General Assembly Session 49 meeting 53

Mr. Hurst (Antigua and Barbuda)

When my Prime Minister, Mr. Lester Bryant Bird, addressed the General Assembly four weeks ago, he said:

"while the United Nations has been a symbol of hope for people from small countries such as mine, much remains for it to do before it can represent to them an organization which ... upholds the rights of their small nations, which promotes their social progress and better standards of life." (Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Plenary Meetings, 20th meeting, p. 19)

The United Nations Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, which was held in Barbados last April and May, surely inspired greater hope in the minds of people from small countries. This was the first time in history -- certainly the first time in the history of the United Nations -- that small island States had become the focus of the Organization's special attention.

However, it certainly was not the first time in history that small islands had become the focus of international attention. Between 1492 and 1763 empires were built by the forceful acquisition of small islands in the Caribbean. These were jewels in the crown of many a prince. In 1763, for example, two Caribbean islands -- islands not much larger than mine -- were exchanged by warring Powers, in a peace treaty, for what is today the second largest nation on Earth. Such was the value of small islands in the days before the industrial revolution, when the Caribbean produced great wealth for mighty nations.

Today the wealth of the islands of the Caribbean is to be found in its people and their institutions, its biodiverse flora and fauna, its tropical reefs and tropical rain forests and its incredible natural beauty. Hundreds of millions of people, primarily from the industrialized countries, have come to stare at our beauty, to learn a little of our history and to seek respite from a harried life in their maddening metropolises.

Can the United Nations be more than "a symbol of hope" to people from small island nations? Can the United Nations promote a better standard of life for people from small island States? Can the United Nations uphold the right of small island nations to exist free from the threat of environmental destruction? Much remains for the United Nations to do before it can claim to represent these legitimate aspirations.

When the Global Conference was convened in Barbados and the Programme of Action was negotiated, five very important international implementation directives emerged. These are contained in annex II, Chapter XV, of the report. Today my delegation will address only one of them -- to be found in section 5 of that part of the Chapter.

The report mandates the formulation of a range of indicators of economic and ecological vulnerability. These are needed for the purpose of measuring sustainable development in a way that that cannot be accomplished by the crude gross national product (GNP) per capita device. The GNP per capita device is neither apt nor realistic for the purpose of measuring the economic performance of small States. Indeed, everyone deems it, by itself, wholly inadequate for the purpose of measuring sustainable development in any State. The GNP per capita device was developed by economists from large countries, with large countries in mind, and at a time when they could not envision the existence of a small island State, much less the application of such a device to so recent a phenomenon.

The GNP per capita device does not reflect the fact that our island States are too small to provide for their populations, at a low cost, many of the services routinely afforded to citizens of large countries. As the economists would say, we suffer from a "diseconomy of scale". The GNP per capita device fails to reflect our inability to penetrate markets for our embryonic manufacturing industries, whose production levels reflect small scale. It does not give an adequate representation of our vulnerability. A single hurricane can set our development back 10 years or more when it destroys 50 per cent of our housing stock, completely devastates our agriculture and damages for a long time our precious but fragile tourism industry. A month ago Saint Lucia, which is in the eastern Caribbean, was visited by a tropical storm, which destroyed more than 80 per cent of its banana crop. This represented more than half of Saint Lucia's annual gross domestic product. Our proneness to natural disaster cannot be disregarded, given the frequency and inevitability of such incidents.

We join in the expressions of condolence to the Government and the people of Egypt following the recent natural disaster in that country and its horrible consequences, including the loss of life.

In our region, even man-made and unintended circumstances can have an impact on our economic performance in ways that large countries can avoid. During the gulf war, for example -- 5,000 miles away from the Caribbean -- fear of terrorism caused many people to cancel their travel plans. The effect on our peaceful tourist destinations was devastating. The GNP per capita device does not, and cannot, reflect that vulnerability. We decry its use because it paints an inaccurate picture of our development status. It also fails to measure the environmental costs associated with production, consumption and disposal in any nation. The need for a more useful set of economic-performance indicators is surely very evident in this post-Rio world.

The Conference report recommends that

"Appropriate expertise should continue to be utilized in the development, compilation and updating of the vulnerability index." (A/CONF.167/9, para. 114)

In this regard, the University of Malta and the University of the West Indies, among others, must be congratulated for providing the necessary intellectual resources. The emerging vulnerability index is not intended for use as a yardstick of poverty or wealth; rather, it is intended as a device for measuring the lack of economic resilience arising from the relative inability of a country to shelter itself from forces outside its control. It is easy to construct; the results are not difficult to comprehend; and it lends itself to international comparisons.

Today we embrace the attempt to bring novel and improved thinking to the development process, for by succeeding, small island States will have contributed to the emergence of a better world. We join, in that regard, the statements made by the Group of 77, the delegation of Barbados on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the delegation of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States. We are thankful to the organs and agencies of the United Nations system for the roles they have played in implementing various facets of the Barbados Programme of Action.

