Madagascar

The Madagascar delegation, which I have the honour of leading for the first time at this session of the General Assembly, is delighted to congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan on his well-deserved election to the presidency of this session, and we wish him every success. To his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, we express our most sincere appreciation for having led the fifty-sixth session to a successful conclusion through dedication and skilful leadership. The dedication of our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, to the attainment of the objectives of the United Nations deserves our full appreciation and gratitude. The admission of the Swiss Confederation as a new Member of the United Nations is for Madagascar a source of profound satisfaction. This friendly country is a living example of a peaceful and multicultural society based on values of democracy and freedom. Here today, in the framework of the commemoration of the tragic events of 11 September 2001, we wish to express our solidarity with the people and the Government of the United States. We reiterate our condemnation of such terrorist acts, whose consequences are incalculable. A global phenomenon without borders, terrorism is considered to be the most dangerous enemy of the new millennium. It can be eradicated only through harmonious international cooperation. In this regard, we wish to pay tribute here to the efforts of the United Nations, acting through the Counter-Terrorism Committee created by the Security Council, for the implementation of Council resolution 1373 (2001), and we commend all other regional initiatives adopted to combat this plague. To fight terrorism, countries such as ours will need special technical assistance in order to implement this resolution of the United Nations, as well as other international treaties. The persistence of areas of tension and conflict around the world, especially the Middle East, demands the reinvigoration of the United Nations to make it more effective in responding to the needs of the international community, particularly in maintaining international peace and security. To pursue this critical objective, we must now more than ever strengthen our efforts to make the Security Council more democratic, more representative and more transparent. There is no doubt that the United Nations provides us with the ideal framework for creating conditions that encourage States and peoples to choose peace over war. In this regard, Madagascar wishes to congratulate Timor-Leste on its independence after a valiant and heroic struggle by the people of that 13 country and successful efforts by the United Nations to re-establish peace there. Furthermore, Madagascar encourages the mediation efforts undertaken by the United Nations for the settlement of conflicts in a number of countries throughout Africa. In this context, I wish to reiterate the profound gratitude of the Malagasy people for the role the United Nations agreed to play in resolving the post-election dispute that threatened Madagascar. This crisis is now over and Madagascar is now experiencing a new era full of hope. We are convinced that sustainable development requires the consolidation of the rule of law and the establishment of good governance. Towards this end, the new Government is taking all appropriate measures for the sound and rational management of public finances and of international assistance. Madagascar has given the fight against corruption the very highest priority. We have also taken the initiative to insure that an effective policy is developed and applied in order to tackle this evil on all fronts. Madagascar supports General Assembly resolution 55/61, through which our General Assembly decided to create an ad hoc committee entrusted with negotiating a future legal instrument against corruption. Our country is awaiting the conclusion of such an instrument in the near future, in order to fill the gaps in its own legal system. We look forward with considerable interest to the high- level Conference in Mexico in 2003 for signing a convention against corruption. The rapid and sustainable development of Madagascar is the major and fundamental objective of the present Government, in order to extract the country from the scourge of poverty, a source of instability that erodes democratic values. In this context, Madagascar is committed to a pro-active policy aimed at recovery for rapid and sustainable growth of its economy, in which the private sector will be the driving force. As we see it, the key to development is partnership between the public sector and the private sector, in which the Government works together with private companies and non-governmental organizations solely for the benefit of the people. We invite private businesses to invest in Madagascar. The returns on those investments will be beneficial both to them and to the Malagasy people. As an essential component of development and of peace, education is our priority of priorities. Malagasy children will live fully in the world of the twenty-first century, which is characterized by advanced technology of information and communications. Thus, Madagascar welcomes the adoption of Assembly resolution 56/258 calling for a World Summit on the Information Society to be held in 2003 and in 2005. The world community will then have a unique opportunity to discuss information and develop the opportunities offered by digital technologies, in particular in Africa and in the least developed countries. The Republic of Madagascar is ready to do everything in its power to put the country back on the path of development. This will be done with the support of the international community in the framework of mutually advantageous cooperation. I take this opportunity to express our gratitude and our appreciation to all of Madagascar's development partners, bilateral, regional and multi- lateral, for their valuable contribution to the re- launching of economic activity in our country. Faced with multiple challenges in our era, a time dominated by poverty and underdevelopment, international cooperation is no longer a choice; it is an absolute necessity for the survival of humanity. Those factors that diminish us as human beings: poverty, HIV/AIDS, famine and illiteracy, cannot be eliminated without a true spirit of solidarity, guaranteeing a better future for all people. Let us not forget that the preamble of our Charter announces a new humanity with peoples and human beings living in dignity and security. Towards that end, they must have access to fundamental human rights, the right to health care, the right to education and to culture, and the right to a decent income. Our mission, to reduce poverty everywhere in the world, has become today more important and more urgent than ever before. The slowdown in economic activity, on a global scale, following the attacks of 11 September 2001, has worsened impoverishment and plunged millions of individuals into a state of dire need. In this grim context, globalization could play a vital role in the fight against poverty, as long as the countries of the north and the south are offered the same opportunities of development. In order for globalization to truly benefit humankind, it must take into consideration the interests 14 of all countries the world over, in an international economy of sharing. Global interdependence and better international economic cooperation must be entirely accepted, if we are to obtain the objectives of the Millennium Declaration. A collective awareness to develop a real partnership for development is indispensable in order to make a reality of that objective. In this spirit, Madagascar welcomes the consensus reached at the International Conference On Financing For Development, which was held in Monterrey. In the same context, Madagascar urges the international community to give firm and concrete support to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and to give that support both bilaterally and multilaterally. With the objective of giving an important role to the private sector in development, Madagascar fully and without reserve supports the principles and objectives underlying NEPAD. In the coming months, I intend to make Madagascar one of the leading countries of NEPAD, because I am sincerely committed to good governance, the development of infrastructures and energy, education, new technologies, access to the markets of developed countries and the protection of the environment. The alarming conclusions of a United Nations Environment Programme report entitled Africa Environment Outlook', as well as the recent weather- related disasters in Central Europe and Asia, require the international community to develop a new code of ethics for the conservation and effective protection of the environment. Our Government will make the protection of our precious environment one of our main priorities. Furthermore, Madagascar hopes that the Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg a few days ago will give new impetus to our collective determination to offer all countries an opportunity to develop in a way that benefits their inhabitants, their environment and our shared heritage, the Earth. By some standards, Madagascar is a poor country. However, it is rich in unique natural resources and in educated human resources. Above all, its population is attached to democracy, family values and belief in God. We would like today to express our desire to cooperate with the United Nations as a partner for the reconstruction of Madagascar. By working in partnership, we will ensure for our country a future of hope. The entire world will come to know us by our strengths, not our weaknesses. Working together with the United Nations family, Madagascar is ready to make its own contribution to building a global village in which all countries receive equal treatment and have equal opportunities for full development - an indispensable condition for the establishment of lasting peace.