Anguilla Chief Minister outlines British interference in territory’s budget

United Anguilla for Transparency

Special to Overseas Territories Review

PRESS STATEMENT

Hubert B Hughes

Chief Minister of Anguilla

January 3, 2012

Fellow Anguillians,

Let me take the opportunity first of all to wish to Anguillians both at home and abroad as well as other visitors to our shores a Happy New Year as we enter 2012. I wish also to publicly convey the sentiments of the Season and best wishes of the New Year to the Father of the Nation, Mr James Ronald Webster and his dear wife Mrs Cleopatra Webster. No one knows the future either on a personal level or indeed on a national level and therefore as a Nation, we enter this New Year in Faith and Trust that God will see us through.

In this New Year, my administration intends to continue to maintain dialogue with the You the People about the various initiatives that we would like to engage in, keep you abreast of matters and issues that face our Nation, and hope that You will be actively participating in offering your views or indeed yourselves, if called upon for service to our beloved country.

It is against that backdrop that regrettably I am forced to tell you that today, the 1^st day of Government business in 2012, the People of Anguilla are once again faced with the situation of not having a Budget.

I say once again - because as you already know from our first term in office, notwithstanding that all the Budgets presented in the House of Assembly have been passed unanimously by both Government and Opposition, the UK Government refused to assent to our Budgets. Again for this 2012 Budget, the UK Government has failed to assent to our Budget.

While seasoned business professionals may understand the impact of not having a Budget, I want the average man in the street and young People to understand the impact of what happens when the country does not have a Budget. Because of Anguilla’s Colonial status as a territory of the UK we require that after our Budget has been presented in the House of Assembly and debated by your Government and the Opposition that even after your Political Representatives considered that the Budget has been agreed, it requires that the Governor who represents the UK sign off on the Budget, that is Assent to it. This process traditionally happens prior to the 31^st of December because by law, from the 1^st working day in a New Year the Budget that you have passed is supposed to be the operating document that guides how you are permitted to spend money or to collect revenues.

Therefore if the Budget which you have passed in the House is not assented to, then the liabilities of Government –such as loans, invoices to be settled, payments to be made to statutory bodies including the hospital, and payments to individuals should not occur and

any revenue generating measures that would have been budgeted for cannot legally occur because they cannot take effect until after the Budget has passed. Essentially the wheels of Government grind to a halt. Essentially, this is exactly where the British Government has now placed us.

I want the People of Anguilla however to understand that the fact that the Governor and the British Government have not assented to the Budget is not by accident. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) set a deadline of 31^st October 2011 for the proposed Budget to be submitted to them by the Finance Department and my Permanent Secretaries in Finance, Mrs Kathleen Rogers and her team and Dr Aidan Harrigan and his team ensured that that deadline was met.

Mrs Rogers travelled with me as a part of my delegation to London in mid-November 2011, and even though we were both initially approached in what I would say was an abrasive and hostile manner on our Budget, we were both able to defend the Budget and in particular stand resolute that we could not and would not intend placing any further taxes on our People.

We also maintained that neither were we in a position to release civil servants because that situation or indeed further taxes would create greater social hardships on the People of Anguilla and which I as the Political Leader would not do.

In those meetings we were verbally assured that we had adequately responded to their concerns and that there would be no problems and indeed that there would be no delay in having the Budget assented. Since that time my Finance Department responded to further queries and requests which either the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the Department for DFID requested of our Department - all within the timelines that were set by them, so that prior to the time that we went to the House of Assembly, there were no outstanding questions that had not been answered, no concerns that had been raised that had not been settled and all done within the timelines set by the FCO who were fully aware that the Assent needed to have been received by 31^st December 2011.

While I as the Leader of Government Business have not received the courtesy of written communication as to why the Assent has not been received, I observed that the Governor in responding to Permanent Secretaries made mention of the fact that Minister Bellingham and other Ministers with whom he has to consult were going to be [And I quote] “pre-occupied with constituency events” and therefore he the Governor did not anticipate that he would get the instructions to Assent.

Also in the last Executive Council the Governor informed that the Ministers went on holiday and that it would be “a few weeks”before an Assent could be received.

