(EDITOR’S NOTE: His Excellency Sidney Collie, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the OAS, delivered the following remarks to the 50th Regular Session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly Virtual meeting 20 – 21 October 2020.)
Distinguished Foreign Ministers,
Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General,
Ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives.
Permit me at the outset to express, on behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas, solidarity with Member States and the people of the Americas as we battle the economic and social impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Excellencies,
I am certain that in 1971, when the First Regular Session of the General Assembly was celebrated in San Jose, Costa Rica, Member States, as forward thinking as they were, could not have imagined that the 50th meeting would be held in this manner.
That the Foreign Ministers and diplomatic representatives of the thirty-four active Member States of this august organization would meet with each other not in a beautiful hall, but through our computer screens.
That we would be separated not by country name plates, chairs and microphones, but by borders, oceans and time zones.
Excellencies,
As you know, The Bahamas was preparing to welcome you all to our shores to celebrate this auspicious occasion but the threat of the COVID‐19 pandemic forced our government to withdraw from hosting this 50th Regular Session of the General Assembly. Under the theme, “Building Resilience to Secure our Future”, we hoped that the Assembly would boost the spirits of the Bahamian people, who suffered immensely as a result of Hurricane Dorian last September, and be a rallying call for the countries of the hemisphere to focus on resilience as a critical element in overcoming the myriad of challenges faced by our region.
The Bahamas is pleased, therefore, that our proposed theme has resonated and that Member States have chosen for this year’s General Assembly, the theme, “Facing the Challenges of COVID‐19 in the Hemisphere: A Collaborative Approach to Address Vulnerabilities and Build Resilience in Times of Crisis, Based on the Four Pillars of the OAS”.
Exogenous shocks: Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19
The Bahamas is no stranger to such vulnerabilities.
The Bahamas experienced major hurricanes in 2015, 2016, 2017, and in 2019, Hurricane Dorian, the largest Atlantic storm in recorded history.
On 1st September 2019, Hurricane Dorian, an unprecedented destructive force of wind, rain and sea surge, ripped into the islands of the northern Bahamas, in what the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, the Most Honourable Hubert Minnis, has described as a “generational tragedy” for our country.
Secretary General Almagro, in his visit to The Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, noted that enhanced response to natural disasters requires the efforts of the entire international community, not just those of us more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The Secretary General stated, and I quote, “The OAS has the responsibility and obligation to place climate change and green energy at the top of the hemispheric agenda. Not doing so will mean more human and material costs like those experienced with Hurricane Dorian”. End quote.
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is only three named storms away from becoming the most active hurricane season on record. The frequency and intensity of these storms are no doubt aggravated by climate change, an existential threat for our region.
Just six months after the passage of Hurricane Dorian, The Bahamas, like all countries of this region, was faced with the health crisis known as COVID-19. With an economy that relies heavily on tourism, the closure of our borders and restriction in the movement of people has resulted in a severe slowdown in the country’s economic activity. It is the price we pay for protecting the health of our citizens and those within our borders.
Excellencies,
The exogenous shocks of climate-related events coupled with the effects of the global pandemic have highlighted the importance of doing away with outdated methodologies such as the use of GDP per capita in determining access to concessional financing. Such methodologies give no consideration to a country’s vulnerability to existential threats and ability to recover from these external shocks. We are grateful, therefore, for the Organization’s commitment to advocate for a review of the per capita income criterion.
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our region are further exacerbated by the effects of climate change. We are pleased, therefore, to co-sponsor along with CARICOM, the draft resolution ‘Advancing the Hemispheric Response to Climate Change in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic’. This will require new financial mechanisms to assist Member States in responding to the joint crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
In similar manner, the work of OAS toward strengthening its facilitative role in natural disaster preparedness and response in the Americas must continue unabated.
Development
For many small member States like The Bahamas, the OAS is one of the few global institutions where there is broad accessibility to technical assistance, particularly for development projects. When compared with other multilateral bodies, we believe that the OAS maintains comparative advantages and provides value-added in the areas of capacity building, technical cooperation and support for human development – which are more important now than ever before.
Budget Matters
Excellencies,
As a global recession looms before us, I wish to encourage Member States in fulfilling their annual assessed contributions, the lifeblood of the Organization. The OAS cannot continue to move from one fiscal crisis to the next.
It also cannot continue to operate in an imbalanced manner. The four pillars of the OAS are essential to the theme of this year’s virtual Assembly. We therefore look forward to the principle of equity being applied to the financing of the four pillars.
Conclusion
Excellencies,
The Bahamas continues to believe that this Organization has a critical role to play in regional and global affairs.
Since the first session of the General Assembly in 1971, the Organization has weathered tumultuous economic, social and political crises and has grown its membership to 35 states of the hemisphere.
Now more than ever, a collaborative, multilateral approach is required to overcome the contemporary challenges before us. Small Island Developing States like The Bahamas often find ourselves in recurrent recovery mode, cycling from one crisis to the next.
We remain steadfast, however, in our belief in the Organization’s capacity to assist Member States in building resilience as we confront the reality of the many challenges that continue to evolve in the economic, social and environmental spheres of the lives of the citizens of the Americas.
Steady leadership is required to navigate our region through these difficult times and The Bahamas congratulates Secretary General Almagro and Assistant Secretary General Mendez on their re‐elections and return to the ‘helm’.
Excellencies,
Though we are far apart, our countries remain inextricably linked; therefore, we must collaborate to combat the challenges ahead. We must unify in what the Prime Minister of The Bahamas calls, “the spirit of “we””.
In The Bahamas, you will find an engaged and responsible partner for the task at hand.
I thank you.
