Togo

Each session of the General Assembly offers us an opportunity to meet in order to take stock of our actions and define the necessary perspectives for breathing new life into our Organization. In analysing events throughout the world during the past year, we should note that despite the efforts of the international community the situation is far from satisfactory. Indeed, international peace and security are still seriously threatened due to persistent conflicts in particular in Africa, the Middle East and Iraq while the risks of terrorist aggression are far from being eliminated. In economic terms, the situation overshadowed by extreme poverty and endemic diseases continues to be a source of serious concern for the majority of the countries of the planet who are considered to be the poorest. Likewise, natural disasters caused by climate change are a constant challenge to the human conscience, to the point of wondering whether the international community will be able to find appropriate and lasting solutions. The state of our world today should inspire us to redouble our efforts in order to give real meaning to international solidarity. It should above all incite the international community and Member States collectively and individually to seek with determination ways and means not only to ensure the prosperity of their national populations but also to reduce, at least somewhat, extreme poverty in the world. Before continuing my speech, I wish to add my voice to those of previous speakers and to express my warm congratulations to the President on his election to the presidency of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly. He may count on the support of Togo in discharging his high functions throughout the term, which I hope will be fruitful. I wish to once again express my congratulations to Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his outstanding election to the post of Secretary-General of our Organization. I am certain his great wealth of diplomatic experience will make it possible for the United Nations to strengthen its actions in order to achieve a fairer and more democratic world in which each country will be able to exist in freedom. With regard to Togo, after several years of the democratization process which unfortunately has not been smooth, the country today is now moving beyond the lack of understanding and intolerance among its sons and daughters. To consolidate our achievements we have endeavoured to find appropriate solutions for the concerns of the people by implementing a policy on national reconstruction which will value all Togolese without exclusion. Aware that the peace and economic development that we want for our country cannot be achieved without the effective participation of the population in managing public affairs, we have spared no effort to involve the Togolese political class in a national dialogue in order to overcome their bitterness, to restore confidence and to devote our energies to national construction. That ambition is possible only if we strive to strengthen Togolese democracy each day a democracy based upon an integral multiparty system and a State based on democratic law. Very soon, on 14 October 2007, Togolese democracy will become consolidated with the election of deputies to the National Assembly, an assembly within which we dare to hope that most of the political forces within the country will be represented. Those upcoming legislative elections, whose successful outcomes will be possible thanks not only to the political maturity of the Togolese people but also to the support throughout the electoral process of friendly countries and international institutions; its resulting selection is an inevitable event and will be a decisive turning point in the history of Togo. The Togolese Government in turn will spare no effort, nor will it skimp on expenses, to ensure that the elections take place in strict transparency and the will of the people as expressed by the ballot box is fully respected. With that goal in mind, the population will, for the first time, vote with secure voter cards with photographs and the whole system will be supported by a reliable electoral roll. Our greatest hope is that those elections will give an opportunity to the people of Togo to reconcile and an opportunity for the country to resume its place within the family of nations. For that reason, I wish to take the opportunity now to repeat my Government’s gratitude to the international community in particular the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, the European Union, the International Organization of la Francophonie, France, Germany, the People’s Republic of China, the United States and all the other States for the unwavering support which they continue to give to Togo throughout these crucial times. Of course, we cannot forget the United Nations, which, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has played an essential role since the start of our democratic process, and more specifically, in the preparation for these elections. These elections, which are to be held on 14 October, are due to a great extent on the facilitator chosen unanimously by the political forces I appointed Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso and current Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Establishment of the rule of law requires dignified and loyal conduct from its citizens based on the respect of the noble ideals that underpin the Republic and promote progress in society. It also requires bold measures from leaders aimed at promoting national peace and harmony. In this respect and to take into account commitments undertaken through the Global Political Agreement, our Togolese Government is determined to establish in the near future the two Commissions provided for under the Agreement, namely, the Commission to Investigate Acts of Political Violence Committed in the Past and to Study Methods for Compensation for Victims and the Commission to Propose Measures to Promote Forgiveness and National Reconciliation. The Constitutional Court, one of whose missions is to deal with electoral disputes, was set up on 20 September after its reconstitution in accordance with the wish of the political class as expressed during the national dialogue. These measures, together with all the other actions that the Government carries out every day, are part of our will to ban political violence and combat impunity, in all sincerity, pragmatism and discernment. A national programme to combat impunity has already been set up and the first awareness activities have been carried out with success throughout the country over a period of a month and a half. This programme, which is aimed at helping to develop conditions conducive to the birth of a democratic spirit, is supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights created in Togo, and we are pleased to express our appreciation of its efficient role in strengthening governmental action. The problems of peace, security and the building of a democratic State based on the rule of law and the sustainable development of Togo can only be grasped by taking into account the economic realities of the country. Indeed, the Togolese economy has suffered a great deal from disruption of external assistance from its traditional partners since 1993. This absence of external assistance has certainly had a negative impact on social programmes and development programmes designed by the Government and has seriously eroded public infrastructure and has delayed measures aimed at good economic governance. This situation has slowed the efforts of the Government to improve the living conditions of the Togolese, more than 60 per cent of whom still live below the poverty threshold. How can our collective conscience remain indifferent in the face of such a situation? Giving this alarming observation, we feel that Togo should be able to benefit from special assistance, which would allow it to raise its economic level and to bolster, as a result, its young democracy. I should thus like to make an urgent appeal to all of our development partners that they decide to support our efforts in the face of the major challenges before us. The assistance that we are