Most important, my delegation applauds and thanks the Government and the people of Barbados for having sacrificed much in order to make our island voices heard. Our efforts will come to naught if the industrialized countries do not cease and desist from engaging in harmful production patterns, wasteful consumption lifestyles and deadly disposal behaviours. Global warming and sea-level rise threaten the very existence of small island States; until our skies cease to be a dump site for harmful gases, our small countries will remain vulnerable and threatened.

Our United Nations must uphold our right to exist free of the threat of destruction. The next 50 years will be critical. We believe that our United Nations possesses the will and the power to harness the forces of good for sustained development and a reversal of environmental decline. The citizens of small island developing States wish to move from seeing the United Nations as symbol to embracing it as saviour.

Mr. Edwards (Marshall Islands)

On behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, I would like to join with the previous statements expressing sympathy and condolences to the Government and the people of Egypt on the natural disaster that they are experiencing.

Let me also reiterate the sentiments in regards to the election of President Essy that were expressed on behalf of the Republic of the Marshall Islands by Mr. Phillip Muller, Minister for Foreign Affairs, in his statement in the general debate.

We have just heard a statement on behalf of the South Pacific by Australia, a statement by Trinidad and Tobago as Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States, and a statement by the Group of 77. My delegation fully supports those statements. On behalf of my Government, I would also like to pay a special tribute to the Government and the people of Barbados for the hospitality and friendship they extended to the delegation of the Marshall Islands during the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

My delegation had high hopes and aspirations when we set out on the road that led us to the Barbados Conference. All the long hours and lengthy negotiations tested our patience, and we were glad to see that the world's attention would finally be focused on the small island States. We have stated many times that we feel our group of countries is a much-neglected group in the United Nations family of nations. To show our sincere commitment to the Rio process and its follow-up, we have implemented many projects in the Marshall Islands aimed at sustainable development, with many more in the planning stage. It was in that spirit that we arrived in Barbados.

The Conference itself was very fruitful in strengthening old links and forging new relations among the leaders of the small island States. Our leaders were full of resolve to ensure that the partnership we had started upon in Rio should not be lost as we moved forward from Barbados. However, I would be less than frank if I did not mention the chagrin that was felt at the low turnout from the developed countries. This was after all supposed to be a conference "on" and not "of" small island developing States.

Let us look closely at one of the outcomes of Barbados -- the Programme of Action and its recommendations. On the whole, the first chapters contain most of the requirements that my Government has envisaged in order to reach sustainable development. We would have preferred stronger language under the international action sections, but we joined in the consensus, since funding would be a separate issue considered as a whole. My Government stands ready to implement those national commitments that are not yet in place and to work jointly with our region, as outlined by Australia. However, we cannot pursue these goals without the assistance of the international community. In this regard, I wish to commend those countries that have stood by the Pacific Islands and that have provided urgently needed assistance. We appreciate what has been provided, and we shall remain grateful for such assistance.

Therefore, we feel that the section of the Programme concerning funding is totally inadequate. We may, as the relevant paragraph says, seek to ensure that appropriate attention is given to the concerns of the small island States by the various international institutions. The danger is that such a vague sentence will undermine our efforts on the implementation level. We are grateful to those friends who continue to support us, and my Government strongly urges the developed countries to extend some of their official development assistance to the small island States. We also support the call made by the Group of 77 to ensure that the 0.7 per cent target for official development assistance is reached.

On institutional follow-up, we recognize that there should be an identifiable unit within the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. This office should have sufficient staff to be able properly to carry out its duties and mandates. This is stated very clearly in paragraph 123 of the Programme of Action, and I strongly believe that we are not micro-managing the Secretary-General if we voice the opinion that there should be at least four professional staff members dedicated to implementing the outcomes of the Barbados Conference. We also feel that the regional strengthening of the economic commissions should occur at the subregional level wherever possible. For the Pacific, this would mean the Pacific Operations Centre of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, based in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

We commend the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the work carried out on the two feasibility studies. In particular, we are glad to see the report on the technical assistance programme for small island developing States (SIDS/TAP), as we have been aware, ever since we became a Member of the United Nations, of shortcomings in the area of technical cooperation among developing countries. In our opinion, the SIDS/TAP programme could be implemented immediately, as the international framework required is more or less already in place.

We also welcome the study done on the small island developing States information network (SIDS/NET); it is being studied in great detail in our capital. There are still some unanswered questions, but we are hopeful that we can have a period of consultations with UNDP and donor countries to see how this programme could be implemented. For many small island States, SIDS/NET would entail a considerable investment. We need to look at this in detail through careful examination.

