General Assembly Session 55 meeting 54

The Acting President

I give the floor to the representative of Antigua and Barbuda to introduce draft resolution A/55/L.24/Rev.1.

Ms. Lovell (Antigua and Barbuda)

It gives me great pleasure to introduce draft resolution A/55/L.24/Rev.1, entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Caribbean Community", on behalf of the member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Other countries have indicated an interest in co-sponsoring this draft in addition to the countries listed on the document. They are: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

The member States of the Caribbean Community are happy to report that interactions with the United Nations over the past two years have been both cordial CARICOM looks to the United Nations for understanding and assistance in dealing with the myriad of responsibilities facing small developing States. The draft resolution basically updates the one adopted by consensus in October 1998 as resolution 53/17.

In the fifth preambular paragraph, the draft notes with satisfaction that the second general meeting between the United Nations and CARICOM was held in the Bahamas on 27 and 28 March 2000. The meeting agreed that the future programme of work should be structured within the following framework: first, implementation of the CARICOM single market and economy; secondly, positioning of CARICOM in the global economy, particularly support for international policy formation, capacity-building and training; thirdly, human and social development, including human resources development, poverty alleviation, food security, the Plan of Action for Drug Control Coordination and Cooperation, a regional strategic plan on HIV/AIDS, and the strengthening of governance and security; fourthly, follow-up to the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States; fifthly, follow-up to General Assembly resolution 54/225 on promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea in the context of sustainable development; and sixthly, development of a cooperation programme in the field of public information between CARICOM and the United Nations system.

Let me point out that the fifth and sixth points speak directly to the sixth and seventh preambular paragraphs and to operative paragraph 5, respectively.

Permit me to zero in on cooperation with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). ECLAC is considered to be of paramount importance to the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean, and, through ECLAC and the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee, we are looking forward to more a direct and active implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. It was also through the collaboration of ECLAC and CARICOM that resolution 54/225 was adopted in December of last year, that CARICOM States are able to keep abreast of the follow-up to global conferences; and that the benefits of science and technology are being more fully utilized in areas such as agriculture, energy and marine affairs.

Two other bodies that are of vital importance to CARICOM States are the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). There has been continued collaboration between UNCTAD and CARICOM, and the computerized customs management system -- which is part of UNCTAD technical assistance in trade and transport efficiency, notably in regard to customs modernization - has been particularly beneficial. UNDP support in the area of disaster management and preparedness has been deeply appreciated. This must be borne in mind, along with the fact that two CARICOM countries which normally are not subjected to the wrath of hurricanes were affected this calendar year. Suriname, which was considered too far south to be in the path of hurricanes, was surprised by Hurricane Joyce, while further north Keith took a significant toll on Belize.

Whereas the introduction of a draft resolution does not call for a mention of all the bodies or agencies from which CARICOM draws benefits, it must be stated that the region values the cooperation with the United Nations and, as such, enthusiastically recommends, in operative paragraph 7, that the third general meeting between representatives of the Caribbean Community and its associated institutions and of the United Nations system be held in 2002 in New York. It also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session a report on the implementation of the present draft resolution.

Having introduced the draft and pointed out some of its salient aspects, I urge that it be adopted by consensus. On behalf of the CARICOM States, I thank all those States that have joined in its co-sponsorship.