Malawi

At the outset, I would like to convey the condolences of the people and the Government of the Republic of Malawi to the Government and the people of the United States of America, as well as to the people and Government of the Dominican Republic and other countries whose nationals died in the plane crash that occurred in Queens, here in New York, on 12 November 2001. Similarly, I also wish to convey my condolences to the Government and the people of Algeria, following the recent flood disaster in which many lives were lost and much property was damaged. On behalf of the Malawi delegation, I feel deeply honoured to join my fellow representatives in congratulating Mr. Han Seung-soo on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly. My delegation looks forward to working closely with him over the coming months in the pursuit of sustainable solutions to the major global concerns and challenges that continue to confront humankind and in the promotion of international peace, security and understanding. Let me also take this opportunity to express Malawi’s deep appreciation of and thanks to his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland, for his exceptional skills, expertise and unswerving commitment. We have noted with appreciation how his tireless efforts and tenacity have resulted in progress on most of the items of the agenda during his presidency. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the United Nations as a whole, for being jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2001. This demonstrates the world’s recognition of the great strides the Organization and the Secretary-General have made in carrying forward the mandate of the United Nations. This achievement is a rare feat that we should be proud of, and it should serve to encourage all of us to do more for the good of humanity. I would also like to reiterate the congratulations of the Government of Malawi to Mr. Kofi Annan on his appointment to the post of Secretary-General for a second term of office. It is appalling and extremely unfortunate that at a time when we thought we were making progress in human development, some people among us conducted heinous and abhorrent acts of terrorism. The terrorist attacks in this country on 11 September serve to remind us that the global village we are living in is under threat from people who do not value human life and democratic values. The Government of Malawi believes that no cause or rationale can justify terrorism as a means of achieving individual or group goals, as such acts result in indiscriminate destruction of human life and property. Clearly, it is evident that no nation will be spared the far-reaching, devastating impact of the attacks of 11 September. The Government of Malawi unreservedly condemns those acts and pledges its support and cooperation in the fight against such unjustifiable criminal acts. It is our sincere hope that all those responsible for the terrorist attacks on the United States of America and, indeed, elsewhere in the world, will speedily be brought to justice. As we all share sympathy with the victims of the recent terrorist attacks, let us also demonstrate our unanimous resolve to deal with this problem in a decisive and conclusive manner by ratifying or acceding to all conventions aimed at combating terrorism. That will send a strong message to all parts of the world about our common purpose to remove this evil from our midst. It is common knowledge that terrorist groups and individuals or entities operate in sophisticated networks throughout the world. No country, therefore, can decisively deal with this problem alone. It is imperative that we all pool our resources to resolutely deal with the cancer of terrorism. Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) forms a sound and clear basis on which our cooperation should be anchored. It is abundantly clear that, if this resolution can be seriously implemented, it may effectively frustrate and check terrorist activities. It will be recalled that the strategic priority of the Millennium Summit held last year was to find ways of reshaping and reorienting the focus of the United Nations that would inspire a renewed and shared sense of universal mission, thereby enabling it to make a real, quantifiable difference in the lives of “We, the peoples” in the new millennium. And yet, regrettably, one year after that watershed event, the commitments of the Millennium Summit already seem to be anything but what they are — commitments — and to be mere platitudes on the part of the developed countries. The Summit’s much- trumpeted visions, goals and collective social 29 objectives already appear to have been consigned to the same fate of non-fulfilment that has befallen similar, previous commitments of the rich nations. It is saddening that, at the height of a global integration drive, a shockingly large number of countries remains outside the globalization loop, while a handful of economically powerful countries of the North controls the pace and terms of participation in the global economy, not least the skewed distribution of its benefits. It is equally disheartening to note, in particular, that the African continent is nowhere near attaining even half as much of the benefit that it has strenuously striven for in the global economy. Now more than ever, our continent is fast sliding deeper and deeper into a plight of deteriorating mass poverty. This situation is aggravated by mounting external debt, crumbling public infrastructure, marginally functional social services, severe environmental degradation, rising illiteracy and the rapid depletion of human resources and the skilled labour force as a result of endless armed conflicts and the devastation caused by epidemics, such as those of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other transmissible infections. These are some of the many issues that we have discussed time and again in this Assembly and other forums, and yet we seem to be getting nowhere. Clearly, Africa is under the threat of imminent virtual exclusion from the mainstream global economy — more so if the underlying spirit, ideals, goals and commitments of the Millennium Summit are not faithfully upheld to ensure the concrete and effective integration of the developing countries into the global economic framework on terms that reflect a shared future of promise of equality, equity, prosperity for all and a just world. In spite of all these apprehensions, my delegation is still encouraged by the wide global consensus on a range of major issues of critical concern to the least developed countries of Africa. The positive conclusions reached during the special session on HIV/AIDS and the world Conferences that took place this year — the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and the World Conference against Racism and Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance — reflect a newly emerging global recognition that there is an urgent need to begin concretely addressing the issues that will aggressively advance the economic and social progress of the less developed nations. The declarations and programmes of action agreed at those Conferences must be the centrepiece of any genuine international crusade to reduce social and economic disparities and inequalities between the North and the South. Indeed, the persistence of these inequalities and injustices, in our view, is the root cause of the political, economic and social turmoil currently tearing apart the African countries and some parts of the world. Malawi would like to reaffirm its steadfast commitment to the declarations of commitment, actions and programmes agreed at these Conferences. What the