This is of course with the full knowledge that the British Government have held the handle of the knife in setting a deadline of three (3) years for Anguilla to reduce a EC 70 million dollars deficit of which they had oversight and allowed to grow for several years under their watch. This is of course also with full knowledge that this can never be said to be “good governance” - a standard which is always strictly observed as against this Administration but does not have to be observed by the Administering Power. This is also with the full knowledge of the Ministers’ Departments that deadlines were set and that an entire country is now being held hostage to a“pre-occupation with constituency events”; that is to say that Anguilla does not even rank as high as events in their districts. I consider this to be the ultimate disrespect - not to me – but to you the People of this Nation.

I also want you to keep in mind that not only do we not have a Budget on the 1^st day of Government business because of the lack of Assent by the Governor, but we also have a Department of Finance that has been officially handicapped on today’s first day of Government business.

You have heard me speak time and time again for the last few months on the fact that the Governor and Deputy Governor without consulting me proposed to transfer key Permanent Secretaries particularly in the Ministry of Finance.

You have heard me refer to the fact that the only Permanent Secretary with a double major in Finance and Accounting with 30 plus years experience in the departments of the Treasury and Audit was being removed during Anguilla’s toughest economic crunch in its history, to a Department in Public Administration which is a complete misuse of precious human resources which serve the People of this country.

You have also heard me refer to the fact that our solitary Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance who is our Economist with a doctorate in Economics is being transferred from his position as an Economist to take up the position of PS Finance when he is not an Accountant. And you have heard me refer to the fact that the Permanent Secretary who has served the Ministry of Home Affairs and has significant experience in that Department and who does not have Economics as a qualification is now to serve as Anguilla’s Economist in the Ministry of Finance.

You have heard me refer to the fact that these transfers are unjustified not just from the standpoint of misuse of our human resources, but from the position of performance and the fact that it was the synergy of particularly these two Permanent Secretaries who led their teams to produce a Budget which could withstand the scrutiny of the UK appointed team of Experts and which allowed Anguilla to rebound from a 70 million dollar deficit to a surplus position in 2011 in just 2 years of this Administration.

I stand amazed that notwithstanding my own objections that these transfers are not in the best interests of Anguilla, notwithstanding the objections of every single Premiere or Leader of the Overseas Territories expressed at the Overseas Territories Consultative Association Meeting in mid-November 2011 in London and despite the indications of Minster Bellingham that the Governor should review his decision, the Governor maintained that his decision stands and through his office transmitted the Appointment Forms to the Permanent Secretaries effecting the transfers as of 1^st January 2012. 

So now that there is no Budget and there is a handicapped Finance Department where does that put us?

Well once a Budget has not passed, the Government is entitled to utilise the option of signing off on a Provisional Budget. The Provisional Budget means that we cannot use the initiatives that we have planned for in our 2012 Budget and have to stick to what was done in 2011. In that case, it means that our proposed revenue generating measures – not taxes – are compromised and it means that every single day that we are unable to put our 2012 Budget into effect we become compromised in meeting our monthly targets and in meeting the overall deadline set by the UK. If you recall last year, as a result of not getting a timely Assent to our Budget we lost over EC 8 million dollars in revenue. Of particular significance for Anguilla however, is that every year we are supposed to receive funds of about EC$9 million from European Development Fund in the form of budgetary support.

We did not get it last year however, because of the fact that our Budget was not assented to and we had to utilise a Provisional Budget. I have been informed by my technocrats that already the European Department has been enquiring as to our state of affairs on the Budget and if again I am forced to sign a Provisional Budget there are strong chances that we would have jeopardised being able to receive those funds.

What I need you the People of Anguilla to understand is that notwithstanding it was the UK that delayed signing of our Budget last year which caused us to lose EC$9 million dollar in aid from the European Union, it was the UK Government that tried to strong-arm us to put taxes in place to make up for the short-fall even though they were the ones that created the situation that led to the short-fall. This year, after presentation of the Budget, it was made clear by Minister Duncan – the Minister for the Department of DFID that they wanted to receive from us a“Contingency Plan” - essentially a menu of measures that they wanted us to put in place in the event that we fall behind in any of our targets. That is why it was so critical for us to start the first working day of 2012 with a Budget. Doubtless, as with last year, even though they have created the situation in which we stand to fall behind – they will be the first ones asking us about further measures.