These proposals are directed at capacity-building in the small island States, a critical element in sustainable development. But we have to realize that a certain degree of capacity-building is required before we can get to the level of implementing these proposals nationally. I must add that we are disappointed that these two reports were not translated and distributed at an earlier date.

We were all very much aware that the Barbados Conference was an ambitious undertaking. At the same time, we were reminded that it would be the first follow-up to Rio -- in essence, a test of the international will to implement Agenda 21. We were told by experts that the islands would be useful arenas for pilot projects because of their small scale and relative isolation. The cost would also be much less -- or so those experts said.

Our negotiating partners had different ideas as far as the cost was concerned. A journalist from the Pacific proposed the following headline for his final report: "North to Islands: Swim." It seemed to him that the North was only reaffirming existing pledges and programmes, and that the islands would have to turn to each other for assistance and advice. This has even been reiterated in a well-known journal that often circulates in this very building.

The Marshall Islands, together with the other island countries of the Pacific region, did not come to the Barbados Conference empty-handed. Our forests, atmospheres, exclusive economic zones, marine ecosystems and coral reefs contribute a great deal to the preservation, if not the betterment, of the overall global environment. We would not like to come away with less.

We know what the sustainable development needs of the Marshall Islands are. The costs envisaged to meet those needs are minute in comparison with the costs of giant development projects around the world. Our requests are not extravagant.

I appeal to the States Members of this Organization to look closely at the commitments freely made at Rio and to reaffirm to the members of the Alliance of Small Island States that they will fulfil those commitments. Furthermore, I would like to invite the Member States to look favourably on the draft resolution that will be submitted by the Alliance of Small Island States through the Group of 77, and to ensure its passage and implementation.

Mr. George (Micronesia)

We join you, Mr. President, and previous speakers in expressing our sympathy to the people and Government of Egypt on the loss of life and destruction suffered as a result of the recent flood.

The Ambassador of Australia has spoken for all the Pacific Forum countries, including the Federated States of Micronesia, on this important item -- the report on and outcomes of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held in Barbados from 26 April to 6 May 1994.

At the outset, I should like, on behalf of my Government, to thank the Government of Barbados for the excellent arrangements it made, for its hospitality and for its valuable contributions to the success of the Global Conference.

I should like also to express my Government's appreciation to Australia's Ambassador for the Environment, Penelope Anne Wensley, for the invaluable role she played as Chairperson of the Preparatory and Main Committees of the Barbados Conference.

The Federated States of Micronesia fully supports and associates itself with the regional statement made by Australia in its capacity as Chairman of the South Pacific Forum. I am also happy to say that my country fully supports the statement made by the Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago as Chairperson of our transregional common-interest group, the Alliance of Small Island States, to which we attach great importance. As a member of the Group of 77, we are in full agreement with the statement made by the Ambassador of Algeria in his capacity as Chairman of our Group.

In 1992, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the world community adopted Agenda 21. All the nations gathered at that historic Conference declared that Agenda 21 reflected a global consensus and political commitment at the highest level of cooperation on development and environment. They further stressed that the cooperation of all States was crucial for the fulfilment of the objectives of Agenda 21. It is in this context that we regard the issue under discussion -- the report and outcomes of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States -- as a subject which is crucial to the Federated States of Micronesia.

For the first time in the history of the United Nations, we have been able to put forward an agenda for world attention concerning the sustainable development of small island developing States. The Barbados Conference was not only the first global conference on sustainable development, but also the first concrete implementation of Agenda 21. Over the past two years or so, many delegations have spent time, effort and energy in the complex preparations and negotiations which led to the adoption of the Programme of Action in Barbados in May 1994. Given the human, technical, financial and political complexities of that process, we all know now how great a challenge sustainable development really is. While addressing that challenge has been a demanding exercise for all involved, we are now embarking on yet another stage, which will require much greater effort than before. As we all know, the implementation stage of the Barbados Programme of Action is a tremendous task, which awaits the greatest commitment of the international community.

It is exceedingly crucial to understand that, if we fail to breathe life into the Programme of Action, all of our efforts will be futile. In Rio we all joined in pursuing a new agenda for the twenty-first century. It is even clearer to us today that partnership participation in the sustainable development movement will require the genuine commitment and support of the international community, especially that of the industrialized countries.

My delegation believes that the ongoing work of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly is exceptionally important, because, as we continue to build on the achievements of previous years, the international environment and sustainable development agenda will need to be tightly focused, with a common objective, in the process leading up to the full review conference on the overall implementation of the UNCED outcomes by the General Assembly in 1997.

