Namibia

I convey warm congratulations to Mr. Jan Kavan on his unanimous election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. I am confident that, given his vast experience and diplomatic skills, he will be able to steer this session to a successful conclusion. In the same vein, our congratulations and sincere appreciation go to his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, for the outstanding manner in which he conducted the work of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I wish also to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the illustrious son of Africa at the helm of the Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has taken the United Nations to greater heights. We join other members of our family of nations in welcoming the Swiss Confederation as the one hundred and ninetieth Member of the United Nations. We are confident that its membership will not only formalize that resourceful country's long involvement with the United Nations but contribute greatly to the work of the Organization. After a long and bitter liberation struggle, the people of East Timor have finally realized their right to self-determination and independence. We look forward to welcoming the Democratic Republic of East Timor as the one hundred and ninety first Member of the United Nations. Just as the international community stood by the people of East Timor in their darkest hour of need, the United Nations must now assist them in their efforts to rebuild their country. The opening of this session of the General Assembly coincided with the first anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attack on the United States of America. That horrific attack met with vigorous international condemnation and led to a concerted campaign by countries throughout the world to eradicate terrorism as a global scourge. All around the world, 19 countries, including my own, are continuing to take domestic measures to combat international terrorism. Last week the general debate in this hall was overshadowed by an ominous and terrifying cloud — the threat of war in Iraq. Indeed, most of us have been filled with grave concern about that looming danger. That concern has, however, been somewhat eased. The focus now seems to have moved away from the temptation to take unilateral military action towards the multilateralism that is so vital for the maintenance of world peace and security. In this regard, Namibia welcomes the decision by Iraq to cooperate with the Security Council. Namibia is deeply concerned about the constantly escalating violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The continuous wanton destruction of Palestinian towns, the demolition of homes and institutions and, above all, the unabating loss of life are all manifestations of the tragic plight of the Palestinian people. While rejecting all acts of violence against innocent civilians, we recognize the urgent need for the international community to address the root cause of violence, namely, the continued occupation of Palestinian territory by Israeli troops. It is imperative for the international community to act decisively and with a renewed sense of urgency to stop the ongoing carnage and destruction in the Middle East. We support the immediate establishment of an independent Palestinian State, existing side by side with Israel in peace and mutual security. One of the factors which have militated against development and progress in Africa has been the armed conflicts in a number of countries on that continent. Such conflicts have been responsible for the aggravation of poverty and the spread of disease. It is pleasing to note, however, that peace and security in Africa have been increasing over the past year or so. Developments in Angola since February this year have filled us with hope and a sense of relief. After more than two decades of destructive war, Angola is firmly and irreversibly on the road to peace. Concerted efforts by the international community are, however, required to address the urgent and burning humanitarian needs and to help Angola to maintain and consolidate its hard-won peace. There have been similar positive developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ceasefire there has been holding. However, the aggressor countries have still not withdrawn their troops from that country in line with the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, the Pretoria Agreement and the relevant Security Council resolutions. The United Nations has confirmed, through various reports, that there continue to be large-scale violations of human rights in the eastern part of that country. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed to continue with impunity. Similarly, the plundering of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo should no longer be condoned. Furthermore, in Sierra Leone the machine guns, with their staccato sound, have fallen silent, thanks to the intervention of the international community in the conflict in that country. Successful elections were held there this year, and the people of that country are now busy with peace-building and the reconstruction of their country. We call on the international community to assist them in this regard. In 1992, the General Assembly decided in favour of a referendum in Western Sahara. Ten years later, the people of Western Sahara continue to endure suffering, waiting and hoping for the implementation of the United Nations plan for the independence of their country. The only hope they have is our Organization. We, the Members of the United Nations, therefore have a responsibility towards the people of Western Sahara in their quest for self-determination. It is not a question of our doing them a favour. Rather, we have an obligation under the Charter of our Organization. It is high time that the people of Western Sahara exercise their right to self-determination and independence through a free and fair referendum under the supervision of the United Nations. The Secretary- General should therefore continue to seek the implementation of the United Nations