Togo

I should like to join those who have spoken before me in offering you, Sir, my warmest congratulations on your outstanding election to the presidency of our Assembly. To your illustrious predecessor, Mr. Razali Ismail of Malaysia, my delegation reaffirms its satisfaction with the efficiency and competence with which he guided the work of the fifty-first session. We wish once again to convey to him our sincere appreciation. I also wish once again to welcome the election of Mr. Kofi Annan as Secretary-General of our Organization. In raising him to this position, the international community recognized the qualities that have brought honour to him, his country and the entire African continent. On behalf of my delegation, I pay tribute to him for his dedication to the cause of international peace and security and for all he is doing to make the United Nations more effective and credible by improving its capacity to meet the needs of today’s world. Two years ago, we celebrated the United Nations first half-century. We recommitted ourselves solemnly to working together to advance peace, development, equality, justice and understanding among all the peoples of the world. The current session provides us with another opportunity to assess our collective work at a time when we are preparing to enter the twenty-first century with major achievements under our belt, to be sure, but also with innumerable challenges to face. In its ongoing quest to make life better for peoples, our Organization has adopted and is implementing alternative strategies to meet the demands of a world in constant change. The proclamation of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, the advancement of the rights of women and children, and the convening of a special session of the General Assembly on environment and development are all actions demonstrating the determination of the United Nations to address the great problems of our time. But we must recognize that, despite the efforts of the international community to establish a new world order, we are still waiting for the ardently desired peace, security, development and growth to materialize. Despite the detente that has existed since the end of the East-West antagonism, the international political situation continues to present a gloomy picture, marked by ongoing disputes, tensions and conflicts. Even if piecemeal efforts are made to settle these crises, definitive solutions seem to elude us. Thus, we remain deeply concerned for the future of mankind. Moreover, our helplessness in the face of resurgent terrorism, worsening poverty, the ever growing number of refugees and displaced persons and the deterioration of the environment dims our hope that the noble objectives laid down in the Charter to build a better world for future generations will ever come true. In this context, Togo, under the guidance of the President of the Republic, Mr. Gnassingbé Eyadema, is striving to strengthen the political and legal bases of a state of law and to make development and, above all, the eradication of poverty the cornerstones of its policy. The citizens of Togo have entered a new era in the achievement of greater liberty, justice and progress in order to make their country a democratic, united and prosperous nation. Every day, they demonstrate their will to reflect in their actions this deep-rooted desire to live together in peace and unity. According to experienced observers of good faith, the democratic institutions established in Togo are proving themselves. The National Assembly, having become an outstanding forum for democratic debate, is living proof of the country’s commitment to entrench itself in democracy. Most of the other institutions of the Republic provided for under the Constitution have been established — for example, the High Audiovisual and Communication Authority, the Constitutional Court, the National Commission for Human Rights and the Supreme Council for the Courts. Aware, moreover, that they control their own destiny, the Togolese have decided to work together towards a sound and transparent administration of public affairs. How could we not, therefore, be pleased by the economic performances achieved thanks to efforts made for the effective implementation of the Government programme? The gross domestic product increased by 6 per cent in 1996, and the rate of inflation has shown a clear improvement compared to 1995 thanks to a prudent wages and monetary policy. Improved export competitiveness and the progressive resumption of cooperation have allowed us to correct the balance of 5 payments and strengthen Togo’s contribution to the reserves of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The people of Togo hope that the community of nations will continue to support it in its progress towards legitimacy and legality by helping it to complete the work of economic recovery. The maintenance of peace continues to be the primary task of the United Nations. One cannot over-emphasize that preventing crises, reducing tension, separating combatants and finding definitive solutions to conflicts continue to be among the fundamental missions of our Organization. We are pleased to see in Togo that the United Nations, through concerted actions, continues day by day to do even more. My country confirms its unswerving dedication to the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes, in accordance with international law, and emphasizes the need to strengthen in this area cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. Chapter VIII of the Charter would then take on its full meaning. Despite every effort, peace remains threatened on our planet, particularly on the African continent. As regards the Republic of the Congo, Togo is concerned over the situation there since 5 June 1997. We keenly hope that the protagonists will put aside their arms in favour of dialogue in accordance with the spirit of Libreville Summit, held on 14 and 15 September 1997, in which eight Heads of State, including President Eyadema of Togo, participated. The Government of Togo urgently calls upon our brothers in the Congo to conclude as quickly as possible a final ceasefire so that, under the aegis of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the international interposition