The Federated States of Micronesia became deeply involved in the various UNCED-related activities as its priority when it joined the United Nations at the beginning of the forty-sixth session of the General Assembly. We believe that the journey from Rio has had many significant milestones. One of the significant achievements is the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. The Programme of Action that emerged from the Global Conference is the first post-Rio effort to amplify the principles of Agenda 21 in a specific context pointing towards tangible measures for implementation. We are now at a stage when mechanisms have been established to give impetus to the implementation of these measures. With such mechanisms in place as the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Conventions on climate change, desertification and biodiversity, and the restructured Global Environment Facility (GEF), the international community finds itself ever more obliged to give the highest priority to the international environment agenda. All of these mechanisms offer a unique contribution to the collective international effort towards sustainable development in significant ways.

Much has already been done in our region to put into effect the commitments undertaken in the Programme of Action. At the regional level, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has been active in the coordination of a number of activities in the area of sustainable development, including a regional biodiversity programme funded by the pilot phase of the GEF. At the national level, despite many difficulties that my country faces as a small island State, the Federated States of Micronesia has already begun to take positive steps towards sustainable development. As a first step, and in recognition of the importance of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, my Government has created a widely representative National Sustainable Development Board to monitor the integration of sustainable development policies into government action to assist with the analysis and coordination of projects.

We welcome the recent report of the Secretary-General on actions taken by the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to implement the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. With particular attention to paragraphs 139 and 140 of that report, under the heading "Institutional Arrangements", we especially call for the support of our developed-country partners for the creation of an identifiable entity within the United Nations Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, as called for in paragraph 123 of the Programme of Action. Resources are required in order to have this identifiable entity established and functioning as the focal point within the Department to provide substantive secretariat support, follow-up, monitoring, review and coordination of the implementation of the Programme of Action. As the identifiable entity is envisaged as reporting to the Commission on Sustainable Development and other relevant bodies on the implementation of the Programme of Action, it will ensure that the outcomes of the Barbados Conference are effectively integrated into the Commission's thematic programme of work.

My country also welcomes the cooperative and prompt efforts of the United Nations Development Programme in undertaking a feasibility study, as called for in the Programme of Action, on an information network and a technical assistance programme for small island developing States. While these feasibility studies are a valuable contribution to giving impetus to the attainment of the objectives and outcomes of the Barbados Conference, they should be seen as an information and technical network to move forward and complement the 14 substantive sectoral areas in the Programme of Action yet to be implemented.

I wish to point out that it was with recognition of the special vulnerabilities of small island developing States on global environmental problems, particularly with respect to climate change, biological diversity and international waters, that the Programme of Action specifically requested that the restructured GEF should be seen as an important channel of assistance in these areas, through the provision of new and additional resources. At the meeting of Heads of State of members of the South Pacific Forum, which was held in Brisbane, Australia, the Forum welcomed the restructuring and replenishment of the GEF and its intention to assist in the outcomes of the Barbados Conference.

We are not only the inhabitants of this planet, but also custodians of the shared resources which will be essential to the survival of future generations. It is in this light that we call for a strong partnership, to be seen not along lines of developed countries versus developing countries, but, rather, as a shared goal and investment for the benefit of the entire family of nations. As the Programme of Action clearly sets out the actions to be implemented at the international, regional and national levels, my country urges all Member States to support during the remainder of the forty-ninth session the overall outcome of the Barbados Conference, including all the enabling resolutions, which will give the specialized United Nations agencies and organizations the mandate to start implementing the substance of the Programme of Action.

Mr. Samana (Papua New Guinea)

My delegation fully endorses and associates itself with the statements made by the Chairpersons of the Group of 77, the Alliance of Small Island States and the South Pacific Forum, who have eloquently expressed and conveyed the significance and the importance of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

We believe that the Barbados Conference was a major historical milestone which provided the impetus to the international community to demonstrate its commitment to the promise of Rio in 1992. It also offered a positive opportunity for greater participation and involvement by the international community in the important areas and issues of common interest and concern to mankind.

Papua New Guinea maintains and shares the view that the sustainable development of small island developing States and their survival depend critically on the cooperation of the international community for the full and immediate implementation of the Programme of Action.

Papua New Guinea is already in the process of introducing appropriate policies and legislative measures to give added substance to the Programme of Action and the realization of the overall goals and objectives of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

It has been realized, by many at the national and international levels, that the indiscriminate depletion of natural resources, and its adverse effects on the global environment and subsequent effects on climate change, pollution, rises in the sea- level and environmental degradation, is becoming critical, imposing serious limitations particularly on the development and the very existence and sustenance of small island developing States.

The small island developing States possess within their national and regional surroundings natural habitats that house unique species of flora and fauna.

The international community's recognition of the important role of small island developing States as custodians of valuable biodiversity is not only timely but indeed a positive step towards creating a greater opportunity for the attainment of sustainable development for the benefit of all our citizens.

At the Barbados Conference, a strong political message was sent to the world by the participation of our Governor-General, Sir Wiwa Korowi who, among others, challenged the international community to provide the necessary resources to implement not only the Barbados Programme of Action but also the overall outcome of the Rio process.

