Annex VI
Plenary Statement by Senator the Honourable Dennis Moses, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago at the 46th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States.
Santo Domingo
June 13th to 15th, 2016
It is an honour to be here amongst so many distinguished colleagues as we engage in deliberations on issues of critical importance to the member states of our hemisphere and to the future of this august institution.
At the outset, I wish to join with other member states who have condemned the massacre which occurred in Orlando, Florida a few days ago. Trinidad and Tobago utterly rejects such acts of terrorism and extends its condolences to the Government and people of the United States of America and all those affected by this atrocious act. May the souls of the dead rest in peace. May the living find comfort in the knowledge that we share their pain
Mr. Chair, allow me to join in extending congratulations on your assumption as Chair of this 46th Regular Session of the General Assembly. I wish, through you, to express also my appreciation to the Government and People of the Dominican Republic for the arrangements put in place for this meeting, and for the warm welcome to your beautiful capital, Santo Domingo.
We are here today out of a mutual interest in building sustainable societies within our respective countries. The theme chosen for this year’s General Assembly – “Institutional strengthening for sustainable development in the Americas” – goes to the heart of this matter and is especially relevant to Trinidad and Tobago as a Small Island Developing State.
The Declaration of Santo Domingo, which will be adopted at this General Assembly, adequately addresses the current challenges affecting developing countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It is of particular interest that this Declaration highlights the need for public administration to be afforded due attention as one of the keys for implementing the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), development financing and the need to revamp the global financial architecture. This area is of critical importance, especially for small states, such as ours.
We are also pleased to note the inclusion of the need for greater collaboration via intergovernmental, inter-agency and inter-sectoral coordination, in an environment that is safe and enabling for civil society, other social stakeholders, and the public as the goal of institutional building will involve cooperation with other sub-hemispheric bodies. Trinidad and Tobago believes that the time spent on negotiating this Declaration by Member States will not be in vain, as the text before us today is relevant, timely and necessary for the successful adoption of national and regional sustainable development strategies.
Mr. Chair, since my assumption as the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs under the leadership of the recently elected Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago over the last nine months has given priority to promoting growth, development, social peace, equity and economic stability through accountable and transparent governance.
To this end, we have engaged in a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening the integrity and the capacity of key institutions as a pre-requisite to enabling the government to discharge its responsibilities in a sustained, effective and efficient manner. We recognise that good governance is linked inextricably to the strength, integrity and accountability of our institutions and hence measures are also being undertaken to bolster accountability including through regulatory reform of the financial services sector, procurement reform and campaign finance reform.
In tandem with these steps, Trinidad and Tobago is developing a Vision 2030 National Strategic Plan with emphasis on the social and economic empowerment of citizens, sustainable growth and diversification, achieving macroeconomic stability, job growth and the protection of the environment. An important objective of this plan is to incorporate fully, the goals of the 2030 Development Agenda into national priorities. It is promising to note that the apt theme and mandates resulting from this 46th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the OAS, will clearly coalesce our national and regional agendas on institutional strengthening for sustainable development.
It is however, critical to highlight the reality of the economic uncertainty with which we the member states of the OAS are currently faced, and the implications of this for our ability to achieve our targets within the desired timeframes.
The past year has seen severe fluctuations in energy prices, impacting significantly on the energy producers of the region. Added to the uncertain energy environment, there has been a slowdown in some of the major economies with which the region trades thereby severely affecting some of our member states.
These issues along with new and emerging climatic and health threats such as the Zika virus have placed even greater demands on our institutions to address these challenges.
This is particularly so for small island developing states in the Caribbean which are limited by size, economies of scale and a disproportionate dependence on a small number of resources compounded by vulnerability to exogenous and environmental shocks which impact on the economic and social wellbeing of our nations.
In this context, the issue of Financing for Development remains critical to us. Several of us in CARICOM have been classified as high- and medium-income economies, resulting in the discontinuation of access to concessional financing despite the persistence of the unique and particular vulnerabilities and challenges associated with our status as Small Island Developing States SIDS. We therefore continue to advocate that GDP per capita cannot be the sole determinant in classifying the status of SIDS and to emphasize that other factors must be taken into consideration. We also call on the more developed and influential states in the hemisphere to use their good offices to facilitate concessional development financing for issues such as climate change, disaster management and energy security as we strive to attain sustainable development.
As we focus on strengthening our national institutions for a sustainable future, there is also a concomitant need to ensure the application of due diligence and accountability to the operations of this very organization in which we share membership if it is to ably discharge its duties to member states. That being said, Trinidad and Tobago is aware that the OAS faces a cash flow crisis which is the focus of ongoing deliberations. Trinidad and Tobago would however, wish to urge that the necessary adjustments that are to be made to bring the Organization back to good financial health be fair and equitable. The Secretariat, in particular, in a collaborative effort with all member states, must be prepared to reflect internally on decisions that were taken in the past and which are now impacting adversely on the Organization. That being said, Trinidad and Tobago wishes to urge that efforts to rationalize the financial situation neither be to the detriment of development projects including scholarships, nor the offices of the General Secretariat of the OAS in member states. These are deemed to be of paramount importance to CARICOM member states.
Mr. Chair We have it within ourselves to address the financial crisis but we must ensure that we are part of the solution and not part of the problem. In this regard, Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to inform that to date, despite our domestic circumstances, through the regular payment of its annual quota contribution to this institution, it has been consistently fulfilling its financial obligation to the OAS.
Mr. Chair, relative to the role and functioning of the OAS, it would be remiss of me if I did not highlight my country’s concern over recent events which have been the subject of widespread discourse. Trinidad and Tobago considers it regrettable and cannot countenance that a sitting, democratically elected Head of State could be shown less than due respect by the head of this organization.
Mr. Chair, Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to this organization and to its goal of ensuring the best quality of life in all its facets for the peoples of the Americas. To this end, we stand ready to collaborate with the organization and with fellow member states in building a stronger organization and a stronger hemisphere. I am therefore pleased to advise that Trinidad and Tobago will serve as host for the XII Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas from October 10th to 12th, 2016. This Conference will provide the opportunity for critical issues such as security building measures, peace support operations, civil-military cooperation, international drug and arms trafficking, terrorism and transnational organized crime to be addressed.
I wish to highlight that Trinidad and Tobago will be the first CARICOM country as well as first Small Island Developing State to host the CDMA. We therefore look forward to welcoming all member states as we take these important deliberations forward.
Mr. Chair, the multifarious concerns that I have outlined here today are in the hands of not only us the Member States, but that of the inter-american system, led by the foremost hemispheric body, the Organisation of American States. Our job as member states is to ensure that the bodies of this inter-american system are equipped with the necessary tools to carry out efficiently and effectively the decisions agreed upon today. This 46th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the OAS theoretically marks the beginning a new year for the OAS, putting at the fore the essential work of institutional strengthening for sustainable development in the Americas as we begin to re-evaluate and regroup on our strategies in facing the unavoidable realities in our region. Let us strive to fortify the principle of sharing best practices and work together by embracing our individual roles to move forward as a cohesive unit in ensuring that today’s progress is but one step forward of many that we will take to secure a sustainable future for the peoples of the Americas.
I thank you.
