Allow me to join previous speakers from this rostrum
in sincerely congratulating Mr. Kerim on his election to
the presidency of the General Assembly.
I also pay sincere tribute to Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon for his tireless and laudable efforts to
defend and promote the purposes and principles of the
Organization’s Charter. His visit to our country shortly
after he took office reassured us of his commitment
and that of the United Nations to the Congolese people
in its quest for peace, freedom and development.
The sixty-second session of the General
Assembly is taking place in an international context
marked by persistent violence throughout the world.
The United Nations task is harder than ever; by the
same token, it is more noble and inspiring than ever.
For the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this
session is unlike previous sessions. It marks our rebirth
as a State based on law. It also marks our return to
international affairs as a credible actor and partner.
Today more than in the past, my country is aware of
the evils of war and of poor governance, as well as of a
promising future of stable institutions, legitimate
authorities and peaceful coexistence among peoples.
My country is thus aware of the irreplaceable value of
the United Nations. We are an example of the
Organization’s successful work.
I should like to pay tribute to our bilateral and
multilateral partners, and in particular to the United
Nations, for their invaluable assistance. Having
received so much, we believe that it is now our turn to
contribute to peacekeeping operations. We look
forward to playing an increasingly important role; in
the meantime, we have made the modest contribution
of civilian police officers now deployed in two
Member States.
The path to the irreversible end of the multitude
of crises that have beset my country for so many years
remains strewn with obstacles. From the security
perspective, we still need to finalize the process of
disarmament, demobilization and reintegration,
complete the creation of a national republican police
force and army, and operationalize a credible justice
system. Attaining that three-fold goal is an absolute
priority for us.
Moreover, while stressing the political and
diplomatic approach, we must do all we can, resolutely
and with a heightened sense of urgency, to resolve the
remaining problems of insecurity in North Kivu.
Nothing can reasonably justify a situation in which
Congolese continue to be the daily targets of every
manner of violence and abuse from national and
foreign armed groups, and in which masses of our
people are displaced by war. Peace and security must
rapidly and at all costs be restored to that part of our
territory, and they will be.
With regard to foreign armed groups, United
Nations support is crucial to their voluntary or, if need
be, forced disarmament, repatriation and reintegration.
Despite such difficulties, we have in less than
five years successfully met the challenge of organizing
democratic elections, establishing legitimate
institutions, and relaunching economic growth. Our
current priority is reconstruction and development with
the aim of rolling back poverty, injustice and social
inequalities. It is an immense task; if we are to meet it,
the resolve of our people and its aspirations to a great
future will be critical, though not sufficient. The
unflagging and unreserved involvement of all our
diverse partners remains indispensable.
Notwithstanding certain deficiencies, the United
Nations remains the conscious of humankind. Its
present and future role must be seen in the context of
the world’s evolution and ever-changing challenges.
The future will be a time of increased competition
among nations, particularly in the areas of trade,
finance and research, as well as of the universal
enjoyment of clean air, drinking water and natural
resources vital commodities that the ever-growing
population and economies of the world are making
increasingly precious and scarce.
In the face of those challenges and of the ongoing
threats to international peace and security, the United
Nations credibility will depend on its ability to ensure
that all Member States without exception implement its
decisions and that commitments they have freely
entered into are effectively honoured.
In that respect, turning to the Middle East, the
credibility of our Organization will always be in
question so long as the Security Council fails to do all
in its power to ensure, pursuant to the provisions of our
Charter and the relevant resolutions, the effective
establishment of two States, living side by side in
peace and security.
On another subject, climate change is an
undeniable reality today, an eloquent instance of the
constantly changing face of collective security. Its
effects, unfortunately, will be more harmful in the
developing countries, particularly and unfairly in
Africa. Africa contributes the least to greenhouse gas
emissions and does not have the resources to deal with
their terrible consequences.
Making this point is a stark reminder of the need
for a responsible, equitable and unified approach to the
problems of sustainable development. I therefore
welcome the Secretary-General’s organization on
24 September of the high-level meeting on climate
change. The meeting was an opportunity for us to
devote to that crucial subject the attention it deserves
and to sensitize ourselves to the consequences of the
patterns of consumption that expose our world to the
threat of an irreversible disaster.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the
natural habitat of unparalleled biological diversity. Its
primeval forests make Central Africa the second lung
of the world. We therefore undertake to participate in
the design and implementation of an effective strategy
to preserve optimum conditions of life on Earth. In the
interests of humankind, we are prepared to make the
sacrifices required by collective responsibility. In
return, we call for fair compensation to ensure that we
do not jeopardize our own development.
In the face of changes on the world scene, our
Organization must adjust and espouse an architecture
that, while preserving universal values, makes it fit to
meet increasingly diverse and growing challenges.
Democracy, which today is universally recognized as
the best form of Government, should not only permeate
our collective action in international affairs, but should
also be reflected within our Organization.
Accordingly, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo welcomes the process of reforming the United
Nations system to create greater coherence and
effectiveness of action. We wish to stress that increased
representation within the Security Council is a
democratic requirement necessary to the harmonious
functioning of the United Nations. The continent of
Africa must be represented on a permanent basis within
that important organ.
We also draw the Assembly’s attention to the fact
that Security Council reform must not eclipse the need
to revisit other bodies of this Organization. Their
working methods should be as efficient as possible and
their future interaction better defined. As to the
General Assembly, its authority must be further
reinforced so as to enable its President to play a
pre-eminent role in the search for solutions to
international problems.
With regard to the new threats and challenges
looming on the horizon, I have recalled the respective
commitments made by Member States under the United
Nations Charter, and I have reaffirmed the commitment
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to that
founding text of our Organization. I have also drawn
the Assembly’s attention to the various scourges that
characterize the international context and to the threats
relating to climate change. I have thereby stressed the
need for us to combine our efforts if we wish to enable
our peoples to live in a world that enjoys the best
possible living conditions, social progress and
international peace and security.
Our political resolve to eradicate those scourges
and our decisive, concerted action to do so will be the
proof of how genuine our commitment really is to
improving the state of the world. That is the only way
to bolster the confidence of our peoples in our
Organization. It is the only way, and nothing less will
do, to safeguard the legitimacy of the United Nations
and to consolidate the effectiveness of its action. Let us
meet that challenge together.