I congratulate the
delegation, Government and the people of the Republic
of Macedonia on Mr. Srgjan Kerim’s election as
President of the sixty-second session of the United
Nations General Assembly. On behalf of my
Government, I acknowledge the astute diplomatic
skills and wisdom that he brings to this important
assignment. May he rest assured of my delegation’s
support in his endeavours.
Similarly, it gives me great pleasure to
congratulate our new Secretary-General, Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, of the Republic of Korea, on his election as
Secretary-General of this Organization. It is the belief
of my Government that the United Nations will greatly
benefit from his wealth of experience as a seasoned
diplomat and statesman.
Nearly two years ago, Liberia held its first post-
conflict elections, following more than 14 years of
civil war. We were strongly supported by the United
Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS) and members of the
international community, including the United States,
the European Union, the People’s Republic of China
and Japan. We commend you for your continued
support toward our national reconstruction
programmes.
My Government welcomes and highly appreciates
the recent decision of the Security Council to lift the
sanctions which it saw fit to impose on the timber and
diamond sectors in Liberia. We pledge our fullest
cooperation with the United Nations as it partners our
country’s reform, which undoubtedly will strengthen
the good governance procedures. Although the
imposition of sanctions was considered by many as
punitive, I am gratified to inform you that the Liberian
people viewed the sanctions as prudent and corrective.
The sanctions helped to accelerate the adoption of new
laws and the institutionalization of appropriate
mechanisms to ensure that we would never again allow
conditions such as those that gave rise to their
imposition.
We also thank the international community for its
continued support to peacebuilding and the
strengthening of instruments of security and stability in
Liberia. In spite of the gains of peace, Liberia remains
fragile. The recent decision by the Security Council to
extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) is timely and relevant. Liberia
remains grateful for that and other decisions aimed at
sustaining peace and stability in the country.
Democracy is on an irreversible course in Africa.
The values of democratic governance and the rule of
law are also on an upward march. My Government
notes with great delight the successful holding of
relatively peaceful, free, fair and democratic elections
in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mauritania and Mali. From
our experience in Liberia, we know that democratic
elections in themselves do not provide quick answers
to the monumental problems and challenges that face a
new and emerging post-conflict nation. They do,
however, create the environment, and potentially
unleash opportunities, for freedom and individual
enterprise to thrive and prosper. Because such
democracies are in their infancy, they need the support
of bilateral and multilateral partners. We therefore call
on the United Nations, the African Union and bilateral
and multilateral partners to support all new
democracies and to help us meet the multifaceted needs
of our people.
Liberia reaffirms its belief in the United Nations
as the best institution for the promotion and protection
of international peace and security and the resolution
of crises around our world. Our faith in the United
Nations is rooted in our conviction that it represents
mankind’s best hope and vehicle for the advancement
of the common purpose of humanity.
Our generation must avoid the temptation to use
the instruments of our common Organization for
narrow agendas that undermine its Charter. In this new
millennium, the United Nations must continue to renew
its resolve to promote, protect and sustain the universal
virtues of liberty, equality, solidarity, tolerance and
non-violence, while simultaneously respecting and
protecting our environment, pursuant to the mandate of
the Millennium Summit. Liberia commits itself to
being a strong partner and advocate for the promotion
of these shared values of our common humanity. But as
the United Nations pursues those objectives, we must
recognize that it cannot expect to succeed using
frameworks that are nearly three quarters of a century
old. The United Nations needs to be, and must be,
reformed.
Liberia and other Member States have advanced
practical suggestions for the reform agenda. Liberia
offers the following proposals: first, a timely review
and reconfiguration of the Security Council, including
the current decision-making machinery and processes
of the Organization, should be conducted to make it
more relevant and representative of the world
community; secondly, mechanisms should be put in
place to ensure that the Charter remains inviolate; and,
thirdly, careful consideration should be given to due
process in dealing with Member States.
Pursuant to our call for reform of the United
Nations, we today call on Member States to give
meaning and expression to gender equality. We propose
that the United Nations recommit itself to ensuring an
equitable partnership of women and men in the
leadership of the Organization. Reforming the United
Nations also means reforming our attitude towards
women and other minority groups worldwide. There is
no doubt in our mind that women will significantly
contribute to the process of change in this
Organization.
Fully cognizant of the evidence that the dividends
of peace and security are always greater than the
debilitating effects of conflict, Liberia continues to
work within the regional framework of the Mano River
Union, the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS), and the African Union to ensure the
realization and advancement of peace in the subregion
and on the African continent. It is said in my country
that there is no capitalism without capital. Peace is
sustained only with the economic empowerment of all
people.