Papua New Guinea is of the firm view that the success of the Barbados Conference, like all other United Nations conferences, largely depends on the willingness of the donor countries to provide adequate technical and financial resources to ensure its full implementation.

The Programme of Action highlights a number of development strategies which are important in promoting sustainable development. More specifically, these strategies include, human resource development, institutional capacity-building, and the promotion of international cooperation in the transfer of technology, trade and investments.

Our existing foreign and domestic policies are geared towards achieving sustainable development, through the application of sound management practices in the exploitation of natural resources. This is done through the establishment, since independence, of environmental planning and protection legislation that sets legal mechanisms for the monitoring of environmental pollutants, against required levels, and effectively polices the activities of industry in terms of adherence to national environmental planning guidelines. This legislation sets limits, for instance, in the case of forest resources and parameters for sustainable harvesting.

The direct involvement of the international community as well as relevant United Nations specialized agencies is needed in order effectively to fulfil the various programme requirements and directly to support national and regional efforts and priorities. In this regard, we welcome the actions that have already been taken through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), particularly the Feasibility Study on a Technical Assistance Programme for Small Island Developing States, including two subregional workshops held in Fiji and Barbados.

We are also pleased to acknowledge a joint initiative of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT), UNDP and the World Bank on an urban management and environmental sanitation programme in a number of South Pacific island countries.

At the regional level, a number of programmes have been initiated, complementing the international Programme of Action and including: the promotion of coastal area management; the efficient use of energy resources; increased participation in global research, assessment, the monitoring and mapping of climate impacts; the provision of technical assistance; the strengthening of disaster preparedness and institutional management; and the establishment of mechanisms to restrict the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes; and the monitoring of marine pollution.

Papua New Guinea has initiated a move towards the establishment of a regional convention on the prevention of the transboundary movement of hazardous and toxic wastes, which is now in its final negotiating stages and is expected to come into force in 1995. This, we believe, is a major step towards the overall management and protection of our environment.

Papua New Guinea has also embarked on an inter-island transportation project and has removed trade and migration barriers, with some members of the South Pacific Forum, to be consistent with the international consensus on the promotion of equitable trade and investment to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development.

Papua New Guinea is particularly vulnerable to potential environmental degradation, in the sense that 60 per cent of its revenues come from the exportation of mining and petroleum resources, including forest and fisheries resources. Ironically, therefore, these industries require the greatest attention and need to be monitored closely for any potential adverse effects and environmental degradation.

The National Government and UNDP is creating a National Sustainable Development Strategy which, inter alia, will oversee the implementation of the Programme of Action.

We therefore believe that the international community, working through and with the regional and subregional organizational mechanisms, can effectively implement the Programme of Action that will further strengthen and enhance international development cooperation in pursuit of sustainable development.

We look forward to the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on the implementation of the Programme at the next session, when we will continue to make constructive contributions to the work of the Commission. Thus, we would encourage the various agencies, including the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development, to give greater consideration to the implementation of the Programme of Action.

The success of the Barbados Programme of Action critically hinges on the positive support of the international community in the effective implementation of national and regional programmes.

Papua New Guinea looks forward, with a greater sense of confidence in our endeavour, to the realization of the goals of sustainable development pertaining to the particular needs and aspirations of the small island developing States as a prerequisite in developing the national and regional capacity to contribute effectively in our global partnership to ensure a better future for our children.

Mr. Maruyama (Japan)

At the outset, my delegation would like to join previous speakers in expressing its deepest sympathy to the Government and the people of Egypt on the tragic loss incurred as a result of the recent flood.

My delegation would like to congratulate the Government of Barbados for having successfully convened the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, in response to the challenge we set for ourselves at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and to thank those who devoted so much time and effort to preparing for it. The Programme of Action and the Barbados Declaration adopted at the Conference are indeed landmarks on the road from Rio. They provide fresh impetus to the work of the international community on the sustainable development of small island developing States.

It was a historic conference, in as much as it established a firm basis for directing the attention of the international community to small island developing States and the serious problems they face in achieving sustainable development. The Programme of Action is the first step taken by the international community to help them address those problems. Our next task is to ensure its implementation on the basis of the partnership created at the Conference. The Government of Japan, for its part, will be guided by the Programme of Action and by the spirit of the Declaration of Barbados in the delivery of bilateral and multilateral development assistance to small island developing States.

The Programme of Action emphasizes the importance of human resource development to the sustainable development of small island developing States and pinpoints specific issues such as education, training and research and development as being of particular significance. It also rightly emphasizes the importance of enhancing institutional and administrative capacity. This is an orientation that is in accord with the policy of Japan with respect to its development assistance to developing countries, one of whose major priorities is enhancement of self-reliance. There is a synergy that is produced when effective national efforts are supported by external assistance. Japan is determined to work to enhance that synergy.

