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Briefing presented by Henry L. Mac Donald LL.M., Alternate Representative at The Permanent Mission of Suriname to the OAS, to the student diplomatic team of the Midland Senior High School, who will represent Suriname at the 24th Model OAS General Assembly, Dear Students, it is really a great honor for me to be here this afternoon to give you a short presentation on my country and to have an open and frank conversation with you on the issues that are of immense importance to my country within the Organization of American States. I hope that this meeting will help you to be fully prepared for this year’s conference. First we will watch a short video presentation about Suriname, then I will briefly give you some general information about the country, after which we will have a dialogue and discussion on the (Draft) Resolutions which you have prepared and will present on behalf of Suriname to the 24th Model OAS General Assembly. General Information Suriname, in history known as Dutch Guyana is located on the northeast coast of South America, just north of the Amazon delta, between 2 - 6 degrees latitude north and between 54 – 58 degrees longitude west. The climate is tropical with an average temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The relative humidity is 80 – 90% and the surface area is 63064 sq. miles (approximately the size of Georgia). Suriname became independent on November 25, 1975. The population is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious, comprising of East Indians, Creoles, Indonesians, Chinese, Africans, Peoples from the Middle East, Jews, Amerindians (Indigenous Peoples) and a multitude of mixtures. Suriname is in fact a model of ethnic and religious harmony: Population (500.000 inhabitants): East Indians 37% Religions: Brief History Suriname was discovered as part of the America’s in the 15th century by the Europeans. It was part of n area called the Guyana’s which meant “land of many waters”. Around 1630 the first British settlers arrived. The first African slaves arrived around 1640 and around 1667 the Dutch conquered Suriname from the British. In 1667 a peace treaty was signed between Holland and England (“the Peace Treaty of Breda”) and the Dutch got Suriname (Dutch Guyana) in exchange for “New Amsterdam” currently New York. In 1685 the first Synagogue in this hemisphere was constructed in Suriname “Bereche ve Shalom”. Around 1730 during the period of the plantation economy 115 of the 400 plantation belonged to Jews. These Jews introduced the sugar industry in the so called West Indies through neighboring Brazil. The African slaves who suffered from the hard labor on the plantations fled these agricultural estates in small groups and formed new communities deep in the forest. These tribal communities were and are still called “Maroons”. They attacked their former plantations at nigh and set them on fire, while taking with them other companions (slaves) to freedom in the newly formed communities in the interior. Slavery was abolished on July 1, 1863 and although the former slaves had to agree to remain on the plantation for at least 10 more years, the plantation owners started to look for cheap replacements for their former slaves. In 1853 the first batch of Chinese arrived from China. In 1873 the first so called East-Indians arrived from India. The first Indonesians families arrived from the Island of Java. Indonesia was also a colony of the Netherlands so it was easy for the Dutch to recruit contract workers from that country. Around that same time a few Lebanese arrived from neighboring French Guyana. Most recently we have seen a substantial influx of people from Brazil, the so called “garimpeiros”, who are mainly employed in the gold-industry. Economy Historically Suriname was a plantation economy. After the abolition of Slavery the agriculture sector started to decline considerably. At the beginning of the 20th century, Suriname welcomed the development of the bauxite industry. Bauxite is reddish clay, chemically comprising of Aluminum-Oxide 52%, Ion-Oxide 28% and Water 20%. It is known that from the bauxite ore, aluminum can be produced. When bauxite was discovered in the Guyana’s around 1916 and the traditional supply routes to the United States of America were no longer secure as a result of the war, the international aluminum industry shifted it attention to the huge deposits in Suriname and Guyana. During World War II the American Aluminum Company (ALCOA), with its Headquarters in Pittsburg retrieved more than 80% of its bauxite from Suriname. Presently the export of bauxite and alumina accounts for approximately 75% of Suriname’s export value. ALCOA signed a contract with Suriname in 1958 for the construction of a hydropower plant in order to lessen production costs of alumina, which is a very energy intensive and thus expensive undertaking. Most recently two sub sectors in the mining sector have been added to our potential. I the Crude Oil Industry In 1981 a government owned company started with the development of the so called hydro carbons in Suriname. Small scale activities on shore started with a production of a few hundred barrels of crude oil per day. Step by step the production was increased and today we are looking at a production of 15.000 barrels per day, which is refined locally. The perspective onshore is to get to a level of 20.000 barrels per day in the very near future. The expectations with regard to our offshore activities are very promising. Based on reports and calculations of the United States Geological Survey we are anticipating on 15 billion barrels of oil and 42 billion cu. Ft. of gas in the Guyana-Suriname basin. Exploration is ongoing as we speak. II the Gold Mining Industry With regard to gold mining Suriname entered into a contract with a Canadian Company (Cambior) two years ago and the production result are quite satisfactory. Suriname is currently also exporting crude oil, shrimps, fish, banana’s, rice, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Our main trade partners are USA, Norway, the Netherlands, CARICOM, the United Kingdom and Canada. Tourism Suriname offers cultural, natural attractions as well as adventure. The tourism sector is mainly focused on eco-tourism, cultural tourism and most remarkable culinary tourism. With its many rivers and largely uncultivated tropical rain forest, rich in trees and exotic flora and fauna covering more than 80% of the land mass, Suriname is percentage wise the most forested country in the world. The rain forest is home to more plant species, animals and insects than anywhere in the world. The Central Suriname Nature Reserve with a surface area of approximately 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres) is probably the largest in the world. Suriname is also ideal for sport fishing and bird watching. Cultural Tourism Suriname is unique in the sense that one can find so many different cultures and ethnic groups living happily and in peace next to each other. With regard to our cultural tourism two essential aspects can be highlighted: I the Javanese-Indonesian Culture II the Maroon Culture Culinary Tourism The many immigrants from all continents of the world who settled in Suriname brought with them their ethnic food customs. On the internet one can find recipes from the Dutch, Indian, West African, Creole, Indonesian, Chinese, Lebanese, Jewish and Brazilian kitchen. Finally, I would like to mention two Surinamese nationals who had some impact in the United States of America. I JAN METZELIGER, who lived from 1852 – 1889, and who while working as an apprentice in a shoe factory in Massachusetts invented the so called shoe lasting machine. This machine mad it possible to connect the upper part of the shoe with the sole mechanically. During those days an experienced shoemaker could produce about 50 shoes per day and this new machine was able to do the job for 700 shoes. As a result the price was dropped remarkably, making shoes affordable for the average persons. II ANTHONY NESTY, Born in 1967, who while attending a high school in Florida in the eighties, developed his swimming skills and won the Olympic gold medal for butterfly by beating the American and Olympic favorite Matt Biondi in 1988 in Seoul, Korea.
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