Fourteen years
ago, in this very Hall, the international community, in a
promising move, pledged to attain a series of common
goals by 2015, essentially, to eradicate poverty and
achieve a prosperous and shared world in a secure
environment. Now, one year before that deadline, we
must recognize that humankind has not been able to
create all the conditions necessary for the development
we aspire to. The very foundations of our Organization
are likely to be shaken if steps are not taken to deal with
the immense challenges facing us.
Poverty always goes hand in hand with major
pandemics, undermining any glimmer of hope for
the decent life to which our people are entitled.
Humankind’s aggressiveness towards the environment
pushes it out of the balance that is essential for its
growth and for sustainable development. Fundamental
rights are still being trampled on, opening the door to
intolerance, frustrations and social crises. Peace and
security are faltering in many countries, threatening
more than ever the stability of our planet. It is clear that
only a comprehensive and cooperative approach will
lead us to a society free of the defects that prevent true
progress.
In congratulating the President of the Assembly on
his election, we would like to state that he is without
a doubt contributing to the momentum for a new
global partnership, which we have all been hoping
for and which is so crucial. Today, we wish to assure
him that we will provide him with the same kind of
unfailing support that we provided to his predecessor,
Ambassador John Ashe, to whom we pay tribute for
his leadership in seeking solutions to our issues of
concern. I must address the issue of the serious health
and humanitarian crisis that Sierra Leone, Liberia and
Guinea are currently facing. As members know, the
Ebola virus, a disease characterized by haemorrhagic
fever, continues to threaten international security.
Since its most recent appearance in March 2014, it
has caused over 2,500 deaths and continues to cause
victims. Health-care workers have not been spared.
Faced with the spread of the epidemic, an
extraordinary summit of heads of State and Government
of the Mano River Union was held in Conakry on
1 August. The summit adopted a common strategy
for fighting the disease and made an urgent appeal to
the international community for a coordinated global
response. At the national level, my Government declared
a health emergency on 13 August. The quarantine line
was reinforced by the establishment of compulsory
medical checks at all border crossings and crossing
places in the country, in particular airports and ports.
The negative impact of the Ebola virus on the
country’s economy can be seen in the decrease in trade,
productivity and activity in the transport, investment
and tourism sectors. To date, Guinea has suffered a loss
of nearly 2.5 per cent in the growth forecast for gross
domestic product. That loss could increase if adequate
measures are not taken in time to stem the epidemic.
There have been other adverse consequences for the
affected countries, in particular in terms of borders
being closed, the free movement of persons hindered,
flights cancelled and nationals of the States affected by
the disease stigmatized.
The Ebola epidemic reminds us of the urgent need
for a comprehensive approach to contain and defeat this
terrible disease. We must isolate Ebola, not countries.
We must counter the irrational panic that has gripped
the world. Ebola is a very serious epidemic, but it is not
a death sentence. Ebola can be cured.
We therefore welcome the fact that several African
Heads of State have joined President Ibrahim Boubacar
Keita of Mali and the King of Morocco, to whom I pay
tribute, and France and England, as President Alassane
Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, President Teodoro Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, President
Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo and
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon have decided
to lift the ban on flights and the use of airports. I thank
them.
In my capacity as Acting Chair of the Mano River
Union, I would like to welcome the appointment of
the United Nations System Senior Coordinator for
Ebola Virus Disease and pay tribute to the work of
the World Health Organization, the United States
Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Médecins
sans Frontières, the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other bilateral
and multilateral partners who are sparing no effort to
support coordinated action by the affected countries to
eradicate the Ebola virus.
My Government welcomes with genuine satisfaction
Security Council resolution 2177 (2014), which was
co-sponsored by 134 Member States and adopted
unanimously by the members of the Council, and
resolution 69/1, on the establishment of a United
Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. I
welcome the spirit of solidarity that continues to be
shown to the countries affected by the epidemic and
express our gratitude to all States and organizations
that have assisted us. I thank in particular President
Obama, President François Hollande and the Secretary-
General for their support and their call to action to all
the countries of the world.
Our countries have urgent needs that must be met
to further boost our efforts to fight effectively against
Ebola. Those needs are in a variety of areas, including
strengthening our infrastructure and health systems
and increasing the number of health-care workers and
financial, material and logistical support, as the gaps in
those areas inhibit our efforts. Promises are nice, but
there is an urgent need for action on the ground. The
faster we act, the better chance we have of stopping the
disease.
Sustainable development remains the cornerstone
of the harmonious development of humankind. The
international community has an obligation to end the
poverty that still grips almost 2 billion people, most of
whom live in Africa. Beyond the economic and social
concerns, it is a matter of human dignity. It is a matter
of justice and fairness. We therefore do not have the
right to back off, much less to give up.
Certainly, progress has been made, if unevenly,
towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Illiteracy has been pushed back, although efforts
are still needed to achieve the quality and equality
required in the pursuit of knowledge. The essential
role of women in transforming society has been further
enhanced. However, family health and access to water,
basic health care and social protection deserve further
investment and political commitment. Worse, the
digital divide has been slow to show any improvement,
for lack of an adequate policy of ownership or transfers
of science and new technologies. However, encouraging
results have been achieved in the fight against malaria
and HIV/AIDS despite the spectre of the disease, which
still haunts the lives of millions of people who do not
have access to antiretroviral medicine.
