I would first of all like to extend my sincere
congratulations to Mr. Sam Kutesa on his election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session. I assure him of the full support of my country.
The remarkable work of his predecessor, Mr. John
William Ashe, during the sixty-eighth session deserves
our recognition. The same goes for the commendable
and tireless efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
as head of the Organization.
At the previous session, we deplored and condemned
the cowardly terrorist attacks on the shopping centre in
Nairobi. Now, inevitably, the current session takes place
in an equally worrisome context, marked by serious
threats to international peace and security. First, there
is the advance of the elusive Boko Haram terrorist
network, which is extending its area of influence to
the border of the neighbouring countries of Gabon,
wreaking havoc and killing without discrimination.
Then, there is the recurrence of the epidemic of the
Ebola haemorrhagic fever, with an unprecedented
incidence of infection, which is plunging Africa into
mourning. Allow me to pay tribute to the memory of
those who have lost their lives trying to help those who
are ill. I also pay solemn tribute to the men and women
who risk their lives in their daily fight to eradicate the
pandemic.
Given that the threat of Ebola is worldwide, national
responses should be replaced by a comprehensive
mobilization at the global level. In that regard, my
country welcomes the recent steps taken by the
African Union and the United Nations, as well as the
many national initiatives that have been announced.
I welcome the United Nations decision to dispatch an
emergency medical mission to fight the Ebola epidemic
in the affected countries. My country, which prevailed
in its fight against several Ebola crises in the past,
intends to make available the International Centre for
Medical Research Centre in Franceville. The Centre’s
expertise in treating that disease has been proven.
I am pleased that this session allows us to debate a
topic that concerns all of us, namely “Delivering on and
implementing a transformative post-2015 development
agenda”. For Gabon, the report recently adopted by the
General Assembly on sustainable development goals
(A/68/970) is a solid foundation in the development
of that agenda. My country welcomes the fact that
African priorities, including the eradication of extreme
poverty, the promotion of sustainable agriculture and
industrialization, and the protection of the environment,
all figure prominently in that report.
I would like to recall here that Gabon entered the
post-2015 development agenda process when it began
to implement the Strategic Plan for an Emerging
Gabon. The plan is based on a vision, an approach that
has led us to define a bold development programme.
That programme, of course, incorporates the concerns
reflected in the Millennium Development Goals, as well
as the challenges of climate change and food security.
It gives pride of place to everything that promotes the
maximization of our youth potential. The strategy
implemented by Gabon aims to accelerate the structural
transformation of its economy by moving from a rentier
economy to an economy of industries and services with
high added-value in the near future.
In the current phase of implementing that
programme, special attention is being devoted to
competitiveness factors, such as the formation of
human capital and the construction and upgrading of
development infrastructure, including the development
of a digital economy and the strengthening of energy-
production capacities. Over the short term, we intend to
devote greater efforts to education and training in order
to improve the performance of our basic education
system. The goal here is to enhance the employability
of our workforce, provide a qualified labour force for
our labour market and accelerate the integration of
young people into the workforce. The development of
agriculture, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, as
well as food security, continues to receive sustained
attention from my Government. Those are all areas
where we thought it best to anticipate our leap in the
post-2015 development agenda.
It is common knowledge that all those efforts can
truly thrive only in a political, economic and social
environment marked by good governance. To that end,
Gabon has established various institutional instruments,
such as the National Commission for the Fight against
Illicit Enrichment, whose overall mission is to ensure
transparency and accountability in the management of
public funds. Since then, I have made the fight against
corruption a priority strategic objective. Right now,
large-scale inspection and verification missions are
under way throughout the country with substantial
results. I remain firmly convinced that, in order to
establish a solid foundation for our post-2015 agenda,
we need to tailor our economic environment, so as
to ensure that transparency guides the awarding of
public contracts and licenses, that investments produce
a good return, and that economic actors respect their
obligations vis-à-vis the State.
Gabon’s commitment to the fight against climate
change remains constant, given the seriousness of
the problem. Indeed, as has already been pointed out,
the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change draws attention to the harsh reality
of the damage caused by climate change. It would be
wrong on our part to remain insensitive in the face of
what is transpiring before our very eyes. That is why I
welcome the commitments made by the heads of State
and Government at the end of the Climate Summit held
here on 23 September.
I reiterate Gabon’s determination to bear its share
of our common duty. Gabon’s objective is to reduce,
by 2025, more than half the greenhouse gas emissions
per capita produced by every Gabonese. My country
wishes to strengthen its contribution to the efforts of
the international community aimed at the adoption of a
more binding agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
That is the purpose of the meeting that we will organize
in Libreville from 18 to 19 March 2015, our “South
Climate Initiative.” As part of that initiative, which will
take place after the important Lima Conference, we,
the countries of the South, want to make a structured
contribution for the success of the Paris Conference.
