Philip Joseph Pierre: hope is not something to be postponed, but something to be vehemently pursued.
Speech of the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip Joseph Pierre, at the 78th Session of the UNGA. teleSUR
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00:00 We go back to the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations.
00:07 Let's listen to the statement of Philip Joseph Pierre, Prime Minister of Santa Lucia.
00:12 Mr. President, distinguished heads of state and government,
00:16 other distinguished heads of delegations and delegates,
00:20 let me join in the congratulations to you, Mr. President,
00:24 on your election as President of this august body.
00:28 This is the first time that a national of your country, Trinidad and Tobago,
00:33 has assumed this office, and only the fourth occasion
00:37 that a representative of a Caribbean community state has been so elected.
00:42 Let me, therefore, not only wish you success as you preside over our deliberations,
00:50 but also, Mr. President, let me assure you of the fullest levels of respectful cooperation
00:56 from Santa Lucia as we work together to advance the collective interests of our common civilization.
01:04 Mr. President, there are many amongst us, the small and marginalized islands of our globe,
01:10 surrounded by rising seas and scorched by rising temperatures,
01:14 who are beginning to question this annual parade of flowery speeches
01:19 and public pretense of brotherhood otherwise known as the UN Annual General Assembly.
01:25 What is the point, we are beginning to ask, of meeting here every year,
01:31 when every time the international community is called upon to take their great collective actions
01:36 on the critical issues affecting the poor and the powerless,
01:39 there is always some hesitation, some delay, once we've vacated this historic building.
01:48 And so, with just seven years left to the target year of 2040,
01:55 we are gathered at this 78th session of the General Assembly
01:59 to discuss accelerating action towards the 2040 agenda
02:03 because its sustainable development goals, SDGs, are in peril.
02:08 We have been summoned here to rebuild trust and to reignite global solidarity for the 2023 agenda,
02:16 when trust and hope are the devalued currency of global dialogue.
02:22 Despite our greatest efforts to maintain faith and belief in the principles of global engagement,
02:28 our entire post-independence experience has been one of dashed expectations and institutional frustration.
02:37 In the 1990s, we watched helplessly as powerful countries utilized the World Trade Organization
02:44 to dismantle St. Lucia's marketing arrangements for bananas in Europe,
02:48 forcing hundreds of our farmers into poverty,
02:51 while these already rich countries provided huge subsidies to their own farmers.
02:57 When some of our Caribbean countries successfully developed our financial services industries,
03:02 we were blacklisted and relisted like lepers and global undesirables.
03:08 However, the Russia-Ukraine war has now clearly revealed to us which metropolitan capitals are the real tax havens
03:17 and which are the true pipelines of illicit money.
03:21 And now today, our citizenship by investment programs,
03:25 which we have successfully pursued for decades, have been undermined,
03:29 while the golden passport and golden visa programs of some OECD countries remain unquestioned, untouched, and unmolested.
03:37 We nonetheless remain committed to keeping our programs transparent,
03:43 even whilst we strengthen our due diligence regime.
03:47 Mr. President, St. Lucia has come to this 70th session to say
03:53 there must be justice in the relations between developed and developing countries,
03:57 and that we are no longer willing to come to this annual parade
04:02 merely to lend our voice to support this or that global conflict
04:07 or to condemn whoever, from year to year, is the new global enemy.
04:12 No powerful nation's global agenda is more important than our own,
04:17 and we insist that our legitimate concerns be listened and be acted upon.
04:24 Mr. President, the people of the Caribbean and St. Lucia
04:28 have been designated by the African Union as part of its sixth region,
04:33 which comprises people of African origin residing outside the continent.
04:39 We feel ourselves obliged to seek justice for reparations
04:43 for the crimes against humanity that tore our ancestors from our African homeland
04:49 and enslaved them in the lands of the Western Hemisphere.
04:54 It is laudable that for the last decade and a half,
04:57 the United Nations has been observing the 24th of August
05:01 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Slave Trade.
