Nigeria

Recent events have manifestly brought to the fore the importance and relevance of the United Nations in the pursuit of global peace, security and stability. Only last year in this historic Hall, world leaders at the Millennium Summit reaffirmed their solemn commitment to strengthen the capacity of the Organization in this very important area. Yet, two months ago, on 11 September 2001, the efforts of our Organization were temporarily called into question by terrorist attacks on the United States. As a country which was directly affected by the first terrorist bombings in Dar es Salaam in 1998, in which our embassy building was destroyed, and because we lost nationals at the attack on the World Trade Center, Nigeria fully identifies with the rage and grief of the bereaved families and the victims of these barbaric acts. Terrorism is a global menace that challenges the very basis of our civilization. It must therefore be confronted globally. That is why Nigeria fully endorses the prompt action taken by the General Assembly in condemning these attacks. We fully support Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), because the measures called for in the resolution would significantly reduce the capacity of terrorists to carry out such acts. Nigeria is committed to the implementation of the resolution’s provisions. Let us sustain the unity of purpose and resolve that the terrorist attacks have generated by strengthening the cooperation and coordination among our countries. The terrorists and their supporters should be exposed for what they are: fringe elements undeserving of a respectable place in the comity of nations. Our strategies therefore should be informed, consistent and focused. In some respects, the grave challenges that we face today also offer new possibilities for cooperation previously unimaginable. Our Organization has not only pursued the goal of international peace and security, but it has also served as a focal point for the promotion of other important agendas, particularly in the areas of socio-economic development, the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights. These goals, which reflect the aspirations of Member States to build a new world free of conflict, prejudice, discrimination and oppression, must remain the enduring preoccupation of our common enterprise. For this, we have a clear compass, not only in the Charter of our Organization, but also in the solemn commitment of our leaders, as reflected in the Millennium Declaration. Let us strive to translate these commitments into practical policies for the benefit of our peoples. My country’s long-standing commitment to fostering the objectives of the United Nations in the area of conflict prevention, peace and stability is well known. It is regrettable that conflicts and wars continue to be waged in many parts of the world. It is particularly disheartening that Africa has had a disproportionate share of these conflicts and wars, with devastating impact on our societies and peoples. Yet, amid the apparent gloom, we see a flicker of hope. The process of peace and stability in Sierra Leone is gaining momentum, as the process of reconciliation, through a programme of disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation, funded by the United Nations, has continued to generate trust and confidence. We are equally encouraged by recent developments in Burundi, where a newly installed interim transitional Government is grappling with the challenges of national reconciliation and integration. These efforts attest to the determination of leaders in our continent to make a success of initiatives for peace. Nigeria is proud to be associated with these efforts. Our experience in Liberia and Sierra Leone has reinforced our conviction that, working in close partnership with regional and subregional organizations, the United Nations can facilitate the return to peace and security in conflict areas. Let us provide these organizations with the necessary financial and logistic support. Apart from the commitment to durable peace and security, there must be a re-intensification of our resolve to eliminate weapons of war, both conventional and non-conventional. Of the utmost concern to us in Africa is the havoc caused by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. The Programme of Action adopted at the recently concluded United Nations Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects provides us with a clear road map for effective cooperation. Its effective implementation will attest to our commitment to strengthen the forces of democracy and the rule of law in the world. We recognize the inexorable march of globalization and fully embrace the challenges of expanding opportunities in trade, finance, information 18 and communications technology which it offers. But the benefits should not be limited to only a small section of the international community. Globalization and the twin phenomena of liberalization and deregulation should work for all countries. The health and stability of the global economic system demand nothing less. For us in Africa, access to such benefits should be reflected in concrete actions and measures that will ensure our full integration into a new and fair global economic system. Nigeria’s call for a fundamental change in current debt strategies towards developing countries is derived from a keen appreciation of the impact external debt has on the economic growth and political stability of developing countries. The fact that, in spite of welcome initiatives on debt relief and debt management, many of our countries have neither grown out of debt nor been able significantly to service their debts in a sustainable manner, warrants a bolder and more imaginative approach, such as outright debt cancellation. International efforts to resolve the debt problem should be bolstered by collective action to discourage the illegal transfer of funds from developing countries and the repatriation of such funds to the countries of origin. African leaders have established a clear linkage between our huge debt burden, the activities of foreign collaborators and the transfer of funds by former leaders and other individuals from our continent. We are concerned about the corrosive impact of corruption on our fledgling democracies and our social, economic and political development. Let us redouble our efforts to support an international instrument on the illegal transfer of funds abroad. At the thirty-seventh regular session of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which took place in Lusaka in July, the leaders of the continent endorsed the New African Initiative, now called the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The inaugural meeting of the Implementation Committee of Heads of State and Government on NEPAD took place in Abuja on 23 October 2001. Based on a common vision and shared conviction about the need to urgently eradicate poverty and place African countries on the path to sustainable growth and development, NEPAD has, among its key themes, the promotion of peace, democracy, human rights, social and economic management, regional cooperation and economic integration. We appreciate the support already offered, and we sincerely believe that this provides the best platform for a viable partnership with our development partners. The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to pose serious challenges to development in our world. We appreciate the contribution of the international community in combating that scourge, as reflected in the outcome of the special session on HIV/AIDS. Africa’s resolve to meet the pandemic head-on has struck a responsive chord, and we are grateful to the United Nations Secretary-General for his clear advocacy. I believe that we have reason to be encouraged by the progress made in establishing structures and a multilateral framework for greater cooperation and support in confronting the problem. Every effort should be made to ensure that the Global AIDS and Health Fund becomes operational by January 2002. Meanwhile, we should maintain the momentum so that in the shortest possible time we bring succour to those who live with AIDS or suffer from tuberculosis or other related infectious diseases. This is the expectation of the African leaders who met in Abuja in April this year to agree on a coordinated strategy on this health and development crisis. Our attention should also be focused on the campaign against malaria, as a follow-up to an earlier summit, which also took place in Abuja. The rescheduling of the United Nations special session on the rights of the child to May 2002 should provide us with an opportunity to ponder the challenges which the world’s children face today. For us in Nigeria, the session will coincide with the passage of far-reaching legislation, now before the National Assembly, to protect our children, and go beyond the provisions of the OAU African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which we have recently ratified, to revolutionize public awareness and the defence of their rights. Indeed, in mid-2002, Nigeria proposes to host an international conference that will, inter alia, address the issue of trafficking in children in our region. We look forward to the participation of Member States. I cannot conclude without reference to the question of the reform of the United Nations system. Nigeria maintains that, in order for the United Nations to meet the complex challenges of our new century, long-overdue reforms of the Organization must be speedily undertaken. The reform of the Security Council, in particular, constitutes one of the major 19 challenges facing the United Nations today. Let us work assiduously to complete the reform process and thereby make the enlarged and expanded Council truly representative of the United Nations membership. May I express our profound gratitude to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his leadership of our Organization in the past year. Nigeria rejoices with him over his well-deserved re-election, a reward for faithful stewardship and a signal of the trust and confidence of the United Nations membership in his shared vision for the future. No less significant is the award to him and to our Organization of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001. We wish him well and heartily congratulate the United Nations on that achievement.