to practice, by the
initiative of the host country during the conference.
With regard to the outcomes of the International Meeting,
you have expressed, as communicated by Secretary-General
Carrington, that such outcomes "are practical and respond
to the real challenges to the sustainable development of
the SIDS which seem to be increasing each year." Nothing
could be more desirable. The outcomes should also be implementable
and for that we need to prioritize the concrete actions
to be undertaken in the coming years in favour of the Small
Island Developing States and to set in place an effective
implementation mechanism.
I strongly
believe that the goodwill of the international community,
which these countries enjoy in general, should be duly reflected
in the Mauritius outcome having the whole-hearted and enthusiastic
support of all development partners. Let me reiterate the
point that I have been emphasizing all along. Outcome document
of any major conference may be comprehensive in terms of
issues covered, but if it does not have the full and real
commitment of the development partners --- when it comes
to implementation, it may simply lie on shelves.
Since
it is not possible to implement all fourteen priorities
outlined in Barbados all at once, it is important to get
to prioritize immediate and pressing issues on top of the
agenda for the next few years. Issues like HIV/AIDS, as
the UN Secretary-General identified in his message to you,
security concerns, communications, trade opportunities and
market access, climate change and renewable energy should
receive special attention.
This approach in no way compromises the priorities of the
Barbados Programme of Action. But it is a strategy to achieve
the maximum possible international support to undertake
what is urgently needed, on the basis of genuine international
consensus. The slowness in the implementation process must
be addressed at Mauritius.
With
regard to the level and extent of participation at
the International Meeting, let me say that the General Assembly
has urged that representation be at the highest possible
level (58/213). In my communication to member-states and
UN and other organizations as the Secretary-General of the
Meeting, I emphasized the need for such high-level representation
in Mauritius. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will be writing
to all heads of state or government requesting their participation.
I understand that the host government is planning to send
out similar letters.
I also
launched a vigorous campaign for contributions to fund the
participation of SIDS delegates to all different preparatory
meetings, as well as to Mauritius. Contributions have been
forthcoming, and I hope that by the time of the Meeting,
we will be able to fully meet the objective of financing
two delegates from each of the SIDS.
From
the communication of Secretary General Carrington, I understand
that the CARICOM Heads of Government are particularly keen
on ensuring that "the United Nations is gearing itself
to assist and facilitate the SIDS to implement the recommendations
and mandates of the International Meeting." On behalf
of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, let me reiterate
that the United Nations will continue to support
the special needs SIDS in the further implementation of
the Barbados Programme of Action in the best possible manner.
As far
as my Office - the Office of the UN High Representative
- is concerned, it will be closely engaged in advocacy and
mobilization of international support for the implementation
of the outcomes of Mauritius. It is obvious that these functions
are intimately linked to monitoring and follow up of the
recommendations of the International Meeting and would necessitate
coordinated and integrated follow up by the UN system as
a whole.
When
it comes to monitoring, I have been advocating a
more dynamic approach. This implies that monitoring goes
beyond simple stock-taking and a cursory analysis of programme
implementation at a particular point in time. Monitoring
should also lead to needed adjustments to the designated
mechanism for follow up, addressing of the resource requirements
and new initiatives that would give a further fillip to
implementation.
For
a more dynamic and, if I may say, purposeful monitoring,
it is my view that the intergovernmental regional organizations,
like the CARICOM, the Pacific Islands Forum and the Indian
Ocean Commission should play a wider role in the implementation
of Barbados and Mauritius. Such regional organizations are
also much better placed to initiate activities in the region.
They have a better knowledge of their regions, its resources
and capacities, and the regional players involved. With
the full backing and support of the United Nations, regional
organizations can play a greater role in both monitoring
and the implementation of the prioritization articulated
in Mauritius. My preliminary discussions in this regard
have encouraged me to believe that the regional organizations
would also welcome such a greater involvement of their organizations
in the implementation process in the coming years.
Let
me conclude by thanking you again for your invitation. It
is indeed an honour. I wish you all success in your deliberation
and I look forward to your participation and leadership
at the Mauritius International Meeting.
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