It is a source of pride for Africans and our friends alike to see you, Sir, presiding over the demanding business of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. You bring to your high office the immense wisdom and experience you have gained over the years as a dedicated public servant and Cabinet minister of the Gabonese Republic. You hold in your capable hands the mandate given to you by the Charter of the United Nations to give new impetus to the promotion of peace, human security and sustainable development throughout the world. I congratulate you warmly and pledge Namibiaís full support to you personally and to your Bureau. You will recall, Mr. President, the renewed spirit and firm resolve for change demonstrated by African leaders in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. There, we stressed a new beginning for Africa in transforming the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and launching the African Union and its development arm, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). We also reiterated our commitment to embrace the African diaspora in consolidating and transforming our continent. I am, therefore, delighted to note that the outgoing President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte, hails from the sister country of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. I pay tribute to him for his excellent and successful service to the United Nations. During his tenure of office, he showed leadership and dedication to world peace, security and sustainable development. We are gathered once again at United Nations Headquarters to reaffirm the precious ideals, principles and purposes of the Organization, and to transform them into action towards ending armed conflict, saving our children and investing resources to eradicate hunger, disease and poverty in the world. Our illustrious and hardworking Secretary- General, my dear brother Kofi Annan, has left no stone unturned in his tireless efforts to exert his authority in conflict situations. His insistence on the centrality and legitimate responsibility of the Organization to be on the side of the poor, the weak and the needy in the world should be commended. In his annual report on the work of the Organization (A/59/1), the Secretary- General once again reminds Member States of the terrible state of the world, and offers real alternatives for world peace and security, social development financing and the mitigation of the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other infectious diseases. I commend the Secretary-General for his worthy interventions and effective leadership. During the 1999-2000 period, Namibia had the rare honour and privilege of serving the Organization in two capacities. My country served both as a non- permanent member of the Security Council and, simultaneously, as President of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, whose task, among others, was to prepare for the Millennium Summit and the adoption of the historic Millennium Declaration. I was thus called upon to co-chair that Summit together with my Finnish counterpart, Her Excellency Ms. Tarja Halonen. At that memorable Summit, the largest ever gathering of world leaders unanimously endorsed the far-reaching Millennium Development Goals and targets. Today we all remain bound by that historic and unique undertaking. Member States collectively pledged, among other things, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality and improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for sustainable development. By endorsing those Development Goals and targets, our Governments have made a serious and irrevocable commitment, through reliable public policy interventions, to care for the millions of our children all over the world who are asking for nothing more than love, protection and a peaceful childhood. In this undertaking, we cannot ignore the ever- widening income gap between the rich and the poor, between the industrialized North and the developing South. This situation represents a dangerous time bomb, which the world can ill afford to let take its own course. Our planet Earth is too small to perpetuate the unacceptable juxtaposition of abject poverty and abundant prosperity. We will deal with this situation effectively only when we promote mutually beneficial commercial trade between the North and the South within the framework of North-South and South-South cooperation. I would like to emphasize that the Millennium Development Goals and targets by themselves are only 7 declarations of intent. Our Governments must translate them into sustainable policies, buttressed by adequate financial and technological resources, to make a real difference in the lives of our peoples. For its part, Namibia, in cooperation with the relevant United Nations agencies, has adopted a countrywide programme to implement the Millennium Development Goals and targets. In addition to deploying our own resolve and capabilities, we call upon other development partners to assist us in our national efforts towards nation-building, reconciliation and transformation. At the initiative of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil, world leaders converged at United Nations Headquarters on 20 September 2004 to exchange views and find workable solutions aimed at bringing an end to hunger and poverty in the world. We commend him for that important initiative, in which we participated. At the end of the meeting, a declaration was adopted, which Namibia fully supports. We call upon Member States and other stakeholders to implement it with due urgency. The world has enormous resources with which to fight and defeat poverty, hunger and underdevelopment. In this process of dialogue, we must insist on a realistic balance between the total world spending on war and weapons technology on the one hand and the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and targets on the other. What is required is political will and compassion on the part of world leaders. The debate on weapons of mass destruction must not divide United Nations Member States, but should lead nations to find and enhance peaceful coexistence and