Your Excellencies the Co-Presidents, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I have only five minutes. So, I shall be brief. To the point.
But, let me first of all congratulate you, Co-Presidents, on your election to the Chair, and the Secretary-General on his excellent report.
I shall spend the next four minutes and thirty-seven seconds voicing my country’s concerns and hopes for the new millennium.
The theme of this Millennium Summit is: the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century.
Many people around the globe ask: Fifty-five years after the United Nations was established, has the world become a better place?
The answer in our view is a qualified “yes”.
Decolonisation is almost complete. Apartheid has been dismantled.
Peace has paved the way for human progress.
In many parts of the world, health status has improved. And so has education.
The standard of living is rising.
Human rights are more widely respected.
Democracy has virtually replaced despotism.
We would rejoice in these achievements, were it not for the horror of the failures.
Remember the millions of children dying of hunger. Recall the killing fields of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Think of the many evil faces of terrorism. And the trillions spent on the arms build-up. Never forget the escalating environmental degradation. From genocide to wars to disease – the bodies keep piling up.
So, the UN is, at best, a modest success.
The new millennium is an opportune time, as any, for a fresh start. The gap between expectation and result must be eliminated.
War is the ultimate human tragedy. All bloodshed must cease.
The UN must become more democratic. It must serve all states alike.
We must reject all forms of discrimination and exploitation.
Development must become more inclusive.
Poverty is a crime against humanity by those who can but do not alleviate it. The expenditure on arms must be diverted to feed hungry mouths. And to save children.
Democracy, development and peace are different expressions of the same reality.
Globalisation must be made a positive force for all. It must unite and not divide. Benefit and not deprive.
Information technology can unite humanity like never before.
The least developed countries need greater preferential treatment.
The empowerment of women must become universal.
Moral values are vital for a caring world order.
Humanity’s quest for progress must be sustainable. We have no right to destroy the earth.
Ecological damage must be stopped. Global warming must be curbed. All low-lying countries must be saved.
For all these reasons, a stronger and a fairer UN is essential.
To those who learn from mistakes the past is a good guide for the future.
But, let us not go back a thousand years. Let us go forward to a hundred years from now.
When the UN meets to usher in yet another century, will the Maldives and other low-lying island nations be represented here?
Not only a sobering thought, but an alarming one.
Now, I have only thirty seconds.
It would be a pity to disperse from this gathering without a final commitment to save the earth.
I don’t wish to be cynical, but, are we to believe that the world really cares? Are we to believe that all humanity is one?
Inaction too speaks louder than words.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
My time at the podium is up. But, I pray that that of my country is not.
Thank you.