In that regard, since its inauguration our
Government has engaged in active subregional
initiatives to improve and strengthen ties of friendship
and economic cooperation with our immediate
neighbours in the Mano River Basin and the ECOWAS
Community. As a result of our efforts, the instruments
of peace and security and the potential of trade
rationalization in our subregion are stronger today than
they ever were a few years ago. Under the
chairmanship of Her Excellency President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, the Mano River Union has assumed a
new vibrancy and renewed sense of cohesion and
common purpose. Citizens of the Mano River Union
countries are exchanging more frequent visits, and
undertaking programmes aimed at enhancing
integration and peace. That is why we were happy to
host President Ernest Bai Koroma a few days following
his inauguration as President of Sierra Leone.
As events in the Middle East continue to claim
our attention in the world community, we must not lose
sight of similarly grave situations in Africa. I refer to
the continuous humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur in
the Sudan, and crises in Somalia, Guinea-Bissau, Côte
d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Burundi, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African
Republic and Uganda, among others. My Government
therefore welcomes Security Council resolution 1769
(2007) and the consensus reached for the deployment
of a hybrid African Union-United Nations force in
Darfur following months of painstaking negotiations.
We further urge countries that have pledged logistical
and other support to fulfil their promises to ensure the
timely deployment of the peacekeeping force in Darfur.
We applaud the progress made in the resolution of the
crisis in our sisterly Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. My
delegation calls for strong support of the Ouagadougou
agreement, which provides the best possible framework
for peace, security and stability in that country. Peace
and security in Cote d’Ivoire means peace and security
in Liberia, and indeed, in the Mano River Basin and
the Economic Community of West African States.
The world has witnessed and continues to witness
phenomenal advances in science and technology
leading to the transformation of industrialization and
the improvement of the human condition. We must
work to save our planet, because, when we save our
common Earth, we assure the survival of all of its
inhabitants.
Liberia supports the efforts of the Commission on
Sustainable Development, the Kyoto Protocol, the
decision reached on Agenda 21 at the 1992 Rio
Conference and the recent high-profile conference
hosted here on climate change, intended to raise
international awareness of the degradation of the
environment and the need for collaborative efforts to
reverse negative trends. There could be no theme more
appropriate and timely for this year’s general debate
than the theme “Responding to Climate Change”.
This debate will, we are confident, accentuate the
issues of environment and stimulate increased
international action. Liberia is concerned about the
rapid degradation of the climate. We hope that this
session will produce a consensus on how to save
succeeding generations from the impact of
deteriorating climate.
In our world today, there is a correlation between
war, civil conflict and the spread of HIV/AIDS. The
HIV/AIDS pandemic targets and destroys our human
capital, the backbone of our socio-economic
development. The records of the United Nations and
other organizations show that the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS increases in countries affected by war and
civil conflicts, owing to the mass movement of
populations. Post-conflict countries therefore need
special attention if the scourge of HIV/AIDS is to be
overcome. The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases has contributed significantly
in retarding the progress of the developing nations.
African nations must develop the political will to
combat the health crisis on our continent. To this end,
we call upon our partners in the developed world to
treat the issue of antiretroviral drugs as a purely social
and humanitarian matter of an emergency nature,
outside of politics. Liberia recently set up its National
AIDS Commission to advance practical strategies that
will help to halt the spread of this deadly disease. We
are hopeful that prudent action, including a change of
life styles coupled with antiviral drugs, will help
address this emerging catastrophe.
Liberia continues to be burdened by huge debts
owed to bilateral and multilateral creditors. Servicing
these debts remains a major priority of the Government
of Liberia. However, our capacity to make payment is
constrained owing to the severe resource challenges
arising out of a 14-year civil war. There is a traditional
parable in my country which says that you cannot dig a
hole to fill a hole. We renew our Government’s plea for
international empathy and favourable consideration of
our debt cancellation request.
We reassure all of our bilateral and multilateral
creditors of our commitment to continue to work with
them to develop the necessary framework toward the
actualization of Liberia’s debt relief initiatives.
We also thank all our partners, especially the
United States, Great Britain, China and Germany
among others, for active steps taken toward debt relief
for Liberia.
I assure you that after learning a costly lesson in
violence, the people of Liberia are determined to settle
their differences through peaceful means. With your
support, we have found a better way to resolve our
differences. We have resolved to forgive one another,
pick up our dignity and pride and move forward in
unity and oneness of purpose with strong determination
to work for a better and brighter future. Our unity in
fostering the faith of our founding fathers to build a
nation dedicated to freedom, liberty and justice for all
remains undaunted.
We are confident that our international partners
want to see a success story in Liberia. Let me assure
this Assembly that nobody wants that more than
Liberians themselves! May the Almighty God bless us,
protect our sovereignties, unify us, preserve our
dignities and keep us safe.