UN adopts without debate T&T's resolution on "Women, disarmament and arms control"

Foreign Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan on Friday reported to the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament that the UN has passed without debate a motion by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar titled: “Women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control”. 

The motion, which was adopted on October 28th, 2010 and will be considered by plenary later this month, Rambachan said.

The minister noted that in Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's address to the UN General Assembly on September 27, she called upon the world community to address four items that are critical to Trinidad and Tobago's national interest and the country's long term growth and development.

These were:

• That in the context of a broader definition of global governance in which leaders must be held accountable and there should be greater dialogue among Nation States; there ought to be regular and predictable channels of communications between “the G20 Nations and Members of the United Nations, which constitute the G192. Increased dialogue will facilitate a more global perspective on decisions which affect the financial well being on mankind
• That UN Member which are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court include international drug trafficking as a crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC
• That the proliferation of illegal small arms and consequential gang warfare forced many CARICOM Governments to divert scarce financial resources which could otherwise been used for economic and social development to deal with this challenge.
• That Trinidad and Tobago proposes to introduce in the First Committee of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, internal peace and security, a resolution on “women, disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation” We took this position because we felt that there can be no sustainable peace and security without the involvement and contribution of women.

"Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform this honourable House that on October 28th, 2010 exactly one month and a day after the address of the Honourable Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to the General Assembly, the First Committee adopted without vote, draft resolution A/C.1/65/L.39 Rev. 1 entitled “Women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control”.

He said 52 nations and delegations from the Western European and other Groups (WEOG), the African Group, and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (GRULAC) co-sponsored the resolution along with many Commonwealth nations.

"The resolution will now be referred to the plenary of the General Assembly and is expected to be considered by the plenary between mid to late November 2010," Rambachan said.

"The adoption of this resolution, even at this stage, represents a triumph of national diplomacy and demonstrates very clearly that Trinidad and Tobago can if it so chooses effectively “punch way above its weight” in international fora and seek to influence global decision making in ways that serve our own national interest and redound to the betterment of mankind," he added.

Rambachan noted that "this Peoples Partnership Government does not have to spend billions of dollars on summits to achieve our goals in the area of international relations." 

He added, "What we are doing is leveraging our intellect, our talent for seeking compromise, our Commonwealth relationships, and our geographic and cultural realities and circumstances to seek consensus and build bridges."

The minister said Trinidad and Tobago's commitment to multilateralism comes at a time when "some of our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean, have recently suffered a devastating sequence of events...

"As we confront these challenges we are mindful that, while we have been spared many of these misfortunes we still have to seek partnerships and build relationships if even to assist our regional colleagues.

"Trinidad and Tobago will continue to build partnerships with others based on brotherhood, mutual respect and the advancement of the interest of mankind and we will seek to do so as cost effectively, strategically and in the interest of the well being of Trinidad and Tobago and of the region," Rambachan said.