Allow me at the outset to
extend our congratulations to Mr. Kerim on his election
to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-
second session. I wish to thank most sincerely his
predecessor, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed
Khalifa of Bahrain, for the able manner in which she
handled the vital business of the sixty-first session. I
also wish to express my gratitude to the Secretary-
General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his leadership of our
Organization, and most especially for his untiring
efforts in favour of conflict resolution and peace on the
African continent and elsewhere.
Sixty-two years ago, the founding fathers of the
United Nations came together, determined, in the
words of the Charter, “to employ international
machinery for the promotion of the economic and
social advancement of all peoples”. The Organization
they created was to be a centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations in the attainment of these common
goals. Today humankind is faced with a common threat
in the form of climate change. The General Assembly’s
choice of responding to climate change as the theme
for this session is timely. It will help draw attention to
the global challenge for which no single country has a
solution. It is only through concerted and sustained
international cooperation that action to combat the
effects and further escalation of climate change can be
taken.
There is no doubt that climate change is the
biggest danger facing humankind, especially the poor.
The threat of extreme conditions, including floods and
drought, is a major concern. It has many implications
for development, particularly for agrarian communities
with fewer resources to cope with additional stresses
and shocks brought about by this phenomenon. The
increasing frequency and severity of prolonged drought
threaten water supplies to millions of people in poor
countries, as well as agriculture which is
overwhelmingly subsistence and rain-fed and,
therefore, vulnerable to climate variability and change.
The vulnerability of the health sector has also
been evident as frequent floods result in outbreaks of
waterborne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid,
dysentery and the increased incidence of malaria.
Indeed, climate change today constitutes a danger
to human security, considering the effects of climate
change on the very existence of some small island
States and coastal cities, as well as the devastation by
hurricanes and typhoons.
Several years ago, the world was alerted to the
danger of climate change. Under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, a number
of actions were agreed upon. We all agreed to
undertake a three-pronged approach, including
development, access to appropriate technology,
mitigation and adaptation. It is unfortunate that, so far,
no meaningful actions have been undertaken to
implement these agreed interventions.
My delegation believes that the time is now to
implement these high-priority activities. We should,
however, recognize that responding to climate change
will require political leadership at all levels, starting
from the centre and extending to the grassroots.
Increasing collaborative action on adaptation is
urgently needed, so that vulnerable countries and
communities can cope with the unavoidable impact of
climate change. Reforestation efforts and control of
greenhouse gas emissions are urgent actions that we
can undertake together. However, reforestation on its
own will not produce the desired results without
adequate investment in renewable energy sources as a
measure against the massive depletion of forests for
fuel. Developed countries should encourage companies
to invest in hydro-electric power generation and other
clean energy sources in developing countries. For such
projects to be undertaken, measures such as a
successful fifteenth International Development
Association replenishment is critical. We all must learn
to safeguard and use available resources sparingly for
the sake of future generations.
Uganda considers the United Nations Climate
Change Conference, to be held in Bali, Indonesia, this
December, to be critical in the development of a long-
term response to climate change. It is an opportunity to
begin concrete negotiations on a global strategy that is
acceptable to all and implementable. Prior to Bali,
however, this Assembly should agree on guiding
principles that can help bring together all relevant
aspects of the problem. The industrialized countries
should take the lead in cutting emissions, while
developing countries will have to pursue low-emission
development strategies and benefit from incentives for
assistance for adaptation and for limiting emissions.
We must commit ourselves to an approach that
balances adaptation and mitigation, underpinned by
adequate financing arrangements and investments in
new and innovative technologies.
As Members of the United Nations, our countries
share a vision of a better standard of life, in larger
freedom, as enshrined in our Charter. We are, however,
challenged by a persistence of poverty in many of our
countries. Recent statistics indicate that, worldwide,
1.2 billion people live on one dollar a day, while
2.8 billion survive on less than two dollars. The gap
between the rich and the poor continues to widen, both
within States and among States.
The World Bank reported in 2003 that average
income in the wealthiest 20 countries is 37 times that
of the poorest 20, which is twice the ratio of what it
was in 1970. Many countries, especially those in
sub-Saharan Africa, ended the last decade with lower
per capita incomes than at its beginning. Poverty is one
of the biggest threats to international peace, security
and the environment.
At the Millennium Summit, world leaders
expressed their determination to halve world poverty
by the year 2015. The midpoint progress report on the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that was
released in July this year indicates that countries in
Africa and elsewhere are proving that large-scale
progress in achieving the MDGs is possible under
conditions of adequate financing, much of which
should flow from a strengthened global partnership for
development. It is critical that the Monterrey targets be
met.
As we respond to climate change, the fight
against poverty remains an integral part of the effort.
Unless we address poverty in developing countries, the
poor will continue to destroy the environment by
cutting trees for firewood and employing poor
agricultural practices.