The scale of climatic upheavals caused by global
warming shows that climate change is a vital, even
existential question. Given the extreme seriousness of
the danger confronting us, we must unite. We need to
work hand in hand towards the same goal, namely, to
save the planet in Paris in December 2015.
In just one year, our Organization will celebrate its
seventieth anniversary. That maturity should enable it
to better respond to the multifaceted challenges that it
faces. The effective implementation of the post-2015
development agenda must also be tackled. That is why
we must continue our efforts to resolve crises and
hotbeds of tension in various parts of the world.
Regarding the Central African Republic, Gabon
continues to actively participate in the efforts of the
Economic Community of Central African States, the
African Union, the United Nations and the rest of the
international community in seeking to stabilize the
political, security, economic and humanitarian situation
on the ground.
In that connection, I want to pay tribute to the
Brazzaville Forum for National Reconciliation in the
Central African Republic, which concluded with the
signing of a ceasefire agreement. Moreover, Gabon
welcomes the effective establishment of the United
Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in the Central African Republic, which took
over from the African-led International Support
Mission to the Central African Republic. Regarding
Mali, Gabon supports the peace process that has been
launched and supports the mediation efforts by Burkina
Faso, Algeria and Morocco aimed at achieving a lasting
peace. In South Sudan, Gabon supports the efforts
of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
and the African Union in the search for a negotiated
political solution between the two parties.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I
welcome the signing, under Egyptian mediation, of a
ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. My
hope is that that truce lasts and promotes the resumption
of direct negotiations to achieve the widely shared
vision of creating a viable Palestinian State existing in
harmony alongside Israel in peace and security, within
secure and internationally recognized borders.
Regarding Western Sahara, Gabon welcomes the
efforts based on dialogue and negotiations agreed to
by our Organization. My country wants to reiterate its
support for the Moroccan initiative, which we consider
to be a courageous and realistic proposal that could lead
to a lasting settlement. Finally, in terms of the embargo
against Cuba, Gabon reiterates its position in favour of
lifting it, because of its negative impact on the welfare
of the population.
Never has the terrorist threat been as strong
as in recent times, jeopardizing the survival of the
institutions of the countries affected by that terrible
phenomenon. In Africa, Boko Haram’s activism pushes
entire populations to live far from their homes and in
terror, poverty and despair.
In the Middle East, the so-called Islamic State
has extended its gruesome reign from eastern Syria
to northern Iraq. Its establishment there has been
accompanied by a lengthy sequence of rape, summary
executions, decapitations and punishments of all types
inflicted upon all those who, in the eyes of the extremists,
symbolize the rejection of their radicalization.
As no nation is now spared the murderous folly
of those negative entities, the fight against terrorism
needs to be more concerted and organized. My country
reiterates its support for international efforts undertaken
to that end and reaffirms its firm condemnation of
terrorist acts in all their forms and manifestations. In
seeking to meet the security challenge of terrorism,
we need to strengthen the operational capacities of
our defence and security forces in conformity with the
spirit of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy.
Our concerns for peace and security are
compounded by other cross-cutting threats, notably the
poaching of and illicit trafficking in protected species.
That growing phenomenon, especially in Central
Africa, constitutes a threat at three levels: ecological,
economic and security. My country therefore remains
wedded to the London initiative of February 2014. We
reaffirm our commitment to opposing poaching and
to implementing a moratorium on the ivory trade. To
that end, Gabon and Germany will organize tomorrow,
26 September, a side event on the issue.
My country is more determined than ever to
cooperate further with other States in formulating
a development tool that would take into account the
global concerns of our populations. That will involve,
inter alia, achieving progress in the reform of the United
Nations system. It is from that perspective that Gabon,
like other States Members of the United Nations,
adheres to the “Delivering as one” initiative. Currently
at the very core of United Nations reform, that approach
aims at improving the coherence of the United Nations
system’s operational development activities.
Respect for human dignity and for fundamental
freedoms remains at the heart of my Government’s
concerns. That factor underpins our chairmanship
of the Human Rights Council, which we are holding
in a very difficult international context marked by
numerous human rights violations. Despite all those
challenges, the Council has been able to react and to
respond with solutions to emergency situations caused
by such violations. Gabon’s leadership has allowed
constructive debate and has in particular prevented
a lapse into politicized and polarized discussions. I
should like to reiterate my gratitude to those countries
that have lent us their support to ensure the success of
our mandate.
From this rostrum, I encourage the inclusion of the
human rights dimension in the current consideration of
the post-2015 agenda. Gabon urges such inclusion, and
suggests that particular emphasis be placed on the link
between human rights and sustainable development.
Given all this, Gabon remains committed to engaging,
alongside other States, in seeking collective solutions
adapted to current challenges in preparation for a better
world.