05:07 The UN is also to be commended for proclaiming the International Decade
05:12 for the People of African Descent, which ends in 2024,
05:17 and we look forward to the proclamation of a second decade.
05:22 However, the time has now come for the issue of reparations
05:27 for the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in the Western Hemisphere
05:32 to become a more central part of the global agenda and work of the United Nations,
05:38 and not an issue only to be whispered about in the corridors and at the margins.
05:47 [applause]
05:51 It was the 400 years of the enslavement of Africans and colonialism
05:56 that has led to the need today for action to achieve the UN's sustainable development goals.
06:04 The Secretary General of the United Nations made this unambiguously clear in his message this year.
06:09 To mark the International Day of Remembrance of Slavery and the Slave Trade,
06:13 he said, "We can draw a straight line from the centuries of colonial exploitation
06:20 to the social and economic inequalities today."
06:25 Reparations for slavery, Mr. President, therefore mean that the countries which benefited
06:31 and developed from 400 years of free labor from enslaved humans
06:37 should now pay back for that free labor.
06:41 We urge that the UN embraces this principle as a central part of its work in the coming years.
06:47 We have set goals, timelines, and programs of action.
06:55 In the same way, Mr. President, we cannot speak of accelerated action
07:00 for the sustainable development goals for developing countries
07:04 when developed countries do not treat the climate challenges facing developing countries
07:09 with the urgency and importance they deserve.
07:13 These challenges not only negatively impact our economic growth,
07:17 but they threaten our very existence.
07:20 Yet developed countries behave as though they are blameless
07:24 and not responsible to repair and compensate for the damage they have inflicted on our planet.
07:30 Have they not understood that climate change is a danger
07:35 not only to the existence of small island states,
07:38 but to the survival of all countries today and not tomorrow?
07:44 In just about two months, we shall be traveling yet again
07:47 to another conference on climate change, COP28 in Dubai.
07:52 We will be doing so with the current extreme and extraordinary weather events
07:57 graphically demonstrating the gravity of the climate crisis.
08:03 On behalf of the people and government of Saint Lucia,
08:06 I extend sincere sympathies to the people and governments of the Kingdom of Morocco, Libya,
08:12 and the other countries that have recently suffered the obvious ravages of climate change.
08:18 The new manifestations of the crisis are signaling to us
08:22 that the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius to stay alive is now very much at risk.
08:30 It is said that the Roman Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
08:36 We cannot continue to be like Nero-like,
08:39 talking away while the planet is literally burning and sometimes drowning.
08:45 If COP28 is to be transformational and not another disappointing Nero-like conference,
08:53 then it must deliver an ambitious global climate action plan to 2030.
08:59 If it is to answer to the necessity for climate justice for developing countries like Saint Lucia.
09:06 Having said this, Mr. President, I wish to reiterate, however,
09:10 that what is critically needed is a complete reform of the global financial system
09:16 to make development financing truly developmental and climate financing truly just.
09:23 As has been said so many times before and in so many different fora
09:28 and by so many small island developing states,
09:32 the negotiations and the agreements for developmental assistance for these states
09:37 must take into account their peculiar vulnerabilities.
09:44 Consequently, one area where accelerated action is certainly necessary
09:48 is that of the adaptation of multidimensional vulnerability index,
09:54 MVI, for small island developing states,
09:57 in order to replace the gross national income per capita
10:01 as a primary measure for concessory financing.
10:05 Another measure that should be considered is the recovery duration adjuster, RDE,
10:10 as proposed by the Caribbean Development Bank,
10:13 which measures the internal resilience capacity of a country after a shock or natural disaster.
10:19 It is past time for the multilateral development banks
10:23 and international financial institutions to introduce these reforms.
10:28 But global financial reform has to be comprehensive and radical,
10:32 as put forward in two recent proposals,
10:35 which I commend to this august body and to international financial institutions.
