Togo

Again this year, we are meeting to assess our actions and to define approaches that can breathe new life into the Organization. Far from becoming a routine, our annual meeting is the high point in the life of the Organization, in that it offers to each Member State, through a frank and constructive debate, an opportunity 6 to make its contribution to the building of peace and security, which are indispensable to the just and lasting development of our countries. It is also an opportunity for us to reaffirm the paramount role of the United Nations in the world and to find appropriate ways to strengthen the Organization further. Before I proceed, let me express — on behalf of the President of the Togolese Republic, His Excellency Mr. Gnassingbé Eyadema, and of the Government and the people of Togo, whom I have the honour to represent at this rostrum — my warm congratulations on the election of Mr. Julian Hunte as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session. Our congratulations go also to the other members of the Bureau. They can be assured of the full availability and cooperation of the Togolese delegation. I should also like to express our appreciation and profound gratitude to Mr. Hunte’s predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, who led the work of the fifty-seventh session of the Assembly with dexterity and skill. To the Secretary-General, we reaffirm how much we admire him for the work that he continues to lead at the head of the Organization. This General Assembly session is taking place at a particular time of evolution for the United Nations. Indeed, in the light of the grave events being experienced by today’s world, the United Nations needs more than ever before to be strengthened so that it can fully accomplish the primary tasks entrusted to it by the Charter: inter alia, maintaining international peace and security and serving as a forum where the efforts of nations can be harmonized towards the achievement of collective development and shared well-being. It is obvious that the Organization’s purposes and principles retain all their relevance and remain guideposts for action on the part of the international community. In my delegation’s view, this session must intensify its reflection with a view to defining new approaches that will enable the United Nations to search for more viable and lasting solutions to the problems of peace, security and development, which daily challenge the entire international community. We must therefore support United Nations actions, especially at a time when peoples are aspiring to more freedom and democracy and to greater involvement in the management of civic affairs. The democratic wind that is blowing through our country is far more than an irresistible movement for renewal; it holds immense hopes for our people. For Togo, that is what has justified the people’s support for the political reform that the Government has been undertaking for more than a decade and a half. Here, I should like to recall the faith and determination with which the Togolese Government — spurred on by of its head of State — is striving to build a democratic society that will take everyone’s legitimate aspirations into account and that is rooted in the country’s sociological realities. In essence, we are engaged in this democratization process in the conviction that the task — which will be long-term — requires much resolve, patience and self-sacrifice. From this rostrum, I should like to stress that, through the recent presidential election — which was free, honest and fair in the general view of observers — a broad majority of the Togolese people demonstrated their political maturity and their keen sense of the general interest, which must take precedence over partisan and personal interests. In any event, I can assure the Assembly that the Togolese people — who know how to go the extra mile — are determined to move forward. The Government, for its part, is resolved to continue the process of democratization and establishing the rule of law, strengthening its foundations through the local and senatorial elections whose preparations are now under way. One can never emphasize enough that the difficulties related to the whole democratization process are not limited to one country or to a specific group of countries; they are inherent in any endeavour whose objective is to involve people in the management of public affairs. The path towards democracy is long and fraught with pitfalls, but we are working tirelessly to provide the country with democratic institutions which are indispensable to the proper functioning under a rule of law. The quest for democracy — a contemporary development that Togo fully endorses — is a complex undertaking that requires time. Indeed, democracy can take shape only in an environment of peace and security, which alone can guarantee gradual assimilation of democratic values that are well understood and that emanate from the wisdom of the culture and traditions of the peoples concerned. In that spirit, Togo is striving to establish the rule of law in the hope that we will be understood by our partners. 7 Today, we can affirm that, despite the difficulties besetting our march towards the establishment of democracy, encouraging and concrete results have been achieved. Above and beyond institutional development, ensuring full human rights in all their aspects is a paramount necessity. Here, we wish to emphasize the Togolese Government’s primary concern to guarantee and promote the economic, social and cultural rights of all Togolese citizens. The realization of those rights is of particular importance, for in them lie the interests of democracy and the stability of the Republic’s institutions. Indeed, if one takes a careful look at Africa’s contemporary history, one will note that the many sudden changes and various attempts challenging democratic institutions in some countries result less from a misunderstanding of the democratic process than from the economic and financial difficulties felt by various social strata. The success of the democratic undertaking is therefore a function of the economic possibilities of the States that are engaged in it, and establishing institutions requires considerable resources that our countries cannot muster at the current stage of their development without foreign aid. If that observation is universally shared, why impose sanctions against — and suspend cooperation with — a country that, like many other States, has encountered difficulties in implementing its democratization policy and is undertaking notable efforts to establish the rule of law? Does my country, Togo, deserve the treatment that it has received for the past 10 years? I would like, once again, to appeal for the resumption of cooperation with Togo. That is the appeal of an entire people. Peace and security, which reign in Togo, and the outstanding efforts to ensure economic and social development, despite the suspension of aid, clearly support the expectations of the Togolese people. While the elimination of poverty is considered an essential task to be tackled to help a people or a country rebuild, it is also the same thing as giving it the means to consolidate democracy, which is essential to build a more just and peaceful world. The need for solidarity, justice and equity must lead the international community, particularly the European Union and other development partners, to reconsider their position and to commit to supporting the reconstruction effort in Togo, a country that has made peace and security the very foundation of its internal and external policies. That said, Togo believes firmly that the use of sanctions, if not properly measured and without time limits, will only increase people’s poverty, particularly that of women, the elderly and children. Such sanctions provide, therefore, fertile ground for disorder and anarchy. The Assembly must, therefore, think about this question