Every year, the General Assembly gives us the opportunity to
get together to discuss our concerns in the various parts
of the world. Here we are, meeting again to evaluate
what has been accomplished and to consider new
solutions to the many challenges confronting our shared
responsibility. And Burkina Faso is committed, as
always, to participating in this important get-together,
the symbol of international solidarity.
I would like to express our gratitude to
President Kutesa’s predecessor, Ambassador John
Ashe, for his positive record during his tenure. I also
heartily congratulate the President on his election,
and I am confident that his wealth of experience with
international and development issues will enable
him to effectively guide our work on the post-2015
development agenda, in order to formulate an ambitious
new framework for development aimed at bringing our
peoples growth, fairness and a better life.
I would also like to pay tribute to Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for his thoughtful focus on
peace and social and economic development around the
world, especially in Africa. In that regard, I welcome
his initiative in holding last week’s Climate Summit
in New York, aimed at persuading Heads of State and
Government and representatives of local authorities,
the private sector and civil society of the urgent and
compelling need for them to declare their contributions
to the fight against climate change in firm and concrete
terms.
Burkina Faso also reiterates its commendation of
the joint visit to the Sahel by the Secretary-General,
the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the
President of the World Bank, the President of the African
Development Bank and the European Commissioner
for Development within the framework of the United
Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel, which aims to
promote security, good governance, development and
human rights as factors of peace and stability.
Lastly, Burkina Faso welcomes the Assembly’s
adoption of the Secretary-General’s Ebola initiative
(resolution 69/1) and welcomes his appointment of
Mr. David Nabarro as Senior United Nations System
Coordinator for Ebola Virus Disease and Mr. Anthony
Banbury as his Special Representative and Head of the
United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response.
These steps will certainly help the West African
subregion to strengthen its public-health systems in
order to eradicate the epidemic, whose spread could
permanently compromise the area’s social cohesion,
development and economic integration. Burkina Faso
would like to express its sympathy and solidarity with
the affected countries, and it reiterates its commitment
to participating in the quest for a collective solution
that can ensure effective protection for the people and
for health personnel, as well as the free movement of
people and goods within the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS).
Today we can celebrate the progress made in efforts
to achieve and maintain peace, as well as to achieve our
development goals, despite the fact that there is still
work to be done to speed up improvement of our people’s
living conditions. In Burkina Faso, notwithstanding our
unfavourable geographical and climatic conditions and
a difficult international economic environment, we are
committed, with determination and realism, to building
development. In the last few decades, therefore, we have
established and implemented strategic development
programmes and plans designed to put our country
firmly on the road to emergence. Poverty reduction,
the empowerment of women and full employment for
young people are some of our main objectives. For
several years consecutively those efforts have enabled
Burkina Faso to record average annual growth rates of
around 5 per cent and achieve significant investments
in a number of areas that include health, education,
agriculture, and water, road and energy infrastructures.
Clearly, development efforts cannot thrive without
a stable, peaceful environment. To that end, our
President, Mr. Blaise Compaoré, and the Government
of Burkina Faso continue to work to entrench a culture
of tolerance and peaceful coexistence that seeks to
establish, through dialogue and consultations, the
essential elements of social cohesion, a strengthened
democratic process and respect for individual and
collective liberties.
As a member of the Human Rights Council,
Burkina Faso continues to set a good example by
making the promotion and defence of human rights a
major focus of its Government policy on improving the
people’s welfare. That has been the context for the work
of Mrs. Chantal Compaoré, a goodwill ambassador for
the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices
Affecting the Health of Women and Children, whose
commitment to dealing with the issue of female genital
mutilation is an important contribution to global efforts
to protect the rights of women and girls. Burkina Faso
welcomes the Human Rights Council’s recent adoption
of a draft resolution on “Intensifying global efforts and
sharing good practices to effectively eliminate female
genital mutilation” , submitted by the African Group at
Burkina Faso’s initiative.
We are following with concern the crises and
conflicts that unfortunately continue to plague parts
of the world, particularly the African continent.
However, under the auspices of ECOWAS, we welcome
the significant progress made over recent months
in restoring peace and democracy in West Africa,
especially in Guinea-Bissau and Mali.
With respect to Mali, ECOWAS mediation brought
about the restoration of constitutional order and the
holding of free and fair elections throughout the national
territory. For the continuation of the peace process in
Mali, Burkina Faso welcomes and supports the efforts
of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria in the
search for a lasting peace solution in accordance with
the Preliminary Agreement signed in Ouagadougou
on 18 June 2013. That Agreement’s ultimate goal is to
restore peace, the territorial integrity of Mali and of
the ECOWAS region, and cohesion among all Malian
communities, in order to achieve the objectives of
harmonious development and subregional integration.
In Mali, as elsewhere in the Sahel subregion,
armed conflicts are becoming more complex and
more radicalized because of the emergence of violent
extremism and terrorism closely associated with the
criminal economy, which is characterized, inter alia, by
trafficking in drugs, weapons and human beings. Those
evils challenge us in our shared responsibility in the
fight to eradicate them. It is more urgent than ever to
work together by focusing on preventive measures and
addressing their root causes, namely such predisposing
factors as extreme poverty, youth unemployment, and
the denial of rights and justice.