My delegation would like to thank the Secretary-General for his report on action taken by the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to implement the Programme of Action, and also for his notes transmitting the studies undertaken by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the feasibility of developing a Small Island Developing States technical assistance programme (SIDS/TAP) and a Small Island Developing States information network (SIDS/NET).

As the Secretary-General rightly points out, the report should be considered to be of an interim nature. In view of the important role of the United Nations system, my delegation believes that it is vital to conduct a continuing review of plans and programmes for implementing the Programme of Action, and it therefore looks forward to further reports. In that connection, it would welcome the review of the Programme of Action by the Inter-agency Committee on Sustainable Development suggested in the Secretary-General's report.

My delegation particularly welcomes and supports the results of the studies undertaken by UNDP on the SIDS/TAP technical assistance programme and the SIDS/NET information network. Cooperation is of vital importance in enhancing self-reliance by small island developing States, and both SIDS/TAP and SIDS/NET are designed to strengthen such cooperation. This, too, is a goal that is in line with the policy of Japan, which attaches importance to South-South cooperation in strengthening international cooperation for development.

In conclusion, my delegation wishes to assure you, Mr. President, that Japan will make every effort to play an active role in implementing the decisions reached at the historic first Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

Mr. Balzan (Malta)

I join previous speakers in expressing deepest sympathy and solidarity with the Government and the people of Egypt at this trying time, as they deal with the tragic consequences of the recent floods.

The Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, which was convened in Barbados earlier this year, marked the first concrete measure emanating from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The Barbados Conference successfully accomplished its task. It specified relevant policies within a framework of a Programme of Action aimed at enabling small island developing States to achieve sustainable development.

Unquestionably, credit must be given to the Government of Barbados for the excellent organization and to the people of Barbados for the cordial hospitality extended to delegations. Our gratitude goes also to Prime Minister Sandiford for the able and skilful manner in which he steered the Conference to a successful conclusion.

The delegation of Malta views the current debate on the report of the Barbados Conference as a manifestation of the importance the international community attaches to the well-being of small island developing States. My Government welcomes the report (A/49/425) of the Secretary General, on the action taken by the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to implement the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

While affirming the human and natural assets pertaining to small island developing States, the Declaration of Barbados did not fail to highlight the hurdles that need to be overcome. In aiming at the attainment of a better quality of life for present and future generations, the document adopts an exemplary wide-ranging approach.

Comprehensive as it is, the Programme of Action negotiated and agreed upon at Bridgetown addresses innumerable issues relating to the sustainable development of small island States, issues which have been repeatedly underscored and which have been universally recognized. In 1992, in Rio, the international community identified the particular problems faced by small island States as a special case with regard both to environment and to development. If not catered for, their size, geographic location and limited resources could constitute particular vulnerabilities.

At times, the size and geographic location of States in this category impose in themselves a number of economic disadvantages. In some cases, these disadvantages are multiplied as a consequence of natural disasters. In fact, vulnerability to external economic influences and ecological fragility are major concerns for small island developing States.

A reality at times overlooked was pointed out by the Governor-General of Barbados, Her Excellency Dame Nita Barrow, in her address to the Conference in Barbados, namely, that one sixth of the Earth's surface, including a significant portion of its marine and biodiversity resources, falls under the jurisdiction of small island States. This element is noted, more than as a matter of pride, because one cannot ignore its inherent implications or its impact on the world community as a whole.

Small island States are fully aware of their problems, but likewise cognizant of their responsibilities, responsibilities that, if shared, could be better addressed and more easily resolved. Hence the need to encourage and enhance regional and international cooperation.

History teaches us that small island States, in their effort to survive, have always invested in their human resources. This is one investment which has never failed. On the contrary, it has consistently yielded high dividends.

Malta, itself a small island State, is living proof that the best investment lies in the development of human resources. Innovative and traditional economic activities that have been undertaken have given our islands the impetus needed to put the economy on a sound platform.

Small island States, notwithstanding their diverse characteristics, have always played an important role in the multilateral process. Through their experience, gained in the course of their long history, they can continue to contribute to enhancing international political and economic cooperation.

The Convention on the Law of the Sea, which will soon enter into force, and the proposal to include climate change as an item on the agenda of the General Assembly -- both launched by Malta -- are two examples of the manner in which a State, regardless of its size, can contribute to the well-being of mankind.

In this context, my country welcomes the inclusion in the Programme of Action of its proposal to set up a vulnerability index to serve as a supplementary yardstick to measure the degree and extent of vulnerabilities in terms both of economic structures and of institutions.

A main agenda item currently being discussed within the Organization is the issue of development. Endless discussions at different levels have identified the basic elements necessary for socio-economic sustainability. The Assembly is expected shortly to debate the measures essential for the enhancement of development. The requirements and concerns of the category of small island States should not be sidelined.

