Niger

Allow me at the outset to congratulate Mr. Kerim most warmly on his outstanding election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. We are convinced that his professional qualities and his vast and rich academic, diplomatic and business experience will lead to the success of our work. I therefore assure him of my delegation’s fullest support in the discharge of his mandate. With respect to outgoing President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, I wish to express our great satisfaction at her dynamic and skilful handling of the work of the previous session. As to the Secretary-General, I take this opportunity to reiterate the Niger Government’s admiration and encouragement on his assumption of the leadership of our collective Organization. Two years after the 2005 World Summit, which gave our leaders an opportunity to address the challenges and threats confronting humankind, we cannot help feeling optimistic despite the persistence of such scourges as international terrorism or the slow progress towards fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals as we consider the unflagging willingness of the international community resolutely to seek solutions consonant with the threats that have been identified. In the field of international peace and security, one element of the significant developments in certain parts of the world is, without a doubt, the positive impact of the Peacebuilding Commission, in particular in Burundi and Sierra Leone. That alone makes the creation of that new body worthwhile. In Africa, such positive and encouraging trends can be witnessed in the hope raised by developments in certain conflict areas. In West Africa, Liberia continues to move ahead with national reconstruction and consolidation of peace. In Côte d’Ivoire, the peace process has shown great promise since the Ouagadougou agreement was signed in March 2007 and a “flame of peace” ceremony took place. Those two major events bear witness to the parties’ will to put a permanent end to the crisis that exploded in that country five years ago. Sierra Leone, for the first time, and after a long period of instability, has organized free and transparent legislative and presidential elections, bearing witness to the resolve of the suffering people of that country to move beyond tragedy and to resolutely build a bright future. In Central Africa, the adoption by the Great Lakes countries of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development leads us to expect, in the medium term, a meaningful improvement in the troubled situation that has prevailed there for some years now. It is encouraging to note that Burundi is already at the point where it can do without the international community’s supervision in peacekeeping efforts within its borders and to devote itself fully to the task of economic and social development. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is another case in which we will allow ourselves to have great hopes if all the parties join in the peace movement and take part in the ongoing democratic process. In Darfur, the situation remains worrisome to be sure, but thanks to the agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the United Nations and the adoption of Security Council resolution 1769 (2007) on 31 July, we hope that there will soon be a return to peace and security in that part of the Sudan. In Western Sahara, we are gratified by the initiation of direct negotiations between Morocco and the POLISARIO Front, including the two meetings held under the aegis of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General subsequent to the adoption of Security Council resolution 1754 (2007). Finally, with regard to Somalia, we earnestly hope that the national reconciliation conference and the efforts of the international community will yield positive results and enable that brother country to emerge forever from the crisis that has prevailed there for years. The situation in the Middle East, dominated by the Israel-Palestine conflict, requires more focused attention by the international community. My delegation feels that the resumption of the political process remains the only way to move towards a just and lasting solution, on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions and the principle of two viable States living side by side in peace and security. The Quartet Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative remain frames of reference in this regard. Generally speaking, the coherent subregional approach employed by the United Nations and the subregional organizations seems well suited to handling conflicts, and also to responding to other concerns, such as international migration, trafficking in human beings, trafficking in drugs, transnational crime and the proliferation and spread of small arms and light weapons. From this perspective, in particular as regards the African continent, the capacity of subregional organizations and the African Union should be reinforced. The United Nations Ten-year Capacity-Building Programme for the African Union is to be commended, as it opens new possibilities for conflict prevention and the maintenance of lasting peace on the continent, in particular through the creation of an African intervention force. Along these lines, the open debates of the Security Council on strengthening the role of the Council in conflict prevention and resolution, in particular in Africa, are of great importance. Conflicts are not the only threats to international peace and security. Other phenomena, sometimes more devastating and unforeseeable, threaten the ability of peoples around the world to enjoy their legitimate right to peace and security. Those phenomena include international terrorism, transnational crime and all types of trafficking. In this connection, the Sahara, a geographical zone that the Niger shares with several other African countries, is becoming a den of drug and arms traffickers, fuelling and perpetuating insecurity in the region. The Niger intends to participate intensively in any effort to enhance the international community’s efforts to eradicate that scourge, which undermines the economies of the countries concerned and threatens the foundations of democracy. In that regard, my delegation considers international cooperation and assistance for affected developing countries to be indispensable if we are to succeed in combating drug trafficking and trafficking in small arms and light weapons, including anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. These are used by armed groups to continue to