force planned by that last summit can be deployed. As regards the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Togo, needless to say, was involved in the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis by hosting in Lomé last March a special summit of the Central Organ of the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in Africa. Faced with a new political situation, my Government would urge the authorities in Kinshasa to do everything in their power to provide a climate favourable to national reconciliation in order to tackle the priority tasks of development. In Sierra Leone, the hope born of the establishment of a democratic regime and the signing of the peace agreement in Abidjan in November 1996 between the Government and the Revolutionary United Front was thoroughly tested by the putsch of 25 May 1997. My country strongly condemned this coup. It is demanding the reestablishment of constitutional order and earnestly hopes that this question can be peacefully resolved in order to avoid another crisis for the West African subregion at a time when the Liberian conflict is coming to a close. The people of Togo are pleased to note that, on the basis of the Abuja Agreement, the presidential, legislative and senatorial elections were finally able to take place last 19 July in an atmosphere of discipline, transparency and peace. My delegation takes this opportunity to congratulate the mission carried out by the Economic Community of West African States, supported by the United Nations and the OAU, from the beginning of the conflict to the establishment of new democratic institutions. I should like, moreover, given the instability that Africa is experiencing, to remind the parties concerned that they must seek to prevent fratricidal conflicts, which diverts their energy from the path of development. More thought should therefore be given to establishing an African peacekeeping force, which was first suggested by President Eyadema at the thirtieth session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU, held in Tunisia in 1994. There is now an imperative, urgent need to establish such a force, which could react promptly and effectively to any armed conflict, in order to reestablish peace and stability as quickly as possible wherever necessary. I would like again this year to return to the question of the Regional Centre of the United Nations for Peace and Disarmament in Africa and to welcome the sending by the Secretary-General of a mission of consultants to Lomé and other African capitals to explore ways and means of revitalizing the Centre. It is clear from the decision taken in Harare by the thirty-third session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU that the Centre has a vital role to play in the maintenance of peace and security in Africa as well as in the prevention of conflicts on the continent. I cannot fail to mention here the situation in other parts of the world. Regarding the Middle East, my country, which had in the past hailed the courage, dedication and spirit of initiative of the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the implementation of the timetable for the withdrawal from the occupied territories, is today concerned about the blocking of the peace process in the region. We deplore the continuation of the settlements policy and the 6 resumption of acts of violence, which only serve to undermine the climate of confidence that is a prerequisite for the pursuit of dialogue. Togo urges the parties to resume negotiations in accordance with the Agreements of 1993 and 1994 in order to relaunch the peace process and achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict in the Middle East, which has lasted now for more than half a century and is a threat to the peace and security of the States of the region. I turn to the situation in the Korean Peninsula. Togo has been following with great interest the talks under way and calls for the establishment of lasting peace in this region. We hope that the negotiations that have begun will continue and will be crowned with success. Everyone is aware that most of these conflicts have claimed, and continue to claim, numerous victims, including refugees and displaced persons. The proliferation of weapons, whatever their type, is a threat to peace and security. To be sure, commendable efforts have been made to create a world free from the spectre of nuclear war. However, it must be emphasized that the maintenance of international peace and security hinges on general and complete disarmament. My country hailed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and considers the entry into force on 29 April this year of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction to be a decisive act by the international community in its permanent quest for a peaceful world. In ratifying this Convention, Togo wished to stress its unequivocal commitment to general and complete disarmament. It hopes that implementing the provisions of this Convention will help spare mankind the innumerable evils resulting from the use of such weapons. Regarding anti-personnel landmines, my country hails the process begun in Ottawa in 1996, which concluded in Oslo with the adoption of the treaty regarding the use, storage, production and transfer of those mines and their destruction. We hope that this treaty, which will open for signature next December in Ottawa, will be ratified and rigorously applied by all States, so that, because of its universal nature, many human lives may be saved. The end of the bipolarization associated with the cold war allowed the international community to glimpse a world in which efforts would henceforth be mobilized to eliminate poverty so as to ensure development and well- being for humankind. However, we are obliged to note that, despite this favourable environment for peace and economic expansion, poverty continues to grow unchecked and remains a striking phenomenon in our world. This situation provides a good illustration of the failure of the numerous development strategies put forward by the international community. In this context, the case of Africa remains the most worrying. The burden of external debt, the drop in export earnings and the adverse consequences of trade imbalances