UN General Assembly
2015

But I am disappointed that some nations within this body fail to recognize that if development is denied to any section of humanity, so too are human rights. Today, we live in a world where — despite all the utterances to the contrary — might is still right, and the big and strong continue to bully the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. Until small States such as mine are no longer bullied by larger and more powerful nations, despite our full compliance with international standards and practices, human rights will continue to be denied. As the Organization enters its seventy- first year, it is time that Member States stop paying lip service to the principle of sovereignty. They must show that they truly respect the sovereignty of States regardless of their size. In the years since our independence the people of Antigua and Barbuda have built solid institutions of