Ethiopia

First of all, I wish to extend to Mr. Jan Kavan congratulations on his election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly. I also wish to take this opportunity to commend his predecessor for his invaluable contribution to what was achieved at the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Allow me also to express our appreciation to our Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the effort he has been making to ensure that the United Nations becomes a more effective instrument for tackling the very many challenges faced by the international community. My delegation would like to join others in welcoming the admission of the Swiss Confederation to the United Nations. It is a country that has, indeed, contributed so much to the Organization over the years. Our continent, Africa, and its peoples, continue to face enormous and daunting challenges. This is not new. This is something that has been going on for the last few decades, with the general economic and social situation in the continent deteriorating even further. The general trend has been one of an ever-faster marginalization of Africa. The continent has yet to see the benefits of globalization. Africa still awaits the creation of an enabling international economic context for progress in its efforts to wage war against poverty. That effort is unlikely to succeed without greater international cooperation. Many in Africa, including my own country, Ethiopia, are unlikely to meet the internationally agreed poverty-related targets and goals, including those set by the United Nations Millennium Declaration, without greater readiness on the part of the international community to contribute more to Africa's fight against poverty. The eradication of poverty is not only Africa's challenge or only that of the developing world. As was reiterated at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world. The despair and hopelessness engendered by poverty have implications for the world in general — not only for the people of the South but for those of the North, as well. Many might have felt that the Johannesburg Summit failed to rise to the occasion and that its achievement was not commensurate with the gravity of the challenges faced by the peoples of the world in a variety of areas, most of all, in areas most relevant to the eradication of poverty. But there was one thing which was unambiguously evident at the Johannesburg Summit. Those from both the North and the South stressed with one voice that the global apartheid we currently have is unsustainable. How can one implement that vision? This is what continues to elude the international community. It remains the case despite some progress that has been made, including at Monterrey. The eradication of poverty in Africa, and in my own country, is not primarily the responsibility of the international community. It is primarily our responsibility to put our houses in order and to take the lead in rejuvenating Africa. That is where in fact today there is a new development in Africa. Many in Africa are more prepared than ever before to take charge of their destiny. There is a new thinking in Africa today and a realistic resolve to ensure the regeneration of the continent. I am referring to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). It is an initiative by Africa which demonstrates the readiness of the continent to take charge of its future. It is a concrete 18 commitment by Africa to take the necessary steps in both the economic and political areas towards creating enabling conditions for economic and social transformation. It is a realistic initiative that specifies and underlines the obligation of African countries in all areas relevant to the creation of conditions conducive to economic and social development. Good governance is one such vital obligation to which the initiative accords the necessary importance. It is a major step for Africa and one whose significance should be underlined. The commitment to democracy and good governance has major implications for Africa not only in economic development but also in creating conditions for nurturing peace and stability. Nonetheless, NEPAD cannot succeed without the cooperation of Africa's partners and the international community. And succeed it must, not only because NEPAD's success is in the vital interest of Africa but also because it is in the interest of the world in general. The logic of globalization makes it obvious that no part of the globe is immune to the negative influences emanating from its other, less fortunate parts. Realistically speaking, we swim or sink together. It would be unwise to believe that the growing marginalization and decay of Africa will have no significant adverse implications for the stability and viability of the globalizing world. It is this common interest that we all share which is the basis for our mutual obligation for the success of NEPAD. I must state here that we have been encouraged by the preliminary response to NEPAD by many members of the international community, including the G-8 countries and others. We are still hopeful that even greater support and enthusiasm will be demonstrated by the international community to ensure that NEPAD will be workable. Ethiopia subscribes fully to the NEPAD framework. We are indeed at present in the process of implementing the principles and ideas promoted by the initiative. We will continue to be committed to carrying out our obligations for good governance, for creating enabling conditions for economic development and for eradicating poverty. All the efforts we are making to ensure success in the fight against poverty are bound to fail without peace and durable stability. Here as well, Africa, including our subregion, the Horn of Africa, requires the effective support of the international community. What we need is enlightened support which is transparent and targeted at ensuring durable peace and stability. What we require is support not compromised by tactical considerations which are short-sighted and likely to aggravate already existing problems. Coddling unaccountable Governments would not promote peace in the long run and would not bring about durable stability. Ours is a region which has suffered so much, among other things because of strategic considerations which made expedient the propping up of unaccountable and authoritarian regimes. The result of all that has been disastrous for the region. Peace and stability in the Horn of Africa, as is true in all parts of the world, is dependent in a critical manner on the creation of conditions for good governance. This is a value which ought to be universally applied, including in our subregion. Durable peace demands it. The welfare of the people of our subregion makes it imperative. Ethiopia will leave no stone unturned for peace in our subregion and in Africa as a whole. The effort we have been making for peace in Somalia within the framework of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development is being made in that spirit. It is also in that same spirit that we shall continue to do our share for peace and national reconciliation in the Sudan. Most of all, we draw satisfaction from the fact that we have managed to come out of a war that was imposed on us. For our part, we are determined to leave behind the crisis we had with Eritrea. We shall remain committed to the peace process until its conclusion. It has always been our conviction that it is in the vital interest of Ethiopia to nurture peace in our subregion. That is required by the war we have to wage against poverty, which is the only real enemy we have. But the promotion of the cause of peace in the Horn of Africa has not been that easy. Our subregion is an area of the world that has long been vulnerable to terrorist activities. Ours has been an area that, due in part to the prevalence of poverty, has been taken advantage of very recklessly. My own country has been among those to have suffered as a result. This is a challenge that we still have to contend with, and which we still continue to face. This first-hand experience of ours put us in a position where we can deeply share the anguish of the people of the United States over the 11 September terrorist attack, which we have condemned vehemently. As we mark the first anniversary of that evil deed, we 19 wish once again to express our solidarity with the United States and its people. It is our conviction that success in the fight against international terrorism requires the genuine cooperation and solidarity of the entire international community, no matter who might be the target of such terrorism. All those who directly or indirectly support and encourage terrorism should be held accountable. Resources made available to terrorist groups, in whatever guise, should not be tolerated regardless of the area where this is taking place. In short, what is required is zero tolerance for terrorism regardless of its intended targets. It is not without reason that I am reiterating this point. For us in Ethiopia, terrorism is not a theoretical threat. It is a practical and immediate threat that we have had to face both before and after 11 September, including most recently. It is our earnest hope that the international community will do whatever is necessary to eliminate this scourge. We also hope that there will be better days ahead, when we will all concentrate on addressing the challenges that trouble our planet. I would like to conclude by renewing Ethiopia's commitment to the United Nations and to what it stands for. We wish to see the United Nations become an even a more effective universal Organization and a more forceful and faithful custodian of the principles of international law. Our hope and our dream is that the United Nations will be an even more robust universal Organization catering to the legitimate interests of both big and small counties. We in Ethiopia will continue to contribute our share to the greater nurturing of multilateralism and to making the United Nations an effective custodian of those values.