ADDRESS BY
THE RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER
AT THE XI SUMMIT OF THE G-15
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, MAY 30-31, 2001
PRESIDENT K.H. ABDURRAHMAN WAHID,
COLLEAGUE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT,
EXCELLENCIES,
DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES
Allow me, first of all, to extend our grateful thanks through you President Wahid
for the warm hospitality accorded to my delegation and indeed to all visiting
delegtaes by the Government and people of Indonesia.
Mr. Chairman,
At previous meetings we have discussed the profound impact that globalisation is
having on our economies, and some of the strategies and measures that we can
sponsor and initiate to begin adapting our countries to the new environment.
We recognised then that to achieve positive results from these efforts, it was
imperative that our human and technological capacities be enlarged on a
sustained basis. The measures will enable us to modernise our economies to
develop capabilities for innovation; to achieve greater international
competitiveness; and to re-engineer social relations within our societies so that
the benefits of growth can be more equitably shared. These are all fundamental
objectives to which we are already committed.
In order to move ahead on these fronts, we have to get the macro economic
situation right and to accelerate the processes of internal policy reform. But we
are all aware that none of our goals are attainable if we cannot look towards
international economic arrangements, that will give us a better chance in the
spheres of international trade and finance.
In relation to Trade, the Uruguay Round promised much but has so far not lived
up to expectations. We are presently being asked to endorse proposals for a New
Round.
While supportive of efforts to roll-back protectionism in all of its forms, we need
to receive firm assurances that the implementation of the Uruguay Round will be
completed especially as they concern developing countries.
We have to insist that the needs of our countries will occupy a central place in
the agenda for a New Round before new issues are brought up for negotiations.
1
UWI LIBRARIES
Our countries are still saddled with very heavy debt burdens.
We welcome the efforts being made to assist the Least Developed Countries and
urge faster implementation of the steps that have been agreed.
But other developing countries also have very pressing requirements,
accentuated by a backlog of outstanding development needs, especially in areas
such as critical poverty, unemployment and under-employment, and
environmental degradation.
Relief from the debt service being applied to the current stock of debt, would
allow the resources thereby released to be utilised for sustainable development.
This would represent one of the first steps towards assisting the further
integration of developing countries in the global economy.
It must also be appreciated that for trade liberalisation to be successful,
developing countries need a commensurate inflow of finance and risk capital for
purposes of economic modernisation.
A special facility is needed to provide resources for these purposes targeted
towards the private sector; especially small- and medium- sized enterprises but
also available to governments for infrastructural improvements, designed to
increase efficiency in the productive sectors.
Jamaica regards this as an issue worthy of inclusion in the agenda for the UN
Conference on Finance for Development, due to be held in Mexico next year.
As we gather for the 11th Summit of our Group, a truly meaningful debate is not
whether globalisation is an inevitable reality but moreso how we as Leaders
seek to shape its course and mitigate the inequalities wherever they appear.
In this effort, we could hardly have chosen a theme more deserving of our focus
than that of "Harnessing the Potentials of the Digital Era for Development".
For unless we manage to do so quickly and effectively, the economic divide will
widen and the social disparities will increase.
Mr. Chairman,
The rapid advances in technology have been phenomenal. They have catapulted
us into an era for which most of us were unprepared and threaten to widen the
yawning gap between the industrialised countries and the developing world.
Mr. Chairman,
2
UWI LIBRARIES
It is not merely a digital divide; it is a knowledge divide in all of the three areas
that now characterise the so-called New Economy - computers,
telecommunications and biotechnology.
We are all struggling valiantly to develop our IT sector, as a pathway towards
improving our production and marketing systems, modernising and diversifying
our exports of both goods and services, and strengthening our links with external
markets, particularly financial markets.
Expansion of ICT sector in a logical and systematic manner is important to the
task of achieving good outcomes.
In Jamaica, we have developed a Strategic Five-year Plan that will form the basis
for our advancement in this sector.
Under our National Industrial Plan we have identified this sector as a priority
area for investments.
We have established an Information Technology Authority to support the
national IT Strategy.
Embracing the concept of a "knowledge-based" society for social and economic
development is therefore, well underway in Jamaica.
In respect of telecommunication, we are encouraging greater competition among
providers with a view to having the diversity of services now required to engage
in international business.
With few exceptions, the South is behind in biotechnology, which for many
countries must become the gateway towards diversifying agriculture,
strengthening food security, lifting levels of nutrition and making rural life more
attractive, especially for the young and less onerous for our women.
All of these processes require determined and unprecedented efforts to improve
access and quality at all levels of the education and training system, to build up
scientific and research capacity to levels of sophistication and attainment in welltargeted
areas that can command international recognition.
Altogether, we recognize that for our societies to develop as knowledge
economies they have to progress towards becoming learning societies, where
life-long learning virtually becomes a way of life for all sectors of the populations.
This is perhaps the greatest challenge facing our institutions.
3
UWI LIBRARIES
It is probably the most difficult task of all, one that must engage the full
commitment and energies of governments, the private sectors, indeed, the entire
community. We have to work assiduously towards that end.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me state unequivocally Jamaica's commitment to further strengthening
South-South Cooperation. This modality of cooperation is increasingly important,
both as a strategy in support of development and as a means of ensuring the
effective participation of developing countries in the emerging global economic
order. Efforts to promote South-South Cooperation are gradually increasing and
need to be strongly supported.
The very future of this Group, as a strong and respected voice of the peoples of
the South, depends on our acceptance of openness, compromise and consensus
as the core working principles of the group. That is indeed where our real
strength lies. We must protect at all times, our greatest asset - our solidarity. It
is in this spirit that we must negotiate together the difficult and treacherous path
ahead of us leave Jakarta united in our resolve to succeed.
4
--
UWI LIBRARIES
