Namibia

On behalf of the Government and people of Namibia, I wish to extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the Government and friendly people of India on the heavy loss of life and destruction of property that resulted from the devastating earthquake. I trust that the international community will give them a full helping hand. Namibia welcomes all the newest Members of the Organization and assures them of its readiness to interact with them in the spirit of friendship and solidarity. The President of the Assembly hails from a friendly country, Guyana, which did so much to spearhead the struggle of the Namibian people for self-determination, liberation and democracy. The Government and people of Guyana spared no effort in manifesting, in word and deed, their unswerving support for and solidarity with the Namibian cause in different world forums. I know all this because I have spent many years at the United Nations and during this time I visited Georgetown, his nation’s capital, and other parts of Guyana on more than one occasion. The hospitality and camaraderie of his brotherly people always touched me very deeply. In his past and present incarnations in the service of his great country, he and I have collaborated on various issues of common interest. It is against this background of mutual friendship and solidarity, therefore, that I congratulate him most warmly on his brilliant election as President of this challenging session of the Assembly. His sterling stewardship is already so effectively manifest that the successful conclusion of our deliberations is assured. I also wish to place on record our sincere appreciation to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Stoyan Ganev of Bulgaria, for the effective leadership he provided last session. Our illustrious Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, has since his appointment been spearheading an effective and innovative global campaign aimed at streamlining and strengthening the role of the United Nations in peace-keeping operations and in economic and humanitarian issues. His "Agenda for Peace" has provided a useful framework for discussing these and other pressing issues relating to the maintenance of world peace and security. Namibia commends the Secretary-General for his tireless efforts. On the threshold of a new millennium, and as we are about to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, it is an appropriate time to reflect and take stock. This is a period of great hope and confidence in the efficacy of the United Nations. New vision and foresight are thus called for; bold and imaginative decisions are required. At its forty-seventh session the General Assembly, in resolution 47/62, on the "Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council", recognized that in the changing global situation there was a need to reorganize, revitalize and democratize the Security Council. The end of the cold war has created new expectations that the Security Council will take on larger responsibilities and a greater role in the maintenance of international peace and security. But if the Security Council is to be a credible organ of the United Nations, it must fulfil these expectations of a changing and demanding world. It is with this in mind that the "Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council" should be addressed. Changes towards a more representative Council would, no doubt, enhance its credibility, legitimacy and authority. Namibia supports the view that the membership of the Security Council should be increased and more permanent and non-permanent members added, taking into consideration equitable geographical representation. Africa itself needs an effective presence on the Council, as do Asia and Latin America. The outmoded and undemocratic veto power should be abolished altogether. Likewise, there is a compelling need for the restructuring of other organs, such as the General Assembly itself and the Economic and Social Council. The member States of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, working in close partnership with the Group of 77, should involve themselves fully in the ongoing discussions on the restructuring of these vital organs of the United Nations. Today we are witnessing a new phenomenon in international relations, characterized by a sense of consensus deriving from shared interests, in which the credibility and centrality of the United Nations in dealing with global conflicts has been greatly enhanced. Indeed, we have witnessed the Organization fulfilling its mandate in the area of the maintenance of international peace and security. We in Namibia believe that now is the opportune moment to establish a new role and purpose for a conflict- resolution mechanism which is appropriate to the post-cold- war era and to the needs and aspirations of succeeding generations. The renewed commitment towards conflict resolution must be transformed into a realistic programme of action, relating to preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, 20 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session peace-keeping and peace-building. Humanity is yearning for a peaceful, just and prosperous world. On this score, Namibia envisages a meaningful partnership and enhanced cooperation between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity in the field of conflict resolution and humanitarian relief operations in Africa. Now more than ever, much is expected of the United Nations in the area of conflict resolution. The Organization has a golden opportunity to ensure that those expectations which "We the peoples" set forth in the Charter, are met by further enhancing its effectiveness. It is an accepted fact that peace and stability are necessary, albeit not sufficient, conditions for economic development. Therefore, peace-keeping, peacemaking and peace-building should go hand in hand with economic development. For peace-keeping operations to be effective, Member States should pay promptly their assessed contributions to the regular budget and to peace-keeping operations. In this context, we support the establishment of the reserve fund aimed at improving the