It is a great honour for
me to address the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session on behalf of His Majesty King Mswati III,
Head of State of the Kingdom of eSwatini. I convey
the congratulations and best wishes of His Majesty the
King and the people of the Kingdom of eSwatini to the
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session, a son of Africa. We commend the Secretary-
General and his staff for the good work they are doing
in creating an enabling environment for all humankind
to live in peace despite the multiple challenges facing
the world.
As we gather here, we are very mindful of the
new challenge that confronts the global community
following the outbreak of Ebola in some parts of the
African continent. That disease is claiming hundreds of
lives and diverting focus and resources from essential
development initiatives. It is also a serious drawback
to the attainment of the Millennium Development
Goals and is a threat to humankind. We urge the United
Nations and its Members to spare no effort in providing
all the necessary assistance at its disposal to curb the
disease and prevent any further loss of life.
My delegation takes this opportunity to thank the
General Assembly for convening the high-level plenary
meeting known as the World Conference on Indigenous
Peoples. It was particularly opportune, as indigenous
knowledge and practices substantially contribute to the
sustainable development agenda.
Last week the General Assembly held its twenty-
ninth special session, on follow-up to the Programme
of Action of the International Conference on Population
and Development beyond 2014. My delegation was
pleased to participate in that event. We reaffirm the
Kingdom’s commitment to the Programme of Action,
which is as relevant today as it was twenty years ago.
This year the regular session of the General
Assembly was preceded by the Climate Summit, at
which Heads of State and Government deliberated on
issues of environmental protection. Those issues are
critical to the achievement of sustainable development,
particularly for the developing countries. We are
pleased that the Summit was able to mobilize sufficient
political support for guiding the Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, to be held in Lima in December.
The issue of climate change is crucial for many of our
developing economies, especially on the continent of
Africa. It has a direct effect on our national objective to
produce enough food for ourselves. The unpredictable
weather conditions continue to be of great concern to
our farmers. We shall continue to call upon the United
Nations to expedite the issue to prevent further adverse
effects on our lives.
The theme of the General Assembly at its sixty-
ninth session is “Delivering on and implementing
a transformative post-2015 development agenda”. It
resonates well with our call for a development agenda
that is inclusive. It is a clear indication that we are
transcending the era of the Millennium Development
Goals, entering a new chapter of the development
agenda. As we set the stage for the post-2015
development agenda, my delegation is heartened to see
that we have not forgotten our collective inability to
meet all the Millennium Development Goals.
I commend the co-Chairs of the Open Working
Group on Sustainable Development Goals for the
manner in which they ably guided the proceedings of
the Group. We welcome the outcome document of the
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development
Goals (A/68/970) and the goals and targets contained
therein. The Kingdom of eSwatini is pleased that the
framework for the post-2015 development agenda has
taken into account those Millennium Development
Goals that have not yet been met, especially the
eradication of poverty. As we begin a new era, let
us not forget our previous commitments, and let us
continue to emphasize the urgency for the developed
partners to honour their official development assistance
commitments.
Food security remains a critical challenge for the
African continent, and we wish to reiterate our call
for the provision of adequate financial resources, the
transfer of environmentally sound technologies and
technical assistance to developing countries if we are
to achieve our development goals. We have abundant
resources on the continent. However, there is a great
need for value addition to our products in order to
maximize our food-production initiatives.
The Kingdom of eSwatini continues to set aside
a sizeable budget for agriculture. Due to the negative
effects of climate change, we have a programme to
construct dams for irrigation throughout the Kingdom.
Assistance to subsistence farmers with farming inputs
has also been increased with the intention of increasing
their yields and thus increasing food production in the
Kingdom.
The Kingdom of eSwatini fully supports the
African Union’s road map for development, Agenda
2063, which is critical to attaining the Millennium
Development Goals. We are confident that, with United
Nations support, that approach will accelerate Africa’s
regional economic integration agenda and help realize
it, facilitate integration in the world economy and
ultimately improve the continent’s living standards.
Africa is home to the majority of the world’s fastest-
growing economies, and trade remains an integral
part of the development agenda. Focus is now on
sustaining that growth through boosting intra-African
trade and establishing the continental free trade area.
It is important, however, that access to the global
markets remain open to mutually beneficial conditions
that promote the United Nations ideals of increased
international cooperation and trade.
We are encouraged by the renewed commitment for
the economic development of the African continent as
resolved in different summits. The continent abounds
with investment opportunities in different sectors,
such as infrastructure, information, communication,
technology and energy, to name but a few. That will,
no doubt, have a huge impact on the sustainable
development programmes for the continent. It will also
contribute handsomely to job creation, particularly for
the youth.
We should ensure that the post-2015 agenda is
cognizant of the special development needs of developing
countries, particularly those in Africa. We also give
particular recognition to those developing countries
that have special challenges due to their geographical
position, such as small island developing States and
landlocked developing countries. My delegation hopes
that the agenda will also take into consideration the
special plight of middle-income countries, where the
majority of the world’s poor reside.
The Government of the Kingdom of eSwatini is
pleased to note that the Republic of China on Taiwan
continues to contribute to global issues, and the
positive developments taking place in that region are
encouraging. We encourage their full participation in
all United Nations structures.
As we meet here, in some parts of the world people
are living in fear as every day thousands of human
beings, especially vulnerable groups, are losing their
lives to terrorists. We encourage the United Nations to
take a leading role in promoting peace and coexistence
in the world. We call on all those who are fighting
to find a lasting, peaceful solution to their problems
through dialogue and not through the barrel of a gun.
In conclusion, the Kingdom of eSwatini would like
to commend the United Nations and related agencies
for being a key factor in helping to overcome the
many complex challenges facing the world today. We
reiterate our call for peaceful solutions and dialogue
in all conflict situations so that the United Nations
may achieve its noble objectives. We take pride in and
reaffirm our commitment to the principles and ideals
contained in the Charter of the United Nations. May the
Almighty God bless us all.