On this
special occasion, when I have the honour to speak to
various delegations that have come from the four corners
of the world to participate in the General Assembly at
its sixty-eighth session, I would like, on behalf of His
Excellency Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the
Republic of Burundi, and on behalf of my delegation, to
express our congratulations to His Excellency Mr. John
Ashe on his election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at its sixty-eighth session.
To Mr. Vuk Jeremi., his predecessor, we wish to
say how much his work as President at the sixty-seventh
session was very much appreciated in my country, and
we take this opportunity to relay to him our sincere
congratulations for having very ably presided over that
session.
It is also our great pleasure to congratulate
His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his excellent
achievements in a difficult and often turbulent
international sociopolitical and economic context. Our
best wishes and our continued support will accompany
him throughout his second term in office, so that he can
continue with the same momentum the work started in
all priority areas on the United Nations agenda and in
particular, that of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), the central concern of the current session.
It is for us an opportune moment to take the floor to
address the Assembly to talk about the situation in my
country, on the one hand, and to mention some current
issues that are presently of concern to the international
community, on the other hand.
With regard to my country, my statement will
focus on the political and economic situation and on
our progress regarding the Millennium Development
Goals, for which we are called upon to establish new
benchmarks.
In the political area, we are preparing to hold general
elections in 2015. As we have always said, including
during our previous elections, we have promised to the
people of Burundi and the international community to
hold transparent, free and peaceful elections. Burundi is
seeking to set up a truth and reconciliation commission
soon, as was provided for in the Arusha Agreement for
Peace and Reconciliation, in order to shed light on the
massive human rights violations after our independence
and to create a more stable and democratic society.
With regard to socioeconomic concerns, in December
2012 Burundi adopted a strategic policy instrument
entitled “Vision Burundi 2025”, which sets out what
Burundi will look like in 2025. Its main pillars are
the goals to promote strong leadership at all levels of
the State apparatus, to provide good living conditions
for the population, to rely on an educated population
that enjoys good health, to promote accelerated and
double-digit economic growth and to make the most
of regional integration so as to increase and diversify
the economy of Burundi. Other goals include putting
in place an aggressive demographic policy aimed at
limiting the population growth rate to 2 per cent in
2025 and gradually restoring social cohesion and giving
pride of place back to the fundamental cultural values
that have always characterized Burundian society. One
could also cite the goals of setting up a village and
urbanization policy aimed at significantly increasing
the urbanization rate to 40 per cent, as well as creating
synergies among the various development stakeholders
and promoting a good context for dialogue and
consultation with respect to planning for development
financing and implementing Vision Burundi.
Along those same lines, Burundi has also adopted
a second policy instrument, the Strategic Framework
for Growth to Combat Poverty 2012-2016, launched
in February 2012. Its goals are the consolidation
of peace, security and the rule of law, managing
population growth, increasing agricultural production
and marketing, improved efficiency in public spending,
a dynamic and efficient private sector, a sufficient
increase in energy production, and strengthening
development capacity.
Since the central theme of this debate pertains to
the post-2015 development agenda, it is appropriate
for my delegation to review Burundi’s socioeconomic
achievements. As the Assembly is aware, the
Millennium Development Goals are the promise that
we made to the poorest and most vulnerable people of
the world. The MDGs have managed to place human
beings at the heart of the development agenda. I should
now like to turn to the status of the implementation of
MDGs in my country, which I will review one by one.
With regard to MDG 1, on the eradication of extreme
poverty, we have seen relatively good progress since
2006. Even so, we must note that, although generally
the rate of poverty has steadily decreased from 81 per
cent in 1998 and to 67 per cent in 2006, it is nonetheless
unlikely that Burundi will reach its target.
With respect to MDG 2, achieving universal
primary education, many improvements have been
noted in terms of the net enrolment rate in primary
school education in Burundi, which rose from 52 per
cent in 1990 to 96 per cent in 2010. That occurred as a
result of policy measures, in particular the presidential
measure taken in 2005 regarding free schooling, and
because the restoration of peace has enabled even
children beyond school age to be enrolled in school.
It is therefore possible that the second MDG will be
achieved in 2015.
Concerning MDG 3, on gender equality and the
empowerment of women, there is near parity of girls
and boys in primary school, but disparities have
increased in secondary school. In higher education, the
ratio of girls to boys has improved. In State institutions,
we have seen an increase in the number of women in
Parliament, with 43 per cent in the National Assembly
and 50 per cent in the Senate. Those figures far
exceed the stipulation in the 2005 Constitution, which
established a quota of 30 per cent for women in political
institutions.
With respect to the MDG 4 target of reducing the
under-five mortality rate, that rate has decreased by
35 per cent, going from 88 deaths per 1,000 live births
in 1990 to 57 per 1,000 in 2010. Despite that progress,
we are still far from the hoped-for 13.5 per cent, which
was our aim in order to achieve the target of reducing
by two thirds the under-five mortality rate. The relative
improvement is due to more people going to health-care
facilities, because we have made health care free for
children under 5.
With regard to MDG 5, on improving maternal
health, the target is to reduce by three quarters the
maternal mortality rate by 2015. The mortality ratio has
undergone a downward trend since 1990. It decreased at
a rate of 30 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births per
year, amounting to a reduction of 54.5 per cent between
1990 and 2010.
As to MDG 6, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases, a survey conducted in 2010 shows that
the HIV prevalence is estimated at 1.4 per cent in the
population aged 15 to 49 years, while among women
ages 15 to 24 years old it is 0.8 per cent, as compared
with 3.5 per cent in 2007. Nonetheless, we see a
downward trend of HIV prevalence among women ages
15 to 24, according to the sentinel surveilance system.
