Togo

More than anyone else, Sir, you are aware of what excellent and solid relations of cooperation, friendship and fraternity have existed for many years now between your country, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. It is thus with great joy and enormous pride that my country welcomes your unanimous election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. 5 General Assembly 22nd meeting I therefore wish, on behalf of the Government of Togo, in the name of my delegation, and in my own capacity, to congratulate you most sincerely on this tribute to you and to your fraternal country, Côte d’Ivoire. The Togolese delegation and I myself assure you of our support. We are convinced that your competence and your long experience in international affairs augur well for the success of our work. I should like to take this occasion to congratulate your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Samuel Insanally, the Permanent Representative of Guyana, who, with effectiveness and tact, guided the proceedings of the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. We extend our congratulations as well to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who has dedicated himself to the noble ideals of this Organization to which we all belong. We reiterate to him the total support of the delegation of Togo. South Africa has returned from a long voyage. We have at last seen the death of apartheid. My country is proud to have contributed to reversing that odious system. Togo has always supported the legitimate aspirations of peoples oppressed the world over, but in particular the aspirations of the black majority of South Africa, whose fundamental rights, even the most elementary among them, were long trampled. It is therefore with great joy that my country, recognizing the courage, dedication and sacrifice of the South African nation, welcomes the return to the United Nations of that fraternal country, which is now free and committed to waging — together with all the States Members of this Organization — the necessary fight for democracy and for the total independence of other peoples. In 1995, our Organization will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. A new era of hope lies ahead for our nations. Unfortunately that era of hope also contains concerns, disquiet at the increasing impoverishment of the poorest countries, concern too about a world constantly devastated by conflicts and difficulties of all types. The period of upheaval in which we live presents our Organization with a challenge — that of understanding all the major changes that are under way and of finding rapid solutions to the many problems confronting our planet. It is therefore urgent to redefine the broad guidelines of the Organization on the basis of greater humanism on the global level, so that man can again regain the strength to better exercise his freedom, to enjoy it fully, to respect the laws of nature, and to break away from egoism and hard-heartedness. We must also lay new foundations for cooperation to help the United Nations not only to eliminate the consequences of the cold war, but also to solve the problems of today and those of tomorrow. This is the only way to respond to the expectations of our peoples and to respect the spirit of those who, 50 years ago, created our world Organization, with the purpose, among other things, of preventing conflicts for the peace of nations and the well-being of peoples. The implementation of the relevant recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General, an Agenda for Peace, should, to this end, prompt us to focus our action, urgently, on preventive measures, to establish stable foundations for the harmonious development of society and to resolve its problems by developing flexible and appropriate mechanisms within the framework of the reforms now under way. There are clear grounds for optimism when we see that the adversaries of yesterday have become the allies of today, seeking together peaceful and mutually advantageous solutions to the international problems of the day. We therefore have all the more reason to have faith in the future of our Organization. Planning for the future rather than waiting to be overtaken by events should be the watchword of our nations. On the internal level, my country has undertaken to embark on the path of democracy based on a complete and responsible multiparty system in order to establish a State based on law and on respect for the individual. Following the adoption of a new constitution in September 1992, presidential and legislative elections were held in August 1993 and in February 1994 respectively, leading to the establishment on 25 May last of a Government of national union whose programme of action aims basically at building a new Togo, democratic and free, at shaping national unity, at reconciling the people with itself, at rallying this people around its nation, its values and its flag, in peace and regained harmony, and at rebuilding an economy damaged under the combined effects of a range of factors both national and international. Of course, all of this cannot be accomplished in just a few months; it takes time to overcome resentment, to reconcile the adversaries of the past, to establish the state 6 General Assembly 22nd meeting of law to which all aspire, to rebuild confidence and to lay the foundations of a solid and prosperous economy. In spite of the end of the cold war, we see disorder constantly blurring the geopolitical landscape. The situation now prevailing in Africa is hardly encouraging. The continent, marginalized, awakens only the minds of the most attentive observers, when, across mountains and valleys, they hear the cries of anguish and death. The cases of Rwanda, Angola, Liberia, Somalia and Mozambique suffice to illustrate this bitter fact. The defeat of the system of apartheid in South Africa and the tragic events in Rwanda illustrate the two extremes in the evolution of the African continent, characterized by the contrast between hope and despair, progress and destruction. While, at the present time, South Africa seems to represent hope, Rwanda, on the contrary, symbolizes the face of an Africa mutilated and ravaged. Togo appeals to the Government of Angola and to UNITA to show goodwill and the flexibility that is necessary if a speedy and comprehensive settlement of the question is to be achieved in the framework of the Lusaka talks. In Liberia, despite a number of agreements, the disarmament of the factions has not yet occurred, and the general elections that it was hoped would take place seem to be becoming a mirage. Let us hope that good faith will find its way into the hearts of the parties concerned so that this fraternal country may regain the advantages of reconciliation and find again the path of development. As for Somalia, Togo appeals to the international community not to grow weary and leave that country. We therefore invite the parties to the conflict to refrain from contributing to discouragement and to resume real dialogue aimed at the rapid establishment of reliable national institutions. In respect of Western Sahara, my delegation supports the