cooperation. Developed countries should consider their support to the countries of the South as an act of enlightened contribution to regional and global stability, and as a purposeful incentive to encourage increased mutually beneficial commercial trade and investment among all nations. I wish to underline the significance of my presence at the current session of the General Assembly. Attached to my attendance are a long history, a personal journey and an unbroken link between Namibia and the United Nations over many years. I entered this building for the first time in 1960, as a petitioner before the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly. That was my first humble but determined emergence on the diplomatic scene. I have spent many years since then, attending various United Nations debates and conferences that dealt with the decolonization of Namibia and negotiations on self- determination and independence. During those many years, I addressed some of the Security Council meetings held in respect of the question of Namibia, starting in 1971, as the first freedom fighter accorded such an opportunity. I got to meet and know many distinguished statesmen, diplomats, fellow petitioners and eminent international civil servants in New York, Geneva, Paris and other important conference venues. My Namibian colleagues and I will always treasure the advice, support and solidarity we received from the United Nations family, and from friends the world over. Many friendly nations of the world stood firm and rendered moral, material and diplomatic support to the noble cause of our freedom and independence. Many world-renowned revolutionaries, particularly on the African continent, rendered selfless sacrifices, not only towards the independence of our motherland, but also to free the African continent from colonial exploitation and apartheid. I therefore would like to salute and pay homage to the visionary leaders of the African continent who shaped the vision of African unity and the continentís emancipation from the yoke of colonialism, foreign occupation and apartheid. Among them, I pay special tribute to Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana; Ahmed Ben Bella, the first Prime Minister of Algeria; Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt; Julius Kambarage Nyerere of Tanzania; Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia; General Murtala Mohammed of Nigeria; Antonio Agostinho Neto of Angola; and other African leaders and pan-Africanists. Namibiaís protracted liberation struggle was bloody and bitter. It caused the untold suffering and sacrifices of our people inside the country and those of us who were forced to spend many decades in exile. After many years of struggle, the international community finally recognized and endorsed the legitimacy of our cause for freedom, equality and justice, led by our national liberation movement, the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) of Namibia. 8 Namibia became principally the legal responsibility of the United Nations, and in that way a unique partnership was forged for a common cause between the world Organization and the struggling Namibian people, which endured for 30 daunting and eventful years. On 21 March 1990, His Excellency Javier Perez de Cuellar, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, swore me in as President of the Republic of Namibia. Later in September of the same year, I returned to the United Nations to address the General Assembly and, on behalf of my people, to thank the United Nations for the special partnership and the principled support in various forms that eventually gave birth to the 160th State Member of our Organization. I paid tribute to those United Nations civil servants and members of the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) who served diligently to ensure the full implementation of Security Council resolution 435 (1978). I also paid homage to those who died in the course of their duty in Namibia. I wish to recall with appreciation that my initial access to the United Nations was made possible by non-governmental organizations, church groups, a handful of United Nations staff members and concerned diplomats from friendly countries. I sincerely thank them all. The Namibian people salute them and will forever honour the memories we shared. Among those many organizations, I wish to particularly single out and pay deserved tribute to the Africa-America Institute for its exceptional dedication to provide and expand educational opportunities to Africans across our continent, including Namibians, both before and after our independence. I join other African leaders in welcoming the Africa-America Instituteís fiftieth anniversary education partnership campaign, which I wholeheartedly recommend for global support. By my own decision and in compliance with our Constitution, I will be serving as President of the Republic only until 20 March 2005. I will then bid farewell to my State duties and public functions. I am looking forward to a less hectic life, but I will remain a fully engaged private citizen. I intend to undertake certain causes that are dear to my heart and be ready to assist national, regional and international efforts, especially in the areas of poverty eradication, people with disabilities, food production and infrastructure development. At the beginning of my statement, I referred to the launch of the African Union, NEPAD and Africaís resolve to pursue a new beginning. I now want to add another crucial dimension, that of gender equality and the empowerment of women in decision-making and their election to national, regional and international institutions. Our subregional organization, the Southern African Development Community, spearheaded this new thinking, and we are happy that the African Union has also started implementing this progressive and forward-looking agenda. The recent inauguration of the Pan-African Parliament, which is hosted by South Africa, is a litmus test for Africaís renewal. We must not delay or fail in our joint venture to achieve the total integration of our continent. The recognition and the full participation of women in decision-making