Many speakers before me
have eloquently debated the theme for this session. I
am delighted that no one disputes the evidence that
science presents to us concerning climate change.
Today we meet in this Hall as neighbours and residents
of this one planet earth. We are bound together by our
common humanity and shared future. We have within
us the capacity to act resolutely to save our planet, and
now is the time. We cannot afford to squander any
more opportunities, for tomorrow might be too late.
William Shakespeare instructs us, in his famous
work, Julius Caesar, that:
“There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.”
We are convinced that we should focus on
working together to save our planet from the increasing
threat of global warming and all its attendant
consequences. When we meet as the peoples of the
world, we must of necessity remind ourselves of the
original and higher purpose of the United Nations.
Many of the global challenges we face persist, not
because they are insurmountable, but because we have
fallen short of the commitments and obligations freely
entered into under the Charter.
We, the peoples of the earth, have the human and
cultural resources and technology to end severe global
poverty and disease, reverse climate change, prevent
wars and alleviate human suffering. Unfortunately,
substantial resources continue to be wasted on
destructive endeavours rather than constructive work.
We squander valuable assets in the production of
weapons of war and mass destruction rather than
development.
The world would be a much better place if the
natural resources on this planet were exploited to feed,
clothe, educate, care for the sick, prevent diseases and
build communities. Young men and women should
grow up looking forward to doing extraordinary things
to advance the cause of economic and social progress
and not spending precious time manufacturing bombs
and weapons of war or planning how to kill other
human beings.
It is deeply regrettable that nations continue to
give higher priority to the narrow pursuit of national
interests than to cooperation for the common good and
mutual benefit. This emphasis on rivalry breeds
injustice, intolerance, extremism and aggression. We
must remind ourselves that all of us are the people of
this earth and no other. We are bound by our common
humanity. We must rise to the challenge of the
founders of this unique universal Organization, so that
we may live for our respective countries rather than die
for them and together build a more just and equitable
future for us all.
The United Nations has touched the lives of the
vast majority of our fellow human beings. We therefore
reaffirm our abiding faith in its efficacy and usefulness
in addressing global issues. The Organization embodies
our hope and aspirations for peace, security, respect for
human rights and development; in one word, a better
life for all. In that respect, the search for consensus in
all aspects of United Nations reform must of necessity
continue in a fair, just and balanced manner.
From 51 Member States in 1945 to 192 in 2007,
the United Nations has grown in diversity and
universality. It has also spread and consolidated its
legitimacy and authority throughout the world. The
United Nations is the centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations towards the attainment of the
common good. Its strength lies in its unparalleled
legitimacy. Without the United Nations, States, both
large and small, would encounter many formidable
challenges.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that for this
Organization to live up to its mandate and to people’s
expectations, it has to constantly reform itself to
respond to contemporary global challenges and
realities. In his inspiring and visionary statement at the
closing of the San Francisco Conference 62 years ago,
President Harry Truman of the United States proffered
timeless wise counsel when he said,
“This Charter, like our own Constitution, will be
expanded and improved as time goes on. No one
claims that it is now a final or a perfect
instrument. It has not been poured into a fixed
mold. Changing world conditions will require
readjustments but they will be the
readjustments of peace and not of war.
Those visionary words of one of the founding fathers
of the United Nations should guide us in dealing with
United Nations reform. We call upon the original
signatories of the United Nations Charter and, in
particular the permanent members of the Security
Council, to assume greater leadership in the search for
consensus and compromise on the reform of the United
Nations Security Council. They should be more
flexible in responding to proposals put forward on the
reforms of the Security Council.
As nation States we are encouraged to build
sound democratic institutions. It is imperative,
therefore, that the principle of fairer, more inclusive,
participatory and accountable institutions should be
extended to global governance. In that respect, it
should be perfectly understandable why a substantial
number of Member States consider it not only
necessary, but also long overdue, to increase
membership of the Council in both the permanent and
non-permanent categories. Today, important matters of
international peace and security cannot be resolved
through the monopoly of fire power. It requires greater
participation and collaboration of nations large and
small.
Botswana recognizes that we cannot all be
members of the Security Council. There are those
among us who have the capacity to carry the daunting
responsibilities of permanent membership. That is why
it should be possible for us to reach consensus in
making “readjustments of peace and not of war”. An
all-or-nothing approach is not in our best interest.
Botswana strongly supports the search for a
compromise on that long-standing issue, which if left
unresolved can only become an unnecessary distraction
to other equally pressing priorities.
Conflicts in Africa cause the loss of hundreds of
thousands of innocent lives. Many people are driven
into abject poverty and exposed to disease due to the
massive displacement of populations and destruction of
their productive capacity. Huge amounts of resources
are annually allocated to the United Nations
peacekeeping budget to resolve conflicts. Even more
resources are needed for the care and upkeep of
refugees and displaced peoples.