It is for all these reasons and particularly because if I go ahead and sign off on the Provisional Budget it will signal to the European agencies that once again we do not have a Budget and jeopardise Anguilla receiving funds, that I am taking the decision to delay signing of that Provisional Budget for one week to allow the UK Ministers to give priority to our situation. I am appealing to them to consider the further damage that they can do to Anguilla’s economy by delaying assent to the Budget.

Just as a footnote, I have specifically invited the President of the Civil Service Association to this briefing because I wish to make it clear to civil servants that what they see happening to their fellow civil servants, the Permanent Secretaries is not isolated. While they have chosen to remain silent on the issue, I must remind them that the woes and upheavals that we are constantly having with the British Government is in preserving their jobs. We have received recommendations to cut the civil service by 30%. I also wish to remind them that the British Government is reducing their civil service by 30,000 in two years. We have resisted this option because we recognise that to send civil servants home now is to condemn families to not being able to survive and will also affect our economy at large. While I intend to remain passionate about any action of the British Government that I do not feel is in the best interests of Anguilla, as the Elected Representatives we cannot fight this battle on our own.

Please recognise that General Orders which is subordinate to your Constitution cannot stop you from protecting your constitutional rights to work and to live.

To the People of Anguilla, I ask that you remain vigilant but the days of remaining silent are long gone. In our Past we have been successful in overcoming oppression when we felt that we were mistreated as a People.

We spoke with one Voice then because of our Pride as a People and our strong determination to protect our Home and our History. We need again to speak with one Voice.

I will be in touch with you and keep you abreast of further budgetary developments.

New Worries About Oil Terminal Risks on St. Eustatius Island

By Betsy Crowfoot 

Ecology Global Network

Part IV in a series exploring the potential impact of NuStar Energy’s proposed oil terminal expansion on the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius.

Part I: Tarnish on the Golden Rock: Will the Tiny Caribbean Isle of St. Eustatius Surrender to Oil Multinationals?

Part II: Residents fear the potential impact of NuStar Energy’s proposed oil terminal expansion and work towards stopping the degradation.

Part III: How “Green” is the Golden Rock?

Concerns are mounting about a proposed oil terminalling and processing expansion on the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius (Statia), after reports of yet another oil spill: this one off the coast of Nigeria. That incident saw nearly 40,000 gallons of oil leak during a transfer from a production/storage vessel to a tanker, before the malfunction was detected and stopped.

Read full article here.

Also see:

NUSTAR – A DISASTER ON STATIA: 

WHERE IS THE EVACUATION PLAN?

by James Russell

in

 TODAY - The Newspaper for Country 

St. Maarten

Dear Editor,

Foresight must be a wonderful gift. A handful of complacent civil servants on St. Eustatius already foresee that the new oil terminal is a supposedly done deal and it is all about when and not about if. 

But there is one significant aspect that has not been factored into administrative calculations. Some would say that it has more to do with the hand of God and others with the inexact science of foreseeing natural disasters. It is quite simply the eventuality of a full blown earthquake. Before island job hunters, cynics and island council members shrug off this doomsday scenario, some geological evidence would serve as a reminder that history not only repeats itself but does so when least expected.

The last reported earthquake of significant magnitude took place on St. Eustatius on February 8, 1843. Without any warning, its violent seismic waves demolished countless stone houses on the island and transformed the beautiful Methodist Chapel into a pile of rubble. Large chunks broke away from the Quill and sugar factory chimneys tumbled. Earlier accounts are sketchy but historians agree that major earthquakes occurred in 1755, 1766 and 1785. The cause for such geological and human consternation is not hard to find. 

St Eustatius is situated within a few kilometers of an active fault where the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates converge.

Read full article here.

United Nations General Assembly endorses erection of permanent memorial to transatlantic slave trade

General Assembly GA/11193

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Sixty-sixth General Assembly

Plenary

83^rd Meeting (AM)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ENDORSES INITIATIVE OF MEMBER STATES TO ERECT, AT HEADQUARTERS,

PERMANENT MEMORIAL ACKNOWLEDGING VICTIMS OF SLAVERY, TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE 

**** 

 The General Assembly today, recommitting itself to honouring the victims of what several delegates called “the most tragic chapter in human history”, adopted a resolution endorsing the construction at United Nations Headquarters of a permanent memorial to those who had suffered under the yoke of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade system.