are fundamental to Africaís transformation and industrialization. With that in mind, we proudly acknowledge the election of Mrs. Gertrude Mongella of Tanzania, who became the first President of the Pan-African Parliament. There is no shortage of competent and experienced African women to lead the way forward. The African Union Commission includes female commissioners from various African countries. Africa must place at the top of its agenda the involvement and support of women as leaders and role models. Since the days of the Organization of African Unity, the United Nations and Africa have been true partners. In the process, they have offered one another mutual support and ever increasing cooperation in the vital fields of conflict resolution, peace-building, humanitarian relief and social development. Now that the African Union has established its Peace and Security Council, in addition to NEPAD, we envisage a wider scope for cooperation and resource mobilization to plan for the prevention of armed conflicts and human suffering in Africa. With the attainment of sustained peace and stability, Africaís economic growth and poverty eradication will become a reality and the hopes and aspirations of our people will be realized. To that end, 9 we need continued and strong partnership with the United Nations. From this podium and in various other forums, we have reaffirmed our belief in a peaceful, democratic, transparent and just international system. We have advocated a system that would bring the poor and the rich of the world together to save the lives of millions and pursue sustainable development and human security. To achieve that noble objective, the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, cannot continue operating on the basis of undemocratic structures of decision-making. The Council should be reformed without delay; political will is what is lacking. We can do better. Now is the time. Africa needs its place as a key player in this world body. We demand our share of responsibility. The current war in Iraq has divided the world, causing enormous human suffering and undermining international peace and security. There is widespread distrust among nations, and the danger of nuclear proliferation makes the situation even more alarming. Millions of people in Africa, especially in the Great Lakes region and the Sudan, continue to experience untold suffering due to conflict and war. Namibia is deeply concerned about the killings and the human rights violations against innocent women, children and the elderly in the Darfur region of the Sudan. We call on all parties concerned, in particular the Government of the Sudan, to implement without delay all the agreements and commitments they have made. Against that background, my Government fully supports Security Council resolution 1564 (2004) of 18 September 2004. While we support the efforts of the African Union to find a peaceful solution to that highly volatile situation, we feel strongly that the Security Council should assume full responsibility in accordance with the Charter. This problem can be resolved only through a Security Council resolution establishing a peacekeeping mission for Sudan, in particular to deal with human suffering in Darfur. In that context, as a product of the United Nations ourselves, and in the light of our commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security, Namibia is prepared to contribute a battalion to such a United Nations mission. The United Nations Settlement Plan for Western Sahara must be implemented immediately. Likewise, the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people must be realized. We, the international community, owe it to them. Namibia reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the United States embargo against Cuba in order to allow the people of the two countries to coexist peacefully. The global security situation is being further threatened by the emergence of mercenaries, who undermine legitimate Governments. The African continent has not been spared by this ugly phenomenon, which should be condemned by the international community. The United Nations is the ideal place for finding solutions through multilateral negotiations and compromise. The Secretary-General needs the unwavering support of all Member States in order to play an effective role in the Middle East and Africa and in conflict situations around the world. Whether fighting poverty, HIV/AIDS or terrorism, the international community must act as one. We must stop human suffering and promote security and prosperity for all. Namibia stands for peace, unity, stability and mutually beneficial economic partnership. Our Constitution is the primary guide we rely on in those pursuits. My Government is implementing Vision 2030 and the successive national development plans in stages, with a view to further enhancing economic growth and improving the living conditions of our people, including by transforming our villages into viable socio-economic participants. Poverty, education, health care, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, skills development, the empowerment of women, the protection of children and assistance to people with disabilities are among the urgent national priorities covered in those people-centred government interventions. We carry them out in partnership with business, labour and those representing civil society. Happily, the competent United Nations agencies and international experts based in Namibia are working closely with my Government to bring prosperity and transformation to Namibia and the subregion. When we succeed, Africa 10 will benefit and the world, too, will acknowledge the shared rewards of development partnerships. I conclude my statement in the confidence that, through the United Nations, humanity will triumph over the challenges that confront us today so that the future generations will live in peace, free from the scourges of war, poverty, hunger and disease. I believe strongly that our common goals and objectives are achievable because a people united, striving to achieve a common good for all members of society, will always emerge victorious. Long live the United Nations!