Online Bookstore:
Speaker:The Honourable Basdeo Panday, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Date: April 13, 2000
Occasion: Address at the South Summit in Havana, Cuba
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Trinidad and Tobago is indeed pleased and heartened with the warm welcome and hospitality extended by the Government and people of Cuba, as we meet as Member States of the developing world to participate in this historic Summit of the South.
This is a meeting of 133 countries representing three quarters of humanity. We should not lose this opportunity to make this a defining moment in the history of the entire world as we seek to bring hundreds of millions of people of the underdeveloped and developing world into the main stream of global civilization. This is the purpose for which we are meeting here in Havana at the beginning of the new millennium and we must not fail our people.
We must also let the developed world know that globalization also involves the globalization of problems, and that neither economic prosperity nor military might could insulate any country or group of countries from the consequences of three quarters of humanity living in a state of poverty and underdevelopment.
Trinidad and Tobago endorses the four main themes of this Summit: Globalization, Knowledge and technology, South-South Cooperation and North-South Relations. On these issues we must formulate our own agenda for international cooperation to collectively fulfill the obligations we have to the citizens of our countries in an increasingly interdependent world. We must leave this meeting with a clearly defined programme of concrete action to deal collectively with underdevelopment in all its forms and its myriad deleterious consequences. But we must do more than that. We must have an appropriate monitoring mechanism in place to keep us constantly working towards the achievement of our goals. In addition we must undertake periodic assessments of our progress, and constantly devise new strategies and proposals to keep us on course as circumstances change and new developments emerge. This is our sacred duty and our inescapable task. We have avoided it for too long. The South-South idea remains still-born. Let Havana give birth to a new momentum.
Globalization is not new to us. It has had previous incarnations in colonialism and imperialism. The end of the Cold War has produced a convergence of forces, and fusion is the order of the day as ever-merging multinationals stride like almost supernatural colossi across national boundaries. How can the developing the impoverished face this phenomena unless we cooperate? The question is How?
Earlier today, in the Inter-active Session some attempt was made to answer this question.
The time for lament about globalization is over. Let us stop thinking of ourselves as victims and instead, gird our loins to take advantage of opportunities that have arisen. We must consider the following areas of activity:
-Develop the political power and influence which naturally reside in a group of 133 countries with a common cause.
-Devise common policies and strategies to bargain and negotiate in international fora.
-Open our markets to one another and take advantage of the experience and expertise which reside in our respective countries.
-Overcome through cooperation and individual effort our supply-side constraints and develop our indigenous productive capacity even while participating in a globalized economic system.
-Develop our human resource. Education and training is the key. Our people must be trained and tooled to take advantage of the new opportunities. If not, they would become marginalized in a world that is becoming increasingly knowledge-based and experiencing rapid technological change.
-Use our collective political clout to demand and fashion a fair trading system to provide market access for the goods and services we produce.
This is the way to sustainable growth with dignity.
The collapse of the Seattle WTO Conference has highlighted the need for the Group of 77 to re-examine our approaches to the liberalization of trade, finance and investment. We in Trinidad and Tobago are committed to trade liberalization as an essential mechanism for growth and development. We believe that it is necessary to examine the new developments within international organizations, within the structure of the United Nations and other agencies to ensure that they are based on principles of justice, equality and equitable treatment. Often times our governments are contemptuously excluded from full participation in the decision-making process in international organizations. It is as if we do not matter even though their decisions may impact negatively on the policies of our national governments.
The South forms four-fifths of the world�s population and yet our interests are marginalized. Why has this been so? We have the power to correct this anomaly. The question is: Do we have the political will? The legitimacy of international institutions must be linked to their democratization. If national options are to be shaped internationally, the process must not only seem to be legitimate and participatory, it must in fact be so, and mutual interests must be preserved. We believe that the time has come for international institutions which were created in the post World War II period to revisit the purposes for which they were established and they must take into account the views and decisions of this Summit.
One of the difficulties with which we are faced as a result of globalization is the ever-widening technological gap between the countries of the North and South. We find ourselves at an inordinate disadvantage as the developed world advances its technology on all fronts. We in the South must therefore find the solution by seeking investment opportunities and exploring joint research capabilities among ourselves for the advancement of the developing world. Through our concerted effort we must insist that international agencies promote research and development by public and private sector entities of our respective countries. Trinidad and Tobago places a high priority on this issue. We believe that member states of the South can benefit immensely through increased scientific and technological cooperation among governments, private business, universities, laboratories and NGO�s. It is our belief that such an approach can stimulate increased wealth, by improving the capacities of our peoples in the production of goods and services not only for export, but also in the advancement of important areas such as health and agriculture.
