Niger

The fact that we are meeting under the presidency of one of the most eminent personalities of the Republic of Korea bears eloquent testimony to the positive changes in international relations and to the end of the ideological bipolarization of the world. I would like at the outset to convey the condolences of the Republic of the Niger to the United States of America and the Dominican Republic for the tragedy that occurred this morning. The Niger would like to warmly congratulate Mr. Han Seung-soo on his election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session, as well as the other members of the Bureau. We are sure that he will demonstrate the same dynamism, energy and human qualities as his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland, as he continues his outstanding work for the benefit of humankind. I would like to reaffirm the warm congratulations of the Niger to our brother, Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, for his re-election to a post whose visibility, prestige and effectiveness he has done so much to enhance, as well as for the award of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, which is a testimony — if further evidence were needed — to the global recognition of the work that he has already accomplished in the service of humanity. This serves as an eloquent rebuttal to the arguments of all those who claim to find, in the denial of the fundamental principles of dialogue between cultures and nations — principles enshrined in the Charter — the high road to salvation. In this regard, the Niger endorses the relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, and welcomes the emergence of a general consensus on the need to wage war against terrorism on a collective and global basis, within the framework of the international legality embodied by the United Nations. If we are to succeed, the fight against terrorism must be based on a programme of international cooperation, including, in particular, substantial financial and technical assistance to the most disadvantaged States so as to enable them to make a significant contribution to that process. Still on the subject of peace and security, I would like to point out that, within the realm of disarmament and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, we are in the final stages of the process of ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and of signing a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. With regard to conventional weapons, the convening of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects fulfilled one of the commitments undertaken by our heads of State or Government in the historic Millennium Declaration. The Niger welcomes the fact that the Conference was able to adopt, by consensus, a Programme of Action to combat that scourge, which is one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Furthermore, the Niger welcomes the fact that that Programme of Action took account of the principal concerns expressed by African States in the Bamako Declaration, by providing, in particular, financial and technical assistance measures for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants. No part of the world has been spared the illicit trafficking in and circulation of small arms. But the developing countries, in particular those on the continent of Africa, are paying the highest price for the proliferation of small arms from the standpoint of their security, stability and development. That is why the Economic Community of West African States moratorium on the manufacture, import and export of small arms, adopted in Abuja in October 1998, which was extended for three years on 5 July, as well as the Programme for Coordination and Assistance for Security and Development, should receive substantial financial support from the international community. 36 In this context, the Niger reaffirms its support for the proposal of the United Kingdom to create an international fund, to be managed by the United Nations Development Programme, for the collection of small arms. If it is effective, that fund will help to support regional and national projects for the collection and destruction of small arms in exchange for development projects. In this regard, I am pleased to reaffirm to the Assembly the gratitude of the Niger to the countries that participated in the work of the Group of Interested States on Practical Disarmament Measures. Since the events of 11 September, the entire world has been assessing the tragic consequences of that Manichaean ideology. Terrorists are, without doubt, a threat to international peace and security. It has been claimed that those events were committed in the name of Islam. But as everyone knows, Islam is the religion of the golden mean, and condemns suicide and murder. It advocates dialogue and persuasion and the steadfast combating of any tendency towards individual or collective nihilism. That is one of the reasons why the Niger fully associates itself with the global coalition against terrorism. That is also why, during the recent discussions on measures to eliminate international terrorism, the Niger reiterated its firm condemnation of all forms of violence and its determination to commit itself to all subregional and international initiatives aimed at eradicating that scourge. In the Millennium Declaration, world leaders undertook to enhance the effectiveness of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security by providing it with the necessary tools and resources to better prevent conflict, bring about the peaceful settlement of disputes and consolidate peace and post-conflict reconstruction. In order to be effective, a preventive conflict-management strategy, as set out in the report of the Secretary-General, requires the international community, working together with national and regional actors, to adopt a comprehensive approach encompassing political, diplomatic, humanitarian and institutional measures, and to undertake actions aimed at economic revitalization. As a follow-up to that report, last July in Agadez my country, acting within the national dynamic aimed at consolidating peace and with the support of the United Nations, organized a forum on conflict prevention — the first of its kind in Africa. That forum recommended the elaboration of a national conflict- prevention strategy, the implementation of which would be coordinated by the National Commission for Social Dialogue, which brings together representatives of the State and civil society. For too long, the international community’s attention has been focused on the Middle East, where repeated efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict have ended in deadlock. The support of the G-8 for the idea of sending international observers to Palestinian territory is an important step forward; such action would guarantee the impartial application of the recommendations of the Mitchell report. The Niger would like to reaffirm, here in the Assembly, that a lasting settlement of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict cannot be achieved without the realization by the Palestinian people of their inalienable right to an independent sovereign State. The Niger wholeheartedly supports the position of the United States of America in this regard. With regard to the conflict in Western Sahara, the Niger supports the efforts of the United Nations, in particular those of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, to bring about a final settlement that is acceptable to interested and concerned parties. With regard to Asia, the summit meeting that took place last July in India between the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India raised great hopes for a political settlement of the conflict in Kashmir. Such initiatives must be supported and encouraged so as to allow for the self-determination of the Kashmiri people as soon as possible in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. By according highest priority to the specific needs of Africa, the Millennium Summit recognized the full magnitude of the