For me it is a
great pleasure and an agreeable duty to participate in the work of the General
Assembly at its forty-seventh session. For almost half a century the United
Nations has been working to lead mankind to the more human condition of peace
and international solidarity.
Allow me to take this early opportunity to discharge the duty an honour
given to me by Major Pierre Buyoya, President of the Republic of Burundi of
conveying to Mr. Ganev, the President of the General Assembly at its current
session, a message of peace and solidarity, in keeping with the fundamental
purposes set out in the Charter. Allow me also, on behalf of my delegation,
my Government and the people of Burundi, to join other representatives in
congratulating Mr. Ganev on his election to the presidency. There is no doubt
that his distinguished qualities, together with his rich experience, will lead
to the success that everyone expects of our deliberations.
Our congratulations go also to the members of the General Committee, who,
I am sure, will spare no effort to support the President in the discharge of
his responsibilities.
At the same time I express our very good wishes to Mr. Ganev's eminent
predecessor as President, who conducted the work of the General Assembly at
its forth-sixth session with remarkable competence.
Furthermore, I should like to pay a very well deserved tribute to the
Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his determination to see
that peace and security in the world are preserved.
The Republic of Burundi warmly welcomes the countries that have just
joined the family of the United Nations.
Mankind is going through a period of contrasts. Current events are
characteristic of the transition from one era to another. Indeed, the world
gives the impression that it is seeking a new balance, which, we hope, will
enable men and women to live together more harmoniously. Whereas the ending
of the cold war and the remarkable disarmament efforts have resulted in
significant progress in the field of international security, bloody conflicts
continue to tear the planet apart.
While a series of events, of which everyone is aware, is persuading
peoples to work together to achieve economic and even political integration,
nations are being torn apart by very bloody fratricidal conflicts. One has
only to consider the extremely worrying situation in Somalia to realize that
the world is still a theatre for tragedies that one cannot bear to watch.
In recent years the winds of liberty have been blowing throughout the
world, and all nations have been rising up in a crusade for human rights and
the dignity of the human person, yet men and women continue to be deprived of
elementary rights the right to life, the right to a homeland and the right
to development. This is the case in South Africa, where apartheid, even in
its death throes, continues to claim victims, and where people, here and
there, continue to be deprived of a homeland.
While steady scientific progress is enabling mankind to master natural
forces and is preparing him to subdue other planets, men and women continue to
wallow in deprivation. This is especially true of the African continent,
where ignorance, hunger and sickness still reign on a grand scale. The
picture so eloquently presented by Abdou Diouf in his capacity as President of
the Organization of African Unity fully conveys the concerns of Africa and of
Africans, and we agree completely with what he said.
At the Rio Conference the international community took a major step in
its awareness of the need to preserve the quality of the environment on Earth,
which is our common home. Paradoxically, however, as we seek means of
subsistence we continue to destroy things that we need to enable us to live
and breathe. This becomes more and more evident when we look at the intimate
relationship between the environment and development a relationship that the
Rio Conference very rightly set out for us.
We are living in an era of paradox. On one hand, it seems that the world
has been moving ahead at full speed in terms of peace and security, freedom,
well-being and progress, but, on the other hand, we are witnessing war,
poverty, hunger and misery. In these conditions mankind has no chance of
making progress. Thus the objectives set out in the Charter of the United
Nations are still relevant.
In this the last decade of the twentieth century we must show that we are
determined to preserve international peace and security. We must also
demonstrate greater solidarity, as an injury to the little finger causes
suffering to the entire body. Like the illustrious founders of this
Organization, we must proclaim our faith in a better world and must turn the
United Nations into an Organization capable of maintaining international peace
and security and of ensuring justice and respect for human rights.
Moreover, the Organization must be able, in accordance with its Charter,
to promote social progress and better standards of life for all peoples of the
world. The Republic of Burundi therefore pays a tribute to all those who are
striving daily to maintain peace in the world and welcomes the signs of
solidarity whereby all peoples may be enabled to live life to the full, in
keeping with the aspirations and values that underlie the United Nations.
