My delegation associates
itself with the compliments extended to Ms. Haya
Rashed Al-Khalifa, on her election to the presidency of
the General Assembly, to her predecessor, His
Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson, and to the Secretary-
General. It would be remiss of us if we did not express
our delight at the fact that our proceedings are being
led by a lady President this year.
We meet in the aftermath of the worst conflict in
the Middle East. This conflict has brought untold
misery and has resulted in unnecessary loss of life,
displacement of people and wanton destruction of
property. In the midst of all this, the Security Council
remained pitifully helpless.
The delay by the Security Council in reacting to
the Israel-Lebanon conflict graphically demonstrated
the Council’s extreme inadequacy in responding
urgently, with prompt and decisive action, to
international armed conflicts. It is precisely such
06-53005 12
failures that lend credence to the call for reform of the
United Nations, in particular, reform of the Security
Council. In this regard, the well-known position of the
African Group has never made more sense than it does
now.
The African continent still experiences internal
armed conflicts. The African Union (AU), without
usurping the powers of the Security Council, has taken
the initiative to resolve some of those conflicts.
However, the African Union’s resources and capacities
are limited. It is against this background that the
African Union, through its Peace and Security Council,
resolved to hand over the Darfur mission to the United
Nations. It is our hope and earnest plea that the current
misunderstanding between the United Nations and the
Government of the Sudan will be resolved as a matter
of urgency. The United Nations, particularly the
Security Council, cannot afford to be a helpless
spectator to yet another genocide.
My delegation calls for concerted efforts by the
international community, and by the United Nations in
collaboration with the African Union, to find a lasting
solution to the crises in Somalia and Côte d’Ivoire.
With regard to Somalia, the efforts of the Inter-
Governmental Authority on Development to broker an
agreement between the Transitional Government and
the Islamic Courts must be complemented by the
international community, specifically, the United
Nations. There is also an urgent need to lift the arms
embargo so that the Transitional Government may be
able to function.
We congratulate the people of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, who, following decades of
undemocratic rule and civil war, recently exercised
their inalienable right to elect a Government of their
choice. It is our hope that with continued assistance
from the United Nations, particularly from United
Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and other partners, the second
round of elections, scheduled for 29 October 2006, will
proceed peacefully.
We likewise commend the people of Burundi on
the signing of a peace agreement between the
Government and the Forces nationales de libération
(FNL). This should enable them to focus on the
development issues of their country.
Furthermore, we congratulate the Government of
the Republic of Uganda on the initiative aimed at
finding a political solution to the protracted war with
the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). That war has taken
its toll on the people of Uganda and has contributed to
instability in the region.
We express our solidarity with the peoples of
Palestine and Western Sahara in their struggle for self-
determination and their quest for everlasting peace.
Surely, things do not have to deteriorate to the level of
the Israel-Lebanon conflict before the international
community snaps into action in these two volatile
situations.
Following the 2005 World Summit, and in the
context of the reform of the United Nations, my
delegation notes with satisfaction the creation of the
Human Rights Council, the operationalization of the
Peacebuilding Commission and the establishment of
the Central Emergency Response Fund, among other
achievements. These are timely events that continue to
prove the relevance of this Organization in the twenty-
first century.
My delegation also notes the efficient manner in
which the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs responded in some countries that faced major
man-made or natural disasters over the past year. That
can be attributed to the newly established Central
Emergency Response Fund. It is our hope that the Fund
will continue to live up to the expectations of Member
States.
The United Nations was founded on the
interlinked and mutually reinforcing pillars of
development, international peace and security and
human rights. The issue of development deserves the
undivided attention and commitment of Member
States, just as do the issues of peace, security and
human rights. Hence the call at the 2005 World Summit
for a timely and full realization of development goals
and objectives agreed upon at major United Nations
conferences and summits in the economic, social and
related fields.
My delegation is deeply concerned that Member
States were largely divided between the South and the
North regarding how to follow up on the development
section of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document
(resolution 60/1). We are indeed disheartened that, due
to a divergence of views on this important issue, the
General Assembly was not in a position to suggest
concrete actions to implement commitments made at
the relevant conferences and summits.
13 06-53005
It is past time for the General Assembly to
suggest concrete actions on how to, among other
things: fulfil the commitments to address the special
needs of Africa; seriously address the uneven progress
made by the least developed countries, landlocked
developing countries and small island developing
countries in achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs); address issues relating to trade,
agricultural subsidies and the transfer of vitally needed
resources to developing countries; and fully implement
the global partnership for development as set out in the
Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus, the
Johannesburg Plan of Action and the 2005 World
Summit Outcome.