With regard to the status of HIV orphans, the available
data show that the number of deaths has gone from
12,000 per year in 2004 to fewer than 6,000 per year in
2011. That is a decrease of approximately 50 per cent.
With regard to MDG 7, ensuring environmental
sustainability, in Burundi the percentage has gone from
70 per cent to 72.5 per cent in 20 years. Data show that
the proportion of the population using an improved
sanitation system remained stagnant, at around 46 per
cent, between 1990 and 2010.
In terms of MDG 8, on a global partnership for
development, Burundi does its utmost to mobilize
domestic resources and external support — estimated
at $75 billion — in order to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
Concerning Burundi’s position vis-à-vis the post-
2015 agenda, it is evident from national consultations
with all segments of the population that a post-2015
development agenda should focus on the following
areas: governance, inequality, conflict and fragility;
economic growth and employment; energy, water
and a sustainable environment; access to basic social
services; and food security.
Substantial progress has been made with respect to
the strategic framework for peacebuilding, and a third
phase of the programme is currently being developed by
the Government, in conjunction with the United Nations
Office in Burundi and the parent office in New York. In
view of the notable progress that has already been made
since our country was first placed on the agenda of the
Peacebuilding Commission, Burundi considers that it is
now time for it to withdraw gradually from that agenda
in order to make way for other countries whose need is
currently greater.
At the same time, my Government has expressed
the wish to see the United Nations Office in Burundi
convert in February 2014 to a Burundi country team
office. That would enable Burundi to work in close
collaboration with the United Nations team and with
other partners to meet the socioeconomic challenges
with which it is currently faced.
Having summarized my Government’s achievements,
I shall now talk about Burundi’s role regionally and
internationally.
With regard to its international role, Burundi was
one of the first two countries to take the courageous
decision to participate in the African Union Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM), where it has served since 2007. I
should emphasize that Burundi is proud of the progress
towards normalization in Somalia, but we call upon all
the partners to strengthen the operational capacity of
AMISOM so that it may complete its mission.
Burundi is also participating in peacekeeping
operations in Cote d’Ivoire, Haiti and the Sudan. Soon,
it will be participating in Mali and the Central African
Republic. The recent election of Mr. Boubacar Keita
as the country’s President is undoubtedly a decisive
step in re-establishing the principles of democracy
that governed the country in the past. That is the
right path towards normalization. In our view, those
successful elections are an important step in terms of
Mali’s recovery. A Burundian contingent is ready to be
deployed in that country.
With regard to the security situation in the eastern
part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi
aligns itself with other members of the International
Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and
partners such as the African Union and the United
Nations to ensure peace in that country. In that regard,
we reaffirm our commitment through the terms of
the agreement of 15 December 2006 and the relevant
protocols of the ICGLR, as well as statements and
decisions made by Heads of State and Government of
member States in Addis Abeba and Kampala. At the
regional level, we reaffirm our commitment, under the
Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region,
signed in Addis Ababa on 24 February.
With regard to the very unstable situation in the
Central African Republic, Burundi, as a member of
the Economic Community of Central African States, is
ready to work with other nations to deploy a military
contingent there in order to participate in re-establishing
peace.
Concerning the situation in Egypt, Burundi hopes
that the Egyptian people find a swift way out of the
crisis. With our African Union and United Nations
partners, we are prepared to ensure that the Arab
Republic of Egypt and its people revive their democratic
institutions.
With regard to Syria, Burundi believes that the
international community must do all it can to help
all parties reach a ceasefire in order to settle their
differences peaceably.
With regard to the conflict in the Middle East,
Burundi reiterates its support for a negotiated solution
that leads to two States living side by side in peace and
mutual respect, in line with the relevant resolutions of
the Security Council.
Terrorism in its various forms has become a source
of daily concern. Not even a week goes by without an
act of terrorism being carried out somewhere in the
world. Barbaric acts strike indiscriminately, affecting
innocent people who have had the misfortune of finding
themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Government of Burundi would like to take this
opportunity to condemn, in the firmest way possible, the
cowardly and arbitrary terrorist attack at the Westgate
Mall in Nairobi. That heinous act has plunged into
mourning not only Kenya, but the entire international
community, given the different nationalities of the
victims. We would like to convey to our brothers the
people of Kenya and to their Government our sincere
condolences and to reassure them of our friendship
and solidarity. Burundi reiterates its full support for
the United Nations Global Counter-terrorism Strategy,
adopted by Member States in 2006.
With regard to the International Criminal Court,
Burundi would like to express its full solidarity with the
people of Kenya, who have just democratically elected
their leaders. Burundi would like the Court to review
how it functions so that it can benefit Member States of
the international community as a whole. Burundi calls
for a review of the Rome Statute at the next meeting
of States parties, which is to take place from 20 to
28 November. In the meantime, it is important that the
peace and reconciliation processes on our continent be
strengthened rather than weakened.
Burundi welcomes the ministerial meeting to be
held by the African Union on the sidelines of the sixty-
eight session of the General Assembly on 27 September,
as well as the announcement that a summit of Heads of
State will be held on 11 and 12 October in Addis Ababa.
We have renewed the commitment of the
Government of Burundi to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and to ensure peace and security.
We would like to conclude our statement by reiterating
Burundi’s commitment to the ideals of the Charter of
the United Nations.
My Government hopes that cooperation between
the United Nations and the African Union can be
strengthened in terms of tackling issues related to
African countries in accordance with the letter and spirit
of the founding documents of those two institutions.