Secretary-General’s report on the question and urges all the parties to cooperate fully with the United Nations to ensure that the referendum on self-determination, to be held in February 1995 for the purpose of deciding the future of the territory and its people, is organized effectively. The Togolese Government is gratified at the recent positive development in the socio-political situation in Burundi and invites the new leaders to do all in their power to secure the definitive restoration of peace in that country. Togo supports unreservedly the efforts of the Secretary-General and of the Security Council to bring peace to Mozambique. It invites the parties to commit themselves totally to accepting and respecting the results of the forthcoming general elections. Faced with this situation of armed conflict, tension and insecurity, Africa must shoulder its responsibilities. It is through its own efforts that the African continent will be able to overcome the difficulties it faces today. This is the sense of the proposal that General Gnassinmgbé Eyadema, President of the Republic of Togo, made to the Tunis Summit of the Organization of African Unity in June 1994, when he advocated the creation of an African peace force whose mission would be to ensure peace where it is threatened by acting as a buffer between the belligerents and making possible a negotiated solution to conflicts. The delegation of Togo is delighted that this idea aroused a great deal of interest on the part of certain large Powers that are prepared to provide logistical support for such a buffer force. The unprecedented positive development of the peace process in the Middle East, reflected over the past 12 months in the Israeli-Palestinian accord of September 1993 and in the historic Washington D.C. meeting of 25 July 1994 between His Majesty King Hussein of the Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel, opens up before us a horizon of hope. These encouraging developments are important steps in the direction of peace. They demonstrate clearly that disputes can be settled effectively only through peaceful means and that only resolute political will can help to build a peaceful society. In total agreement with the initiators of and the protagonists at these gatherings, my country asks the United Nations, all Governments of the region and especially the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to continue the negotiations with a view to the establishment of a global, definitive and lasting peace in that part of the world to enable all States concerned with the Arab-Israeli conflict to live henceforth within secure borders recognized by all, on the basis of mutual respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States. 7 General Assembly 22nd meeting As regards the future of the Palestinian people, the transition period, which is just beginning, must be sustained, not only politically but also, and above all, through financial, economic and technical assistance from the international community. The United Nations will therefore have to assume its responsibilities fully until the Palestinian question is definitively and satisfactorily resolved in all its aspects. In the eastern part of Europe the situation is still constantly characterized by violence and by an explosion of nationalism. States have been dislocated, borders have been called into question, and dreams of annexation and of “ethnic cleansing” inspire and haunt both minds and hearts. Drawing lessons, as is imperative, from all these tragedies and conflicts, the United Nations must promote and encourage further the use by States of the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes. Of course, the Organization has in recent years clearly demonstrated its usefulness, especially in the fields of humanitarian affairs and the maintenance of peace. But sometimes lack of will to act promptly paralyses its action. This paralysis reveals profound shortcomings in the system of collective security provided for in the Charter and is due, above all, to the refusal of many Member States to commit themselves to peace, despite the special responsibilities entrusted to them by the Charter. This being the case, it is clear that, as it makes decisions about the maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council should be broadened and, thereby, adapted to the changes in the world of today. Togo believes that the United Nations is the most appropriate forum for the creation of a new international order and the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as for the peaceful settlement of disputes. That is why we support its actions. We demonstrated this, inter alia, in the framework of peace-keeping operations by sending military contingents and police officers to Rwanda, Western Sahara and Mozambique to serve under the flag of the United Nations. Profoundly committed to peace and to the principle of general and complete disarmament, Togo rejoices in the many positive developments that have taken place in this field over recent months. But we remain concerned at the constantly increasing proliferation of conventional weapons. The massive international transfers of such weapons dangerously compromise the success of effective general disarmament. It has become urgent to strengthen the role and the capacity for action of the United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament, which are at present poorly structured and lack both the material and the human resources they need to function properly and produce the results the international community expects of them. The particularly alarming case of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, of which my country is honoured to be the headquarters, is quite illustrative, and should be examined with care. For, paradoxically, while the African continent is prey to violent and constant civil wars, which endanger regional and international peace and security, the Centre, which the United Nations could well have used to contribute to the quest for appropriate solutions to these conflicts, is, either by design or by circumstance, left out and its existence is almost ignored. As regards the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula, my delegation welcomes the agreement recently reached between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States of America. It also welcomes the readiness expressed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Togo views this courageous position adopted by the North Korean party as edifying testimony of its determination to maintain peace in the region. The world economy continues to be characterized by trends toward stagnation and the growing disparity between North and South. As we prepare to enter the third millennium, the elimination of poverty should be one of the main objectives of our Organization. In this context, the World Summit for Social Development, which the Government of Denmark has offered to host in March 1995 in Copenhagen, assumes its full importance. Togo fervently hopes that Member States will demonstrate political will and, in a surge of collective responsibility, give this Summit the attention necessary