Tanzania

It gives me great pleasure on behalf of my delegation to extend to you, Sir, our heartfelt congratulations on your well-deserved election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session. My delegation is particularly pleased at the way you have been conducting the work of the Assembly thus far. The skills and experience that you bring to the Assembly have been amply proven in the past days of our deliberations. I wish to assure you of the continued support and cooperation of my delegation. Let me use this opportunity to congratulate your predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, for a job well done during the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. In the same vein, I wish to pay tribute to our illustrious Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his valiant efforts in bringing the United Nations closer to the people and in fostering peace and development around the world. He is discharging the functions of his high office in such a manner that he has won the hearts and minds of many people the world over. This fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly is being held at a very momentous time in the history of the United Nations — a time when multilateralism is facing serious threats and a time when the United Nations, the main embodiment of multilateralism, has been confronting formidable challenges. Never in history have the relevance and mandate of the United Nations been put to a greater test as in the past few months. Certainly, the tumultuous events of the past months have shaken the very foundation of our Organization, but fortunately have not broken it. We are comforted by the fact that the United Nations has withstood the test of time and emerged as not only relevant, but indispensable in keeping world peace. Likewise, multilateralism has stood out as the only hope for all peoples. As we celebrate the United Nations and its success, we should always remember that it is our solidarity and steadfast adherence to the ideals of the United Nations that have made our Organization survive the trials and turbulence of the past year. I assure the Assembly that the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania take pride in Tanzania’s membership of the United Nations. We remain committed to its ideals and ready to work tirelessly towards its advancement, strengthening and success. Peace and security still eludes the world, as guns and explosives continue to thunder and cries of agony continue to be heard across the continents. These days, violations of human rights have become common occurrences, even among the developed countries of the world. Wars continue to rage, with Africa and Asia, sadly, claiming the largest share. Acts of terror, too, continue to resonate all over the world. Since the last General Assembly session, for example, terrorists have struck in 12 countries. As a country that has been a victim of international terrorism, Tanzania condemns terrorism, whatever the reason and wherever it takes place. My Government remains committed to the war against terror. In this regard, we will continue to cooperate with world Governments and institutions of goodwill to defeat terrorism. I take this opportunity to inform the Assembly that Tanzania has ratified all the major anti- terrorism protocols. We have also enacted a comprehensive legislation to deal with terrorism and terrorist acts in our country. It is very saddening to note that even the United Nations has become a target of terrorist attacks, as exemplified by the recent tragic bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which resulted in the death of 23 United Nations staff members, including the charismatic diplomat and chief of mission, Sergio Vieira de Mello and his chief of staff, Nadia Younes. Once again, we condemn this senseless act, while joining in mourning our fallen heroes. They died for the United Nations. They risked their lives and died for a just cause, for which they will be remembered for ever in the history of our Organization. Tanzania proposes that the United Nations erect a fitting memorial in their honour and memory. 12 I mentioned earlier that Africa has had an unfair share of violent conflicts and wars, especially when one considers the rampant poverty and low levels of development on the continent. However, I dare say, with a sense of guarded optimism, that we see a glimmer of hope in the evolutions of processes to resolve some of Africa’s seemingly intractable conflicts. I have in mind the conflicts in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, the Sudan and Somalia, where encouraging progress has been recorded on the path to finding lasting solutions. The most welcome development in these conflicts, however, is the fact that African nations and leaders have taken the lead in the search for solutions. They have done so under the auspices of the African Union or their regional economic groupings. In several cases, they have also intervened as individuals or as groups of neighbours or like-minded nations and leaders. Tanzania appreciates the support of the United Nations and the international community for the efforts made by African nations and leaders in the search for peace on the continent. We appeal for continued support to sustain the peace in the reconstruction phase. Equally important, I appeal for timely support and action. Experience has shown that the support of the international community, including the United Nations, in the search for solutions to African conflicts is a bit too slow, or comes a bit too late. My delegation is extremely pleased to have been a witness, on 25 September, of the adoption of the principles of good-neighbourly relations and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. It is a welcome initiative. We commend the Secretary-General for conceiving the idea. Once again, I register Tanzania’s support for the initiative and promise that we shall do whatever is within our means to promote its success. I would also like to take this opportunity to call on the international community to extend the necessary political, economic and financial support to the Transitional Government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, under the leadership of President Joseph Kabila. We consider this critical to keep up the momentum and avoid reversals. The situation in Burundi, regrettably, remains precarious. While we welcome the smooth transfer of power from President Buyoya to President Ndayizeye, we also take note of positive developments under the Transitional Government. However, the Government and people of Burundi need to be supported to achieve comprehensive peace and social and economic reconstruction. The regional leaders have been trying to help on the peace front and will continue to do so. Some progress has been made, but serious challenges still lie ahead. The unrelenting support of the international community, especially the Security Council, is therefore essential. We also call on the international community to do more by way of extending economic and financial support to the Transitional Government of Burundi. It needs that support to effectively respond to the humanitarian needs in the country. My Government welcomes the decision by the United Nations to convene the long awaited international conference on the Great Lakes region. Preparations are progressing well under the able leadership of Mr. Ibrahima Fall, the Secretary- General’s special representative for the Great Lakes region. There is good cooperation between him, the African Union and the six core countries of the region. Tanzania feels greatly honoured to be given the opportunity to host the Conference in June 2004. We stand ready to contribute to its success. The Conference will undoubtedly provide an important forum to all concerned parties to deliberate on important issues of peace, stability and development in the region. We also hope that it will give