Barbados does not mark the end of an exercise; rather, it signals the commencement of an ongoing process which monitors and ensures that the results obtained are consolidated and augmented.

Traditional wisdom teaches us that a problem shared is a problem halved.

As my delegation pointed out in Barbados, the involvement and assistance of the international community in resolving issues which may hinder or arrest the sustainable development of small island developing States have to be viewed from a much wider perspective. That wider perspective necessarily includes the inverse proportionality of the importance which small island States have in key strategic areas of the globe. Conscious as they are of the responsibilities and hardships which their sensitive location has often placed on them, small island States are in the forefront in championing dialogue as the unique tool for fostering greater harmony and coexistence.

Dialogue is at the root of any approach to the resolution of problems. Dialogue helps identify problems and stimulates solutions. Dialogue re-cements what conflicts often undo. In so doing dialogue demands as its basic element solidarity in action -- solidarity which warrants a comprehensive approach; solidarity which should not be limited to mere words but should serve as the means to translate words into deeds.

Mr. Pierre (Guyana)

I wish first to extend condolences to the Government and people of Egypt on the recent occurrences that have resulted in the tragic loss of life and suffering in that country.

My delegation is happy to register its concurrence with the statements delivered by the delegation of Barbados on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the delegation of Algeria on behalf of the Group of 77.

The Rio Conference on Environment and Development gave the world perhaps its clearest signal yet that the problems confronting humanity are so grave and urgent that they require treatment at the highest level possible. That Summit was equally unequivocal in its emphasis on the unique nature and vulnerability of small island States and of low-lying coastal regions.

The situation confronting small island developing States in an increasingly competitive global economic and political environment is very aptly depicted in chapter 17 of Agenda 21. Small island States are indeed a special case both for environment and for development. They are ecologically fragile and vulnerable. Their small size, limited resources, geographical dispersion and isolation from markets place them at a grave disadvantage economically and prevent the realization of any benefits of economies of scale.

In Barbados in April this year we met and deliberated successfully on the special circumstances affecting this group of partners. That occasion marked the first major substantive follow-up process to the Rio Conference and was unique for this and for its focus on a specific and important concern. Our task henceforth will be to pursue with equal vigour and enthusiasm the full and urgent implementation of the agreements and decisions reached at that Conference. Guyana joins in urging the full endorsement of the Barbados Declaration and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, contained in document A/CONF.167/9, now before the Assembly for consideration.

Important as they are, those agreements will amount to very little unless appropriate mechanisms are established for effective monitoring and implementation of actions on a system-wide basis. To this end, we believe that it is essential that this responsibility be appropriately located within the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, as provided for in the Programme of Action. That Department should therefore be adequately equipped for the proper fulfilment of its responsibility for monitoring and coordination and for the provision of an effective support structure for the follow-up to the Conference decisions.

Two areas of critical importance to small island States are information technology and capacity-building that would enhance the capacity of those States to better utilize and harness the assets of their rich natural habitat. In this connection, the proposals for projects in the small islands developing States information network (SIDS/NET) and the small islands developing States technical assistance programme (SIDS/TAP) set forth a full scope of work. The efficient and prompt manner in which the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has responded to a mandate given it to prepare studies on these proposals deserves our full commendation.

Those studies are contained in additional reports also before us for approval. Two noteworthy features of the projects need to be underscored: the emphasis placed on local capacity-building, and the utilization of indigenous knowledge. I urge the Assembly to endorse the report now before us and to give its full support to the action outlined therein.

The extensive preparatory process in which we were all engaged and the exemplary deliberations in the Conference itself and in its other processes, such as the meeting of the Group of Eminent Persons and the Forum of the Non-Governmental Organization, all converged into the highly successful outcome of which we now speak. Our highest commendations must go to the Government of Barbados and to the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) for their roles and efforts in ensuring such an outcome. It now behooves us in the General Assembly to treat the implementation and follow-up process with equal seriousness and determination, in order to give true meaning to what has been accomplished.

Mr. Turnquest (Bahamas)

Let me at the outset associate myself with other speakers in expressing to the Government and the people of Egypt the condolences and sympathy of my delegation on the tragic loss of life and damage resulting from the recent floods.

The Bahamas associates itself with the commendations made by other delegations concerning the successful outcome of the first-ever Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held earlier this year in Barbados. The Government of Barbados is to be congratulated for the excellent arrangements made for the Conference and for the care taken of delegations attending the meeting.

My delegation is pleased to endorse the comments made by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Group of 77, and by the representative of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) on this important item. We also fully associate ourselves with the statement made on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) by the representative of Barbados.