requesting and the Togolese Government’s own efforts will allow my country to work towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The maintenance of international peace and security remains a prerequisite for any development process. Togo thus reaffirms its devotion to the ideals of peace, security and stability, both within and outside of States. My country feels that threats to peace and security on the African continent require that the United Nations become more involved than it has so far. However, I am pleased to pay tribute to the role that has been played and continues to be played by the Organization in Africa with regard to the restoration of peace and security in certain countries, particularly in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We also feel that Chad, Burundi and the Central African Republic should benefit from firm actions for peace and security in order to put an end to acts of violence and to consolidate peace, democracy and political stability in these countries. As regards Côte d’Ivoire, my country is pleased to note that, despite the delay in the implementation of the United Nations road map, the peace process has reached a key phase with the signing of the Ouagadougou peace agreement on 4 March 2007, the lighting of the flame of peace on 30 July 2007 and the announcement of the presidential election in the next few months. As regards Sudan, Togo welcomes the adoption on 31 July 2007 by the Security Council of resolution 1769 (2007) on the deployment in Darfur of a hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force. We hope that the international community will do everything in its power to ensure that the necessary logistical and financial means are made available for this mission. My country also urges the other rebel factions that did not participate in the Arusha discussions in August 2007 to join the negotiating process in order to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. As regards Somalia, Togo makes an appeal to the international community that it become more involved, together with the African Union, so that a peacekeeping force can be deployed there. Beyond Africa, our eyes turn constantly to Iraq and the Middle East, still in the grips of violence. As regards the Middle East, Togo supports the idea of organizing an international conference under the aegis of the Quartet in order to restart the process of direct and constructive negotiations. From this viewpoint, Israelis and Palestinians should be encouraged to persevere with dialogue in order to achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations. However, the prerequisite for any negotiation between the two parties lies in the need to see all of the Palestinian elements overcome their internal differences. In the area of disarmament and the control of weapons of mass destruction, Togo welcomes the beginnings of a resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue with the historic agreement concluded between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the international community. In the same vein, as regards the question of the nuclear programme of the Islamic Republic of Iran, my country calls on the interested parties to pursue and give priority to talks, in order to achieve a negotiated solution that takes into account the interests of the parties involved. With respect to light weapons, Togo expresses the hope that this session of the General Assembly will undertake strong commitments in order to strengthen efforts aimed at negotiating a treaty on trade in light weapons similar to what was done by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). With respect to terrorism, which is also an obstacle to sustainable development, my country believes that, following the momentum that led to the adoption of the global strategy to combat this scourge, it is essential that we make universal and improve the international legal framework to combat terrorism. In this respect, the rapid conclusion of negotiations relating to the draft global convention to combat international terrorism would be welcome and would serve the interests of all countries and all peoples. It is disturbing to note that today’s new economic order continues to produce a society where profit for profit’s sake and inequalities of all kinds reign. The solidarity which we have so keenly advocated in the United Nations has yet to be realized. At the very least, we can say is that this situation penalizes the economies of developing countries, which, due to globalization, are frequently obliged to open their markets against their own interests. That is why we think that development, generally speaking, should take place at the global level. From this viewpoint, all countries should honour their commitments related to the establishment of a global partnership aimed at promoting equitable and sustainable development for all. Thus, Togo appeals once again to the international community, in particular to the developed countries, that they increase their development assistance and promote international trade and direct foreign investment, particularly towards poor countries. It is also essential to focus seriously on the urgent question of debt and to resume the Doha negotiations so that trade liberalization will promote the development of all nations, particularly the poorest among them. In this respect, we commend the commitments undertaken at the Group of Eight Summit, held in June 2007 in Germany, to support the facilitation of economic growth and investment, including microfinance; to support the establishment or strengthening of development institutions in the private sector and structural reform which will improve the economic environment; and to support efforts in the areas of health, in particular the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The high-level debates which the General Assembly held on 24 September once more illustrated the fact that one of the major challenges that the international community must immediately tackle remains climate change, which is the source of numerous natural disasters. Togo, which, like many other countries on the continent, has just experienced serious and deadly floods, firmly believes that it is urgent that concrete actions be undertaken to begin a determined and concerted struggle against environmental degradation. It seems to us that the survival of planet Earth is at stake. The irreplaceable and unparalleled role of the United Nations in international relations should encourage us to reform this institution in the light of present reality. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that the reform of the Organization should reflect the principles of the sovereign equality of States and equitable geographical distribution and should help to strengthen cooperation on an equal footing among States. It should also be based on the principle of broad international consensus, particularly when it involves issues involving the responsibility of all of the Organization’s constituent parts. That is why Security Council reform must guarantee that all regions of the world be represented within that organ and enable developing countries, which play an important role in accomplishing the tasks of the Organization, to make their contribution, no matter how modest, to promoting peace worldwide. We hope that the present session of the General Assembly will bring hope to the international community, and particularly to the African peoples, who are waiting to see improvement in their living conditions and lives through decisive and tangible actions. In order to attain the objectives that we have set for ourselves, in particular during the Millennium Summit, it is essential that we honour all of our commitments within their time frames and that we assume additional commitments in order to bring about a world free of fear, hunger, extreme poverty and disease a world where we will be able to live in security. Togo, in its determination to construct a State based on the rule of law and to improve the living conditions of its population, will spare no effort in carrying out its obligations. It hopes it can count on the assistance of the international community in order to do this.