In that connection, the report "An Agenda for Peace" submitted to the
General Assembly by the Secretary-General deserves the international
community's close attention. For its part, the Republic of Burundi reiterates
its faith in the United Nations Charter and its commitment to work with the
international community in achieving the triumph of its ideals.
The rostrum of the United Nations, which is provided to us each year, is
a special place for dialogue and exchanges of views that enable us better to
understand one another and share our experiences. Allow me, therefore,
briefly to share with representatives the principal paths that my country has
decided to take in rebuilding and making its modest contribution to the
realization of the Organization's goals.
In the not-too-distant past my country went through some tragic
experiences caused by continuing divisive conflicts, essentially ethnic. They
were followed by tragedies that resulted in loss of human life and a large
exodus of refugees seeking asylum in neighbouring countries and elsewhere in
the world. That situation had a serious effect on social relations. Rancour,
mistrust and hatred took root in the hearts of brothers and sisters who should
have been living together in a single, age-old nation.
It was in this context an uneasy one, to say the least that on
3 September 1987 the people of Burundi rose up to change the unhappy course of
their history. Five years later, I am pleased to announce that Burundi is
once again a united nation. Indeed, with the proclamation of the Third
Republic, Burundi has turned the page and is now embarked upon the
construction of a new society of peace, justice and social harmony. Under the
dynamic and farsighted leadership of Major Pierre Buyoya, President of the
Republic, the people of Burundi are in the process of burying once and for all
the quarrels and divisions from which they have suffered for so long. To
achieve that goal, the Government has based its actions on three fundamental
factors: national reconciliation, democratization and development.
First, the people of Burundi set out to realize internal reconciliation.
To remove the divisions that had rent the fabric of Burundi society, the
people determined, with a supreme effort, to pull themselves together and
experience the forgiveness of national reconciliation. Witness to this is the
proclamation of faith contained in the Charter of National Unity, in which
Burundis, with historic conviction, stated:
"We are determined to break with the past and to embark upon a new era in
order to build a more promising future free of hatred and mistrust."
The national reconciliation now achieved has been the result of a
complete process. The first requirement was to engage in an examination of
conscience, which inspired Burundis to join together and to tell themselves
the truth. That process began with the establishment of a National Commission
made up of citizens of all ethnic groups, all regions and all religious and
socio-professional sectors. The Commission's task was to diagnose the disease
of division and then to propose appropriate cures. After seven months of
arduous work the Commission submitted a report setting forth an analysis of
the situation and proposals for a better future.
However, as President Buyoya has so pertinently said, the construction
and deepening of a people's unity cannot be accomplished by the President of
the Republic alone, nor by his Government. Therefore, based on the
Commission's report, a national debate on the important question of national
unity was organized among ill sectors of society.
In making such a thorough examination of a subject so long taboo, the
people of Burundi has discovered the virtues of dialogue and joint effort,
elevated into a form of government. The national debate was crowned with the
creation of the Charter of National Unity, which was adopted with the support
of more than 89 per cent of the population in a referendum held on
5 February 1991.
Since that time the Charter of National Unity has become the pre-eminent
point of reference for all of the nation's political life and a pact by which
all Burundis have sealed an alliance to consolidate their regained unity.
With the Charter we, the people of Burundi have proclaimed our faith in
lasting national unity and condemned and forever rejected all divisions of any
kind. We have thus committed ourselves to uprooting from our society any
tendency to violence, physical extermination and vengeance.
More positively, we have committed ourselves to rigorous respect for the
ethic of national unity. This is translated into respect for human life, the
promotion of justice and the safeguarding and consolidation of peace and
security.
In parallel with that process, which was aimed principally at reconciling
hearts and minds, the process of consolidating national unity has been marked
by a series of specific measures undertaken with a concern to administer the
State in keeping with the ethic of national unity.
In October 1988 the President of the Republic established a new
Government called the Government of National Unity, whose composition reflects
the concern of high-level State authorities to bring all elements of society
into the management of public affairs. The Government has the political
mission of stimulating a new spirit in all sectors of national life. At every
level of society responsibilities have been entrusted to citizens from all
walks of life, without any discrimination whatsoever. In this undertaking the
Government has given pride of place to other values cherished by the Third
Republic: equality of all citizens, the cult of excellence and total
transparency in the management of public affairs.