due focus to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-torn countries. I appeal to all in the United Nations to extend the requisite material, financial, political and diplomatic support to the Conference. We welcome the latest Baker Plan on resolving the long-standing Western Sahara problem. We appeal to the parties to extend the maximum possible cooperation to Mr. Baker so that the people of Western Sahara can have an opportunity to determine their future peacefully. Owing to our strategic position in a conflict- ridden region, and our history of stability and traditional hospitality, Tanzania has played host to thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries. The influx began in 1959 and has not stopped to date. At present, we play host to more than 800,000 refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. We remain committed to our international obligations under the 1951 Geneva 13 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees as the cornerstone of international protection. However, our 42 years of experience of hosting refugees have made us see the urgent need to review its relevance and application. We are particularly concerned with the concept and practice of burden-sharing, which does not adequately alleviate the burden of hosting refugees in poor developing countries like ours. We welcome the new concept of “Convention Plus” espoused by the High Commissioner for Refugees. We hope that new and emerging realities will be given serious thought in the discussions and conclusions of the High Commissioner’s Executive Committee. The situation in the Middle East remains a matter of great concern to my Government. When the Middle East road map for peace was promulgated a few months ago, we became hopeful. My Government supported it because it addressed comprehensively the issue of the establishment of a viable Palestinian State, living side by side and in peace with Israel. Despite the current difficulties, we still believe that the road map is the most reasonable and viable way of resolving the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict. It is imperative, therefore, that the obstacles on the road map be overcome quickly. Violence and counter-violence will not help. We are also of the view that the use of excessive force and recourse to extrajudicial measures in dealing with Palestinian militants, or exiling President Yasser Arafat, would be counterproductive; it would inflame the situation. We appeal to the Quartet and the Security Council to do everything possible to bring the implementation of the road map back on track. As we all remember, at the dawn of the twenty- first century, the General Assembly at a special session discussed the challenge of poverty and development. At the end we came up with the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, which embodied a vision of engaging in a comprehensive offensive against poverty, deprivation and lack of development. The clear target of halving the scourge of poverty by 2015 was set. When we look back and evaluate what has been achieved in the three years since the Millennium Summit, we cannot fail to discover that not much has been done. Provision of the estimated $50 billion to $100 billion additional resources required annually over a period of 15 years to finance the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals is far from being realized. The subsequent meetings in Monterrey and Johannesburg, as well as the successive G-8 summits, have been unable to meet the requirement. As it stands now, the Millennium Development Goals risk not being implemented as expected. Indeed, something needs to be done quickly to save that historic summit. It is incumbent upon the developed countries to demonstrate greater political will. Certainly failure will not be good for our Organization and surely it will be bad for all of us. The current wave of globalization is the greatest economic process of our time. The unfortunate collapse of the World Trade Organization meeting in Cancún last month demands that we face up to this phenomenon. We hope that summit will be reconvened soon. The social imperative of the wave of globalization presents us with two interlinked challenges that are central to the work of this Organization. These pertain, on the one hand, to fighting poverty, and on the other, to working on constructive and inclusive measures to promote the effectiveness of global institutions in global issues and conflicts. These concerns have also been at the centre of the work of the World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalization, established last year under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO), with a mandate to promote social justice and decent work, linked to economic and social policies for global prosperity. This World Commission, which my President is privileged to co-chair with President Tarja Halonen of Finland, is about to complete its work and is due to submit its report early next year. The Commission has been a forum of useful dialogue between eminent personalities with a wide cross-section of backgrounds, views and competencies. It has consulted widely and extensively. Its report is expected to generate practical ideas for change that can make the process of globalization more inclusive and more equitable. It will address the needs of those who feel marginalized, as well as those who have benefited from globalization but feel uncertain about the future. It will speak of the significance of a value-based multilateralism and the role of this Organization. However, the recommendations, mandate and vision of the work of the Commission will not be 14 undertaken, pursued and achieved through the work of the ILO alone. They will constitute a wide remit for other agencies of the United Nations, other multilateral agencies, regional groupings, individual Governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society. It is also hoped that the report will be submitted to this Assembly for consideration and appropriate promotional direction. It is the hope of my delegation that the Commission’s report will be a welcome basis for collective and concerted action towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals and in rendering globalization a process that works for all, in all countries, within countries and between countries. I would like to associate myself with the statement made this morning by the Permanent Representative of Finland concerning the launching of a Helsinki process on global governance and democracy, with which my Government feels proud to be associated. The fight against AIDS remains a major challenge to mankind today. It is a war that we must fight and win. We realize the dire consequences of the pandemic on human life and on our economies. The high-level plenary meeting held last week was reassuring and most of us came away from the session modestly optimistic. Certainly, our resolve to squarely face up to the pandemic and to meet the set targets has to be coupled with equal responsibility for leadership initiatives, accountability and more judicious resource mobilization and management. Reform of the United Nations Security Council has been in the cards for some time now. Tanzania is convinced that the reform of the Security Council is desirable, to make this important organ of our Organization more representative, more democratic, more transparent and more measured in the conduct of its business. We believe that this will go a long way towards renewing the confidence and support of Member States in the relevance and effectiveness of the Organization. Tanzania accepts the truism that reform is a process and not an event. We support the establishment of the high-level panel of eminent personalities to review the functioning of major organs of the United Nations. We look forward to its early constitution. We attach special importance to this process and promise to play our part.