There are time-tested ways to bring people out of
poverty. Trade liberalization and export-led growth
have the potential to lift millions out of poverty.
However, to benefit from trade, developing countries
must add value to their raw materials and sell them as
finished products, taking advantage of appropriate
value chains. That will not only increase earnings but
create jobs, thus ending the mass migrations to the
developed countries. They should develop their human
resources through education and better health services.
Education is a critical factor in transforming society.
An educated middle class with adequate income to
spend is critical for industrialization and the transition
of societies. That has happened in some countries of
South-East Asia; it can happen elsewhere in the
developing world. As a priority, agriculture needs to be
commercialized. Related to that is the urgent need for
regional integration so as to enlarge markets.
Under heavy pressure, many developing countries
have removed trade barriers, while the developed
countries have not reciprocated in such key areas as
agriculture and textiles, where the former have a
comparative advantage. Is it not absurd that a cow in
the European Union gets a daily subsidy of $2.2, while
40 per cent of the world’s population lives on less than
$2 a day? The World Bank estimates that protectionism
by the developed world costs developing countries
$100 billion annually. A fair system will require
appropriate measures to deal with the unfair trade
privileges of developed countries that hinder market
access. It is vital that the stalled trade talks under the
Doha Development Round be resumed and
successfully concluded.
Peace and security are necessary conditions for
sustainable development. The rise in inter- and intra-
State conflict has been the hallmark of the post-cold-
war era. Internal conflicts have spilled over borders to
create regional instability. Internal displacement has
taken place, and equally alarming has been the
international refugee crisis that has resulted from such
conflicts. In some countries, central authority has
collapsed, creating havens for terrorists and drug
traffickers, with the attendant threats to international
peace and security. No meaningful actions against
poverty and in favour of environmental protection can
take place in that kind of atmosphere.
The President returned to the Chair.
Most of Africa is now peaceful, and democracy is
being consolidated through regular elections, the
observance of human rights and constitutionalism.
However, there are some areas that require urgent
international attention. There is a need to ensure peace
and stability in Darfur in accordance with the
internationally agreed framework under Security
Council resolution 1769 (2007). Further attention
should be given to supporting the implementation of
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the
Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement in the South.
In Somalia, the General Assembly should support
an all-inclusive peace and reconciliation process and
the Africa Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM) with the necessary resources to facilitate
the peacekeeping. Uganda has honoured its pledge of
troops for peacekeeping; we call on other countries that
made similar pledges to fulfil them. The international
effort in Somalia should focus on capacity-building to
empower the Somali people to solve their own
problems. We also call on the Secretary-General to
finalize plans for possible deployment of a United
Nations peacekeeping force to replace AMISOM, as
called for in Security Council resolution 1772 (2007).
In the Great Lakes region, various efforts are
under way to improve peace and security and to create
an atmosphere conducive to development. Through the
Tripartite Plus One Commission, bringing together the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi
and Uganda, we have agreed on a framework and
actions to deal with negative forces that pose a threat
to peace and security in the region. In that regard, we
refer to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter and
to provisions of Security Council resolution 1756
(2007). The Security Council should reinforce the
mandate and the means of the United Nations
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo to enable it effectively to work with
Congolese armed forces to totally eradicate the threat
of negative forces operating in the territory of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In northern Uganda, we are holding peace talks
with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Of the five
agenda items, two agreements have been concluded
and signed. Those are the Cessation of Hostilities
Agreement and an agreement on comprehensive
solutions. However, the LRA has not met any of the
terms of the very first Agreement on Cessation of
Hostilities. For example, it is stipulated that LRA
forces assemble at Ri-Kwangba in southern Sudan;
they have, however, not done so to date. They are still
camped in Garamba National park in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. We urge the international
community to bring adequate pressure to bear on the
LRA to assemble at Ri-Kwangba and to set a time
frame for the talks. Talks cannot go on forever. As we
inch towards a comprehensive peace agreement,
international support and understanding are required to
balance the need for durable peace and stability on the
one hand, and the imperative for justice on the other.
I wish to assure the General Assembly that
Uganda is fully aware of its obligations under the
Rome Statute and cannot undermine it. We cannot
condone impunity. To that end, we are working closely
with the International Criminal Court to ensure
accountability under the complementarity stipulations.
Uganda will be convening a Consultative Group
meeting later this year to mobilize resources and
coordinate actions for the post-conflict reconciliation
programme in northern Uganda. The international
community is invited to support that programme.
When you chose “Responding to climate change”
as the theme for this session, Sir, I believe you
intended to have this session consider and recommend
ways of addressing that common threat. You believed,
as indeed we do, that a world that pays no attention to
that problem is fatally damaging the interests of future
generations. Addressing climate change will involve
fighting poverty, ensuring peace and security, and
investing in clean energy, especially in developing
countries. This session should be the turning point at
which we all come together and agree on ways to save
our planet.