With national unity regained and national reconciliation an accomplished
fact, we are able give all due attention to grappling with the thorny problem
of refugees. Everyone agrees that the fact that there are so many millions of
refugees throughout the world is a result of internal or inter-State conflicts
that Governments have been powerless to resolve. Furthermore, the
international community owes a big debt to the refugees, inasmuch as its
inability to manage harmoniously has led to the violation of a basic human
right, the inalienable right to live somewhere in one's homeland, with no risk
of having no home.
Fortified by those convictions, and having laid the foundations for
domestic peace, the Government of the Republic of Burundi has undertaken a
vast programme of voluntary repatriation for Burundi refugees. It feels that
voluntary repatriation is by far the best lasting solution to the refugee
question. Thus, in carrying out this work of national reconciliation our
country's highest bodies have offered those of our compatriots who have gone
into exile the opportunity to return freely to their country. In so doing,
our ambition is to see that soon no Burundians will be living with the
degrading label of refugee.
From this rostrum and before the entire international community, I should
like to repeat what Major Pierre Buyoya, President of the Republic, said, and
solemnly reiterate my Government's appeal to all refugees from Burundi,
wherever they may be, to freely return to their homeland. We shall welcome
them with open arms.
I am pleased to note at this point that the results already achieved in
this programme are extremely encouraging.
In 1988, following the unrest that disrupted peace and security in two of
our communities, we succeeded in repatriating approximately 50,000 people who
had moved to neighbouring countries. Thanks to the assistance of the
international community, we were able without difficulty to set them up again
on their own land, to build new homes for them and to help reintegrate them
into our production networks.
In that same spirit, my Government is continuing to welcome those of the
refugees who left their country some 20 years ago that freely choose to return.
Even as we speak, more than 25,000 of them have already returned home,
and others continue to arrive.
Thanks to national and international solidarity, those who were
repatriated have rejoined society in complete dignity. The Government has
made an inventory of all available lands that could accommodate them, and they
are being given assistance that allows them to meet their needs until they can
subsist on the fruits of their own labour. In collaboration with local
administrative authorities, they are receiving all the help necessary to build
a decent home, and they even have health insurance so that they can easily
obtain health care. Their children have been integrated into the school
system, and those among the repatriated who have some training are receiving
all the help needed to secure a position in the work force.
I take this opportunity to thank the countries and the organizations that
have supported us in carrying out this programme, and we also appeal to the
international community to continue to help us in this process, of which my
people are so proud.
In sealing this pact of national unity, the people of Burundi placed
special emphasis on the absolute need to see to it that the management of the
State is democratically assured. That is why, in keeping with the
consolidation of national unity, Burundi has undertaken to democratize our
institutions.
I would be remiss not to share with the Assembly information about the
steps that my country has taken. This was for us an original move, and we
have every reason to be satisfied with it. Indeed, in this process as well as
in the one that led to national reconciliation, the Government has always been
careful to involve all segments of the population. Through frank and sincere
dialogue with the people, the political class has always been honest and wise
enough to put itself in the hands of the people, being convinced that no work
can last unless the citizens are involved, for in the final analysis they are
the ones who do the work and who benefit from all changes.
Thus, throughout all of last year the people were closely involved with
drawing up a new constitution, which was subsequently adopted by referendum on
9 March 1992 by more than 90 per cent of the population. The new constitution
establishes a multiparty system and gives special attention to respect for
fundamental human rights.
In this way, Burundi has put an end to 26 years of a single-party system
and has restored order, serenity and national harmony. Since that time, the
Government has worked to implement the guidelines contained in the
constitution.
The process of effectively implementing pluralism was accelerated in such
a way that today, seven political parties are already on the political scene.
Appropriate legislation was also passed promptly to promote the right to free
association and freedom of the press, which are indispensable foundations for
a vital multiparty system.
In terms of human rights, independent leagues have been established. In
this particular area, which is very dear to us, we have just established a
centre for the promotion of human rights whose mission is to instil into
society, through teaching and various means of communication, the values that
underlie respect for human dignity.
