Minister Mitchell delivering the Bahamas statement at the High Level Session at the Human Rights Council in Geneva Switzerland on the 4th March 2015

GENEVA, Switzerland - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas remarks to the 28th Session of The High Level Segment of The Human Rights Council from 2 – 5 March, 2015:

Mr. President,
Mr. High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mr. President,

During an address to the General Assembly last year, I said there are three areas of priority to which the Bahamas Government will give attention: that of illegal immigration into The Bahamas, climate change and fighting crime.I am happy to see that these priorities are to be addressed in some form during this session of the Council.

At the Annual Summit of the CELAC leaders in San Jose, Costa Rica, the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Perry Christie expressed the wish for a “focused and candid discussion on migration.” He added that all countries should work together to arrest irregular migration and explore modalities for orderly and safe migration.

Mr. President,

The Bahamas appreciates that migration is a necessary phenomenon which forces people to move from one place to another, in search of political stability or in pursuit of improved economic conditions.There are also those who, due to environmental hazards, are compelled to relocate.The Bahamas maintains that migration for whatever reason is a natural state of mankind, however, that movement should be documented to ensure the safety and security of the nation state.

For my country, the Government is resolute in its task to ensure orderly migration and to prevent irregular migration.

The Government therefore, has taken steps that require that all persons working in The Bahamas have a valid work permit authorizing him or her to reside and work in the country.This action is not unique to The Bahamas but to all other countries. Further, the Government requires that persons who reside in The Bahamas must be in possession of proof of residency.

Mr. President,

In a spirit of transparency and cooperation, The Bahamas in September, 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with a view to strengthening migration management and identifying appropriate measures to assist and protect vulnerable migrants. This was further reinforced during the visit to The Bahamas by the Deputy Director General of the IOM, who reiterated IOM’s support for regional cooperation to combat irregular migration and smuggling.The Bahamas takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to the IOM for its continued support in this critical area.

Mr. President,

On a related issue, the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, visited The Bahamas in December, 2013 and presented her report to the Council in June, 2014. The report highlighted a number of deficiencies in The Bahamas with respect to trafficking in persons.The Bahamas, in its response to the Council reiterated the Government’s commitment to addressing the concerns articulated in the report and has put in place a multi-sectoral mechanism to combat this crime, particularly with regard to the identification and prosecution of perpetrators and the registering and protection of victims.

Our country is a most welcoming country.After all, tourism is our main business.It therefore concerns our government and people when we see reports which vilify the country and portray just the opposite impression often without context or notice.There is a sense of a doctrine of "gotcha" in the international arena, instead of one which seeks to work constructively with us to identify the issues and solve any problems.It seems that often even your friends think the worse of you rather than seeing the good intentions that may sometimes fall short but to which shortfalls (if any) our country is always dedicated to correcting.

The policies that we have recently put in place on immigration are meant to protect our identity and our national security. International Organizations and non-governmental organizations have all made comments adverse about the policies portraying migrants as victims of a policy which is designed for their welfare as the opposite of what it is.The public should take note of reports that the trips that migrants pay to smuggle their way into The Bahamas and onward can range in prices from 1,500 dollars to 5,000 dollars US.This means that the new policies are blocking a sophisticated criminal enterprise.The non-governmental organizations and activists should be careful that they are not unwittingly running interference for these criminal enterprises.These organizations risk undermining their credibility and there isbacklash of resentment over these assertions which seem designed to sully the country without proper context.

Mr. President,

The issue of climate change is of grave importance to The Bahamas, which as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) is most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, especially since some 80% of the country is within 1.5 meters of sea level. As a country heavily dependent upon tourism and financial services, addressing climate change is therefore central to our economic survivability. The concern for SIDS and other Least Developed Countries (LDCs) remains that of inadequate financing to assist in the mitigation of the negative impacts of climate change.We are hopeful that the outcome of COP-21, scheduled for December of this year, would satisfactorily address this concern through a legally binding arrangement applicable to all states.The Bahamas remains actively involved in the process leading up to COP 21 to be held in Paris in December of this year.

We take this opportunity to congratulate the Council for the full day of discussions on human rights and climate change which will take place later this week. We anticipate a fruitful outcome as renewed attention is given to those who suffer from the ravages of devastating climatic activities worldwide.

The point I wish to reinforce for The Bahamas is that climate change is existential, not theoretical. The time to act is now.

Mr. President,

The Bahamas, like many other countries, continues to grapple with a high crime rate and although there was a notable decrease in serious crime in The Bahamas in 2014, the Government has pledged to do more.In September of last year, The Bahamas deposited its instrument of ratification for the Arms Trade Treaty, becoming one of 50 countries to ratify the Treaty, allowing it to enter into force in December last year.The Bahamas considers this a significant step in the fight against the illegal drug trade and in trafficking in persons, throughout the Latin America and Caribbean regions.This collective approach should lead to stricter gun control and will further serve to enhance our national efforts in the fight against crime.

It is important to say that those countries that produce the guns must do more to stop the flow of the weapons to our shores.It is not enough to say the constitution or law does not permit the interference in the illegal flow of weapons.It is important to recognize that millions from the developed world work and visit our shores each year and they and we want them to have a safe and enjoyable time in an open atmosphere. We are dedicated to protecting that fact but so must the developed world.One of the ways they can help is by stopping the flow of illegal weapons to our shores.

Mr. President,

All of us here today have been tasked with protecting the interests of the people we represent. This requires a determined investment in democratic processes which would permit all people to exist in a world with dignity and integrity. We, the peoples of the United Nations collectively, should seek to uphold the principles of universal respect for mankind and fundamental freedoms, irrespective of political strength or economic status. The Bahamas recommits itself to these collective ideals for the good of all people.

Bahamas Permanent Mission