I
begin by congratulating Mr. Joseph Deiss on his
election to preside over the sixty-fifth session of the
General Assembly, and I also congratulate his entire
Bureau on their election. I also congratulate the
President’s predecessor, Mr. Ali Treki, on the devotion
and skill with which he carried out his mandate, to
great general satisfaction.
Finally, I pay a heartfelt tribute to the Secretary-
General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his praiseworthy, tireless
efforts to uphold and promote the purposes and principles
of the Charter. The Democratic Republic of the Congo
thanks him for having agreed to be present in Kinshasa
during the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of our
accession to independence. This is proof of his
commitment and that of the United Nations, together with
the Congolese people, in the search for peace, stability
and development. My country reaffirms its determination
to support him in his efforts to bring about a world that is
safer for all of us.
This session is being held at a time of particular
difficulty for all humanity, which is in crisis, marked
by challenges to the basic principles of international
relations, worsened by the self-interest of nations. The
outcome document adopted yesterday on accelerating
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals,
while being a message of hope, nevertheless gives a
sense of the gap separating the wealthy countries from
the poor countries as we seek better living conditions
for our peoples.
The food crisis and famine afflict many peoples
of the planet. Endemic diseases that had almost
disappeared are now resurfacing, and new scourges are
appearing. In particular, we see a plethora of natural
disasters in the wake of climate change, which is
proving to be even more devastating.
The grim picture that I have just painted should
motivate us to be more united in mobilizing our efforts
in a spirit of constructive solidarity in order to find
agreed, comprehensive solutions measuring up to the
vast challenges that we must meet.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo makes a
pressing appeal to all States to work together at long
last for a better world, while tirelessly trying to bring
peace wherever areas of tension persist.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo also
commends all the efforts made by a number of States
under the auspices of the United Nations to restore
peace, security, democracy and development to certain
regions of the Middle East, the Balkans, the Horn of
Africa, Central Africa and other regions of the world.
My country is emerging from a multifaceted
crisis worsened by the various wars that ravaged it
until recently. Like many other African nations, it also
suffers from the harmful consequences of the global
economic and financial crisis. As I told my people on
30 June, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of
our independence, poverty and a precarious situation
are neither inevitable nor irreversible.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo wants the
next 50 years to be much brighter and more promising.
It undertakes, to that end, to make its contribution to
the forward march of humankind towards a better
world.
With respect to the global challenges of
preserving the planet, my country, wondrously
endowed and blessed by nature, reaffirms its solemn
commitment to defend its biodiversity in its policies
and its national development plan.
The Government of my country, whose forests
provide the world with its second set of “lungs”,
believes that the issue of climate change and the
environment will require the establishment of a global
environment authority, which should involve both
public and private institutions, civil society and
scientific circles.
With respect to establishing and consolidating
peace, my country welcomes the Secretary-General’s
acceptance of our request to establish in Libreville in
the Republic of Gabon a United Nations office for
Central Africa, which clearly will help bring the United
Nations closer and ensure better coordination between
it and the countries of the region. Issues of peace,
security, humanitarian assistance and development will
be considered speedily, and implementation of
measures adopted will receive the necessary urgency.
It is up to us to consolidate peace everywhere,
through international and regional mechanisms and
17 10-54833
instruments for the maintenance of peace and the
prevention and settlement of conflict.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is
resolved to eradicate the phenomenon of foreign armed
groups in its national territory. This is the framework in
which should be understood the military operations
that we have carried out systematically since 2009 to
force such groups to lay down their arms for good. Due
to military pressures and awareness-raising and
outreach campaigns, and also because the were
displace far from their own borders of origin, the
volunteer repatriations have intensified and will
continue to do so.
The question of the Lord’s Resistance Army is no
longer a matter of defence; rather, it is now a matter of
public order. Nevertheless, given the crimes and
atrocities that it still commits against our civilian
populations, we shall remain mobilized and vigilant.
The ultimate aim is to put that group in a situation in
which it can no longer do any harm.
Together with our efforts to eradicate the
insecurity in the eastern part of our national territory,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo is working to
strengthen the rule of law, democracy and good
governance.
With respect to justice in particular, I should like
to dwell a little on the ordeal of Congolese women in
the Provinces of North and South Kivu. The lack of
security is the primary cause of the tragedy. Armed
groups, which benefit from the illegal exploitation of
raw materials, are at the very root of the scourge. We
have decided upon appropriate measures to address this
unacceptable situation.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is now
addressing the causes of the violence against women
and the causes of recurrent conflict. At the same time,
it is enhancing its judiciary in order to address together
peace, justice and security. The fight against impunity
continues to be of prime importance in Government
actions.
My Government is working within the framework
of achieving the Millennium Development Goals to do
its utmost to meet the basic needs of our people:
health, education, food self-sufficiency, basic
infrastructures, electricity and drinking water for all,
not to mention fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS and
poverty. I appreciate the commitment of our partners
who are supporting us in achieving my country’s
development priorities.
Because of the complex nature of the various
tasks that need to be carried out on our territory of
more than several million square kilometres, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo is a vast building
site, requiring multiple contributions for reconstruction
and modernization. Such contributions are welcome,
particularly in the framework of a partnership that we
want to be respectful and proactive with the private
sector.
Today the economic indicators are changing in a
positive manner. Several key actions have been
successfully taken. The credit for this success, which
gives us the means for a new start, lies above all with
the Congolese people. It also stems from the valuable
contributions and cooperation of our partners.
With regard to political and administrative
management, we plan to hold presidential and
legislative elections in 2011. My Government is
making it a point of honour to consolidate democracy
by respecting electoral time frames, ensuring
accountability of the highest order and completing the
establishment of the institutions provided for by the
Constitution within the framework of the
decentralization process.
My country supports the process of reforming our
universal Organization. The Democratic Republic of
the Congo reaffirms that the Member States should
work resolutely within that trend. United Nations
reform, including Security Council reform, should
therefore be undertaken without delay, because that
would support the achievement of our dreams, given
the new challenges and changes that affect our planet.
Expansion of the Security Council is a democratic
requirement. This vision needs to be strengthened by
affirming the authority of the General Assembly, in order
to enable its President to play a key role in the quest for
solutions to the problems of our time.
It is said that nature will give man only those
challenges that are within the reach of his creative
potential, which has produced tremendous inventions.
Despite our diversity, the time has now come to put our
human resources at the service of our collective
creativity.
We should not leave the controls of the global
economy to unbridled capitalism, which recognizes no
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regulation of movements of capital, and is motivated
only by the profit motive. It is our duty also to
globalize the universal values of justice, solidarity and
altruism that contribute to international peace and
security.
Together we can give humanity better times, if
day after day we work to achieve the ideals of our
Organization.