developing countries need is a chance for a fresh start, which can come about only through a comprehensive package of total debt forgiveness that cuts across the existing initiatives for debt relief, including the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative. We also need increased technical assistance, enhanced official development assistance and much greater flows of capital resources and foreign direct investment from developed countries. We would also like to insist on the genuine commitment of the North to the full integration of our economies into globalized markets through the removal of technical obstacles placed in the way of our exports. The United Nations ought to play a leading role in breaking down the walls of protectionism and to sustain the search for measures that can help the poor nations wriggle out of their poverty and vulnerability. This is in line with the spirit of the resolutions and decisions taken at last year’s World Summit for Social Development. I take this opportunity to pay special tribute to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the numerous initiatives that he has undertaken to prevent violent conflicts in Africa and other troubled regions of the world. The recent release to the Security Council of his special report on conflict prevention, which addresses in depth the many issues that arose from the Brahimi report, is one practical demonstration of the Secretary- General’s overpowering resolve to ensure that the international community addresses political disputes and tensions before they degenerate into all-out armed confrontations and violent conflicts. These pose a major challenge and real threat to international peace and security. 30 In the same vein, to effectively tame violent conflicts, the United Nations needs to deal decisively with the problem of the illicit trade and trafficking in small arms and light weapons. Their easy availability, transfer and proliferation remain at the centre of the intractability of violent conflicts, rising insecurity and instability in some parts of Africa. My delegation is most thankful for the success, albeit measured, achieved during the recent United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. In spite of a spirited bid by others to water down the agreed global consensus and programme of action, Africa takes heart in the holding of the Conference itself as a good starting point for putting in place effective measures to curb the immeasurable damage caused by these deadly weapons. Many evils such as slavery, the slave trade, colonialism, apartheid, genocide, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, poverty and starvation have afflicted the continent of Africa and its people. These evils have been entrenched to such an extent that even the international media only look forward to reporting on the tragedies befalling the continent. However, despite these ills, Africa deserves a special place in the economic, political and social spheres of the world. It is in cognizance of this fact that our leaders, in their quest for a prosperous and dynamic Africa, resolved to transform the Organization of African Unity into the African Union. The birth of the Union has ushered in the New African Initiative, now renamed the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, which seeks to pull Africa out of stagnation and put the continent on a new footing for economic recovery and prosperity as well as for the promotion of human rights and good governance. As a developing region with very limited financial resources, we shall rely on our cooperating partners in order to ensure that our dream for a new Africa is realized. Therefore, I wish to appeal for global support for this noble initiative being espoused by our leaders so that the people of the African continent may see real social, economic and political transformation for the betterment of their lives. Malawi recently assumed the one-year rotating chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). While SADC member States take pride in the relative peace and stability that prevail in much of the subregion, we still have serious concerns about the persistent general economic slowdown and the deterioration of human development in the subregion. SADC is experiencing an unfair share of problems and challenges which require the international community’s enhanced generous assistance and good will. It is common knowledge that SADC is reeling under the pressures of the untold devastation caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which is unravelling decades of hard-earned economic gains. The subregion accounts for 75 per cent of the world’s total number — that is, 36 million — of people living with deadly HIV/AIDS. SADC’s modest average economic growth rate of 3.2 per cent becomes a cause for serious concern when compared with its staggering population growth rate of nearly the same level. Apart from causing untold human suffering, the continuing civil wars in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — two of the subregion’s potential economic powerhouses — have hamstrung every genuine endeavour by SADC to promote itself as a prime destination for foreign capital and investment. Therefore, we call upon the United Nations to step up its efforts to bring pressure to bear on the belligerents in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo so that the ongoing peace initiatives can yield the rich rewards of an early and decisive settlement. We also call upon the international community to continue rendering vital support and cooperation to the peace facilitator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure that the inter-Congolese dialogue bears fruit and serves to consolidate the gains achieved so far by the United Nations peacekeeping operation and the Lusaka peace process. SADC would also like to see much more pressure exerted on Jonas Savimbi in order to force UNITA to return to the 1994 Lusaka peace framework. Only the intensification of the United Nations sanctions against UNITA and the punishment of those violating the embargo would genuinely achieve that goal. The attainment of durable peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola and the removal of tensions in the rest of the subregion would put SADC on a stronger footing for economic recovery and a firmer foundation for sustainable peace, security and tangible economic growth and development. 31 Time and again, Malawi has spoken in favour of readmission of the Republic of China on Taiwan to United Nations membership, which would grant to that country a well-deserved opportunity for active engagement in international affairs. Malawi finds it grossly unjust that the hard-working and peace-loving people of Taiwan should suffer diplomatic isolation so unnecessarily. Therefore, Malawi would like to appeal to the entire United Nations membership to look beyond narrow political considerations and face up to the geopolitical and economic realities that obtain on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. The diplomatic isolation of Taiwan remains both a curiosity and a contradiction in terms. First, almost every country deals with Taiwan in terms of trade and other forms of bilateral cooperation. Secondly, the isolation of Taiwan violates its people’s inalienable right to free association within the framework of the United Nations Charter. Lastly, let me reaffirm Malawi’s trust and confidence in the leadership role of the United Nations in making our world a better place in which to live. I would also like to reaffirm Malawi’s unwavering commitment to its obligations and responsibilities as a member of the international community of nations.