Mali

At the outset, I should like, on behalf of the Government and people of Mali, to convey to the people of India our profound grief at the heavy loss of life and the massive material damage caused by the earthquake that has just struck their country. I have pleasure in expressing to Mr. Insanally the heartfelt and cordial congratulations of the delegation of Mali on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. I wish him every success and assure him of my delegation’s fullest cooperation. Let me take this opportunity also to express our satisfaction at the exemplary manner in which Mr. Stoyan Ganev presided over the Assembly’s work at the last session. It is also a pleasure to congratulate the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, on the constant efforts he has made since he became head of the Organization. The United Nations now consists of 184 Member States. This confirms its universality, gives it further credibility and explains the renewed interest in seeing it fulfil its promise. Our warmest congratulations go to all the new Members. We assure them of our full readiness to cooperate with them. The world is most certainly living through times of great change. Ever since the events of 26 March 1991, Mali has been resolutely embarked on a process of democratization. However, this process is unfolding in especially trying circumstances. In strictly national terms, the transition to democracy, which was achieved through the elections of 1992, though essentially a success, is being prolonged by new 44 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session uncertainties. With regard to social values, one finds a serious identity crisis and a lack of orientation among the young, in the workplace and among the traditional players in the private-sector economy. There is uncertainty also about the way in which the new political institutions operate, as these need to go through a period of apprenticeship in a democratic context, where impatience and violence coexist with a readiness for dialogue and for solidarity. Uncertainty is to be found also with regard to the new mission, size, operation and performance of an administration in transition, which must be more transparent and accessible to people at the grass roots. Uncertainty is to found, finally, in economic development programmes characterized by the urgent need for in-depth structural adjustment and the need to reallocate public resources to satisfy priority necessities: a basic education, public health provision, village water supplies and maintenance of the infrastructure. At the subregional level, which for Mali encompasses both western Africa south of the Sahara and the Arab Maghreb, we are dealing with such complex and difficult problems as instability borne of local conflicts, followed by human tragedy, because the number of refugees in the subregion has risen from approximately 20,000 in 1989 to more than 1.2 million in 1993; the slow pace of economic integration, despite all the very vocal declarations of goodwill, which is restricting growth in the subregion; and religious questions which are daily gaining more ground and subjecting political institutions to new trials that are more delicate, more difficult to define and cope with and more terrible. The Government of Mali believes that to cope effectively and efficiently with those problems and the many challenges in the process of democratization, we will have quickly to restore economic growth and then develop human resources, the true way to a successful future, achieve medium-term and long-term stability and thus find the economic key to development. Finally, we shall have to guarantee balanced development and comprehensive financing for development. In all this, our Government does not forget and, indeed, it is meeting its international obligations as well. By the same token, we continue to advocate and to work internationally for a world of peace and concord where it should be possible to find a solution to all problems by dialogue and negotiation. This courageous political evolution should be strongly supported because the adverse impact of a disadvantageous economic situation, along with drastic structural adjustment measures and problems linked to debt, compounded by socio-political tension, is having an adverse impact on the entire democratic process. The international environment in which this session is being held is marked by many uncertainties linked to the life of the Organization and of the international community in general. The post-war period saw the emergence of new democracies and the strengthening of protection for human rights the world over. Over the past three years the Organization has taken on a number of commitments. In terms of peace-keeping, the declaration made on 31 January 1992 at the Summit of the Heads of State or Government of the member States of the Security Council, set milestones to be reached in establishing a new international order. While remaining committed to the quest for international peace and security, we believe that any peacekeeping operation must come within a precise framework defined by the Security Council. Any loss of control may jeopardize the very credibility of the Organization. Notwithstanding the Organization’s efforts in the search for international peace and security, hotbeds of tension, alas, persist around the world. In Bosnia and Herzegovina inter-ethnic confrontation and clashes have reached unimaginable proportions. The international community seems, paradoxically, to be watching passively the breakup of a country upon exclusively ethnic and religious grounds. That is setting alarming precedents. In Angola, despite the many efforts by the United Nations, the situation remains alarming. My delegation appeals to all the parties to commit themselves more intensively to seeking a just and lasting resolution of this conflict. The situation prevailing in Somalia is a threat to peace and security in that region. The presence of the United Nations, through the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II), should in principle hold out the promise of bringing peace to the country and a negotiated political resolution of the crisis. Humanitarian aid has made it possible to avoid irreparable damage being done, but we believe that UNOSOM II must attempt to silence the guns and create a climate favourable to reconciliation among all Somalis. Forty-eighth session - 1 October l993 45 Whilst areas of serious tension persist, we would do well to welcome the positive turn of events in the settlement of other conflicts. In Liberia hope has been rekindled, with the recent signing of the Cotonou Agreement, the entry into force of the cease-fire and the setting up of the high