By the terms of that consensus text, the Assembly stressed the importance of educating and informing current and future generations about the causes, consequences and lessons of slavery, and requested the Secretary-General to continue organizing activities related to the commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which is held annually on 25 March.

Speaking earlier during the Assembly’s corresponding debate, several delegates added that adopting the resolution, and in turn completing the permanent memorial, were the “least the United Nations could do” to honour those who forcibly became part of the global African Diaspora.

Moreover, said the representative of Guyana, who introduced the resolution on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the memorial would offer current and future generations the opportunity to contemplate and reflect on the horrors and indignity of the ignoble system of slavery. It would also serve as a source of inspiration, a symbol of the indomitable spirit of human beings and their capacity to triumph over the worst forms of oppression and bigotry.

The permanent memorial, first called for in General Assembly resolution 62/122, was slated to be completed by the end of 2012, and would be erected in a place of prominence at United Nations Headquarters in New York. An international competition to select its design was launched in September, and a Trust Fund was established to support its construction. Numerous delegations today stressed the importance of contributing to that Fund, which to date had raised over $1 million of the estimated $4.5 million needed to complete the project.

“We are magnanimous enough to forgive, but human enough not to forget,” said the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania, speaking on behalf of the African Group of States. The transatlantic slave trade had torn millions of Africans from their homes, “dragged them in chains to the Americas and sold them as slaves”. Its most salient outcome, he stressed, was the dehumanization of people of African descent, which led to a disturbing legacy of racism and racial discrimination in many countries.

Referring to the annual International Day to commemorate victims of the slave trade, he said that event recognized the dearth of inquiry into the experience of enslaved Africans, as well as a continuing gap in literature regarding their individual and collective experiences. More efforts were needed to promote research, education and outreach programmes to fill that gap, he emphasized, adding that it was “unacceptable” to continue to sweep the identities and contributions of enslaved Africans under the carpet.

The representative of Jamaica, which chairs the Permanent Memorial Committee, said that while some of the gravest historical wrongs against humankind had been addressed, others had not. Slavery and the transatlantic slave trade had not yet met the threshold of acknowledgement and redemption, which served as rationale for continued action at the United Nations. As the theme for the permanent memorial stated, he said, we are “acknowledging the tragedy, considering the legacy, lest we forget”.

The representative of Israel agreed that the memorial was of vital importance, and stressed that today’s resolution recalled the legacy of 30 million human stories - the vast majority of them untold. The need for that memorial was clear, she said: It would complement the work of the Organization’s existing outreach programme and provide a reminder to all delegates and visitors of the slave trade’s history and lessons. Only through education, remembrance and constant vigilance could the tragedies of the past serve as clear lessons for the future, and the United Nations had a duty to take up that cause.

Meanwhile, some speakers pointed out that the unjust legacy of slavery was still alive and well in the social life of many countries. The representative of Cuba, stressing that the people of his country were proud of their heritage - which included both Spanish and African blood – said that Africans would remain exploited as long as the “unsustainable and unjust” consumption patterns continued to exclude the majority of people around the world. Former colonial metropolises must “honour their debt” to slaves; it was impossible for them to “wash their hands of the past” and of their responsibilities in that regard.

Moreover, he said, if the current system was not checked, Africa would continue to finance the “extravagance” of wealthy developed countries, while commitments to development on the African continent were not honoured. Others added that, though slavery had long since been abolished in Latin America and the Caribbean, people of African descent living in that region continued to disproportionately face extreme poverty, unemployment and other challenges.

Background

For its consideration of the first item, the Assembly had before it a report of the Secretary-General (document A/66/162) entitled, “Permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade: status of the United Nations Trust Fund for Partnerships – Permanent Memorial”. The report states that, as at 30 June 2011, the Fund had recorded a total of $990,700 in income, comprising voluntary contributions from Member States amounting to $944,700, private donations totalling $28,000 and accrued interest in the amount of $18,000.