10:40 The first is the Bridgestone Initiative, presented last year by my CARICOM colleague,
10:46 Prime Minister Mir Murti of Barbados,
10:49 which argues for resilient finance mechanisms
10:52 that will address both the climate and developmental crisis facing developing countries.
10:57 The second is the UN Secretary General's SDG stimulus to deliver Agenda 2040,
11:04 tabled in February this year.
11:07 Both plans are an appeal for immediate action,
11:10 and they provide a practical pathway to sustainable development and climate justice.
11:16 There is therefore no deficit of ideas for reform of the international financial architecture.
11:22 There is simply a dove of goodwill.
11:27 Mr. President, in the declaration issued in 2015
11:31 on the adoption of the 2040 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals,
11:36 it was said that there can be no sustainable development without peace,
11:42 and no peace without sustainable development.
11:45 Today, 15 years later, we are in a world without peace,
11:49 and the Sustainable Development Goals are in jeopardy.
11:53 How can trust and global solidarity for sustainable development be rebuilt
11:58 when the unwarranted Russian war in Ukraine rages on,
12:02 with its collateral economic damage to other countries the world over,
12:06 of biting inflation, particularly on high food prices,
12:11 high oil prices, and shortage of food?
12:15 If trust and global solidarity for sustainable development are to be rebuilt,
12:21 the unjust, unilateral, and inhumane economic embargo against the people of Cuba
12:28 must be immediately withdrawn.
12:31 The unmerited and cruel sanctions against the government and people of Venezuela should cease.
12:38 The Palestinian people should have their own state alongside Israel,
12:42 in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.
12:47 The people of the Republic of China on Taiwan should be allowed the continued enjoyment
12:53 of their right to self-determination and the exercise of their democratic freedoms
12:58 without threats to their autonomy and without place in international furore.
13:03 There must be an end to the conflicts in Africa and a halt to all forms,
13:09 whether old or new, of neo-colonial exploitation of the continent's resources,
13:15 so that the African people can fully benefit from the riches of their lands
13:20 and from the greater unity among African nations.
13:24 In our Caribbean region, the member states of the CARICOM community, CARICOM,
13:30 remain gravely concerned over the deteriorating political, social, humanitarian,
13:36 and security crisis in Haiti, their sister member states.
13:41 Haiti needs the urgent and dependable support of the international community.
13:46 The response to date has been underwhelming.
13:49 UN efforts of a few months ago to raise $780 million for humanitarian purposes
13:57 have received low pledges.
13:59 The need for robust security assistance to counter the murderous armed gangs is clear.
14:06 Yet the decision to enable this is meandering slowly through the Security Council.
14:13 The Caribbean community hopes that the establishment of the multinational force
14:18 will be given full endorsement by the United Nations Security Council
14:22 as a demonstration of the commitment of the international community
14:26 to support the restoration of law and order
14:29 and improve the humanitarian conditions of the people of Haiti.
14:33 CARICOM welcomes the government of Kenya's willingness to lead such a multinational force.
14:40 Member states of the Caribbean community will contribute personally as well.
14:45 The community will also continue its good efforts through its eminent persons group
14:52 which helps Haitian stakeholders find a solution to the political crisis,
14:58 a critical necessity to pave the way towards an improved future for the people of Haiti.
15:03 I urge the various Haitian stakeholders to cooperate with CARICOM
15:09 to find a political compromise for the sake of the Haitian people
15:14 and in honor of the heroic and fabled ancestors whom they revere so much
15:20 for daring to break the chains of slavery 200 years ago
15:24 and bring freedom to the black people of the Caribbean.
15:28 Mr. President, the immorality of the suffering, the destruction and death
15:33 that these conflicts are bringing to the world
15:36 are not the only reasons for our appeals to end them.
15:41 The immorality is only matched by the absurdity of the expenditure on arms
15:46 that sustain these wars and inhibit peace.
15:50 This should be of grave concern to all of us.
15:53 What is of equal concern to states like Saint Lucia
15:56 is the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
15:59 which ran into billions of dollars in 2022.
