Like the
Heads of State and Government who have spoken
before me, I would like, on behalf of the delegation of
Côte D’Ivoire and on my own behalf, to address my
sincere congratulations to Mr. Ashe on his outstanding
election as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-eighth session. I also wish in particular to thank
Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon for his leadership of
the Organization and his commitment to world peace
and development. I take this opportunity to reiterate to
him, in the name of my counterparts in the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), our
gratitude for his personal involvement in the resolution
of conflicts in Africa and especially in the subregion of
West Africa.
Before touching on the topic of today’s debate, in
taking the floor for the second time before the Assembly
I would like to reaffirm the gratitude of the Ivorian
people for the efforts of the United Nations and the
international community on our behalf. Indeed, thanks
to that invaluable support, Côte d’Ivoire is now hard
at work and has returned to the path of economic and
social development for the well-being of all Ivorians.
My country is in a period of full reconstruction after
establishing credible and democratic institutions
following free, transparent elections. National
reconciliation and political dialogue are under way in
a climate of peace. We are aware of the challenges that
remain, but we are on the right path.
The theme for this session, “The post-2015
development agenda: setting the stage”, calls on us all
individually and collectively to consider our capacity
to meet the development challenge. As we approach
the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals, it should be noted that significant
progress has been achieved by most countries, and
we welcome the determination of all Governments
to continue their efforts to meet the Millennium
commitments.
Although much remains to be done and the
progress made can mask various national and regional
realities, the current trend appears to be irreversible,
despite a particularly difficult economic environment.
We must seek to build on the positive outcomes that
have been achieved in a number of areas, such as
primary school enrolment, vaccinations and slowing
the spread of HIV/AIDS. We must also resolve issues
of food security, drought, access to drinking water
and combating poverty, which continue to be major
concerns for our States.
By adopting the Millennium Development Goals,
we have the collective responsibility and ambition to
improve the living conditions of our fellow citizens and
thereby accelerate the development of our countries. As
far as my country, Côte d’Ivoire, is concerned, progress
towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals,
which was deadlocked because of the sociopolitical
crisis, has today gained new momentum, thanks
to the sound performance of our economy. It is in
that favourable climate that the Government has
established an ambitious reconstruction programme,
which is based on the national development plan for
the period 2012-2015. Social investments being a
priority in that programme, the programme allocates
substantial amounts to education, health and basic
social infrastructure. The Government has also made
job creation a national priority, in particular jobs for
young people, and its goal is to create 200,000 jobs a
year, which is a considerable number given the size of
our country.
As we assess what has been accomplished, we must
face the fact that the world needs greater solidarity to
reach the Millennium Development Goals. Therefore,
we must adopt a comprehensive approach that will
enable our countries to create sustainable development
models that are more equitable and more respectful
of our differences. The African continent, which lags
behind in the effort to achieve the Goals by 2015,
can nevertheless count on an increasing share in the
global economy because of its growth rate. My country
therefore supports the definition of a post-2015 agenda
to forge a new consensus regarding a new generation
of sustainable development goals, based on the
Millennium Development Goals.
The world we seek will not come about unless
we meet the challenge of peace and security, as well
as that of democracy, through a return to the values
of the Charter of the United Nations. Too many wars
and conflicts continue to tear humankind apart,
undermining development efforts in numerous
countries. We must collectively put an end to that
situation by ensuring that we serve the interests of the
people exclusively, using the tools we already have. It
is by renewing the foundations of our solidarity that we
will be able to counter new threats, such as terrorism,
cross-border crime, drug and arms trafficking, human
trafficking and piracy at sea.
The attack of a rare violence that occurred in our
brother country, Kenya, is an example of those threats,
and reminds us of the urgent need for collective action
against the threat of terrorism. We condemn in the
strongest possible terms that despicable and barbarous
act, which shows that the fight against terrorism is
ongoing and calls for new methods of security. In these
times of great suffering, I would like, on behalf of my
country and West Africa, to convey to the brotherly
people of Kenya and its President our compassion and
support.
International governance must become more
democratic and increasingly embody the universal
consensus and the values of our nations. Indeed, the
world must be able to recognize itself in its multilateral
institutions in order to effectively deal with the hazards
of this new century.
West Africa is aware of the threat posed to
its development, the deterioration in the security
environment and the proliferation of new factors of
instability. Accordingly, the Heads of State of ECOWAS
are rightly doing everything possible, with the support
of the international community, in a determined effort
to re-establish and maintain peace in our region. For
that reason, we welcomed with the utmost satisfaction
the re-establishment of the territorial integrity of Mali
and the successful holding of presidential elections in
that country.
That success must not hide the major challenges
still facing our region. I therefore call upon the
international community to learn from the conflict in
Mali and to support ECOWAS and the African Union in
implementing a coherent and proactive security policy.
Terrorism in the Sahel region is spreading to such an
extent that entire expanses are outside the authority of
States. The threat goes beyond the borders of the African
continent and demands a concerted international
response in keeping with the stakes involved.
I would like to encourage donors and our traditional
partners to provide their support to the United Nations
and to our States within the framework of this strategy.
We welcome the announcement of the upcoming visit
of the Secretary-General and the President of the World
Bank to the Sahel region in order to mobilize the entire
international community and the financial institutions.
If we want to end the cycle of politico-military
crises in West Africa, Guinea-Bissau must also receive
international support, so that we can build upon the
current inclusive transition and enable the Government
to organize democratic elections next November. For
that reason, on behalf of ECOWAS, I call upon the
international community to contribute to the financing
of general elections in that country.
In closing, I would like to remind our Assembly that
in order to meet the challenges of international peace
and security, we must redouble our efforts to deliver on
the commitments made at United Nations conferences
and summits. The right to development must become a
reality for all, as set out in the Millennium Declaration
(resolution 55/2), which was unanimously adopted in
September 2000. We must all draw lessons from the
shortcomings of the past in order to rebuild the world
gloriously for ourselves, our children and our children’s
children.