Also for its consideration of the agenda item relating to the slave trade commemoration follow-up, the Assembly had before it a second report of the Secretary-General (document A/66/382) entitled, “Programme of educational outreach on the transatlantic slave trade and slavery”. Submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/239 (2010), the report outlined the related activities of the Department of Public Information. In close collaboration with States members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Group, the department had organized the fourth annual observance on 25 March 2011 of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The commemoration’s 2011 theme, “The Living Legacy of 30 Million Untold Stories”, recalled the estimated 30 million Africans who were uprooted by the system of slavery and whose many stories under that system have not been told fully. The theme emphasized the importance of a more constructive portrayal in history and literature of the diverse skills which enslaved Africans brought to the homelands they were forced to adopt, and which were indispensable contributions to the economic foundation of the countries in the Americas and of the world economy of the eighteenth century.

The outreach and awareness strategy of the Department of Public Information utilized its network of information centres to disseminate the message of the observance internationally, and promoted partnership activities with civil society organizations committed to building awareness of the dangers of racism and racial discrimination, as well as the continuing legacy of slavery and the slave trade.

The Assembly was also slated to consider a draft resolution (document A/66/L.25) on the permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. By that resolution, the Assembly, endorsing the initiative to erect a permanent memorial at a place of prominence at United Nations Headquarters, would request the Secretary-General to organize a series of annual activities related to the commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. That would include a commemorative meeting of the General Assembly. It would further request the Department of Public Information to continue to take appropriate steps to enhance world public awareness on that issue, and would request both the Secretary-General and the United Nations Office for Partnerships to report on that programme of educational outreach – including on actions taken by Member States – at its sixty-seventh session.

Anniversary of Abolition of Transatlantic Slave Trade

Introducing the draft resolution on the permanent memorial to and remembrance of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade (document A/66/L.25), GEORGE TALBOT (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the initiative of the Caribbean delegation, along with the African Group, to erect a memorial at Headquarters had responded to the need to honour, at a global level, “the victims of this most tragic chapter in human history.” Once completed, the memorial would offer current and future generations the opportunity to contemplate and reflect on the horrors and indignity of the ignoble system of slavery. It would also serve as a source of inspiration, a symbol of the indomitable spirit of human beings and their capacity to triumph over the worst forms of oppression and bigotry.

“With that in mind, we reaffirm our commitment to the erection of a permanent memorial in a place of prominence at United Nations Headquarters, that is accessible to delegates, United Nations staff and visitors,” he said. It was well established that the inhuman system which had led to the forced removal of millions of people over centuries from Africa to the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe, indeed the largest forced displacement of human beings in history, had contributed today to continued economic underdevelopment, social inequalities, racial discrimination and prejudice. The current resolution before delegations would have the Assembly endorse the initiative to erect the memorial and to take into account new developments, such as the conclusion of the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding, and welcome the recent launch of the international design competition.

OMBENI SEFUE (United Republic of Tanzania), speaking on behalf of the African Group, called for the outstanding physical and spiritual resilience of people of African descent, who for centuries endured and survived all manner of adversity, injustice, oppression, exploitation, discrimination and suffering, to be celebrated. “We are magnanimous enough to forgive, but human enough not to forget,” he said of the transatlantic slave trade, which tore millions of Africans from their homes, dragged them in chains to the Americas and sold them as slaves. Its most salient outcome, he stressed, was the dehumanization of people of African descent, which led to a disturbing legacy of racism and racial discrimination in many countries.

Recalling that the United Nations observed the annual International Day to commemorate victims of the slave trade earlier this year, he said that event recognized the dearth of inquiry into the experience of enslaved Africans and recognized a continuing gap in the literature regarding their individual and collective experiences. While it was bad enough to enslave Africans, it was unacceptable to sweep their identities and contributions under the carpet. More efforts were needed to promote research, education and outreach programmes to fill that gap. He praised the work of the Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) and the Department of Public Information in that regard, while also noting the erection of a permanent memorial and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the slave trade were an important component of raising awareness. He further recognized the importance and necessity of sustained voluntary contributions towards the permanent memorial.