The many challenges facing our world require an
urgent, comprehensive and coordinated response. In
the collective quest for well-being, Africa in particular
has seen renewed growth, but it is having difficulty
in translating that growth into a true engine for
development. Eradicating poverty is an uphill battle.
The new Africa that we aspire to should promote
structural changes that enable it to acquire robust and
diversified economies so as to guarantee reinvestment
in value-added and environmentally friendly industries
in future.
In that context, the Climate Summit held on the
sidelines of the current session has provided hope that a
binding agreement will be adopted at the international
conference to be held in Paris in 2015. It goes without
saying that those measures will build on the foundation
of a vibrant private sector that is underpinned by strong
institutions that guarantee good governance, which is
itself the crucible of inclusive development.
That is why, despite the backdrop of a relentless
systemic crisis and the scarcity of external resources
because of unfulfilled commitments, Africa will be able
to enter into the international system, gain confidence
and increase intra-African trade to influence the flow of
world trade. That is also why our continent will, relying
primarily on its own strength — and that is extremely
important — be able to become less vulnerable and
build resilience through coherent strategies and the
search for innovative financing to accelerate its full
potential.
Recognizing all those challenges, Guinea has made
a decisive commitment to promoting democracy and
the rule of law, which are the foundation for sustainable
development. In doing so, since our assumption of the
country’s leadership in 2010 we have taken measures
that affect all areas of our national life. The reform
of the defence and security sector ensures that our
armed forces are at the service of the Republic and
increases their participation in the development process
and in peacekeeping in the world. The independence
of the judiciary is now ensured. Our stabilized and
competitive macroeconomic framework strengthens
Guinea’s credibility at the international level.
Guinea has been admitted to the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative and today has one of
the most attractive mining codes. Even better, the review
of all contracts allows us to make the environment safer
for investors and ensures a development process that
benefits Guineans while preserving our ecosystem.
Of course, the development of the mining sector
will rely on promoting agriculture to ensure our food
security and to pass on to future generations the
resources needed to shape to the world they hope for.
The growth we aspire to will be even more promising
as it creates decent jobs for our youth and empowers
women — two sectors of society that constitute the rich
and inexhaustible source of all progress.
Our unquenchable desire to ensure the well-being of
our people can be fulfilled only in a stable environment
that is free from crises and conflicts. Multilateralism,
which is the only way to realize our goals, is imperative,
since our States, whether big or small, strong or weak,
are determined to contribute to building a more just
and equitable global society within a reformed United
Nations that is responsive to the needs of humanity.
In that context, Africa, the continent that is the most
affected, will shoulder its responsibilities by pooling
its efforts through greater regional integration, which
is an essential element of a global partnership leading
to a more dynamic and pragmatic peace.
That is why we must be more involved in the
struggle against terrorism, extremism and intolerance
and the illicit trafficking in small arms and light
weapons, which fuel cross-border crime and maritime
insecurity — the numerous scourges that hinder
development. The time has come to be the true builders
of our destiny. The rule of law, respect for all human
rights and good governance remain intangible realities
that we must promote. Likewise, the implementation
of the African Peace and Security Architecture and
the ability of Africa to respond quickly to crises will
strengthen our credibility with regard to stabilizing the
continent.
I should like to stress in particular the unacceptable
suffering that our Palestinian brothers are experiencing.
Guinea has always clearly and unambiguously expressed
its unconditional solidarity with the just Palestinian
cause and firmly condemns the heinous acts committed
by Israel in the Gaza Strip, which is now suffering
under the yoke of a cruel and vile embargo. My country
remains convinced that any viable and lasting solution
to the situation in the Middle East hinges on the
creation of two States living side by side within secure
and internationally recognized borders, based on the
pre-1967 borders.
We will soon have the opportunity to take stock of
the Millennium Development Goals. On the eve of that
meeting and bearing in mind that we decided, at our
sixty-eighth session, to set the stage for the sustainable
development goals, it is clear that the implementation
of those legitimate goals remains dependent both on
the appropriate means for its implementation and on
whether the priorities of poor countries, in particular
African countries, are taken into account.
That is why Guinea, which has a member on the
Secretary-General’s High-level Panel of Eminent
Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, calls
for greater attention to be given to the African Common
Position on the post-2015 development agenda. That is
all the more relevant since, if Africa does well, the world
will do better. The new Africa — more ambitious and
more promising and aware of its human and economic
potential — is now ready to assume its responsibilities.
I again thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
who has devoted all his actions and energy into forging
an adequate response on the part of the United Nations
to all the challenges we face. He deserves our gratitude
and respect. There is no doubt that his efforts will
chart the course for the indispensable reform of the
international system, so that the United Nations will be
true to its original objectives of promoting peace and
security and respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms in a world of democracy, equity and progress
for all.