The Assembly has before it for its consideration the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, as well as the Barbados Declaration. The Bahamas considers that the Programme of Action provides a blueprint for a comprehensive and integrated approach to sustainable development by small island developing States. It tackles the numerous issues that we as island developing States must address in our pursuit of sustainable development. The Declaration is a statement of our collective political will. It is really the reaffirmation of the commitments which were made in Rio. The international community is called upon to fully support and provide the effective means for the implementation of this Programme.

While we view the Programme of Action as an excellent blueprint for focusing our efforts and commitments towards the sustainable development of small island developing States, it is recognized that the successful implementation of the Programme will need the full support of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development within the United Nations. We view the Secretariat support unit as a vital component of the implementation strategy. In this regard, the necessary resources must be provided to the Secretariat in order that it may fulfil the functions outlined in paragraph 123 of the Programme.

My delegation welcomes the report of the Secretary-General, and is indeed pleased with the initial efforts of the various development agencies of the United Nations system in including the Programme of Action in their respective work programmes. More importantly, it is noted that certain agencies have actually commenced activities which fulfil various aspects of the Programme of Action. In this regard, we commend the World Meteorological Organization for its activities and programmes in several substantive areas of the Programme of Action, particularly its specific programmes for climate change and sea-level rise, which represent a major concern for island States like my own.

The Commission for Sustainable Development has a mandate to review the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action within the context of its multi-year thematic programme of work. We are aware that due to time constraints, very little work was accomplished in the previous session. We are, however, hopeful that there will be an effective means for monitoring and reviewing the progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action. We assure the Assembly that, as a newly elected member of the Commission on Sustainable Development, we are committed to play our role in the work of that Commission.

In this connection, I am pleased to report that the Bahamas is in the process of establishing a national commission on science, technology and sustainable development. It is expected that the commission will be headed by an executive director and will be responsible for the follow-up of Agenda 21, the two Conventions arising from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and the Barbados Declaration and Programme of Action. The membership of the commission will reflect a wide cross-section of the Bahamian community, including Government officials, academics, the church, business and industrial interests and non-governmental organizations.

My delegation is indeed pleased and encouraged to note the prompt response by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the mandates given to it at Barbados in paragraphs 105, 106 and 126 of the Programme of Action to support capacity-building in small island developing States. With regard to paragraph 105, the UNDP was directed to coordinate a feasibility study in collaboration with the small island developing States and relevant subregional organizations for the implementation of a small island developing States information network (SIDS/NET). However, while we view SIDS/NET as a means of enhancing human networking, which equips small island developing States with the capacity to respond to the priorities of the Programme of Action, it will be effective only if its information component is one in which we, as island developing States, are the primary generators of information for the network.

The United Nations Development Programme was also mandated, under paragraph 106 of the Programme of Action, to coordinate a feasibility study on a technical assistance programme for small island developing States (SIDS/TAP). This directive has been ably fulfilled by UNDP, as reported by the Secretary-General in document A/49/459. My Government is currently studying this report with great interest. We are pleased with the manner in which the study was conducted, that is, that there was close cooperation with the AOSIS core group of States, regional institutions, non-governmental organizations and the island States themselves. The Bahamas notes, too, the commitment by SIDS/TAP to involve as much as possible experts from small island developing countries.

The Bahamas wishes to raise one small concern, however, and that is that it be treated fully as a small island developing State. The existence of a relatively elevated gross national product per capita ought not to operate in the Programme as a bar to equal treatment. I take this opportunity to mention this point, as it ought to be borne in mind that several island developing States have now graduated from UNDP assistance as well as from concessional treatment by most other international financial institutions. We see this mechanism, therefore, as one where the excluding criteria would not be applied.

Small island developing States are noted for their species diversity and endemism. However, due to their small size, their relative isolation and the fragility of island ecosystems, their biological diversity is among the most threatened in the world. We take this opportunity to note that the Barbados Programme of Action contains agreement on action to formulate and implement integrated strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of such territorial and marine biodiversity, and in particular of endemic species.

In this regard, we commend the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for taking the leadership within the United Nations system in forging a new relationship between the United Nations agencies, a global partnership to respond to current and future needs of Member States in such areas as climate change and species protection. We are pleased to note that UNEP will be convening the first conference of the parties to the biodiversity Convention in the Bahamas from 28 November to 9 December 1994. We are confident that the outcome of that Conference will continue to focus the attention of the international community on small island developing States and their special needs and circumstances.

Although it is recognized that financing for the implementation of the Programme of Action must come primarily from national public and private sources within the small island developing States, it has also been recognized that implementation of the Programme of Action will require the provision of adequate, predictable, new additional financial resources. In this connection, we take the opportunity to urge the international community once again to honour the financial commitments made and to review our first full-fledged test of global partnership forged at Rio, by which the international community made firm commitments to work collectively to guarantee sustainable development. Fulfilling pledged commitments will certainly enable small island developing States to make operational the blueprint of the Programme of Action of the Barbados Conference.

Mr. Shambos (Cyprus)

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