Benin

Like the speakers who have preceded me at this rostrum, I wish to extend to you, Sir, the warm and sincere congratulations of the delegation of Benin to the President on his unanimous selection to preside over the work of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session. This choice constitutes clear recognition of his exceptional personal qualities and his wealth of experience as a seasoned diplomat, and it is a collective tribute to his beautiful country, Malaysia, whose dynamism and outstanding economic success over the past few years I salute. From the rostrum of this Assembly, I should like to make a contribution to this important session by expressing a message of peace, solidarity, faith and hope from the people and the Government of Benin. A year ago, in this very Hall, in commemoration of its fiftieth anniversary, the United Nations hosted the greatest gathering of Heads of State in history. In this setting they carried out a critical, objective and unsparing assessment of the 50 years of the Organization’s existence, a period during which international cooperation made it possible to achieve significant progress on each of the principles enshrined in the Charter. In the Declaration they adopted, the Heads of State and Government solemnly reaffirmed their dedication to the great ideals of peace, development and democracy inscribed in the founding texts of the Organization. Given this commitment by world leaders on the threshold of a new millennium, the imperative of peace must, more than ever, remain the ultimate goal of the international community as a whole. This is all the more urgent because, despite the end of the cold war, the peace and security of nations seem far from being fully assured. Indeed, in many respects, on the political and security level the international situation remains worrying, especially on the African continent, where the course of history too often bears the imprint of tragic events to which the international community cannot remain indifferent. The resurgence of conflicts which, for the most part, no longer take place between States but within nations, is a challenge for which the Organization must adopt new methods and machinery for intervention and settlement. This means, therefore, that to be able to promote harmonious relations among the peoples of the world and to guarantee a lasting peace, our shared Organization must strengthen its capabilities and its means in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and the consolidation of peace. It cannot be stressed enough that, despite the difficulties, inadequacies and gaps that reduce or restrict the scope and effectiveness of its actions, the United Nations represents, embodies and remains — today and, doubtless, for a long time to come — the body that can best express and bring to a successful conclusion the will of Member States to work for the consolidation of peace and the pursuit of economic and social progress. Despite the new international situation that promotes less aggressive, less suspicious and less tense relations between States, the political instability that continues to exist in certain parts of Africa, and the conflicts that develop there, have become significant barriers to the economic recovery and social cohesion of the continent. In this context, I wish to refer to the very worrying situation in Burundi, where the unjust system of socio- ethnic relations, military intransigence and political intolerance pointlessly prolong the suffering and division of a people. It is deplorable that on 25 July 1996 a 13 military coup ended, by force, Burundi’s constitutional, democratic and legal institutions. My country, Benin, welcomes the strong and courageous reaction of the countries of the subregion and encourages their efforts for a peaceful, just and lasting settlement of the crisis in Burundi. Benin supports the efforts of the Heads of State of countries of the Great Lakes region and of the Organization of African Unity to make the new authorities in Burundi quickly embark on negotiations and abide by decisions which should result from constructive and sound concerted action on the part of the healthy forces of this battered people. The various protagonists must understand that only a new political agreement, based on ordinary common sense, with respect for the intangible principles of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, will contribute to an acceptable solution to all. Regarding the situation in Liberia, the summit meeting of the Committee of Nine on Liberia of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held on 17 August 1996, took important decisions to extend the Abuja Agreements of 1995, which are rightly considered to be the appropriate legal framework for a definitive settlement of the conflict. This last Abuja summit also drew up a new timetable for the implementation of the peace process, and defined the modalities and stages to lead to democratic elections. Benin urgently demands that the Liberian factions take advantage of this last opportunity and strictly abide by the Abuja decisions, in order to speed up the return of their country to normality. My country also invites the international community to support the efforts of ECOWAS by stepping up its financial and logistical assistance for the successful implementation of the Abuja decisions. The most important thing for a nation in crisis is the search for compromise to settle internal contradictions, no matter how serious they are. This truth has been tried and tested elsewhere, in Mozambique for example, and recently in Angola, the results of which we note with satisfaction. Hence the appeal which I am renewing here, before this Assembly, for sincere dialogue in Rwanda, Somalia, the Sudan, Sierra Leone, the Middle East — in a word, wherever passions continue at the end of the twentieth century to cloud reason and block the genuine struggle for development and