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ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE FRED MITCHELL,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH
OF THE BAHAMAS
AT THE FOURTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS,
MAR DEL PLATA, ARGENTINA
4 NOVEMBER 2005.
Mr. Chairman
President Kirchner
Distinguished Heads of State and Government
Distinguished Delegates
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the
Right Honourable Perry Christie, has delegated me to bring his sincere
well wishes and to express his profound regret that he is unable to join
this august meeting to discuss issues related to the creation of jobs to
fight poverty and strengthen democratic governance in the Americas.
At this very moment, the attention of the entire Hemisphere
and indeed the world, is focused on this, the Fourth Summit of the
Americas ; and, at the end of this grand conclave, Heads will return to
their countries to face expectant electorates and explain the benefits
derived from this meeting.
It would be neither sufficient nor satisfactory for the
benefits to be described by merely quoting paragraphs from the
Declaration of Mar del Plata. The
only appropriate response would be to show which goals, set by past
Summits have been implemented and to outline the new goals that have
been identified by this Summit to have an impact, in a very real way, on
the daily lives of citizens.
However, at this specific moment, it could be argued that the
Plan of Action of this Fourth Summit is too ambitious and covers too
wide a scope of complex issues and objectives.
Because the Plan of Action attempts to duplicate, paragraph
for paragraph, the Summit Declaration, the Summit runs the risk of
making many promises that might not be honoured.
Mr. Chairman, the reality is that not only do actions speak
louder than words; it is also more difficult to perform actions than it
is to utter words.
The Bahamas is of the view that in the preceding preparatory
meetings of the Summit Implementation Review Group, this year, the bulk
of the time was spent on the preparation of the Declaration and too
little time was spent on the Plan of Action.
The Plan of Action should be the practical blueprint for
hemispheric development and advancement; and as such, much more
resources must be put into it. Otherwise,
we are likely to be sucked into a vicious vortex that would eventually
make the Summits Process a mere talk shop and a largely meaningless
exercise.
As the Summits Process develops more and more, therefore, it
might be useful for the Plan of Action to cover a narrow range of
readily achievable objectives; a short list of priorities, so to speak,
of clearly identifiable and easily verifiable targets, based on critical
issues affecting the Hemisphere.
We must ensure that the Summits Process become more relevant
rather than less relevant to the peoples of the Hemisphere, who are
already asking whether the aura of the Summit of the Americas is waning
and whether hemispheric leaders are less enthusiastic now about the
beneficial outcomes of the Summit than they were, say, in 1994 or 2001.
It might be useful, Mr. Chairman, for us to remind ourselves
that, to date, the original and most important outcome of the entire
Summits of the Americas initiative is the concept of the Free Trade Area
of the Americas.
To a large extent, perhaps larger than we might like to
believe, the peoples of this Hemisphere, and indeed, the global
community, are watching the movement or lack of movement of the FTAA;
and thus the credibility of these Summits depends on the success of the
FTAA.
So, at this point it might be useful for us to take stock of
our position and engage in an evaluation exercise to determine the views
of the peoples of the Hemisphere regarding the hemispheric integration
and the benefits they perceive arising therefrom, so as to determine the
nature and scope of future actions.
We may also wish to note, with a degree of optimism, that the
mechanism whereby civil society is now an integral part of the Summits
Process, allows for a positive response to the legitimate dreams and
aspirations of the peoples of the hemisphere; and gives the Process
continuous buoyancy; and keeps it relevant and in tune with the social
and economic realities of the Hemisphere.
Mr. Chairman,
The Bahamas is pleased to note the prominence that scientific
research and technological development and application has been given in
this Summit, both in the Declaration and in the Plan of Action.
This is seen as a continuation of the recognition, by the 3rd
Summit in Quebec, of the critical role that science and technology must
play in the creation of jobs and in the fight against poverty.