The situation in Darfur continues to cause
concern. Concerted efforts are needed to bring that
conflict to an end. In this respect, we welcome the
Security Council decision to deploy a peacekeeping
mission in Darfur and call upon our brothers and sisters
in the Sudan to work together to find a lasting political
settlement.
Botswana is concerned about the situation in
Chad and the Central African Republic. The loss of
civilian lives is intolerable. We call upon Chad, the
Central African Republic and other parties to those
conflicts to commit to a peaceful political process to
avert further loss of lives. It is clear that the resolution
of conflict in that region will require closer
cooperation, collaboration and partnership between and
among those countries involved in conflict situations.
Following elections in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo we are hopeful the country is on the road
to recovery. It is important for the international
community to continue to support the Democratic
Republic of the Congo in its post-conflict
reconstruction and development efforts. The marauding
lawless militias that continue to undermine the peace
process should be left in no doubt that anarchy will not
be tolerated.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the
countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa will for
the foreseeable future require the assured support and
partnership of the international community, not only in
peacebuilding but more importantly, in the prevention
of conflicts.
Botswana acknowledges the existence of those
problems, not because we consider the future of Africa
to be hopeless or bleak. We do so in order to arrive at a
correct diagnosis of the illnesses and hence the
prescription of the right remedy.
The African Union is playing a pivotal role in the
prevention, management and resolution of conflicts on
the continent. While the United Nations Security
Council has the primary responsibility for the
maintenance of international peace and security, Africa
should be a dependable and indispensable partner in
responding expeditiously to the urgent need to end the
conflicts and save lives.
The countries and peoples of Africa should
recognize that the primary responsibility for durable
peace and social and economic development lies with
them. In that respect, we should adopt sound policies
and programmes that promote economic growth and
development, foreign direct investment as well as
domestic investment.
Indeed we are witnessing significant economic
growth in Africa. The latest International Monetary
Fund projections are that, in 2007 the African economy
is expected to grow by six per cent, just below the
seven per cent per annum target of the New Partnership
for Africa’s Development, that is necessary to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
We look to our development partners to deliver
on the pledges to scale up official development
assistance to Africa, effect meaningful debt relief,
improve market access for African goods and services
and encourage their private sectors to invest in Africa.
In the year 2000, at the dawn of the new
millennium, we convened in these hallowed halls to
chart a new path for the United Nations development
agenda. We adopted the Millennium Declaration and
the Millennium Development Goals. We undertook to
eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, promote gender
equality as well as to combat HIV and AIDS.
The Millennium Summit followed many global
conferences of the 1990s at which we made numerous
commitments to combat poverty and
underdevelopment. The outcomes of these United
Nations conferences and summits provide a veritable
template for addressing the debilitating scourge of
poverty, disease, hunger and underdevelopment in the
world.
Today, as we meet here seven years after the
adoption of the Millennium Declaration and half way
to 2015, we should pause and take serious stock of the
progress made or the lack of it. It is evident that, while
other regions of the world are making progress towards
the realization of the MDGs, indications are that unless
something is done to support Africa, the continent is
unlikely to achieve any of the Goals by 2015. Statistics
tell tales of a continent that is host to huge numbers of
the poor and the hungry. Diseases, in particular
HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, still kill many
people in Africa. Those factors require an urgent
response, as they create conditions that pose a threat to
peace, stability and security.
In this interdependent world, the United Nations
cannot realistically hope to achieve the MDGs by 2015
if one part of humanity is lagging so far behind.
Something must be done to assist and support Africa.
In March 2002 at Monterrey, Mexico, we recognized
the imperative of global cooperation and partnership in
the achievement of internationally agreed development
goals. We agreed that
“achieving the internationally agreed development
goals, including those contained in the United
Nations Millennium Declaration, demands a new
partnership between developed and developing
countries” (resolution 58/130, para. 11).
Let us honour our commitments and move forward.
Let me conclude by reiterating the fact that
Botswana has long recognized that sustainable
development has to be a nationally owned and led
process that requires sound democratic institutions and
prudent economic management. Adherence to those
principles, coupled with the exploitation of mineral
resources and donor support, enabled us to achieve
rapid economic growth and some measure of
development.
Continued assistance is necessary to enable us to
consolidate the gains of the past few years and ensure
sustainable development. In that respect, the scope of
development cooperation should include private sector
development, private investment and access to
technology. Assistance to middle-income countries
such as Botswana is crucial and in the long-term
interest of the global economy. We are asking not for
handouts, but for assured support, partnership and
collaboration.