On behalf of the States members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), of which I am the current Chairman, and of my country, Zimbabwe, I extend our warmest congratulations to you, Mr. Udovenko, on your unanimous election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-second session. Your election to that high office is a fitting and eloquent tribute to your personal diplomatic qualities and to the valuable role that your country, Ukraine, is playing in international affairs. We are confident that, under your wise stewardship, the deliberations of this session will achieve significant results. We commend Ambassador Razali, the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, for having brought his experience and wisdom to bear upon the various special sessions and working groups of the General Assembly that he presided over during the past year, particularly in the area of United Nations reform. May I also pay tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his vision and for his exemplary leadership of the United Nations. I wish to commend him particularly for his tireless efforts to assist Member States in transforming the United Nations into a more dynamic, relevant and effective instrument for meeting the challenges that confront us as we approach the end of this millennium. Africa has consistently underlined the need for reform of the United Nations and other multilateral bodies, to promote the democratization and effectiveness of the international decision-making process. Indeed, we have maintained that such international bodies should truly serve the collective interests of the peoples of the world. It is in this context that we welcome the Secretary- General’s bold package of proposals, contained in the report entitled “Renewing the United Nations: a Programme for Reform” (A/51/950), which has been presented to the Assembly. These proposals merit our serious consideration. We have taken note of those proposals that the Secretary-General has implemented or intends to implement, as they fall within the purview of his powers as chief administrator of the Organization. We have also taken note of the proposals that he is placing before Member States for their consideration. We stand ready to work closely with the Secretary- General and other delegations to ensure that the reform process is speeded up on the basis of consensus and democratic participation. What is crucial to us is that reforms go to the heart of the matter — namely, the removal of anachronistic and undemocratic arrangements introduced over 50 years ago. The reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council is not only desirable but also imperative if the Council is to ensure the successful implementation of its global mandate to maintain international peace and security on behalf of all States. The fact that major geographical and political groupings representing the overwhelming majority of the peoples of the world remain under-represented and without permanent seats on the Security Council is the greatest anomaly of our times. Equally anomalous is a situation in which in this enlightened age the wishes of the overwhelming majority in the General Assembly will continue to be subjected to the whims and dictates of the privileged few by virtue of their wielding the power of the veto. Why should a small minority of States continue to wield so much power over the destiny of the majority without the latter’s consent? Why, indeed, are there frequent and persistent attempts by few States to undermine and circumvent the most democratic and representative body of the United Nations — the General Assembly — on matters of crucial concern to the entire international community? What are we to make of this? Are we meant to conclude that democracy and good governance at the international level should only be at the pleasure and behest of the mighty and powerful? Surely this state of affairs cannot continue, as it makes a mockery of the lofty and hallowed democratic principles we profess to cherish dearly at the national level. The thirty-third ordinary summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), held in Harare in June this year, underscored the pressing need for democratizing the United Nations Security Council and stressed that the process should take full account of the position of Africa as the largest continental grouping at the United Nations as far as the allocation of permanent and non-permanent seats in the reformed Council is concerned. The summit concurred with the position of the Non-Aligned Movement that use of the power of the veto should be restricted if it is not abolished. However, for as long as it exists, the new permanent members of the Council should be granted the same prerogatives and powers as the current members. Another area of fundamental importance to Africa pertains to the reforms in the economic and social fields of the United Nations. Africa is of the view that for reforms in this sphere to be meaningful and credible they should seek to reinforce the pivotal role of the United Nations in development and, conversely, the centrality of development to the United Nations agenda. We firmly believe in the role of free enterprise as the motive force in economic development. But any attempts to re-fashion an exclusively political mandate for the United Nations will marginalize its role in development, while giving free play to blind market forces and finance capital. This is clearly contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and should be resisted. The United Nations needs adequate financial resources if it is to continue to fulfil its mandate effectively, particularly in the light of the ever-expanding burden of responsibilities that it has to shoulder. It is therefore imperative for Member States to ensure that they pay their dues and pay them in a timely fashion. Unilateral actions to adjust the Organization’s scale of assessment or to withhold funds from certain United Nations programmes undermine the very foundation of the Organization and therefore should not be condoned. In the area of disarmament, we welcome the adoption at the recently concluded Oslo Conference of the draft treaty on the global ban on anti-personnel mines. The overwhelming support that the treaty received is eloquent testimony to the determination of the international community to rid itself of these deadly weapons, which have killed or maimed millions of innocent people the world over. Africa, which has one of the largest concentrations of anti-personnel mines and perhaps the highest number of victims of these weapons, is happy to join this international consensus. It is our hope that those who remain outside the Ottawa process will reconsider their position and decide to sign the treaty when it is opened for signature in December of this year. The past few years have witnessed the African continent undergoing a dual process of economic and political reforms. These reforms have in many countries resulted in greater democratization, as well as in higher economic growth rates. In the political sphere, democracy and good governance have taken root on our continent. In the past few years, we have witnessed the end of the dictatorships and military governments in many parts