inflict untold suffering on innocent civilians, obstruct trade and hinder all development activities in infested areas. The scope and gravity of the phenomenon truly require that the international community give it all due attention and firmly condemn the criminal acts being carried out by these networks of traffickers, in particular in our region. The linkage between peace, security, development and human rights, spelled out in the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1), has lost none of its relevance and continues to fuel our thinking. That is why the Niger continues to feel a sense of solidarity for all initiatives, present or future, designed to give new momentum to development efforts. Niger welcomes the initiative of the informal thematic debate entitled “Partnerships towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Taking stock, moving forward”, held on 27 November 2006 and the first in a series of three debates organized by the General Assembly in the context of its revitalization process. On that occasion, some development partners were able to undertake concrete commitments, such as that of the Islamic Development Bank, which announced the creation of a poverty mitigation fund endowed with a $10 billion budget. The Government of the Niger, through me, would like to commend that exemplary initiative, which is part of an ever more effective development partnership. The Niger sees the General Assembly’s adoption of resolution of 61/16 on strengthening the role of the Economic and Social Council as a great step forward. The resolution names the Economic and Social Council as a principal body responsible for economic and social development and, in particular, for the implementation of the international development goals agreed at the major United Nations conferences and summits, including the Millennium Development Goals. We congratulate the State of Qatar on having hosted the preparatory meeting for the Monterrey Consensus review conference, to be held in Doha in 2008. Moreover, the unparalleled commitment of the Government of Qatar to international development led it to host the Conference on Consolidating Food Security in Niger, which was held in Doha with the support of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and proved most successful. I therefore take this privileged moment at the rostrum of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session to reiterate the profound gratitude of the people and Government of the Niger to that friendly country, the entire Islamic ummah and all other partners who kindly supported that initiative. The international community should pay particular attention to one category of countries that is even more vulnerable. I am referring to land-locked developing countries, whose geography puts them at a great disadvantage. In 2003, the Almaty Conference, having considered their situation, adopted a Declaration and Programme of Action, the implementation of which is soon to be reviewed. The time has therefore come to launch an urgent appeal to all development partners to resolve to take the necessary measures not only to help those countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, but also to enable them to mitigate the negative impacts of desertification, environmental degradation and climate change. Desertification and the deteriorating environment are two problems that seriously affect the countries of the Sahel, including mine. The combined efforts of the international community effectively to combat those scourges should be stepped up. The action taken by the Niger, based on the experience gained through the special programme launched by the President of the Republic, has allowed us to achieve spectacular successes that deserve to be consolidated and strengthened. Thanks to the work to restore degraded soil, remove sand and reforest the landscape undertaken over the past few years and stepped up in the framework of that programme, 3 million hectares have been reclaimed from the desert, according to satellite monitoring undertaken in 2006 and transmitted by the regional Agrimet centre. Large expanses that were desperately arid have now become productive agricultural areas and pasture land thanks to water- retention and infiltration activities that have raised the water table. It is worth noting that such activities are being carried out by several thousand young people being paid through a cash-for-work programme. The public debate in the Security Council and the thematic debate in the General Assembly dedicated to climate change highlighted the scope and gravity of the phenomenon by emphasizing the need for urgent collective action. The eloquent statements made at the high-level meeting organized by the Secretary-General on 24 September lead us to believe that the parties are willing to move to achieve essential objectives, which is the only way to secure a wholesome and reliable environment for present and future generations. The Niger resolutely supports that momentum and, within its national strategy and plan of action for climate change and viability, has drafted a national programme of action for adaptation to climate change. All such questions, which fall within the context of a comprehensive vision of sustainable development, are covered in our revised poverty reduction strategy, which is the reference framework for my country’s overall economic and development policy. I take this exceptional opportunity solemnly to invite all our development partners to participate in the international conference on the Niger’s revised poverty reduction strategy, to be held in Brussels in October. The conference has been called, inter alia, to harmonize and coordinate the contributions of our development partners. Harmonization and coordination are topical issues in the United Nations. They are essential to increasing the Organization’s effectiveness in collective action to address global challenges and threats. My delegation agrees that system-wide coherence in United Nations activities should be a principal focus for the implementation of reforms advocated in the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit. We must therefore find the means to implement them. I note that we see such reforms as a way of better helping developing countries to achieve lasting economic growth, develop sustainably and eradicate poverty. That is the vision that leads me to reaffirm the Niger’s conviction that coherence and coordination must be inspired by the cardinal principles of ownership, national leadership and respect for national development priorities.