On behalf of the Government
and the people of South Africa, I wish to extend our
sincere congratulations to Ambassador Nassir
Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election as President of the
General Assembly. We wish him a successful tenure in
the stewardship of this body and assure him of our
delegation’s full support. We also congratulate his
predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, for the diligent manner
in which he guided the work of the Assembly at its
sixty-fifth session.
I would further like to take this opportunity to
congratulate Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his re-appointment as
Secretary-General.
It is also an honour for South Africa to welcome
the Republic of South Sudan to the community of
nations as the 193rd State Member of the United
Nations.
This month, the United States and the world
marked the tenth anniversary of the horrendous
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, which affected
the United States and 89 other countries. That horrific
incident united the international community and
strengthened its resolve to cooperate in the fight
against terrorism. We pay our respects to the victims of
the tragedy and their families. We reaffirm our
commitment to working with other Member States to
eradicate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The theme of this session — “The role of
mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful
means” — is timely and well chosen. The Charter of
the United Nations mandates the Organization to
utilize mediation as one of the tools to prevent and
resolve conflicts across the globe. The role of
mediation as a tool for the settlement of disputes has
renewed relevance today, given the number of conflicts
in the world. We should defend the independence and
impartiality of the United Nations and promote the
principles of its Charter during conflicts and crises.
The United Nations should never take sides in any
conflict but should always maintain its impartiality.
The United Nations must not allow itself to be used by
any country, regardless of its history or size. All
citizens of the world should feel confident and secure
in the knowledge that the United Nations is above all
partisan interests and serves only those of the citizens
of the globe.
We are of the view that regional organizations
play a crucial role in the resolution of conflicts and in
regional mediation processes. The Charter of the
United Nations itself provides for the role of regional
organizations in cooperation with the United Nations.
This role of the regions must always be enforced and
enhanced, and not undermined. In our continent, the
African Union (AU) continues to play a significant role
in mediation and the resolution of conflicts, trying at
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all times to produce African solutions to African
problems, of course with the support of the world.
This year, the world witnessed the so-called Arab
Spring in North Africa and the Middle East. With
regard to the situation in Libya, the AU played a
crucial role in seeking a peaceful solution to the crisis,
in line with its mandate of working for peace and
stability in the continent. However, it is a matter of
record now that the AU efforts were never given a
chance. Military actions were preferred over peaceful
means.
Nonetheless, the AU continues to be seized with
the Libyan conflict, as it should be. South Africa,
through the AU and the United Nations, will work with
the National Transitional Council, the representative of
the Libyan people, as it proceeds to form an inclusive
transitional Government that will take the Libyan seat
in the African Union. During this period of working
towards normalcy in Libya, we call for a cessation of
hostilities and an end to the NATO aerial
bombardment. We also call for the lifting of the no-fly
zone, whose imposition was necessary for the
protection of civilians.
The proliferation of arms in Libya is a major
concern. The transitional Government will need to be
supported in addressing this security issue. It may pose
a serious challenge affecting the entire subregion if it is
not adequately attended to. We also urge the new
Libyan authorities to ensure the protection of migrant
workers, especially those from sub-Saharan African
countries, who number approximately 2.5 million.
Immediate measures should be taken to put an end to
the killing, arbitrary arrest and detention of migrant
workers and black Libyans.
We will fully support the people of Libya as they
go through the transition towards a new, united and
democratic Libya that protects human rights, human
dignity and freedom.
South Africa continues to support international
efforts to assist the people of Palestine and Israel to
find lasting peace. The decades-old struggle of the
Palestinian people for a sovereign State of their own
has now reached a turning point. The Palestinian
Authority, backed by the League of Arab States, has
stated its intention to seek United Nations membership
for the State of Palestine. South Africa fully supports
this position. It is a decisive step towards achieving
lasting peace, economic cooperation and prosperity for
the millions of people in the Middle East, and we urge
that it be viewed favourably.
We also support the ongoing struggle for self-
determination of the people of Western Sahara. We
urge the international community to support their quest
for freedom, human rights and dignity.
We reiterate our call for the lifting of the
economic and financial embargo against the people of
Cuba in order to help them gain their economic
freedom.
All Member States have a duty to safeguard the
future and relevance of the United Nations. Recent
international developments have made more urgent our
efforts to intensify the reform agenda of the United
Nations, particularly the Security Council, as well as
the Bretton Woods institutions. No reform can be
complete without the substantive reform of the
Security Council, whose membership must be
consistent with the principle of equitable geographical
representation. In this regard, we reiterate our call for
Africa to be represented in the category of permanent
membership of the Security Council.
South Africa is preparing to welcome the
international community and all stakeholders to the
seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change and to the seventh Meeting of the Parties to the
Kyoto Protocol, in November and December this year.
The success of the Conference is highly dependent on
the willingness of all parties to reach an agreement. It
does not depend on South Africa alone. As leaders, we
are accountable to the global citizenry, the ordinary
people that suffer daily from the impacts of climate
change. They hold high expectations of their leaders to
be responsible and to find effective solutions to the
threat that climate change poses to their livelihood,
quality of life, dignity and, in many cases, their very
survival. We dare not fail them.
We are witnessing the catastrophic effects of
famine in Somalia and neighbouring countries. Our
response should not be left to the United Nations alone;
it requires united action from all of us. South Africa
has been humbled to contribute in a small way to the
alleviation of human suffering. The people of Somalia
still need more support, and we urge the world to focus
its attention more sharply on Somalia and its
neighbours in the Horn of Africa.
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It is commendable that the Millennium
Development Goals and their realization by 2015
continue to feature on the agenda of the General
Assembly. We now have four years to go before we
reach the target date. It is clear that many of the Goals
will not be attained on time, particularly in
sub-Saharan Africa. We call on the international
community and the United Nations to redouble efforts
to assist countries that are lagging.
At this session, we will be commemorating the
tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban
Declaration and Programme of Action — the outcome
document of the World Conference against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance, which was held in Durban in 2001. Racism
and racial discrimination continue to pose a challenge
to humankind and to negate the principles of the
Charter of the United Nations. We should continue to
work together to eradicate the scourge of racism.
On 8 January 2012, the African National
Congress (ANC), the oldest liberation movement in
Africa, will mark 100 years of existence since its
establishment in 1912. The ANC spearheaded the
struggle against racial oppression, colonialism and
apartheid in South Africa. It inspired many in the
African continent to fight for their freedom and
independence from colonialism.
The United Nations declared apartheid a crime
against humanity and in that way endorsed the struggle
against racial oppression in our country. The centenary
of the ANC recognizes the immense contribution of the
United Nations and the international community in
working to eradicate racism and racial discrimination
in the world. We will, tomorrow, host a symposium on
South Africa’s contribution to the fight against racism
and racial discrimination.
Working together, let us remain committed to
multilateralism and cooperation in this session of the
General Assembly and beyond, and promote the
realization of a more equitable and just world.