to obtain concrete results and practical decisions whose implementation should lead to the true elimination of poverty, the creation of genuinely productive jobs and the complete integration of marginalized or excluded sectors of society. During the last 15 years, there have been many obstacles to growth in our countries, including the decline in foreign capital, the debt crisis, and the constant decline in public development assistance, whose level is clearly short of the target 0.7 per cent of gross national product 8 General Assembly 22nd meeting that was set and strongly recommended by the United Nations. All of this leads to widespread poverty, aggravated by structural adjustment programmes that have insupportable social effects. There has been constant regression in Africa’s share of world trade. The recent Marrakesh agreements that resulted from long and difficult international negotiations in the Uruguay Round, far from meeting the expectations of the developing countries in general and of Africa in particular, are likely to lead to new imbalances in international trade which may require more than a decade to redress. In this respect, my delegation views the Agenda for Development proposed to us by the Secretary-General as a timely initiative, offering as it does an opportunity to begin a process of constructive dialogue and political mobilization to create a true and just partnership that can engage in better consideration of development issues. Together with the Group of 77 and China, Togo strongly supports the idea that this Agenda should build an international consensus for the global liberalization of trade, on the one hand as an effective means for international cooperation for development, and on the other to give new impetus to the efforts made over the last decade to avoid protectionist policies. If the transition of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade into the World Trade Organization is to be smooth, there must be a mechanism that can compensate the developing countries affected by the new system. Along these lines, the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, adopted by the General Assembly in 1991, and the implementation of the Paris Declaration and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s, adopted in 1990, should, in our opinion, be geared to an increase in the volume of official development assistance, the promotion of respect for commitments that have been undertaken for new and additional resources for international cooperation, and a greater lightening of the debt burden, or even its cancellation. It would be desirable to adopt policies that ensured an adequate flow of concessional financing to the developing countries, in particular to the least developed among them; stimulated other flows of capital, including direct investment; reversed the negative trend in financial flows, and created mechanisms and allocated resources related to development. It can never be overemphasized that sustainable development is a prerequisite to lasting peace. The right to development must be considered, henceforth, as a fundamental human right, and thus be given priority attention by the international community. Along these lines, my Government hopes that, in addition to the results of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo from 5 to 13 September last, the work of the World Summit for Social Development, of the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in September 1995, and of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT II), to be held in Istanbul from 3 to 14 June 1996, will help produce at the international level a spirit of shared responsibility and the necessary political will to mobilize the resources that are indispensable if our developing countries are to thrive. Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration are an important bridge on the road to sustainable development and to the protection of the Earth from the dangers facing it. That is why, two years ago, all the participants in the Conference showed such enthusiasm and sincerity. Regrettably, the results of that historic summit have still not been reflected in concrete facts. No notable progress has yet been observed in the implementation of the recommendations contained, in particular, in the Programme of Action. It is high time that States and the international community did everything in their power, at the national, regional and international levels, to put into effect the commitments to sustainable development undertaken in Rio. The Togolese Government welcomes the entry into force of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and is particularly delighted at the conclusion of another legal instrument of global scope: the International Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa. The Convention was adopted by the intergovernmental negotiating Committee in Paris in June 1994. Togo was pleased to take part in the negotiating process and will soon take up the procedures for signature and ratification. We invite all States Members of the United Nations to do likewise in order that the Convention and related instruments may enter into force as soon as possible. 9 General Assembly 22nd meeting Considering the uncertain future of mankind and the numerous and formidable challenges confronting the human race, it is imperative that we become clearly aware of our moral obligations. As of this moment it is essential to identify and correct the weaknesses and failings of our Organization. The reforms under way are indispensable, but they must not become a means of conferring even greater influence than in the past on the large countries and richest Powers in the world. Our new awareness must also help define ways of establishing relations among nations in the future, and in dealing with our present-day concerns we must take into account the causes of the disparities in standards of living between North and South. There is no effect without a cause, and to deny the principle of causality amounts to deferring our problems and never solving them. Only an attitude based on action, justice and international solidarity can spare the world a conflict that would otherwise, sooner or later, be inevitable. Thus, tackling the deep-rooted causes of today’s problems means seeking together the solutions that will make it possible for men, women and children to live decently and in complete freedom, without fear of being crushed by unemployment, poverty and hunger. This would also make it possible to protect the dignity of the human person and to safeguard human security. Tomorrow we should have a world in which all nations and all citizens refuse to listen to the voice of their own personal interests when they run counter to the common weal, a world in which nations and peoples find satisfaction not only in that which is to their own advantage but also in that which is to everyone’s advantage. At its forty-ninth session, may the General Assembly, under the leadership of its President, contribute to dispelling our concerns and to defining the ways and means of helping us blaze the way into the future. This is my delegation’s most fervent hope.