Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
All protocol having been established, allow me to add my own words of welcome to this the second annual “Diplomatic Week” of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I have noted from your schedule that you have been kept busy with a number of briefings on issues of importance to The Bahamas. I hope that you have also had the time to enjoy some of the delights of our beautiful islands.
For the theme of Diplomatic Week 2015, we have chosen “DIPLOMACY AND THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA: POSITIONING FOR THE FUTURE (TOWARD NEW APPROACHES, TOOLS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTING NEW GOALS)”. With the recent adoption of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” by world leaders in September of this year in New York, we thought that it was especially important to consider how our foreign policy and diplomatic efforts could assist us in successfully accomplishing the agenda.
When I addressed the United Nations Summit on 25 September 2015, I stressed that it was the hope of the People of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas that we would be agreeing to a new agenda that was people-centred, planet-sensitive and inclusive in approach to its development, grounded in the common values and principles we espouse as the United Nations.
The Bahamas’ vision of the post-2015 development agenda was always one that was both inclusive and transformative, with the well-being of people at its core. Having now been adopted, the agenda is no longer a vision, but a reality. The Bahamas anticipates that the agenda will usher in a new era of development at the national and international levels. For this to happen, however, we must ensure that our approach to its implementation is bold, yet balanced and cohesive while upholding the values we want to protect, preserve and defend.
Our work in this regard will be necessarily influenced by a dynamic political, social, environmental and economic background that is ever-evolving and giving rise to significant global developments. Conflict and violence continue to devastate the safety and well-being of civilian populations and to threaten development gains and prospects, wherever they occur.
Now, more than ever we need effectual diplomacy and the brokering of meaningful solutions to conflict and unrest. We must not allow the moral compass of the international community to be polarized by political and ideological differences at the peril of human life. The Bahamas, a peace-loving nation, is committed to upholding good governance and the rule of law. We are ever mindful that one of the responsibilities of Government is to protect those within its borders from oppression and violations of human rights.
As a sign of its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has offered itself for membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period 2016-2018, the elections for which will take place next week in New York.
The Bahamas, a small island developing State, has never served as a member of the Human Rights Council and is seeking election as a demonstration of its unwavering commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. The Bahamas believes that the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people must be protected and that small states ought to have a voice in ensuring such protection.
The Bahamas is the first Member-State of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the first English-speaking country in the Latin American and Caribbean region to seek election to the Human Rights Council (HRC). The Bahamas’ election to the Council would provide a unique opportunity to bring a balance in the promotion and consideration of global human rights issues, from the perspective of a small State. The Bahamas firmly believes in the need to ensure inclusiveness and participation for all Member-States in the work of the Human Rights Council (HRC).
The Bahamas has a keen interest in the work of the Human Rights Council (HRC) and desires to deepen its contribution to the advancement of human rights principles and values at the international level with special focus on, inter alia, issues related to women, children, persons with disabilities, migration, health and sustainable development.
The Bahamas’ long-term mission in seeking election to the Human Rights Council (HRC) is to ensure that, in the exercise of foreign policy, human rights issues are central to the global discourse and are mainstreamed throughout the work of the United Nations system. Excellencies, we hope that we can count on the invaluable support of your Governments as we seek to realise this objective.
We also hope that you would support us in our bid for re-election to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), of which you would have heard a great deal yesterday from the Minister responsible for Transport and Aviation, the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin. It has been said that “our oceans [are] the “lifeblood” of planet Earth and humankind. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Bahamas, an archipelagic nation of 700 islands, rocks and cays. Our way of life is defined by the sea and our archipelago is dependent upon maritime transport of goods and people for our economic, social and cultural life. Membership on the IMO Council is therefore one of our foreign policy priorities, and we trust that our record of service on the Council to date would auger well for us in next month’s elections in London.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Bahamas is fully aware that we are primarily responsible for our national development – a responsibility from which we have never shied away. Recent events prove that small countries have to have the resilience, elasticity of response and the institutional infrastructure to withstand economic shocks that may come from unexpected directions.
The Bahamas, along with the rest of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has long held that GDP per capita should not be the sole determinant for the question of the economic support that is to be given in our region, but that our vulnerability to economic and other shocks must also be taken into account. Indeed, a single large investor can, when it runs into difficulties, throw an entire country out of whack. To the west of here you would have seen the soon to be completed “Baha Mar Resorts”, the opening of which has been stalled due to reasons that have been well explained to the public. The delay in its opening has been a setback, there can be no doubt, but we look forward to its opening in the not too distant future. The goal with “Baha Mar” is to increase visitor arrivals, occupancy rates and room rates and to further target the Chinese tourism market, as well as high net worth Chinese nationals in cities like Vancouver, London, Toronto and New York. Investments such as the new Lynden Pindling International Airport, which was opened in 2013 and is operated to world class standards, allows us to support the growth anticipated from “Baha Mar Resorts”, as well updating of airports on Family Islands.
The Bahamas is also looking forward to a new development called “The Pointe, Nassau”, which is a new waterfront destination in downtown Nassau and is scheduled to open in 2017.
“The Pointe” will consist of 110 condo units, a 200-room hotel, movie theaters, retail shops, a performing arts center, a spa, entertainment venues, at least 14 restaurants, a marina and a parking garage.