start-up financing of peace-keeping operations. In Cambodia, the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) accomplished its task satisfactorily. Namibia was happy to have contributed polling officers and a staffed contingent of reinforced vehicles, called wolves, to UNTAC. We did this because it was, after all, in Namibia that a United Nations peace-keeping operation scored its first large-scale victory. Namibia will favourably consider participation in future United Nations peace-keeping operations. Unfortunately, other peace-keeping operations have not as yet achieved the same positive results. It is our hope that the United Nations will continue to help resolve the conflicts in Somalia, Angola, Rwanda, Liberia, Mozambique, Haiti and Bosnia and Herzegovina, among others. With regard to Angola, Mr. Savimbi’s rejection of last year’s election results was a major set-back. It has plunged that sister country further into a most horrible human tragedy. The horrendous carnage there continues to claim about 1,000 innocent lives a day. It is further reported that from 2 million to 3 million innocent Angolans are at risk of dying of either direct or indirect effects of this senseless war. The international community must exert concerted pressure on Mr. Savimbi to accept the will of the Angolan people without any further delay. What is now expected of Mr. Savimbi is the speedy implementation of the Bicesse Accords, the relevant Security Council resolutions, the Abidjan Protocol and last year’s election results, which, taken together, provide the framework for resuming negotiations with the Angolan Government. It is the view of the Namibian Government that the resumption of negotiations should lead to an early cease-fire, which will allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the suffering Angolan people, reconciliation and consolidation of the Government of National Unity. To this end, and in the face of Mr. Savimbi’s persistent intransigence, the Security Council had no other alternative but to impose sanctions against UNITA. Namibia, therefore, supports Security Council resolution 864 (1993) which, inter alia, calls for the prohibition of all sale or supply to UNITA of arms and related materiél and military assistance, as well as petroleum and petroleum products, and urges all Member States to implement these measures. We believe also that if UNITA continues to flout Security Council resolutions, additional forms of punitive sanctions should be imposed. Concerning the situation in Somalia, Namibia supports the United Nations peace-keeping operation there. My delegation holds the view that disarming the various factions would allow the people of Somalia to build genuine bridges of reconciliation and bring about the restoration of a civil society. Under the present circumstances, and in spite of provocations by General Aidid’s faction, the United Nations Operation in Somalia should continue to carry out its mandate. Our hearts go out in sympathy to all those countries whose nationals, including innocent Somalis, have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the United Nations and human brotherhood. Any precipitous withdrawal, however, would be to the detriment of innocent Somali people and is likely to reverse the whole process. This should not be allowed to happen. In Mozambique, we are encouraged to note that the cease-fire continues to hold and that the process appears to be moving forward. I can hardly overemphasize that it is absolutely imperative for elections to be conducted in an atmosphere of peace, trust and cooperation - and this means that the armed forces must first be confined to base and demobilized, in accordance with the General Peace Agreement agreed to last year by the two parties. Forty-eighth session - 6 October l993 21 Namibia welcomes with satisfaction the recent encouraging developments that have taken place in South Africa. For the first time in the history of that neighbouring country, all the people of South Africa will finally participate in a free and democratic election on 27 April next year. We would like, nevertheless, to urge all the people of South Africa to ensure that this process remains on course, and we call upon all the parties to participate in the work of the Transitional Executive Council. In the same vein, we call upon them, with the assistance of the international community, to put an immediate end to the ever-escalating violence. Violence and the ballot box do not go together. Namibia, along with the other members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Southern Africa of the Organization of African Unity, supports the call made by the President of the African National Congress, Mr. Nelson Mandela, to lift all remaining economic sanctions against South Africa. Namibia further supports the lifting of the oil embargo after the establishment and commencement of the work of the Transitional Executive Council, as well as the establishment or restoration of full diplomatic relations with South Africa, following the installation of an elected Interim Government of National Unity, pursuant to democratic elections next year. The Middle East, the cradle of some of the world’s major religions, has witnessed bloody conflicts for the greater part of this century and has been on the agenda of the United Nations since its inception. Namibia welcomes the historic breakthrough represented by mutual recognition and the declaration of principles signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and the city of Jericho. Despite their long enmity, the leaders of the State of Israel and the PLO summoned the political courage to embrace peace. We can only hope that the historic handshake between Mr. Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, and Mr. Arafat, Chairman of the PLO, will usher in a new era in that region. Granted, this is only a first step, but it constitutes a firm basis for building a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. However, for this undertaking to succeed, the infusion of large-scale and sustained international financial and humanitarian assistance is required. Encouraged by the historic and momentous breakthrough in the Middle East and the positive developments in South Africa, and also taking into consideration the emerging climate in favour of rapprochement in inter-State relations, we believe that the time has now come for the leaders of the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba to travel the short distance of 90 miles to reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. We are convinced that this can be done in the interest of the children of the two countries, who, like those of South Africa, Israel and Palestine, hope for a peaceful and brighter future. Peace and stability in the Middle East are critically important not only to that region but also to the world as a whole. In this context, Namibia associates itself with Security Council resolution 833 (1993) of 27 May 1993, dealing with the territorial integrity of Kuwait and inviolability of its borders. We reiterate our full support for the right of the people of Kuwait and its Government to defend their sovereignty and independence. Namibia is a small State, and we understand the predicament of small States. During the last session, I updated this august Assembly on the progress made in our bilateral negotiations with the Government of South Africa on the issue of the transfer and reintegration of Walvis Bay and the Offshore Islands into Namibia. Today, I am happy to report that the matter has finally been resolved. On 28 February 1994, the transfer and reintegration of Walvis Bay and the Offshore Islands into Namibia will take place. This will, at last, mark the completion of the decolonization of Namibia and the unification of our nation. I take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to the Member States for their consistent support, over the years, of Security Council resolution 432 (1978) on Walvis Bay. I would also like to thank, in particular, the South African Multi-Party Negotiating Forum for adopting an important resolution which speeded up this process. The Rio Earth Summit marked an historic turning-point in the long struggle to increase international awareness about the true nature of the global environmental crisis. The Summit effectively moved a long way towards a better understanding of how future economic development is inextricably linked to sound policies aimed at promoting and protecting the environment. 22 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session To this end, and in line with the provisions of our Constitution, Namibia has launched a countrywide programme of tree planting to prevent further deforestation and degradation of the environment. Naturally, Namibia, like the other developing countries, is anxious to see generous financing and implementing of Agenda 21. Let me now turn to the socio-economic problems we are facing today. Despite the promise world leaders made to children at the World Summit for Children here in New York in 1990, education, health, water, shelter and food security remain inaccessible to millions of children in the developing world - and Namibia is no exception. In Africa, problems of hunger, malnutrition, disease, and so on, continue to thwart the commitment we made last year at Dakar during the International Conference on Assistance for the African Child, to place children first. In furtherance of this commitment, and convinced that the problems of the Namibian children can be addressed only in a comprehensive manner, we have already integrated the National Programme of Action on children into the overall National Development Plan. This National Development Plan constitutes the basis for social and economic development in Namibia. In this context, primary health care, education, provision of water and rural development are among the priorities of our National Development Plan. The 20/20 Vision programme we adopted at Dakar must be implemented if we are to achieve tangible results by the year 1995, when we shall review progress made since the 1990 World Summit, including in particular the fate and welfare of those children engulfed in war situations. The recent World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna has further exposed the unmitigated violence and other forms of injustice being perpetrated against women throughout the world. The Namibian Constitution contains specific provisions on protection of the rights of women and promotion of their welfare. Furthermore, Namibia is a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It is against this background that we in Namibia have taken measures to raise women’s awareness of their rights by translating this Convention into indigenous languages. In the same vein, we applaud the appointment of the Special Rapporteur to study the issue of violence against women. It is with this in mind that Namibia looks forward to the Fourth World Conference on Women, in anticipation that its decisions will further advance the cause of women in the world, especially in Africa. These are some of the many concerns on the social agenda of all nations. Thus to us, the appointment of a United Nations commissioner for human rights makes much sense, and we support the idea. At the same time, we would like to urge everyone to ensure that the mandate and status of such a high-level international civil servant should be considered carefully and realistically. In order to meet the acute shortages of housing, the Government has embarked upon a programme to provide adequate housing to the Namibian people by the year 2000. In recognition of this national effort, Namibia was awarded the Habitat Scroll of Honour for 1993 for our National Housing Programme, called "Build Together". This award was received by my distinguished colleague, the Honourable Mrs. Libertine Amathila, Minister of Local and Regional Government and Housing, two days ago. I would like to echo the words of my colleague by thanking Habitat for this outstanding honour. In conclusion, I wish to reiterate my Government’s belief that the United Nations, as a unique international body, can live up to its lofty ideals of creating a peaceful, secure and just world for us and for generations to come. To this end, Namibia pledges its total commitment.