serious problems that beset our continent. Proof of this is that most African States are included on the list of least advanced and poorest countries and have been left behind by the technological revolution. The ravages caused by armed conflicts and the HIV/AIDS pandemic have affected more than 26 million Africans and wiped out the hard- won progress made over the past decade. At the same time, the flow of official development assistance to Africa has plummeted, while foreign direct investments have continued to stagnate. Worse yet, between 1999 and 2000 those investments even fell from $10.5 37 billion to $9.1 billion, while during the same period they rose in Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. It is therefore urgent to increase the volume of official development assistance, to expand debt- cancellation initiatives, to improve the access of African exports to international markets and to promote investment. These measures must be accompanied by appropriate support for the efforts of the United Nations system because this Organization is the best forum for promoting new partnerships for the benefit of Africa. In this respect, the Niger very much hopes that Africa’s drive to reappropriate its own development will be encouraged. That drive is marked by the proliferation of national and regional initiatives, the most recent manifestation of which was the adoption at the Lusaka summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) of an African development plan, the implementation of which the G-8 has decided to support. The forthcoming International Conference on Financing for Development should prove to be a decisive turning point in the establishment of a more just and equitable world economic order. It should, inter alia, lead to the adoption of a clear political declaration defining strategic priorities, accompanied by a precise timetable, with respect to the strengthening of the capacities of the developing countries, particularly the least developed among them, and their integration into the world economy. The Conference should be the point of departure of a broad world partnership to channel all energies towards the mobilization of resources for development and the reform of international financial structures. In this regard, the 10-year Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries has made it possible to lay the foundations of an enhanced world partnership to achieve the economic growth essential to reducing poverty. Following the firm commitments undertaken in Brussels, there are now grounds for hope that, particularly with regard to trade, the current round of World Trade Organization negotiations in Qatar will take fully into account the interests of the least developed countries, whose 630 million inhabitants have a legitimate aspiration to benefit from the positive effects of globalization. In the absence of an appropriate response from the affluent countries, the damage caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic may prove to be irreparable, given that some specialists estimate that there will be 100 million dead from that disease by the year 2010 if effective measures are not taken immediately to stem the scourge. Need we recall, moreover, that malaria claims as many human victims in Africa as AIDS, particularly in West Africa? It is comforting to note, however, that the international community has finally become aware of the signal danger posed by that disease. The Niger welcomes the decision of the United Nations to proclaim the period 2001-2010 the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa. The United Nations is thus in step with the various initiatives of the OAU in the struggle against malaria, led by Yahya Jammeh of Gambia, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Mamadou Tandja of the Niger. There can be no doubt that the struggle against major diseases calls for substantial resources and a strong capacity for coordinated action. The Niger therefore welcomes the Secretary-General’s establishment of the Global AIDS and Health Fund, which should give a new dynamic to the struggle against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, which together claim 5 million dead throughout the world every year. The announcement made at the G-8 summit in Genoa that $1.8 billion will be devoted to launching the Global Fund is an important step in the right direction. In spite of everything, a great deal remains to be done. According to United Nations estimates, approximately $3 billion must be mobilized before 2001 for AIDS alone and contributions of $7 billion to $10 billion will be necessary every year thereafter until 2005. Thus, today more than ever, the international community must demonstrate active solidarity between rich and poor and a sense of unshakeable collective responsibility — in a word, unfailing political will — if it wishes to translate into deeds the Declaration of Commitment adopted at the special session on HIV/AIDS. The progress achieved in the Niger in its current reform programme has allowed us to re-establish and consolidate the country’s economic bases, to revive fruitful relations with the international financial institutions and thus to secure the Niger’s eligibility for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative. Furthermore, the Niger recently established a new framework for the implementation of its own national 38 anti-poverty policy. A strategy for reducing poverty defines the country’s priorities and measures and actions to be undertaken in order to achieve the targets set in various spheres, which will allow us to make serious inroads into poverty by 2015. This struggle against poverty in the Niger enjoys the highest political involvement. A programme initiated personally by the President of the Republic, Mr. Mamadou Tandja, is designed to improve the living standards of the people of our country. The first phase of what is known as “The Programme of the President of the Republic” has already led to the construction of 1,000 wells, 100 mini-dams, 100 schools and 100 health centres for rural communities. It is well known that such communities in the Niger suffer intractable illiteracy, a serious lack of infrastructure and cyclical food shortages caused by irregular rainfall. The Programme also stresses the link between poverty and the environment. It is in that context that we plan to plant 1 million trees throughout our national territory by the end of this year. The Government is thus perfectly in step with the deep-rooted aspirations of the people of the Niger, who recognize in its actions their ancestral lore of personal and collective effort against adversity, and with its bilateral and multilateral partners, whose ongoing concern is the restoration of the environment. All the institutions of the United Nations family and the European Union — in particular France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain — as well as Canada and Japan, have contributed significantly to reviving the ecological system and to combating desertification in the Niger. In the Niger, we are fully aware that this fight is primary a national one. We wage it through volunteerism, the roots of which are deeply entrenched in our traditions and extend beyond our frontiers. I take this opportunity to reiterate the profound gratitude of the Niger to all the bodies of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund and our other development partners, for their precious support for the efforts of the Government to promote the well-being of our people. To conclude, I would say that the international community needs a strong United Nations to achieve the ambitious objectives set forth in the Charter and to implement the Millennium Declaration. It is therefore necessary to give unstinting support to the Secretary- General in his efforts to reform the Organization, strengthen its role and secure the resources that will allow him to accomplish his task effectively. The United Nations remains indeed the only institution capable of bringing about the new world order to which we all so deeply aspire.