have largely contributed to an increased deterioration in socio-economic conditions in many countries. The world economy, characterized, as we near the end of the century, by the phenomenon of globalization, has experienced a general growth in almost all countries over the past few years. It is regrettable, however, that despite this globalization the new rules of trade have not made it possible to dismantle the barriers erected by the industrialized countries to protect their industry and agriculture. It follows that it is still difficult for our products to gain access to their markets. These protectionist measures, which do enormous damage to developing countries, especially in Africa, cancel out the efforts made by African countries to relaunch the growth of their economies through exports. We cannot stress enough how much damage is caused by the closing of the markets of the North to the products of developing countries. This situation deprives the countries of the South of substantial foreign-currency income, which are necessary to promote sustained development. In this respect, the Government of Togo fully appreciates the willingness of the richest countries, reaffirmed last June at the Denver Summit, intend to open their markets further to the countries of the South. We believe that by lifting their protectionist barriers the developed countries will make a genuine and tangible contribution to the development efforts being made by the less well-off. In this light, my Government believes that globalization must be accompanied by an impetus for increased solidarity, characterized by the willingness of the countries of the North to buy our staple commodities at remunerative prices. Despite the commendable efforts undertaken by African Governments within the framework of structural- adjustment programmes, the economic situation in our 7 States remains difficult, and living conditions for our populations are increasingly precarious. Given this state of affairs, the international community has developed various strategies to help the African States find viable and lasting solutions to their many socio-economic problems. It is important to welcome here the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, which my delegation believes supports and complements the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), as well as the Cairo Programme of Action for the social and economic development of Africa. My country also pays tribute to the Government of Japan which, in addition to its unfailing support to developing countries, has taken the positive initiative of planning to convene, in 1998, the second Tokyo International Conference on African Development. It is very desirable for the various parties involved in African development who will be participating in that forum, including Africans themselves, to become more involved in the conception and the implementation of development programmes for out continent. Development policies for our countries cannot be conceived today without cooperation and regional integration. In this respect, the entry into force of the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community is a good illustration of the will of the African States to pool their efforts to achieve sustainable development. Togo would like to reaffirm its commitment to the policy of economic integration of the continent and urges the United Nations and the international community to support the African countries in their efforts to achieve the objectives of sustainable development so as to promote prosperity and well-being for their populations. We are pleased to note that 52 years after the adoption of the Charter in San Francisco, many processes are under way, aimed in particular at strengthening the United Nations system, resolving the financial crisis of the Organization and restructuring the United Nations in the social and economic spheres and in related areas, including the Security Council. With regard to the Security Council in particular, it is important that the ongoing discussions on its restructuring aim at and succeed in expanding the number of both permanent and non-permanent members. Such an enlargement should take into account the interests of developing countries and should be based on equitable geographic representation in order to make the Council more representative and more democratic, thereby enabling it to respond more effectively to the requirements of the day. Within the framework of efforts to revitalize the Organization, my delegation has noted with interest the measures envisaged by the Secretary-General and the recommendations contained in his report, presented on 16 July, which are aimed at restructuring the Secretariat and providing it with the means to serve the Member States more effectively. At this session the Assembly will have an opportunity to take part in a careful and in-depth consideration of that report. Togo wishes to stress that the decisions and measures resulting from such consideration should not reduce the capacity of the Organization in the development field. We therefore hope, as the Secretary- General himself has proposed, that the savings resulting from more rigorous management will permit the financing of United Nations priority programmes, such as those for the elimination of poverty and the advancement of sustained economic growth in the developing countries. At the dawn of the third millennium, humankind is at a decisive stage in its history and requires greater pragmatism, creativity and solidarity in settling its problems. In this respect, our world, in a spirit of solidarity, must mobilize further to eliminate poverty, which is the vital concern of our time, as it impedes the cohesiveness of societies and States, destroys the very basis of human rights and damages the environment. We therefore need to tackle this principal cause of instability — poverty — with the same urgency and vigour that we apply to political crises. For it is clear that no system of collective security can be viable unless we seek effectively to resolve the problems of poverty and misery that are the daily lot of most of the population of the world. Together, therefore, let us seek a new international order based on peace, solidarity and justice.