Throughout history, it has been shown that scientific enquiry
and the application of scientific knowledge to every-day life are
fundamental to the economic and social advancement of any community,
because it leads to improvement in the production and delivery of
existing goods and services, as well as to the production and delivery
of entirely new goods and services.
The creation of a culture of science in the hemisphere would
actually promote the development of human intellectual capital; bring
dignity to labour wherever it is employed; raise productivity; highlight
individuality, which is essential in our democratic culture; and enhance
the overall quality of life.
Too often, in today’s world, we think of scientific
research as being in the sole domain of big business and involving the
outlay of large sums of money.
But the contrary is true: scientific discovery takes place at
all levels of human activity. It
should, therefore, be encouraged in the both the formal and informal
economies, as well as in all the educational institutions throughout the
hemisphere.
If, in accordance with the Declaration of Mar del Plata and
the Plan of Action, we will promote and facilitate the growth of micro,
small and medium-sized enterprises as a means of creating jobs and
stimulating economic growth, we will have to make a conscious effort to
encourage the flourishing of a scientific culture among those involved
in micro, small and medium- sized enterprises.
Every farmer, every fisherman, every craftsman, every
businessman, should be imbued with the belief that research and
development in his specific field of endeavour is within his capability
and that he is faced with the challenges and opportunities, virtually
every day.
And correspondingly, hemispheric leaders must commit to
allocating human and financial resources to promote scientific enquiry
at all levels of economic activity and to provide mechanisms to reward
discoverers and innovators.
Mr. Chairman,
While scientific enquiry and technological development and
application have always been key elements in the economies of the most
highly developed states in the hemisphere, the less developed states
have been consumers of technologies developed outside of their
territories, rather than creators of technologies within their
territories.
This is far and distinct from certain countries outside of
this hemisphere which, having embraced, adapted and added value to
imported technologies, to suit their peculiar physical, social and
economic environments, are now experiencing economic growth rates three
times greater than those of most of the countries in the Americas. This
should be instructive.
A most urgent case, at present, for appropriate technological
application, in tropical and sub-tropical America, is in the area of
forecasting hurricanes and applying construction and engineering science
to mitigate the annual catastrophic effects of hurricanes on human life
and on public and private infrastructure.
For very many years, now, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce
has performed a singularly commendable service through its National
Hurricane Center in Miami Florida in forecasting and analysing these
hazardous tropical weather phenomena.
Mr. Chairman, no amount of applause and ovation would be
sufficient to show gratitude for this invaluable service.
On the other hand, it cannot be stated, unequivocally, that
states in tropical and sub-tropical America have applied appropriate
technology, literally on the ground, to complement the advanced
knowledge we all now have of hurricanes.
Given that one of the basic functions of Government, as an
institution of human society, is to provide security for its citizens,
there is the urgent need for Governments throughout the hurricane zone
to allocate adequate resources to provide the greatest security possible
for citizens against the ravages of hurricanes.
It is technologically possible. But is there the political
will?
Given all the available technology today, there is little
excuse for the widespread devastation that hurricanes continue to cause
in tropical America.
States in the hurricane belt should re-assess building codes,
from a scientific and technological perspective, to develop economically
feasible designs that could withstand the strongest hurricane force
winds.
Scientific and technological principles and practices must be
applied in the development of land-use policies, urban planning and
zoning regulations, to minimize the effect that mud-slides, storm
surges, floods, and the like, can have on our human settlements.
In the same way that scientific enquiry and technological
application have been used successfully, over the past one hundred years
or so, to combat the ravages of pathogenic diseases in human
populations, so now must we use scientific enquiry and technological
application to stop the ravages of hurricanes and their attendant
disasters.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, The Bahamas puts on the table
for consideration the proposal of a short list of “do-able” goals,
including the creation of a scientific culture throughout the hemisphere
and a practical strategy for the mitigation of hurricane disasters.
Finally, I would wish to thank the government and people of
the Republic of Argentina for the warm hospitality my delegation has
enjoyed during our stay here.
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