RAYMOND O. WOLFE (Jamaica), aligning with CARICOM and the African Group, said the question continued to be asked – why did the States involved continue to feel the need to remind the world about this tragic past when there was a need to look to the future and contemporary forms of slavery. Yet, in the words of Jamaican singer Bob Marley, “in this great future, we can’t forget the past”. While some of the gravest historical wrongs against humankind had been addressed, others had not. Slavery and the transatlantic slave trade had not yet met the threshold of acknowledgement and redemption. That was the rationale for continued action at the United Nations, including to ensure that a lasting tribute be erected on its grounds. As the theme for the permanent memorial stated, we are “acknowledging the tragedy, considering the legacy, lest we forget…”

He expressed appreciation for the programme of education and outreach on the transatlantic slave trade and slavery for 2011, organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI). He encouraged that Department to ensure that the annual commemorative activities were a fitting and solemn tribute to slavery’s victims. Noting that Belgium, Oman, Finland, Guyana, Costa Rica, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Israel and Trinidad and Tobago had contributed to the Permanent Memorial Trust Fund, he said the total amount given to date was $1.02 million.

As Chair of the Permanent Memorial Committee, he noted the launch this year of a dedicated website for that initiative: www.unslaverymemorial.org. A Facebook presence had also been set up and R&B singer Melba Moore had been appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador. Consultation had led to the signing of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding allowing UNESCO to undertake phase one of the international design competition that was launched on 30 September. Other efforts focused on its fundraising drive, he added.

OSCAR LEÓN GONZÁLEZ ( Cuba) said that Cubans were proud of their heritage, which included both Spanish and Africans. “The slave trade left a very clear trail,” he said, referring to the Caribbean community. Indeed, that region’s cultural wealth and singularity were the result of the wisdom, languages, culture, music and verbal spirit of the slaves that were brought there, and its spirit was imbued with the courage and valour of those who had struggled against their oppression.

Today, he continued, Africans would remain exploited as long as the “unsustainable and unjust” consumption patterns continued to exclude the majority of people around the world. Former colonial metropolises must “honour their debt” to slaves; it was impossible for them to “wash their hands of the past” and of their responsibilities in that regard. Moreover, if the current system continued, Africa would continue to finance the “extravagance” of wealthy developed countries, while commitments to development on the African continent were not honoured. For its part, Cuba had established the first museum dedicated to the Slave Route in the Americas, he said. It recognized the importance of organizing annual activities under the umbrella of the United Nations and of the construction of the permanent memorial. That was “the least the United Nations could do” to honour the past and those who had suffered, he said.

GARY QUINLAN ( Australia) said the transatlantic slave trade had forcibly removed tens of millions of Africans from their communities and separated them from their families. Millions died while being transported and uncounted others while resisting the slavers. What in Swahili was known as the “Maafa – the great disaster” – was for more than 400 years the institutionalized face of the very worst kind of racism and an almost unimaginable contempt for human life. “We need to recognize the dark side of our own history and bring it into the light,” he said, stressing that the permanent memorial would be a lasting tribute to all those who had died and suffered through the slave trade.

“It will also be a physical symbol of our common obligation to remember; and acknowledge that the fight against such savagery is really never won,” he said, noting that racism always threatened and, through human trafficking, perhaps some 26 million more people were enslaved today. Educating current and future generations about the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting consequences was essential. The resolution stressed that, and Australia, he continued, had placed emphasis on the consequences of racism and prejudice in its school curriculums. Indeed, his country had seen the mistreatment of the first Australians for too long. The historic 2008 Apology to Australia’s Indigenous people had been a dramatic acknowledgement “of the many wrongs our own community has suffered”. Finally, he announced that Australia was providing a further contribution, of some $150,000, to support the permanent memorial.

MARIA LUIZA RIBEIRO VIOTTI ( Brazil) said that, as an early supporter of the permanent memorial initiative and as a repeated co-sponsor of the annual draft before the Assembly, Brazil hoped that the General Assembly would, through those actions, demonstrate its commitment to adequately honour the victims of slavery and the slave trade. As the Brazilian demographic census of 2010 had indicated, more than half of the Brazilian population had identified itself as African descended. Brazil took great pride in that legacy, which marked its society and culture in many different ways. “It is an essential part of our historic formation and of our national identity,” she stressed. That recognition had translated into a number of concrete actions. Since 2003, the Government had opened 19 new embassies in Africa and several more in CARICOM States. Commercial activity with both regions had increased, and Africa was now Brazil’s fourth largest trade partner. Among other activities, the country had also held a Brazil-CARICOM Summit in 2010, and was deeply engaged in the stabilization and development of Haiti, where it led the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Although Brazil had formally abolished slavery 123 years ago, its enduring impact could still be felt in many aspects of its social life. People of African descent continued to disproportionately face extreme poverty, unemployment and other challenges. In that context, Brazil, alongside the Ibero-American General Secretariat, had organized a conference in Salvador, Bahia; the resulting “Declaration of Salvador” had decided to establish a Statistical Data Observatory for People of African Descent, to create a Fund for People of African Descent, and to establish a “Decade for People of African Descent in Latin America and the Caribbean”. “Only by building cultures together and creating a true atmosphere of tolerance and mutual understanding will it be possible for the international community to fight the persistent scourge of racism and racial discrimination,” she concluded.