Similarly, it is important to strengthen the rapid-
response capabilities of our States and international
cooperation in the exchange of information, in order
to allow our defence forces and security to fight
effectively against terrorist threats. In that regard,
Burkina Faso expresses its deep gratitude to all partner
countries, especially France and the United States of
America, whose contribution to the efforts to secure the
Sahel is priceless. We would now like to reiterate our
total solidarity with and full support for the people and
Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which
continue to face the unprecedented rise of terrorism
and religious intolerance.
Other African countries are also experiencing crisis
situations. We are thinking in particular of Somalia,
Libya, the Central African Republic, the Democratic
Republic of Congo and the Sudan. With respect to
the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso salutes
the efforts of the international mediator, President
Sassou Nguesso, and welcomes the Brazzaville Forum,
which concluded with an agreement on the cessation
of hostilities. My country supports the Transitional
Government, welcomes the effective establishment
of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
and reiterates its readiness to contribute to efforts to
restore and keep peace in Central Africa.
In the light of all these crises, Burkina Faso would
emphasize the urgent need to restore and maintain an
environment of peace and stability in the countries
concerned, without which our development and
integration efforts will be in vain. In that context, no
effort should be spared to protect peacekeepers who
risk their lives working to provide security and comfort
to civilians. I would like to take this opportunity
to reiterate our strong condemnation of intentional
attacks against all United Nations troops in theatres of
peacekeeping.
As it always has, Burkina Faso will continue to
participate in the collective action of peacekeeping
in countries in difficulty, in particular Darfur, Mali,
Guinea-Bissau, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and Haiti. We express our deep appreciation to partner
countries for their various forms of support in terms of
training and equipment, which allow Burkinabé troops
to accomplish their tasks efficiently wherever they are
sent.
With respect to conflict resolution, Burkina Faso
advocates dialogue and consultation, which is the basis
for Burkina Faso’s consistent action when the President
of our country is sought after as a mediator or facilitator.
Accordingly, I welcome the adoption on 31 July by the
Assembly of resolution 68/303 on “Strengthening the
role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes,
conflict prevention and resolution”. In that regard, my
country, a member of the Group of Friends of Mediation,
encourages the actions taken under the leadership of
Finland and Turkey.
With regard to Western Sahara, Burkina Faso
welcomes the Moroccan initiative for advanced
autonomy status in Western Sahara, which is a credible
and realistic option for achieving a final solution
acceptable to all.
In the Middle East, we condemn the recent
escalation of violence which has led to many casualties
among civilian populations. Priority should be given to
dialogue, and we hope that the unrestricted ceasefire
that was signed between Palestinians and Israelis
on 26 August 2014, under the auspices of the Arab
Republic of Egypt, will lead to the establishment of a
definitive peace between the two parties to the conflict.
Accordingly, Burkina Faso welcomes the efforts of the
international community aimed at creating a Palestinian
State living side by side with Israel in peace, security
and mutual respect.
The establishment of international peace and
security will be but hollow words as long as the issue
of disarmament remains unresolved. Therefore, no
sacrifice is too great if together we can achieve a world
free of nuclear weapons, a reduction in the risk of the
proliferation of conventional weapons, and the entry
into force and universalization of the Arms Trade
Treaty.
To establish a permanent basis for peace, security
and freedom, it is also necessary to create the
conditions for sustainable and equitable development
for all peoples. That is why my country reaffirms
its strong commitment to the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals. We therefore have a
deep interest in the development process under way for
the sustainable development goals and the post-2015
development agenda, and we urge that special attention
be given to vital sectors such as agriculture, renewable
energy, industrialization and infrastructure.
Burkina Faso reaffirms its commitment to the
ideals of the United Nations based on the principles of
peaceful coexistence, dialogue and peaceful settlement
of disputes. It is with conviction that we welcome and
strongly encourage the rapprochement of views between
the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of
China on Taiwan and the dialogue that forms the basis
for such an approach. We favour the wider participation
of the Republic of China on Taiwan in the specialized
agencies of the United Nations.
We salute the spirit of understanding displayed by
the international community in allowing the involvement
of that country in international organizations in order to
enable it to play a broader role on the world stage through
its contribution to the achievement of development
goals, particularly in countries like Burkina Faso.
Readmitting the Republic of China on Taiwan to our
Organization is worth considering. With 23 million
inhabitants and a large economy, the Republic of China
on Taiwan has established itself as a key player in the
international arena in terms of promoting peace and
contributing to development efforts.
With regard to Cuba, Burkina Faso reiterates its
position in favour of lifting the embargo in order to
allow the Cuban people to fit harmoniously into the
concert of nations.
Convinced of the irreplaceable role of the United
Nations in promoting multilateralism, my country
supports the reforms under consideration, in particular
those of the Security Council and the General Assembly.
Given the nature of the new factors in the threats to
international peace and security, it is necessary and
equitable that other continents have permanent seats
on the Security Council. That is why Burkina Faso
endorses the African Common Position in favour of
expanding the number of permanent members of the
Security Council to take into account the expectations
of the African continent.
With everyone’s help and moved by a spirit of
solidarity and sharing, we can strengthen the role of the
United Nations as a genuine instrument of cooperation
for peace, security, justice and development.