I participate in this debate of the General
Assembly in our dual position as President in Office of
the African Union and President of the Republic of
Equatorial Guinea. I do so in the full conviction that
the passage of years and the experience accumulated in
the 66 years of the life of this world Organization will
inspire the international community morally and united
in social and political solidarity around universal
norms and principles in order to address any threat or
situation that may affect the planet. With this conviction in mind, I should like to
congratulate His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser, Permanent Representative of Qatar, on his
recent election as President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-sixth session. He represents an ancient culture
that has contributed much to the development of
humankind, and hails from a peaceful country that
demonstrates solidarity and contributes to the
maintenance of peace, stability and development in the
world. We are certain, that under his leadership, the
United Nations will be able to solve the serious
problems affecting our countries.
We would also like to congratulate the Secretary-
General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on his
re-election to the helm of this world Organization, in
recognition of the work that he has done over the past
five years despite the various political, economic and
social crises that our planet has faced and is continuing
to face.
On the basis of that conviction, the United
Nations, given the current trend whereby it is being
converted into a club for the powerful, must
reconfigure itself so that it can resume its place as the
most representative and equitable organization in the
world — one in which those whose problems it is
endeavouring to resolve can participate and have their
voices heard. That would ensure the democratization of
all of the organs of this universal institution.
With respect to peace and security, Africa, which
is witnessing various fratricidal conflicts caused, in
most cases, by internal and external factors and by
third parties, has firmly stated that it is in favour of the
peaceful resolution of conflicts, wherever they may be
taking place, through dialogue, mediation and
negotiation.
Africa, a continent whose countries and peoples
have been exploited for centuries by foreign Powers,
today is experiencing a new iteration of
neocolonialism, involving the intervention of forces on
the basis of humanitarian principles and democratic
freedoms. In this connection, Africa must bring to the
fore its international political personality so that the
African Union is respected, moving beyond internal
differences caused by unspoken interests.
Intervention by force, internal or external, has
never provided a lasting solution to conflicts since the
creation of the United Nations, as has been seen in the
various conflicts that have taken place in the past
50 years. Unfortunately, we can see that the United
Nations is being used dishonestly, under the pretext of
humanitarian interventions, when in fact those
interventions have served only to further violate the
human rights of the peoples affected. The use of force
in a conflict is not a unifying factor but rather one of
division and destruction.
The African Union recognizes the victory of the
National Transitional Council of Libya in its fight
against totalitarianism and recommends that its
Government undertake a programme of transition
aimed at the holding of free and transparent elections,
ensuring their legitimacy through the participation of
all of the groups that constitute the community of
Libyan people.
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With regard to the situation in Tunisia and Egypt,
we also call on their Governments to adopt the legal
and administrative structures necessary for democratic
processes and State institutions.
I should like to take this opportunity to
congratulate the State of South Sudan on its accession
to membership of the United Nations and to express
our wish that the peoples of the Sudan and of South
Sudan will live in peace and harmony with all of their
neighbours and with the international community.
Today’s world is suffering from an economic and
financial crisis whose consequences are unpredictable.
It is the result of the irrationality of the current
political, economic and social world order, which has
moved away from the social and humanitarian
principles of equality, justice and fairness.
In the political realm, we cannot transplant the
cultural values of a country or a group of countries to
others simply because the world, and policies
themselves, are becoming increasingly globalized.
Rather, we must promote dialogue and coexistence
among cultures and civilizations, because, if we do not
do so, the principle of the self-determination of peoples
will automatically disappear.
It is true that democracy is a noble principle and
applies to any cultural value that is practiced and
accepted by peoples. To say otherwise would be to
betray the spirit of democracy that must develop in
consonance with the cultures of respective peoples.
On the economic front, the social dimension of
peoples must manifest in the form of productive
activities that benefit humankind. In that context, we
cannot see any justification for the barriers, blockages
and discrimination that we see in current economic,
scientific and technical exchanges among nations,
which only perpetuates the impoverishment of some
and the ever-increasing enrichment of others.
Indeed, the level of participation of the African
continent in world markets is ridiculous, not even
topping 1 per cent despite its economic and human
potential, which studies have described as representing
the future salvation of humankind. Africa calls on the
developed countries to show solidarity and help us to
develop our economy so as to become an integral part
of this planet.
Africa is not asking for a handout. Africa requires
a level of economic and technological support that
would enable it to process its vast resources, which,
while contributing to accelerating its development,
would also have an effect on the economic stability of
its partners. All of this requires profound changes in
the way in which we think about the current system
and a readjustment of the methods and procedures used
in international economic trade.
The social order is determined by the political
and economic order, but the political cannot develop
properly unless the economic does as well. In that
respect, Africa is making great efforts to develop its
national democracies, and many African States have
adapted their political, legal and administrative
structures to the basic requirements of democracy.
Nevertheless, in order to translate theory into
practice, certain basic requirements must be met that
meet the material needs of humankind. Thus many
countries failed in this respect. Instead of their plans
coming to fruition, they became engulfed in fratricidal
conflicts because they did not meet such basic needs.
Moreover, the African continent is facing, in
addition to the economic crisis, the devastating effects
of climate change, natural disasters, drought, famine
and communicable diseases, which claim millions of
victims. In that respect, the African Union recently
organized a donors conference to support victims in the
Horn of Africa, with Somalia being one of the
countries most affected. The African Union has
honoured its commitment to tackle this emergency.
However, the helping hand of the international
community is still needed.
We believe that developed countries whose
industries are responsible for atmospheric warming
should meet their commitments under the Kyoto
Protocol and compensate developing countries for the
damage and harm resulting from the effects of
atmospheric warming.
The groups at greatest disadvantage in this crisis
are women, children and young people. However,
young people without physical, intellectual and moral
development cannot take up the mantle from the
current generation to ensure the future of nations.
Hence there is a need to provide the necessary moral
and material assistance to young people to ensure the
development of the continent in the future.
In that regard, the African Union Summit held in
Sipopo, Equatorial Guinea, adopted a programme for
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promoting the employment of women and young
people and the fight against underemployment, as well
as to provide professional and academic training. This
programme needs the support of the international
community.
In my own country, the Republic of Equatorial
Guinea, we are committed to the Millennium
Development Goals set for 2015. During the national
economic conference held in 2009 to plan for the
rational use of our oil resources and others, the
Government adopted a national economic development
programme, with the aim of ensuring that Equatorial
Guinea joins the ranks of emerging economies by
2020.
In parallel to this programme, the Government is
carrying out political, legal and administrative reforms
in order to optimize the development of democracy and
ensure control, transparency, good economic and
political management and guarantee maximum respect
for human rights.
The political environment in my country is
optimal for promoting peace, stability and
reconciliation among all political forces, who work
together in harmony with a unified set of consensual
political criteria.
Finally, Equatorial Guinea is participating in
these discussions with a good measure of optimism,
based on our belief that, contrary to the selfishness that
prevents many States from joining their efforts to
tackle the problems facing our world, what we are
seeing every day is a growing awareness and
international moral determination that the United
Nations should be a veritable centre for the unity and
cohesion of the international community.
Indeed, while Africa was isolated in the past,
today the groups of countries who trust in Africa, its
States and the contribution they can make to the global
development continue to grow. We wish the sixty-sixth
session of the General Assembly every success.