of Africa, and their replacement by governments committed to the political empowerment of their people. In the economic sphere, economic structural adjustment 2 programmes not only have stimulated high growth rates of between 5 and 10 per cent per annum, but have also created an environment that is increasingly receptive to foreign direct investment and greater participation of the private sector in our economies. Most countries have also entered into multilateral and bilateral investment treaties with both developed and developing countries. At the subregional and continental levels, Africa has taken unprecedented steps to assume greater control of its future through economic integration. The historic convening in Harare in June this year of the inaugural session of the Assembly of Heads of Government of the African Economic Community was an important landmark in Africa’s efforts to build a stable and prosperous future for its people. The session resolved to strengthen the African Economic Community through the conclusion of protocols with subregional organizations, such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), among others, which are essential building blocks for a viable economic community at a continental level. For these efforts to succeed, however, it is vital that Africa receive the prerequisite support and cooperation of its development partners and, indeed, that of the international community at large. We should never underestimate the enormous obstacles that the African economies are confronted with. Africa’s external debt problem and the heavy burden of debt repayments continue to drain many of our economies of the much-needed capital for development. More resources in the form of debt repayments than those coming in the form of aid are leaving the continent. There is a need, therefore, for international financial institutions to adopt a unified and coordinated approach to Africa’s debt problem that will help to redress the situation. There can be no better time than now for the international community to augment our own efforts to bring the much-awaited peace dividend to our people. Foreign direct investment to Africa should continue to be augmented by official development assistance. The steady fall of this assistance from 0.34 per cent in 1992 to 0.25 per cent in 1996 is therefore a matter of serious concern to us. We commend those countries which have surpassed the target of allocating 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product to official development assistance and urge others to do likewise. We welcome new initiatives on Africa that have recently been announced in the area of trade, investment and infrastructure development. These are, indeed, a result of the recognition that Africa risks being marginalized unless innovative ways are found to support its development efforts. Africa in terms of conflict situations still suffers from a number of setbacks. The situation in Sierra Leone, where a military junta overthrew the democratically elected Government of that country in May this year, is a matter of serious concern to us. The Organization of African Unity (OAU), meeting in Harare for its thirty- third summit, unequivocally condemned the coup and called for the immediate and unconditional restoration of the constitutional Government of Sierra Leone. Africa’s message is loud and clear. The days of military dictatorships are over. Africa cannot and will not give legitimacy to regimes that willy-nilly flout the rule of law and the popular aspirations of their people. We appeal to the international community not to give solace to these military juntas in the name of humanitarian aid, but to stand solidly with Africa in denying them recognition. Of equal concern to Africa are the crises in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Somalia, the Sudan, Western Sahara, Burundi and the Comoros. In this respect we take note of, and reaffirm our support for, the United Nations initiative through the Secretary-General’s envoy, Mr. James Baker, which seeks to find a lasting solution to the problem of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic. The OAU is working tirelessly through the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in search of African solutions to these African problems. We call on the United Nations and the international community at large to support Africa’s initiatives to resolve these conflicts and to strengthen the OAU’s capacity for preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution. We are encouraged by the continued engagement of the United Nations in Angola and welcome the adoption by the Security Council last month of resolution 1127 (1997), calling on the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA) to abide by the Lusaka Protocol. Africa and the entire international community welcomed the successful holding of elections in Liberia, and we congratulate the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the important role it played in helping to bring that conflict to an end. We salute the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the positive developments that have taken place 3 in their country and welcome the commitment of their Government to restore and uphold democracy and democratic principles. Obviously, after so many decades of dictatorship and plunder, the task of rehabilitation and reconstruction in that country is not going to be an easy one. The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo need our support in their endeavours to restore peace and stability in their country. Indeed, basic necessities such as food and shelter, together with peace, security and stability, are the foremost human rights that the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo ask of the international community in this, their hour of greatest need. While inquiry into alleged massacres in the Congo may be important, the lofty principles of peace, democracy and good governance which we all cherish so dearly, will be realized in that country only if immediate support is provided by the international community. In respect of the dispute between the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and both the United States and Britain concerning the Lockerbie issue, the OAU summit expressed the hope that the Security Council would consider ways and means to ensure a rapid resolution of this dispute. The peace process in the Middle East is in serious jeopardy as a result of Israel’s refusal to freeze the building of settlements in the occupied territories. There is a real risk of reversal of important gains that have been achieved so far in that part of the world. We call on the parties to the peace process to show good faith and give peace a chance. In conclusion, I wish to reiterate that we believe the United Nations reform process has reached a crucial stage. We have always believed that the United Nations, as a living organism, needs to respond to its changing environment. It is our sincere hope, therefore, that we can make progress expeditiously. We in Africa aspire, in these reforms, for a United Nations which upholds universal values and interests, attends to the urgent needs of the least- developed regions of the world, and remains at the service of humanity.