Tanzania

I should like to begin by congratulating Mr. Kavan on his well-deserved election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session and to assure him of my delegation's full support and cooperation. I would also like to commend his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, for having skilfully presided over the work of the fifty-sixth session. Similarly, I would like to express my delegation's sincere appreciation to Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, for the able manner in which he has continued to manage the day- to-day affairs of our Organization in the face of numerous and daunting challenges. My delegation wishes to join others in welcoming the admission to the United Nations of Switzerland, a country that has done so much for the Organization over the years. I would also like to welcome East Timor to the community of nations, following the successful tutelage of the United Nations. As we commemorate the first anniversary of the tragic events of the 11 September terrorist attacks, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate Tanzania's solidarity and support for international efforts to fight terrorism. Coming from a country that experienced a similar tragedy four years ago, I understand the continued pain and suffering of those who lost their loved ones as they come to terms with the aftermath of those tragic events. We have every confidence that, through our collective efforts, the war on terrorism will ultimately be won. It is a welcome coincidence that the fifty-seventh session should be held so soon after the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Tanzania is glad that poverty eradication was underscored as humanity's critical challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, particularly in the developing countries. It was very gratifying, indeed, to note that due regard was also given to the burning issues of 15 education, health, energy, shelter, water and sanitation, as well as agriculture, in particular food security. The abundance of pledges from all speakers and participants to fight poverty, promote social and economic development and enhance measures to deal with pollution and protect the environment was very reassuring indeed. However, many stakeholders, including those from my country, are anxiously waiting to see how we move beyond rhetoric to concrete action. Those of us from the developing countries know too well in this regard that our biggest challenge is to get our act together by practicing and observing good governance, democracy, the rule of law and human rights. We have to institute sound political, social and economic policies, as well as to fight corruption and graft. We have to create conditions conducive to investment flows and trade. Fortunately, this is no longer wanting, because most of our countries have made serious efforts to meet these ideals with reasonable success. However, it is frustrating to note that there is little appreciation of these achievements. Instead, there is amplification of the little that is yet to be overcome. Many of us feel that we deserve to be treated better. It is surprising also to note the temptation in some quarters to evolve a new paradigm in international relations that of assigning collective responsibility, condemnation and punishment to a region or continent for the mistakes of one country in that part of the world. A crisis in an African country, for example, is meant to be left to African countries to fix and they are threatened with being held responsible and accountable if that is not done. Several times, we have been reminded to sort out the problem in some crisis- stricken African countries or else risk losing cooperation on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) from the developed countries. Tanzania considers such tendencies not only to be strange, but also dangerous, unfair, discriminatory and totally unacceptable. Let all of us continue to work together to resolve problems facing our countries and peoples wherever they may occur. We look forward to seeing the developed countries of the North play their part, as is expected of them, as expressed in the millennium development goals, the Monterrey Consensus, the Brussels Plan of Action for the least developed countries, the Doha agreement and the Johannesburg Plan of Action and at yesterday's historic high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on support for NEPAD. We consider the role of the developed countries to be very critical to success in the war against poverty and the attainment of sustainable development. We look forward to seeing the countries of the North increase official development assistance to the countries of the South. At Monterrey, Kananaskis and Johannesburg, there were good signs that this is now possible. However, when one looks at the resource requirement of the millennium goals and the time frame for implementation, the promises made are far below target. At Monterrey and Kananaskis, some $12 billion were pledged over a period of three to four years, whereas the requirement is $50 billion annually until 2015. We appeal to the developed countries to commit more resources and within the time frames set out in the millennium development goals. Another important area where the intervention of the developed countries is essential is debt relief. Debt servicing is crippling the economies and Governments of the poor developing countries. Debt relief releases resources which can be used to finance priority sectors and activities, such as education, health, energy, water, rural roads and microfinance schemes. Let me take the example of my country, Tanzania. After reaching the completion point for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative and the cancellation of a portion of the external debt, Government expenditure on basic social services has increased to unprecedented levels. We will now be able to give clean water to more people than we could have done in the past. We are now able to hire more teachers, build more classrooms, take more students into schools and buy more textbooks and teaching materials. We have improved health-care delivery systems. We have hired more medical practitioners in rural dispensaries and health centres and we have provided more equipment and medicines. There are more rural roads maintained now than before and new ones are being opened up. The list of benefits is long and we could have done much more if we had got a bigger debt-cancellation package. That is why we continue to appeal for deeper debt cancellation for Tanzania and the rest of the least developed countries. Moreover, the amount of debt that has not been forgiven to my country is not payable, given our level of poverty. 