We must prepare our people for participation in the knowledge-based economy of the new millennium.
Research and sharing of technologies especially in the field of bio-technology and in particular in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and health care, will have an immeasurable positive impact on the society as a whole. There is need to collaborate on the study of the impact of new bio-technologies on human health, and the welfare and livelihood of our farmers who contribute to food security.
We have not done enough to fulfill the commitments we have made on the transfer of technology, contained in Chapter 34 of Agenda 21, adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992. In an increasingly knowledge-based global society, in which digitalization is becoming more and more predominant in all fields of science and technology, the South will drag its feet only at its own peril. New technologies such as information technology and electronic commerce will have a profound impact on the operation of small and medium enterprises and provide greater access to markets in a knowledge intensive world. The South should aim to develop strategies to benefit from these developments and to participate fully in the world of E-Commerce.
The South Summit must define avenues for increased cooperation among countries. We must not leave co-operation to chance. This is an area to which we have given much lip service. For example, in 1999 the Special Session of the General Assembly on SIDS had for its consideration more than 312 projects submitted for funding and implementation to address some of the concerns of Small Island States to advance the Barbados Plan of Action. The overall response has been minimal.
The Programme of Action to be adopted by this Summit should enable our respective Chambers of Commerce, and our business community to collaborate in a meaningful way especially with respect to the trading in goods and services among and between ourselves. It must re-assess, formulate and maximize strategies aimed at intensifying trade, investment, technical cooperation. Many of our countries have signed agreements for scientific, economic and cultural cooperation in furtherance of developing closer diplomatic, economic and trade relations. We must define for ourselves at this South Summit, how best we can advance this cooperation. Some member states of the South have had more experience in the management and implementation of such cooperation agreements. It stands to reason that we could benefit by the sharing of experiences to enhance our activities in this crucial area.
Increased trade and fair trade is an important issue on which the South must pursue further dialogue with our partners in the North. This must be conducted in a manner in which the mutuality of interests and shared global responsibility is acknowledged and respected. The erection of the many tariff and non-tariff barriers in the North and its negative effect on the potential exports of developing countries in areas where we have a comparative advantage must be addressed in an open and frank manner and resolved. The liberalization of international trade under the WTO is a dynamic force for accelerating growth and development, but developed countries must demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to opening their markets to exports of developing countries, to enable them to achieve sustained levels of economic growth.
And if they are tardy or reluctant so to do, we must respond by intensifying trade among ourselves in the South.
Decision-making in the international financial and monetary institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF must be based on the interests of all of the members and conducted in a democratic and transparent manner. The policies developed and promoted by these institutions must have as their ultimate goal the transformation of societies, aimed at achieving a higher degree of social equity and justice within the global economy. The countries of the South must collectively insist in full participation in this process. The Supranational Global Actors which include international organizations and the Multi-National Corporations will never be guided by the moral imperative of equity and human development for all, unless we persistently insist.
We in the South must recognize our responsibility to work closely to develop a positive agenda to promote real development for developing countries, in future trade negotiations with the North. Despite our inherent differences we must also be our brother�s keepers in the South. We should ensure that benefits received are not at the expense of one another but achieved in an integrated manner to ensure the prosperity of the entire South.
Mr. Chairman, there is one other subject I would have liked to address but time does not permit. It is the question of peace. No country can develop if it is constantly enveloped in conflict and war - whether internal or external. Maybe some other delegate may address this issue.
Mr. Chairman, the South Summit offers a defining moment in our history, as we pool our collective intellectual strengths to chart a course for the genuine and lasting development of our peoples. The Programme of Action should ensure that the material and human resources which we have at our disposal are directed first and foremost to the well being of our citizens, especially the poor, the alienated and the disadvantaged. We must aim for a reversal of the increasing trend where 20 percent of the world�s richest countries dominate 86 percent of the world�s GDP and 82 percent of the share of goods and services, leaving an insignificant residue for the majority of mankind who currently do not share in enough of the world�s wealth. This Mr. Chairman, has directly generated disastrous consequences for all humanity, both North and South. If we are to create a humane global civilization, this South Summit must prepare itself to play a pivotal role. We owe this to our children.
May God Bless you all.