My delegation hopes that at its current session the
General Assembly will, among other things, finalize all
details regarding the convening of a review conference
on the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus.
Furthermore, we hope that all stakeholders will
reaffirm their commitment to the full implementation
of the outcomes of the recently held high-level
meetings on migration and development and on review
of the implementation of the 2001 Brussels Programme
of Action for the Least Developed Countries.
There is definitely an inherent global benefit, for
all countries, in the pursuit of development cooperation
based on genuine partnership and mutually beneficial
arrangements. The realities of globalization,
liberalization and interdependence have demonstrated
the inadequacies of the traditional modes of financing
for development, such as official development
assistance, foreign direct investment, trade and other
forms of capital flows.
If all Member States are to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015, certain
measures must be undertaken. First, official
development assistance must be doubled. It must also
be timely, predictable and dependable. Secondly, all
partnerships with New Partnership for Africa’s
Development must be linked to the Millennium
Development Goals and other agreed upon
development goals and targets. Finally, there must be
complete debt cancellation, not just for the highly
indebted poor countries, but for the least developed
countries as well.
The suspension of the Doha Development Agenda
negotiations was a disquieting development for some
of our countries. While Africa had on various
occasions expressed concern on the limited progress
made in negotiations on issues of major interest to the
continent, our faith in the negotiations never wavered.
We truly believed, and we still do, that there is a
common understanding that trade is the most effective
route out of poverty, and that the prosperity and
security of all nations, rich or poor, strong or weak, are
dependent on, inter alia, free and fair trade.
Much has been said about the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. Its consequences are now commonly
understood. Conferences at the highest levels have
been held, subregionally, regionally, continentally and
globally. These conferences discussed at length the
importance of economic, technological and medical
developments to subdue and defeat HIV/AIDS in
affected countries. It is now time for words to be
followed by concrete actions targeting, in particular,
infected and affected groups and lowering infection
prevalence rates.
My delegation regrets the paralysis that has
befallen the United Nations disarmament machinery.
Also regrettable is the failure of the 2005 Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to produce a
consensus substantive outcome document. Equally
regrettable is the absence of a section on non-
proliferation and disarmament in the 2005 Summit
Outcome Document. The coup de grâce, however, is
the failure to agree on an outcome document of the
2006 United Nations Conference to Review Progress
Made in the Implementation of the Programme of
Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit
Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its
Aspects, adopted in 2001.
Thus, Member States should not run away from
the blatant truth that, during the sixtieth session of the
Assembly, the stalemate that, over the past four years, has
characterized negotiations regarding non-proliferation
and disarmament, finally became abundantly clear to
all nations. For small arms and light weapons remain
the weapons of choice that are indiscriminately used in
conflicts, as well as in other forms of violence,
including criminal behaviour. Yet they are still so
cheap and so easily accessible that, in some remote
villages, they are exchanged for chickens.
Terrorism continues to pose the greatest threat to
human security. In this regard, I wish to welcome the
adoption by the General Assembly of the United
06-53005 14
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (resolution
60/288). However, it is unfortunate that the General
Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on International
Terrorism has still not been able to conclude a
comprehensive convention on an international response
to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The
fact remains that Member States have a moral
obligation to overcome their long-standing differences
on the definition of terrorism. Failure to agree on a
definition, however, cannot and must not be used as an
excuse for not decisively confronting the scourge of
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Following the adoption of Security Council
resolution 1696 (2006) on 31 July, and the subsequent
response by the Iranian Authorities, it is our fervent
hope that all parties to the issue will constructively
engage in seeking a lasting solution to avert possible
economic and diplomatic sanctions and to guarantee
Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme.
Last but certainly not least, this session marks the
end of tenure of office for an illustrious son of the
African soil, a distinguished diplomat and statesman, in
the person of His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan. He
leaves a legacy for this august body which every one of
us must emulate in the best interests of the peoples we
represent and serve. It is therefore befitting to pay
tribute to him and to wish him and Mrs. Nane Annan a
well-deserved rest and a future filled with happiness.
He will, needless to say, be inundated with our calls for
his wisdom and advice in the service of mankind.
Our standing ovation and the declaration made in
honour of His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan during the
last African Union Summit held in Banjul, Gambia,
said it all. With typical eloquence, he delivered a few
days ago in the Assembly before the world’s leaders a
rich statement filled with emotion. No wonder that
even the world leaders accorded him a standing
ovation. His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan has run his lap
with excellence. He deserves a medal of honour.