Council of State. The expansion of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Military Observer Group (ECOMOG) and greater involvement by the United Nations in implementing the agreement might lead to the rebirth of the Liberian State. This is the time and place to appeal to the international community immediately to create support funds and to implement the Cotonou Agreement. In Mozambique the acceptance of a new timetable to implement the Peace Agreements will promote the implementation of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ). We pay tribute to the parties for respecting the cease-fire. As to the conflict in Rwanda, we are reassured by the sense of responsibility being displayed by the Government and the Rwanda Patriotic Front. The signature in Arusha on 4 August last of an agreement between the two parties proves that a political settlement of a conflict is always possible if all sides have the will. We therefore welcome this determination of the parties concerned and encourage them to pursue dialogue and strictly and scrupulously to implement the requirements of the Agreement in observing the cease-fire. The United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) should strive, for their part, to consolidate this major achievement. In South Africa the multiracial negotiations will certainly see the advent of a democratic, non-racial and united South Africa. The United Nations must pursue its cooperation with the Organization of African Unity to support the process. However, the Government in place must take forceful measures to put an end to the wave of violence sweeping the country. The insecurity is fertile ground for anarchy and disorder. We welcome the turn events have taken in the referendum process under way in Western Sahara with the cooperation of all parties. The joint efforts of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity to bring about a negotiated settlement can, we are convinced, succeed if the parties directly concerned continue their cooperation. It is therefore necessary for their decision-making bodies to work closely with the United Nations Identification Commission to resolve the last remaining obstacles linked to criteria for identifying electors and establishing proof of identity. My delegation reaffirms its support for the process. Mali has been following with keen interest the latest developments on the question of Palestine. The mutual recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the State of Israel, followed by the signing of a declaration of principles on Palestinian autonomy in Gaza and Jericho, mark a major step towards a just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine and the establishment of relations of trust between the peoples of that region. My delegation hails the Israeli-Palestinian rapprochement, fruit of the courage and political realism of the leaders of both parties and the praiseworthy efforts around the world to make the negotiations a success. We invite all the parties concerned to give tangible expression to this remarkable spirit so as to bring about a definitive peace in the Middle East in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. In Haiti the signing of the Governors Island Agreement and the New York Pact should soon make it possible for the legitimate President of that country to return. We hail the steps taken by the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy, which have made it possible to attain the results achieved so far. Elsewhere - in Cambodia, Afghanistan and El Salvador - we praise the efforts to bring about progressive normalization. With regard to the dispute pitting Libya against certain other Member States, the Government of Mali reaffirms its support for implementation of Security Council resolutions 731 (1992) and 748 (1992). We condemn terrorism in all its forms. In supporting the resolutions adopted in this context by the Organization of African Unity, the Arab Maghreb Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, among others, the Government of Mali hopes for continued negotiation and action from the Secretary-General. A just and equitable resolution of this crisis and a rapid lifting of the embargo would contribute to creating a climate of peace and security in the subregion and to removing a major factor preventing the economic development of the peoples concerned. As to the Korean peninsula, my delegation encourages the pursuit of the negotiation process set in train and strongly hopes that it will lead to the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas. 46 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session I now revert to development issues of particular importance to the African continent: the situation of the least developed countries; the problems of children and women and population issues; and environmental problems - in particular, desertification. The adoption in Paris in 1990 of a programme of action for the least developed countries rightly gave rise to a great deal of hope. We cannot but note, however, that three years after its adoption, the economic results have not come up to expectations. According to a 1992 report of the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): "For the least developed countries as a whole, per capita income declined in 1990 and again in 1991. There is little hope that 1992 will be better, and the prospects for 1993 are scarcely promising." It is therefore important to abide by the commitments made at the Paris Conference aimed at improving the economic situation of the least developed countries. By the same token, so far as the land-locked countries are concerned, steps must be taken to follow through on the conclusions and recommendations of the Meeting of Governmental Experts from Land-Locked Countries and Transit Developing Countries and Representatives of Donor Countries and Financial and Development Institutions, held in New York in May 1993, in implementation of resolution 46/212. The Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the World Summit for Children and the goals spelled out for the 1990s on that occasion have set new targets for improving the living conditions of children the world over. All members of the international community are called upon to contribute to the implementation of commitments made at that Summit. In this connection, we must also see to the implementation of the Consensus of Dakar of 1992, which emerged from the International Conference on Assistance to African Children. My delegation has high hopes of international meetings to be held over the next several years on resolving social problems, both at the individual State level and internationally. The World Summit for Social Development, scheduled for 1995 in Copenhagen, will be a key event for our Organization. We expect good results from that Summit and hope that it will contribute to narrowing the gap between social groups within a single entity, North and South. The World Conference on Women, scheduled to be held in 1995 in Beijing, will also afford us an opportunity to review the various programmes and initiate further action aimed at establishing an effective policy to bring women into the development process. Another important gathering will be the World Conference on Population and Development, scheduled for 1994 in Cairo. This Conference will make it possible to define a new strategy for developing human resources, having regard to economic and environmental factors. Environmental problems now occupy an important place in national, regional and international development programmes. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, laid the groundwork for sound joint management of development. Agenda 21, the Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity demonstrated the readiness of the signatories of those historic documents to move away from current production and consumption patterns. Implementing commitments made in Rio requires mobilizing substantial financial resources for developing countries and strengthening their scientific, technical and institutional capabilities. Mali welcomes the creation by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the Commission on Sustainable Development, in accordance with resolution 47/191. At its first session, held in June 1993, the Commission dealt with fundamental problems which must be solved if Agenda 21 is to become a reality. One of the chief goals is to mobilize financial resources. Restructuring the Global Environment Facility (GEF), democratizing its management rules and decisionmaking rules and mobilizing additional resources must facilitate the execution of the various chapters of Agenda 21. Fighting drought and desertification is one of the main goals that African countries have set for themselves. My country, two thirds of whose surface is desert, and which has suffered the terrible impact of drought over the last 20 years, welcomes the setting up of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the elaboration of an international convention to combat drought and desertification. At the two substantive Committee sessions held respectively in Forty-eighth session - 1 October l993 47 Nairobi, in June this year, and in Geneva, in September this year, there was an evaluation of the problem of desertification. Information was exchanged and data that can be taken into account in future negotiations were collected. My delegation hopes that the current negotiations on the convention to fight drought and desertification will lead to a real commitment so that the international conference scheduled for Paris will be a real success. The issues I have just raised show that the problems of keeping peace and maintaining international security, as well as the problems of economic, social and environmental development, are all major challenges that continue to face mankind as it approaches the threshold of the third millennium. My delegation feels that to meet these challenges we must, in view of the fundamental changes since the 1960s, promote greater democratization and a fairer division of international responsibility. Thus developing countries that have won international sovereignty, and that represent nearly two thirds of the population of our planet, rightly call for representation on the Security Council as permanent members. Meeting these challenges also requires close cooperation and real solidarity amongst all the players on the world stage. This means that it is more than ever necessary to reflect deeply on and re-examine, the principles and rules for international cooperation. The restructuring exercise to revitalize the economic and social sectors of the United Nations affords us an opportunity to make our Organization more dynamic in development matters and to ensure that it plays a central role, in keeping with the provisions of its Charter and the relevant General Assembly resolutions. My delegation, while welcoming the progress made in reforming the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and certain of its subsidiary bodies, believes that our thinking must go beyond strictly institutional terms. In any event, my country feels that the imperative of restructuring is to maintain and indeed strengthen the United Nations capacity for intervention in development matters. In implementing this policy we must pay particular attention to furthering and strengthening South-South cooperation through socio-economic programmes based upon the realities within the developing countries. Indeed, the revival of economic and technical cooperation between developing countries is an integral part of a strategy aimed at restoring growth and development worldwide. Finally, my country supports the efforts of the Secretary-General to make the administrative machinery of the United Nations more efficient by avoiding duplication and minimizing operating costs. For several years now the world has been going through major changes. If these profound transformations are to benefit all mankind, they must be accompanied and supported by concrete action making it possible to guide them in the right direction. While these upheavals have been managed successfully by some States, their extent has taken others by surprise, and the problems have exceeded their ability to contain and control them. Lacking the means, they find aid from the international community indispensable. It is at this level that many expect intervention from our Organization, and we can indeed help. The people and Government of Mali have made important, clear choices: first, to consolidate the strong suits of a Malian nation that is united, though diverse in its cultural and racial composition, as it is carefully and irreversibly building a progressive democracy; secondly, to carry out in-depth economic reform in harmony with the needs of worldwide free trade and with the concerns of our partners in the international community; thirdly, to implement a bold policy of involving our people in managing their own affairs and simplifying legislation and public programmes; and fourthly, to pursue long-term sustainable development in a framework of institutions for subregional and regional economic integration and in partnership with all our friends across Africa. We believe that the United Nations and the international community have everything to gain from supporting our original and exciting experiment, the hallmark of a new kind of international relations, at once nobler and more rewarding.