16 Debt cancellation or relief on its own cannot solve the resource needs of developing countries. Measures to make capital and financial resources available for investments and trade in the developing countries are very important. To date, not much has come to our part of the world, despite our having put in place the most competitive investment incentives. May I once again appeal to the Governments of the developed countries to intervene in the most judicious way possible to encourage investment flows to Africa and the developing countries. I believe that their words of encouragement and support will have a positive impact. Market access is another very important matter for us. We highly appreciate and thank the United States and the European Union for granting duty-free and quota-free access for goods from Africa and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States respectively. This has acted as an important stimulus to increased production and investments in our countries. We welcome similar decisions taken by Japan, Canada and China, thus further expanding Africa's market access. However, agricultural subsidies in the developed countries remain an obstacle to which we again appeal to the developed countries to give due consideration. As we all know, it is in agriculture that we have the best of the comparative advantage. Unhindered access to the markets of the developed countries, therefore, could have immeasurable benefits. I am of the view that the developed countries can afford to dispense with subsidies to agriculture. Instead, the $1 billion spent on such subsidies daily could be used to fund the implementation of millennium development goals. Among today's daunting global challenges are the conflict situations in Africa and the escalation of violence in the Middle East. We highly appreciate the proactive role played by the United Nations, countries of the respective regions and the international community in trying to mediate and end the conflicts. We pray for the continued involvement of the international community in putting an end to conflicts. The framework for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Government of Palestine already exists. Both sides must create an environment conducive to negotiations. There has to be an end to Israeli occupation of Arab lands and significant movement towards the creation of a viable Palestinian State living side by side with Israel as an imperative to lasting peace in the Middle East. The security concerns of Israel should be addressed and encoded properly in any agreement. In this regard, all relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions must be adhered to. It is our conviction that, without the active involvement of a third party, not much can be achieved. Tanzania is convinced that the Security Council, as well as the United States, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the Arab League, can play a pivotal role in getting to a sustainable solution. Fortunately, all of these are now actively involved. We appeal to them to remain seized of the problem and to continue to work together. The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi remains a major concern and preoccupation of Tanzania and other countries in the region. I want to reaffirm the continued commitment and readiness of my Government to contribute in any way possible towards building a peaceful, secure and stable Great Lakes region. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is encouraging to note that there are some positive developments following the recent agreement and understanding reached between that country, Rwanda and Uganda. It is our hope that the implementation of the agreements and understanding will be scrupulously observed. We welcome the undertaking of the United Nations and the Republic of South Africa to help the parties. The security situation in Burundi is fragile. The new transitional Government installed on 1 November 2001 is functioning, but the continuation of the civil war seems to be undermining its base. Tanzania underscores the significance of getting a ceasefire agreement for the sake of the people of Burundi and the success of the transitional Government. It was in appreciation of that imperative that my President accepted the request of the facilitator and that of President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi for Tanzania to help urge the rebels to come to the negotiating table. We tried our best and, as a result, the Burundi Government and the rebels started direct talks in Dar es 17 Salaam on 12 August. The negotiations are continuing. They are not easy, but we are confident that they will be crowned with success. Tanzania will continue to assist in and work for the success of the negotiations. We do so on the clear understanding that we stand to gain more from a peaceful and stable Burundi and to lose if there is war and lack of stability. The end of the refugee problem, as well as the end of mistrust between our two Governments and the free flow of trade across our common borders, are the obvious benefits which we long to see realized. One of the serious consequences of the conflicts in the Great Lakes region has been the massive displacement of people and the influx of refugees, which constitute a huge burden for Tanzania. At present, Tanzania is hosting close to a million refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While we appreciate the work being done by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian agencies to protect the refugees, much remains to be done to offset the burden which these refugees place upon my country. We would like to see more being done to facilitate repatriation of the refugees. Unfortunately, the 1951 Convention is not as elaborate concerning the responsibilities of refugee- generating countries or those of the international community as it is on the responsibilities of the refugee-receiving countries. This is probably due to the context in which the Convention was conceived. The situation has changed. Tanzania feels strongly that there is a need to review the 1951 Convention to keep it in step with changing times and circumstances. The long and protracted war in Angola appears to have ended. However, Angola still needs the continued support of the international community to deal with the reconstruction and the huge humanitarian crisis facing the country. Tanzania welcomes the decision on continued United Nations involvement. With regard to Western Sahara, Tanzania firmly believes that the United Nations cannot, and must not, retreat from this unfinished agenda. Tanzania wishes to reiterate its longstanding support for the efforts of the United Nations, which will enable the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination. While we appreciate the progress made in the reform of the working methods of the Security Council, we remain concerned that no movement has been recorded in the area of expansion of membership. Tanzania would like to reiterate its support for Africa's quest for two permanent seats. In his address to the Assembly on 4 October 1996, my President, Mr. Benjamin Mkapa, said: The founding of the United Nations was inspired by the human solidarity which the world sought to promote five decades ago... What holds our nations together, despite their diversity, is the common bond and solidarity we feel for each other as human beings. Today, more than ever before, we need that solidarity in order to deal with the myriad problems we all face together'. These words were relevant then, and they are still relevant today.