democracy. Everyone agrees that peace, if it is to be genuine and lasting, must be based on general and complete disarmament under international control. Here, I should like to say how gratified Benin is at the signature of the Pelindaba Treaty for the establishment of an African nuclear-weapon-free zone. The Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), held from 17 April to 12 May 1995, decided to renew the Treaty indefinitely, thus opening the way to better prospects in the area of nuclear disarmament. Benin, which has worked for this, believes in the strengthening of the provisions of the Treaty, in particular regarding the verification regime, in order to make it a genuine international instrument for effective nuclear disarmament and a solid basis for more fruitful international cooperation in the area of the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. While the commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament has been gaining ground throughout the globe, the resumption or continuation of nuclear tests painfully reminded us of the dangers and horrors which haunted the collective psyche of nations during the cold- war period. This is why Benin can only welcome the positive decision taken by France and recently by the People’s Republic of China to put an end to their nuclear testing programmes. The signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty during the present session will most certainly mark a major stage in the achievement of an objective which is decisive, even vital, for the international community: that of disarmament and non-proliferation. As we can read in the Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, 14 “action to ensure peace, security and stability in the world will be futile unless the economic and social needs of people are addressed.” (resolution 50/6, para. 1) This means that peace comes to nothing if the imperative of development is not guaranteed. Here, it is important to emphasize that many countries in Africa have made considerable progress in the key areas of protecting mothers and their children, of health, of nutrition and of education, but, from one end of the continent to the other, gains continue to be drastically limited as a result of endemic poverty and economic regression. Recent developments in the global economy and the serious obstacles encountered by the efforts of the developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries, are a cause of profound concern for us as Africans. The accelerated globalization of the rules and practices of the system of market economies has led to the emergence of a new economic order within which Africa, for the most part, remains marginalized. The agreements of the Uruguay Round concluded in 1994, the rapid redefinition of economic groupings in the developed countries, and the ever more important role of private capital in the world economy, have created a new international environment in which the interests of Africa do not seem to have been taken into account, or in which they are even threatened or compromised. While it is true that socio-economic development in Africa is first of all the responsibility of the peoples and Governments of the African countries themselves, it none the less remains true that the international community, in particular its most developed and industrialized members, must do their part, a part commensurate with their true means, in the development process of a continent involved in a dual economic and political transition. At a time when one has reason to fear the resurgence of national selfishness, the temptations of protectionism and of isolationism, the international community should provide a clear response, a concrete solution that can be rapidly applied to the problems experienced by the developing world, in particular Africa. These well-known problems include the burden of foreign debt, the alarming reduction in capital flows, the trend toward a decline in official development assistance, the weak rate of investment, the continued imbalance in the terms of trade — despite the devaluation of the CFA Franc in January 1994 — protectionism on export markets, continued weak commodities prices, and so on. We have every right to be pleased that over the last five years, the struggle to eradicate poverty has been a prominent issue in negotiations and the drafting of declarations and programmes of action adopted by summits and conferences organized under the auspices of the United Nations. As we approach the end of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty and the beginning next year, 1997, of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, new national and international efforts must be made to mobilize the vast resources needed to eliminate poverty. In addition, as the decisions and recommendations of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) are implemented, they will be tangible assets for present and future generations in the process of building a more human and better society through exercise of the right to adequate housing for all. Environmental protection is essential if we are to promote sustainable development. Faced with the threat to mankind posed by the rise in sea levels, global warming, creeping desertification and the disappearance of biological diversity, Benin attaches the utmost importance to implementation of all the agreements reached in Rio and, here, renews its commitment to doing all it can to ensure the success of the special session of the General Assembly planned for June 1997 to strengthen implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Earth Summit contained in Agenda 21. In accordance with the commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992 in Rio, by the end of the year Benin will have adopted its own national Agenda 21 and, at the same time, will begin drawing up local Agendas 21. In the context of the effective implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention to Control Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, the Government of Benin held a national forum from 20 to 22 August 1996 which was the starting point for the process of drawing up its national programme of action to combat desertification through a partnership of Government, local populations, non-governmental 15 organizations, development associations, the private sector and development partners. I should like to take this opportunity to thank the interim secretariat of the Convention and, above all, the Government of Germany and the United Nations Development Programme, whose technical and financial support proved decisive in the holding of this successful forum. It is regrettable that five years after it was launched, the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s has not had the expected impact on the development of Africa even though the priorities our States opted for were largely in line with its objectives, including in the area of democratic and macroeconomic reforms. This is why Benin welcomes the launching by the Secretary-General on 15 March 1996 of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, an initiative that complements the New Agenda and provides it with new impetus. I should like here to reaffirm Benin’s adherence to this Initiative whose objectives fit perfectly with those of our national development plans. Implementation of the priority actions of the Initiative require the mobilization of Africans themselves, bodies of the United Nations system and Africa’s development partners to ensure ambitious, concerted and coordinated action designed to lead to tangible results in Africa. We applaud the initiatives of the United Nations system which has long been working for the development of Africa, as well as the actions of all partners for the development of Africa, including France and Japan, which have made the development and economic recovery of Africa a priority. We appeal to all Member States diligently to implement the results of the mid-term review of United Nations New Agenda in order to accelerate the process of strengthening the effective integration of Africa into the international trading system, help Africa diversify its economy and encourage direct foreign investment. Along the same lines, The Agenda for Development, which Benin actively helped to draft, should be effectively implemented to achieve the development objectives of developing countries, the least-developed countries in particular. Massive and persistent human rights violations are today both source and consequence of ethnic, racial and religious tensions which continue to persist in certain parts of the globe, particularly on our continent, Africa. The Government of Benin considers that all States, whatever their political system, their economic level and their culture, have a duty to promote, protect and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this regard, Benin reaffirms its deep commitment to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, whose promotion and protection are a legitimate concern of the international community. For our part, we in Benin have continued to strive to consolidate our new democratic experience which has been in place since the historic National Conference of Active Forces of the Nation in February 1990. I know that all members have been following with interest, and are well informed about, the deep-seated qualitative changes in the political life of Benin and I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to thank everyone for the genuine interest with which they have followed our major political event: the recent presidential election in March 1996, in which we could see a peaceful and orderly democratic transfer of power, without violence or bloodshed, which was totally in keeping with the rule of constitutional law in force since December 1990. The generally correct and normal conduct of the ballot, the peaceful behaviour of the vast majority of our political classes, the courageous and responsible attitude of the people of Benin and the unwavering stance taken continually by the Constitutional Court are all signs which demonstrate genuine political maturity and an irrevocable commitment to building a truly democratic society in the Republic of Benin. To complete its programme of building a State based on the rule of law and a prosperous nation in which all citizens of Benin would enjoy a certain minimum standard of living, the Government of Benin wishes to benefit further from the support and assistance of the entire international community. We are well aware of the fact that merely going through the motions of an election is not enough to install and guarantee lasting democracy in a country. For democracy to have real meaning and for a people to fully enjoy the freedom and salvation it brings, it must be expressed both on the national and international levels. This means that democracy must also underlie and govern the organization and conduct of international relations. The world, so long divided by East-West antagonism and by North-South imbalances, 16 can and must conceive and implement new, democratic relations among States. Here it is no exaggeration to say that the renewal of the United Nations begun thanks to the courageous, tenacious and fruitful actions of Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali must be resolutely sustained and developed to guarantee the conditions necessary for the harmonious pursuit of the process of democratization in international society on the eve of the twenty-first century. The delegation of Benin is convinced that our present deliberations on all issues of reform of the Organization will be guided by our shared determination to take concerted, specific and realistic measures which, better than in the past, respond to the great stakes and challenges emerging on the horizon of the twenty-first century.