more deeply. Our faith in peace and security is reflected in the concrete results of a bold and visionary economic policy, which is carried out untiringly, despite adverse times. This conviction is also justified by the fact that peace and social cohesion remain, undoubtedly, the basic factors, without which any socio-economic development would be carried out ineffectively and with only illusory results. Peace and security are, therefore, priorities for all countries, whether they are in Africa or elsewhere in the world. At the African level, the head of State of Togo is very engaged in the process of conflict settlement. By way of example, let me recall prior outstanding and effective mediation efforts in which he played a role in settling crises that have afflicted Chad, Sierra Leone, the Great Lakes region, Guinea-Bissau and, most recently, Côte d’Ivoire. Regarding its contribution to peacekeeping operations, I wish to recall that Togo is contributing in a meaningful and active way to the deployment of military or police contingents at the subregional level or in United Nations peacekeeping operations; in Namibia in 1989, in Rwanda in 1993, in Haiti in 1993, in the Central African Republic in 1997, in Guinea- Bissau in 1999, and recently in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. With regard to Liberia, we welcome the establishment by the Security Council, on 19 September 2003, of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, which will be deployed on 1 October — in just a few hours. It will contribute to supporting in a meaningful way the peacekeeping force of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). My country, which contributed to restoring that peace by sending a contingent, urges the wealthy countries to contribute to financing the United Nations 8 force in order to provide it with the necessary means to accomplish its mission. In the Great Lakes region, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Togolese Government hopes ardently that the new stage, characterized by the establishment of a new Government and other transitional institutions, will lead to stability, unity and national reconciliation. In Burundi, my country welcomed the significant progress made on the basis of the Arusha Agreement, and it urges the parties to the conflict to work resolutely toward restoring peace to the country. Togo is very involved in the settlement of disputes in Africa, demonstrating clearly its firm determination to contribute to maintaining and to consolidating peace in the African continent. It was in that context that the President of the Togolese Republic advocated the establishment of an African peacekeeping force at the 1994 summit of the Organization of African Unity. It is worth noting that that idea made headway in the Organization of African Unity, as is attested by the adoption at Durban, South Africa, of a protocol on the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which demonstrates the determination of Africans to be the builders themselves of peace in Africa. It is also comforting to note that, within the context of that protocol, the establishment of a pre- positioned African peace force and a continental early warning system are taking shape. My country is committed to making its contribution to the implementation of this collective approach to questions of defence, peace and security in Africa, and calls on the international community to firmly support the African continent with a view to guaranteeing the success of this effort. Outside of Africa, we are constantly watching Iraq and the Middle East, always in the grip of violence. Regarding the Middle East in particular, my country considers that the definitive settlement of the Palestinian question, which is at the heart of the conflict in the region, necessarily requires the cessation of violence and counter-violence and consideration of the legitimate rights of both people — the right of Israel to live in full security within internationally recognized borders and that of the Palestinian people to fully enjoy their national rights, including the establishment of a State. In that context, we encourage Israelis and Palestinians to pursue dialogue, with a view to achieving a negotiated and comprehensive settlement of the Middle East question. Despite a new environment conducive to economic expansion, poverty continues to increase and remains a striking and paradoxical feature of our era. Peace and security will constantly be threatened if measures of justice are not adopted to push back the borders of poverty that weaken the foundations of our society. The economic situation of developing countries, particularly in Africa, is a matter of great concern. The external debt burden, instability in export income and the devastating effects stemming from deterioration in terms of trade have largely contributed to aggravating the deterioration of socio-economic conditions in many African countries. Speaking of international trade, it is unfortunate to note that, despite liberalization of the economy, industrialized countries continue to practice protectionist measures in the industrial and agricultural sectors. These measures, particularly harmful to developing countries, particularly African countries, impede the efforts made to restore increased export income. Like many other delegations, Togo demands, therefore, that protectionist practices and subsidies be ended. That would contribute significantly to the development of poor countries. We believe that globalization must be accompanied by a greater spirit of solidarity and by a policy aimed at the purchase of products from the South at fairer and more lucrative prices. In that regard, the Togolese Government wishes to emphasize that, if they are to benefit all, the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) must take into account the deep aspirations of developing countries, which demand that they be able to participate in international trade in conditions of equality and justice, as recently emphasized at Cancún. At a time when our continent is doing its utmost to make the African Union the priority instrument to ensure peace and security and economic and social prosperity, the international community must become more involved to assist economic recovery efforts of 9 our States, in order to meet the challenges they face, such as poverty, the AIDS pandemic and malaria. It is important that our common Organization mobilize its efforts even more in order to fight the evils that afflict the world and make it vulnerable. Terrorism would definitely be included among those evils. The terrible events of 11 September 2001 and the recent deadly attacks against the United Nations headquarters in Iraq and elsewhere, still alive within us, compel us to act promptly to eradicate this evil. My country, which has frequently been the victim of terrorist aggression, in 1977, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994 and 1998, recognizes the importance of that challenge. This task should be one of our highest priorities if we wish to give future generations a sound world, in which respect for human dignity, love and fraternity are the foundation. In order to achieve those aims, the United Nations must assume greater responsibility and provide more resources. It certainly needs to be substantially reformed. We would like to welcome the relevant proposals of the Secretary-General to establish a panel of eminent personalities from civil society to address this issue. We remain convinced that our actions, taken together, will lead to the reign of a society free from selfishness, violence, terrorism, disease and the threat of nuclear confrontation. May the work of this session lead each of our States to resolutely follow the path towards peace and ensure that all peoples, without discrimination, can enjoy the fruits of progress made by humanity in a climate of tolerance, justice, fraternity and solidarity.