16:03 Not only do these arms and light weapons fuel lesser conflicts all over the world,
16:08 but illegal arms facilitate criminal activities in Saint Lucia and other CARICOM member states.
16:15 Illegal firearms were responsible for 70% of the homicides in the Caribbean community in 2022.
16:24 And in Saint Lucia, the majority of homicides are firearms-related
16:29 and involve young people both as victims and...
16:37 Yet, Mr. President, neither Saint Lucia nor its fellow CARICOM member states
16:43 manufacture small arms, light weapons and ammunition.
16:47 Their sources are our continental neighbors to the north and south of the Caribbean.
16:52 Saint Lucia, therefore, continues to strongly support the international instruments
16:57 aimed at preventing and curbing the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons.
17:02 Mr. President, I welcomed the announcement by the United States Administration earlier this year
17:08 to provide technical assistance to support and to combat illegal weapons smuggling into the Caribbean
17:15 and in solving gun-related cases.
17:18 Let us be reminded that SDG 16.4 aims at significantly reducing illicit arm flows.
17:27 There is, however, hope for global solidarity.
17:31 In June this year, the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity
17:37 and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction adopted the historic Marine Diversity Treaty.
17:44 For Saint Lucia, a small island development state, the protection of the oceans is an imperative
17:50 since the oceans and their resources do not belong to one country but are the heritage of all mankind.
17:57 Saint Lucia signed the treaty this week and will move towards its ratification in the shortest possible time.
18:05 Mr. President, I offer my congratulations on the opening of the UN Youth Office.
18:11 As I said in my address last year, the importance accorded to the youth by the UN
18:17 is in harmony with my government's policy of giving priority to youth affairs for the creation of a youth economy
18:25 in which young people with state assistance can turn their talents, skills, and hobbies
18:31 into businesses that will provide sustainable self-employment.
18:36 I am therefore pleased to report that our youth economy was formally launched in March this year
18:42 and has been met with enthusiasm and success.
18:47 To date, about 300 young people in Saint Lucia have benefited from funding and training from the government
18:54 to assist them with starting or supporting their businesses, and the numbers continue to grow.
19:00 Once again, I invite the international community to engage with us on mutually beneficial relationships and projects
19:07 to promote the youth economy.
19:10 Through the youth economy, we are responding to the SDGs,
19:14 and if my government's policy of putting people first, we are addressing the other SDGs.
19:21 Mr. President, after the destruction and ruin of the 20th century world wars and the Cold War,
19:28 one would have thought that the start of the 21st century would have ushered in a new era of global solidarity.
19:36 It has not.
19:38 In conclusion, I ask these questions, for which we must all provide urgent responses
19:44 as the fate of Agenda 2040 depends on our answers.
19:50 Is there the political will and commitment to divert financial resources away from destructive activities like wars and other conflicts?
20:02 Is there the political will to place these financial resources instead into the productive action of responding to the climate crisis?
20:12 Is there the political will to use these trillions of dollars to end starvation and underdevelopment in the world
20:21 and provide justice for reparations?
20:24 Is there the political will to put people first and not weapons first?
20:30 Is there the political will to develop trust and build a lasting peace
20:36 that will rekindle our sustainable development goals and lead towards prosperity, progress and sustainability for all?
20:45 For the sake of us all and for future generations, we must find it.
20:52 Mr. President, to quote St. Lucian-born Nobel laureate, Honorable Derek Walcott,
20:58 "Hope is not a thing to be defouled, but a thing to be pursued with all hungry passion of our existence."
21:07 I thank you.
21:09 On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Development and...
21:19 We were listening to the statements of Philip Joseph Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, at the 78th Annual Assembly of the United Nations.
21:27 He said that there should be more accelerated actions towards the 2030 Agenda
21:32 and the objective of sustainable development, that there should be justice between developed and developing countries
21:39 and insists on the idea of proclaiming peace for the whole world.
21:43 More breaking news coming up.
21:46 [Music]