In Burundi, the democratization of our institutions is therefore
proceeding in this manner, and the Government is strongly determined to keep
moving forward. That is why, in keeping with the guidelines that the
President has already laid down, the Government is planning to hold general
elections in the early months of 1993. Once the constitution has clearly
defined the institutional structure that is to guide the country and the
competing partners, that is, the political parties, are on the scene, we
believe that it would be a reprehensible step backwards to prolong this period
of transition indefinitely.
Our intention is to give to a sovereign people the opportunity to speak,
so that they can democratically elect the leaders of their choice. We do so
in what we term the Burundi way, that is to say in complete openness, through
dialogue and joint efforts.
I should not like to take advantage of your kind attention. Sir. None
the less, I should be remiss if, before ending my statement, I did not mention
what we consider to be a pillar of unity and democracy that is, development.
I should not like to take advantage of your kind attention. Sir. None
the less, I should be remiss if, before ending my statement, I did not mention
what we consider to be a pillar of unity and democracy that is,
development. Speaking of national unity, we say that unity and development
are inseparable realities and that it would be difficult to achieve one
without the other. The same is true of democracy. Indeed, without enjoying
the public freedoms that are the structure of true democracy, people cannot
fully express their creativity. Similarly, democratic freedoms that are not
based on the satisfaction of elementary human needs would only be wishful
thinking and would rapidly become void of any substance.
Following these principles, the Government has undertaken a series of
programmes of action for development. For a country such as ours, development
is not a difficult concept to define. Essentially, it boils down to
satisfying the basic needs of the population, such as drinking water, health
services, schooling for their children, decent homes and also food security.
To succeed in this development enterprise, the authorities of the third
Republic initiated a structural adjustment programme with the support of the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Implementation of the
programme is intended to stabilize the finances of our country and to
transform our productive structures with a view to achieving economic growth.
This reform, moreover, is guided by the principles of good management of
public affairs and of liberalizing the economy.
In so doing, important efforts have been made to promote the private
sector. This new manner of conducting development emphasizes the growing
disengagement of the State and the giving of responsibility to individuals and
corporations. In this framework, the Government has, since 1991, embarked
on a major economic programme to privatize public enterprises. What is
involved is the partial or total opening up of public enterprises to private
capital. It also involves restructuring those enterprises that need it in
order to be more profitable and to establish more effective mechanisms for
managing them.
The liberalization of Burundi's economy has just entered a new stage with
the creation of a free trade zone regime. This reform, intended to promote
investment in order to bring about the diversification of our exports, grants
tax and other advantages which some consider to be among the most advantageous
in the world.
Investors who so desire can come and work with us. I can guarantee that
they will not regret doing so. The political reforms that have taken place
within the framework of strengthening national unity and of democratization of
institutions have created in our country a political and social environment
which is very favourable to business.
I have given a thumbnail sketch of the situation in Burundi today. As I
indicated at the beginning of my statement, the Government and people of
Burundi are working to achieve national reconciliation. The steps we have
taken allow us to welcome our brothers and sister who were refugees and enable
them to regain their dignity by returning freely to their homeland. Thanks to
the national unity we have regained, the democratization of our institutions
is also taking place in an atmosphere of peace, order and serenity. We have
committed ourselves to ambitious development programmes in order to establish
an environment and a social infrastructure that can support social peace.
In this way, in full cooperation with the international community,
Burundi feels that it is 01 the right path, one which will allow it, moreover,
to make its contribution t) building a better world of peace, security and
international solidarity. This is the best inheritance we could leave to our
children.
How could we not in chis United Nations body give some thought to the
children, who are the future of us all? This is why we wish especially to
recall that today, 30 September 1992, marks the second anniversary of the
World Summit for Children. We express to the Secretary-General our
appreciation for the report (A/47/264) he has just submitted to us on the
follow-up to the Summit. It deserves our attention.
We should also like to take this opportunity to say that we have high
hopes that the forthcoming conference on this subject, which is to take place
in Dakar, Senegal, next November will study the issue of the future of
Africa's children.