Our marketing continues to evolve as we seek to broaden our messages and extend our audiences. To that end, we are now partnering with world class sports teams to stage events in The Bahamas that will spotlight the destination. The Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, Bahamas Marathon, Dan Marino and Friends Weekend, the Miami Heat training camps, have all helped to establish The Bahamas as a Mecca for sports tourism. More recently, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism teamed up with famed golfers, Tiger Woods, Joe Lewis and Ernie Els, and inked a three-year golf deal for the PGA Hero World Challenge to be held at the newly built ultra-luxurious, Albany Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as the destination continues on an upward trajectory, but it clearly demonstrates The Bahamas’ strategy of partnering and aligning with global organizations, business enterprises and governments to elevate the appeal of our brand and to secure our country’s economic legacy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to “man made” shocks, The Bahamas, like other SIDS, remain vulnerable to other exogenous shocks. Sadly, one hurricane can wipe out the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of an entire country many times over.
Earlier this month, Hurricane Joaquin ravaged the islands of Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador, in the southern part of our archipelago, leaving a massive toll of destruction. So far we estimate that it will cost tens of millions of dollars to rebuild these communities.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend, through you to your Governments, the heartfelt appreciation of the Government and People of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas for the support we have already received from the international community. The task ahead is challenging, but The Bahamas Government has made a commitment to reconstruct, to rebuild and to establish an organized process to do so, in the wake of the onslaught of Hurricane Joaquin. There is a coordinated and concerted effort being deployed to bring relief to persons and situations all across the affected areas, and we appeal to the international community to increase its partnership with us in our recovery efforts.
These kinds of shocks have resulted in high levels of indebtedness in many small island developing states (SIDS), and they have certainly challenged our ability to achieve the internationally agreed development goals. And thus it becomes increasingly important for the renewed Global Partnership to meaningfully address these issues, in order to buttress our attempts to implement the new development agenda, including the SDGs.
The Bahamas is pleased that the new agenda speaks to the sustainable development challenges we all face. It represents a firm political commitment to leave no one behind and to ensure a sustainable future for present and future generations. As we have agreed on the SDGs and Targets, we have also agreed to align them to national priorities and anchor them in our national sustainable development plans.
As we implement this new agenda we must continue to acknowledge that small island developing states (SIDS) remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities, including the adverse effects of climate change.
It is important that the new development agenda leads toward a climate treaty in Paris later this year.
It is the position of SIDS that to put the world on a below 2°Celsius pathway, the Paris agreement must establish a global, legally binding framework, with commitments strong enough to reverse present upward emission trends by 2020, and to ensure fossil fuel CO2 emissions from the energy and industrial sector are reduced to zero by 2050. SIDS survival must be the benchmark for the 2015 agreement, and developed countries must honour their financial commitments from Copenhagen and provide adequate means of implementation, including through the capitalization of the Green Climate Fund.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is one thing that unites all Bahamians: the desire to live and work in a safe, prosperous and modern Bahamas – a Stronger Bahamas.
A Stronger Bahamas is a place where our streets are safe, our homes are secure and our justice system is perceived as fair and efficient. It is a place where employment is on the rise, Bahamian entrepreneurs thrive, and where tourism continues to grow. It is a place where we look after our own—where all children are prepared for the future and where families and elders are cared for.
This month of October is special in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas because it is a month when we celebrate our Youth. During the last few weeks, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has hosted a number of activities in celebration of National Youth Month, under the theme: “#YOUTHMATTER”. The theme, “#YOUTHMATTER”, is an answer to the cry of a modern youthful society, representing the concerns, ideals, dreams and aspirations of youth in a tech-savvy expression, with the hash tag (#) present as a mark of modern trends of communication among youth.
In The Bahamian context, this year’s theme acknowledges the fact that youth simply matter, and as such, their concerns should always be at the forefront of our development and programmatic agenda; and we should ensure that access and opportunity is ever present for them. Youth development is a key component of building a Stronger Bahamas.
I am particularly pleased to share with you the accomplishments of a group of seventy young people who have been successfully selected to the 2015/2016 National Fresh Start Programme. The Fresh Start Programme has evolved into a scheme that has truly transformed the lives of many participants.
Through this programme, these young people will be exposed to Job Readiness and Personal Development Training, techniques along with technical training in a skill, followed by a four week internship. On Monday, 5 October 2015, the programme was fully activated, and soon another fine cadre of youth will be on the road to self-improvement, technical preparedness and a step closer to being ready for entry into the workforce.
Shortly before I addressed the UN Summit on 25 September 2015, I had the honour and privilege of listening to His Holiness Pope Francis address that august body, and I would like to end today by quoting his eloquent words:
‘…the simplest and best measure and indicator of the implementation of the new Agenda for development will be effective, practical and immediate access, on the part of all, to essential material and spiritual goods: housing, dignified and properly remunerated employment, adequate food and drinking water; religious freedom and, more generally, spiritual freedom and education. These pillars of integral human development have a common foundation, which is the right to life and, more generally, what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself’.
My Government is committed to building a Stronger Bahamas, based on these principles. We invite the international community to partner with us as we strive towards the lofty goal of “transforming our world”.
May God Bless The Bahamas, and the countries which you all represent.
I thank you.
