Togo

At the outset, allow me, on behalf of the people and Government of Togo and on my own behalf, to extend our warmest congratulations to you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixtieth session. I also assure you of the support and cooperation of the Togolese delegation, confident as I am that your experience and outstanding qualities will prove to be a major asset in ensuring that our work at this session will be commensurate with the great stakes and global challenges that we must meet together. I also convey to your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, our deep appreciation for the immense work he undertook with marvellous enthusiasm throughout his mandate. With commitment and insight, the qualities of a seasoned diplomat in service to his country, Gabon, and to Africa, he effectively guided the work of the preceding session, including the debates held in recent days on the Millennium Development Goals. I also take this opportunity to pay vibrant tribute to the Secretary-General, our brother Kofi Annan, whose commitment to the United Nations and to the great causes and noble ideals it embodies has allowed us to register critical progress in improving the quality and effectiveness of the United Nations operations. I pledge him my country's full support in the ongoing mission we have entrusted to him, which he has carried out with competence, serenity, resolve and humanism. The United Nations is now at a crossroads. The challenges that continue to face the world - in particular the ongoing conflicts that are ravaging many countries and regions around the world; the pandemics, floods and natural disasters; the terrible dangers that threaten the environment and the ecosystem; famine in various places, particularly in Africa, caused by drought and climate change; and the growing gulf between the wealthy countries and those afflicted by underdevelopment - require greater solidarity, the urgent reform of our Organization, and the adaptation of its bodies and operations to the new international context. My country, Togo, will therefore firmly support the United Nations reform process, as outlined in the report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, entitled "A more secure world: our shared responsibility" (A/59/565). Indeed, we absolutely must reaffirm certain fundamental principles and ideals that guided the founding fathers of the United Nations. We must devise strategies and working methods that are bolder and better adapted to the scope and seriousness of problems that cannot be effectively resolved except in the framework of this Organization, a symbol of solidarity and brotherhood among States and peoples. We need to pursue and step up our fight against poverty and hunger, the lack of education, gender inequality, child mortality, disease, environmental degradation, and devastating and lethal conflicts. I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Government and people of Togo, to convey our deep gratitude and thanks to the community of States represented here for its many expressions of support and sympathy for our country after the unexpected 29 demise of President Gnassingbé Eyadema and in the context of Togo's difficulties in the wake of his death. Very fortunately, Togo has emerged from that period of unrest and instability. Calm and serenity now reign and promise a new era of hope for our country. In fact, in spite of the tension and violence that marked the electoral process, Togo has continued since then to make tangible progress in peacefully reorganizing its social and political life. The representatives of all political persuasions and civil society have together established a Government of national unity. Moreover, in accordance with our desire for openness and dialogue, we have launched consultations with the Togolese political class and civil society in order to reach a broad consensus and mobilization in managing the process of national reconciliation and in efforts to ensure the return and reintegration of refugees. The consultations also mark the onset of a political dialogue that will allow us, through joint effort, to agree on electoral reform, the reorganization of regulatory bodies and institutions, and the stages and schedule of legislative elections. Safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms, enshrining the values and practices of democracy, and strengthening the rule of law and good governance are at the heart of the 22 commitments that my country approved on 14 April 2004 with the European Union. They are also at the very core of our action and of the demands and expectations of my fellow citizens. Immediately following the establishment of the Government, we therefore adopted bold measures and initiatives in various sectors. A special independent national commission of inquiry was created to investigate the violence and vandalism committed during the electoral process. Similarly, Togolese authorities at all levels have fully cooperated with the United Nations fact-find mission mandated to look into the violence and allegations of human rights violations committed between 5 February and 5 May 2005. The mission's conclusions and recommendations, which I believe will be useful and promising, will be considered in a spirit of open- mindedness and with a view to correcting potential areas of weakness so that we may never again experience acts of violence in future elections in Togo. In an effort to restore calm and reduce tension, all persons detained for their suspected involvement and responsibility in acts of violence, atrocities, pillaging of property and ransacking of buildings during the elections have been released. Also, with a view to strengthening citizens' confidence in the Republic's institutions, we have just launched a wide-ranging programme to reform the justice system. Today, we reaffirm that democracy spurs the harmonious and sustainable socio-economic development of Togo. In that respect, effectiveness and transparency in the management of the affairs of the capital and respect for human rights are important responsibilities of the Government of Togo. However, it is clear that the young democracy of Togo needs the international community's support in order to help democracy to take firm root and to strengthen peace and stability in West Africa. I take this opportunity to express once again the gratitude of the people of Togo to the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States for their assistance to Togo during such a crucial period. Building a State where the rule of law prevails is a long-term effort; it is achieved gradually and requires consolidation at each step. That is true for all great democracies. I therefore call on all our development partners to support Togo in its steadfast and irreversible march towards a democratic, law-based State in which all Togolese can fully exercise their fundamental rights and can act, think and create in complete freedom. In conclusion, I would like to underline once again the merits of international solidarity, in particular between the prosperous countries and the developing countries. In fact, we live in an increasingly interdependent world that faces multiple threats and challenges. Those threats spare no State, large or small, and make it imperative that we take coordinated and united action, in particular in those situations that jeopardize international peace and security. Africa, in particular, remains a zone of conflicts and instability, and this exacerbates the feelings of helplessness and distress among our peoples. We welcome the engagement and the support of the international community, in particular in Cote d'Ivoire, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. We welcome encouraging signs in the peace process in Burundi. However, we call on the United Nations and the international community to remain vigilant and active in helping the brotherly people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose country 30 is moving towards stability and the completion of its electoral process. Cote d'Ivoire must quickly return to the path of peace and harmony in order to pursue a leading role in the efforts for political and economic integration in West Africa. But we believe that it would be wise to take timely action to address the causes of those conflicts, rather than intervene at a later date to deal with the often devastating consequences. We should therefore reflect together on how to address the root causes of those situations. That leads me to make two suggestions for the Assembly to ponder. First, regarding institutions, Africa must put in place democratic institutions of a new kind, founded on the value of dialogue and the ongoing search for compromise and consensus, closer to our tradition of discussion than to the imposition of the majority decision. Second, we need to strengthen the management capabilities of States whose administration is still weak in order to improve the quality and the effectiveness of the public and administrative services, thus putting the State at the service of its citizens. I hope that our Organization will strengthen its action to make national administrations more effective and more accessible for citizens. By doing so, the United Nations would further realize its vocation as an irreplaceable forum for dialogue and solidarity in the service of humanity, the well-being of peoples and the maintenance of international peace and security.