independence plan for Western Sahara. The unilateral economic blockade against Cuba is continuing to cause immense suffering to the people of Cuba, who suffered with us and shared with us selflessly, extending solidarity to our people during our difficult struggle for independence. We reiterate our call for the lifting of this embargo. Just as the people of Africa have begun, in earnest, to address the problem of armed conflict that has hindered Africa's development and socio-economic 20 progress in the past, the continent must now grapple with yet another menace that is ravaging its population, namely, the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Its devastating impact is now undermining economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa, with millions already infected and dying. Indeed, sub-Saharan Africa is now facing a human crisis of monumental proportions. Millions of AIDS orphans are screaming out for help as a result of this rampaging disease. We appeal for increased and generous contributions to the Global Health Fund to enable us to fight the scourge. In that connection, we would like to emphasize that the allocation of the available funds should be determined by the magnitude of the problem in each country. As part of our ongoing effort to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS, Namibia will be hosting the Second Regional Conference on Orphans and Vulnerable Children from 25 to 29 November, 2002. It is our sincere hope that the Conference will further highlight the fate of those children and galvanize the world's further support to ease their truly difficult plight. We are quite confident that the support of the international community will enable us, indeed, humanity, and Africa in particular, to conquer this ravaging pandemic. The drought situation in Southern Africa places more than 12 million people at risk of hunger and destitution. We welcome the efforts of the Secretary- General in that respect. We also welcome the efforts of the donor community in mobilizing resources for relief. Our sincere thanks and appreciation also go to all the humanitarian agencies providing support. We encourage them to continue to mobilize and to render further support. The fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly has special significance for Africa, in the sense that considerable attention is being paid to the continent's problems. In the first instance, there is the tabling by the Secretary-General of the report on the final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. This session also marks the end of the United Nations Programme for the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa. The conclusions of the review are sobering in the sense that both the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s and the Programme for the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa have come to an end, but Africa remains marginalized in the global economy. Also significant for Africa at this session is the fact that notwithstanding the continent's rather minimal development performance during the periods just referred to, Africa has come to the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly more determined then ever to launch itself on a new path of economic growth and development. It was in the light of this determination that on Monday, 16 September 2002 the General Assembly devoted the whole day to exploring ways in which the international community can support the African Union's New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), designed to rebuild and rejuvenate our continent. What emerged from the Monday meeting on Africa was a clear sense of purpose and direction such that, while hoping for greater support from the international community to implement its new development initiative, Africa is seriously seeking to lift itself up by its own bootstraps. Indeed, the African leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to the development goals of the United Nations Millennium Summit Declaration for the continent to achieve economic growth of 7 per cent by the year 2015 and thus to be able to halve poverty on the continent by that same year. And while NEPAD is an African initiative, owned and managed by the African Union, the continent still needs unfettered market access for its goods, increased foreign investment, the elimination of external debts and, yes, more Official Development Assistance, as well as a large infusion of technology and skills into its production processes. In conclusion, I would like to state Namibia's position on the International Criminal Court (ICC). A few individuals who commit heinous crimes against humanity undermine international peace and security. When those who commit serious crimes go unpunished, murder and torture carry no risk. Rather, they encourage even more crimes. The entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 1 July 2002 represents a historic day for international justice. As a State Party to the ICC, Namibia has noted with great concern the adoption of Security Council resolution 1422 (2002) under chapter VII of the United 21 Nations Charter, as if the ICC were a threat to peace or an act of aggression. In this context, we call upon those States that are not Parties to the Statute to become so now. In the face of a growing tendency towards unilateralism, the revitalization of the General Assembly, which is the collective decision-making body, is becoming even more important. In the same vein, Namibia reaffirms its position on the need to reform and democratize the United Nations Security Council in order to ensure that the Council remains responsible for the peace and security of all countries in all regions. From this very rostrum, it has been said time and again that if the United Nations did not exist, it would have to be created. Those are not empty words. Rather, they express the deep aspirations and commitment of humanity to the Organization, which has stood the test of time and proven indispensable to the conduct of relations among States. Let us not allow multilateralism to be eroded.