UN General Assembly
2001

has nothing to do with money laundering, but has more to do with the fact that OECD believes that its member States would lose capital to other States with more competitive tax regimes. Globalization has left States like my own with a feeling of exclusion, a feeling of being cast aside and pushed outside, from where we observe the gains of the dominant. It is a feeling of not being able to participate in the determination of our own destiny. The “green room” process evident at World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meetings has done nothing but increase our apprehension. We call for serious reform of the global political and economic architecture to be undertaken, both at the United Nations and at the World Trade Organization. The multilateral trading system needs to be transparent. It needs to be fair and equitable, and all countries should be able to share in its benefits. Antigua and Barbuda, as a small island State, is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. The most prevalent threat is that of hurricanes, three of which