KENDRICK MEEK ( United States) described a wide number of programmes through which his Government had commemorated the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The United States also remained committed to promoting outreach and education to raise awareness about the slave trade and its consequences, as part of its effort to reduce prejudice and inequalities wherever they existed. He said that his Government was also pressing ahead with initiatives to tackle modern forms of racism and slavery. The United States was also honouring the historic and modern-day contributions of African Americans and persons of African descent, those who had fought for freedom during the Civil War, those who had contributed to the enrichment of the country throughout history, and those who were enhancing ordinary life in the United States today. The United States looked forward to expanding its partnerships to tackle all aspects of slavery, including its modern forms, in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

HAIM WAXMAN ( Israel) recalled Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel’s statement that, “If anything can, it is memory that will save humanity… hope without memory is like memory without hope.” Reaffirming memory’s vital importance, he said today’s resolution recalled the legacy of 30 million stories, the vast majority of them untold. It was among the stories of those who suffered unimaginable cruelty and persecution that the world found hope. The Jewish people knew well the joys of freedom and the pain of persecution. This was why Israel today joined hands with the nations of the world in laying the foundation for a permanent memorial at the United Nations to honour the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. It had recently contributed $20,000 to support the memorial’s construction. Indeed, the need for that memorial was clear: It would complement the work of the Organization’s existing outreach programme and provide a reminder to all delegates and visitors of the slave trade’s history and lessons. Only through education, remembrance and constant vigilance could the tragedies of the past serve as clear lessons for the future, and the United Nations had a duty to take up that cause, he emphasized.

OLIVIER MAES ( Luxembourg) paid tribute to all Member States of CARICOM and the African Group for their key role in promoting the permanent memorial. The transatlantic slave trade was undoubtedly one of history’s darkest chapters and it should not be ignored. From a political and moral point of view, that human tragedy, which lasted several centuries, must be duly commemorated. It must also permeate the world’s collective conscience, so the current and future generations could draw the right lesson and ensure it never happened again. For that reason, Luxembourg was cosponsoring the draft resolution and welcomed the consensus the text enjoyed. It had regularly contributed for years to the Trust Fund and encouraged all Member States to demonstrate tangible support to the permanent memorial. His delegation also welcomed the launch of the international design competition. Because it was also imperative that that period of history continued to be studied in depth, adequate resources must be made available to researchers.

HARDEEP SINGH PURI ( India) said the slave trade was one of the most abhorrent chapters in the history of mankind and the work of the United Nations could never be completed until the Organization condemned the transatlantic slave trade “emphatically and without reservation”. It was also necessary that the international community took upon itself to never let such crimes ever take place again. “Education has a critical role in creating awareness amongst present and future generations about the history, causes and impact of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade,” he continued, adding that India supported the various activities and programmes being carried out by the Department of Public Information to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance, annually on 25 March.

While he announced that India, with a contribution of some $260,000, was now the lead contributor to the Trust Fund for the permanent memorial, he said that it had collected just over $1 million of the estimated $4.5 million that was needed and “the international community must come forward and contribute”. “The international community cannot let the idea of this memorial just remain on the drawing board,” he said, underscoring his delegation’s firm belief that there must be a genuine acceptance of the fact that the horrible crimes associated with slavery occurred, along with the sincere repentance for their commission. India, therefore, strongly urged all countries, and especially those that had benefited from the slave trade, to come forward and contribute to the memorial project.

The Assembly then adopted without vote the resolution on the permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade (document A/66/L.25).