It is a great
honour for me to address the General Assembly as the
first democratically elected President in the history of
my country since its independence, following a free,
transparent and credible election whose result was
accepted by all. My country paid a high price for the
dawn of democracy, to which I have devoted almost
50 years of my life.
Today, Guinea has turned an important page in its
history. I would like to take this opportunity to express
the people of Guinea’s gratitude to the international
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community, in particular the International Contact
Group on Guinea, for their untiring efforts in the
context of my country’s return to constitutional
normality. To those thanks, I add my brother and friend
President Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso,
who, as mediator in the Guinean crisis, spared no effort
to restore constitutional order in Guinea.
My presence in this Hall, which says much about
the history of peoples and nations, represents Guinea’s
return to the international stage. This is the place for
me to assure the international community of my
Government’s commitment to respect and promote
human rights, strengthen unity and national harmony,
build a democratic society and ensure the progress and
prosperity of the Guinean people.
The challenges to be addressed are many and
complex. The socio-economic situation that we
inherited was hardly bright: an utterly failed economy
with the resulting inflation, corruption and a
completely dysfunctional State.
The outcome of the presidential election in
November 2010 therefore expressed the legitimate
aspiration of the people of Guinea to profound change
that would foster the economic and social development
of the country. That thirst for change is also justified
by the considerable backwardness evident in our
country despite its considerable human and natural
resources. That is why, the day after the presidential
election, we committed without delay to a series of
remedial measures in order to provide the way for
better governance in the country.
Strategies and dynamic policies were drawn up
and implemented to improve people’s living
conditions. Among the reforms pledged, the
Government grants agriculture priority in order to
achieve food self-sufficiency. Likewise, the mining
sector is being reorganized through the adoption of a
new more attractive policy that takes into account the
interests of Guinea and its partners.
As part of that momentum for change, actions
continue for the modernization and restructuring of the
judicial system in order to ensure the promotion and
protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms and to
establish an attractive investment climate.
On the financial level, reform will make it
possible to control inflation, prevent the
misappropriation of public funds and avoid having to
print money, as well as allow us to combat poor
governance, impunity and corruption. Strict
management measures, such as the State one-stop shop,
strengthening economic oversight and the overhaul of
the administration, as well as undertaking audits, will
stop financial losses and correct malfunctions.
Apart from the steps to improve macroeconomic
management and the structural reforms that I have just
described, the Government has drawn up poverty
reduction strategies to meet the population’s basic
needs for income and access to basic social services, in
particular drinking water and power supplies.
Sustainable development being a major goal of the
Government, it is clear that the health-care, education
and environment sectors are among our Government’s
priorities.
However, that ambitious programme to combat
underdevelopment and poverty cannot be fully
accomplished without the ongoing and effective
support of the international community. Moreover,
negotiations are under way with the Bretton Woods
institutions on the signing of an agreement, which is
almost complete, on the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries Initiative to considerably reduce the Guinean
debt. That will enable us to free up considerable
financial resources and devote them to the sustainable
development of our country.
I wish to acknowledge our deep appreciation for,
and to renew our faith in, the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund and the African
Development Bank for the efforts already agreed on
implementing our development strategy. I would also
like to take this opportunity to express the Guinean
people’s gratitude to all bilateral, regional and
multilateral development partners for their valuable
contribution to the national development effort.
National reconciliation remains the cornerstone
of our action. My approach in that process is to directly
involve the population at the grassroots. In that
context, I set up a provisional commission of
reflection, co-chaired by the Grand Imam and the
Archbishop of Conakry. That commission will work
with the wise men of the regions and prefectures on the
ways and means to bolster national unity for a genuine
reconciliation.
As a component of the nation, the army is among
our priorities. The reforms seek to make it a truly
11 11-51191
republican institution — guardian of peace, security
and development.
Women and young people are key stakeholders in
our socio-economic development. Those sectors of
society receive my Government’s constant attention. In
that regard, the empowerment of young people and
women is another important factor.
Following the presidential election, the people of
Guinea are now working to prepare legislative
elections, which will enshrine the return to
constitutional order. In that context, we decided to
establish a secure computerized electoral roll that will
make it possible to correct the anomalies noted during
the presidential election and to ensure the participation
of all Guineans of voting age in the election.
The Millennium Summit, held in New York in
2000, committed itself in an ambitious declaration to
reduce extreme poverty by 2015 (see resolution 55/2).
Despite several meetings, strategies drawn up at the
State level and the participation of the international
community, in particular through the Monterrey
Consensus, the Rome summit on food security, the
Johannesburg summit on sustainable development and
the Beijing summit on social development, many
challenges are still to be addressed.
We therefore need to periodically assess the
direction of the supporting measures to ensure that the
lofty goals that have been set are met. That approach is
shared by external partners, political parties, civil
society, unions and other actors.
Despite the international community’s repeated
calls for peace, areas of conflict and tension continue
in several regions of the world, in particular in Africa,
the Middle East and Asia. The occupation of
Palestinian land by the State of Israel is an ongoing
concern. The Palestinian people must exercise their
legitimate and inalienable rights, including the right of
return to their lands and the right to establish an
independent State, within the borders established
before June 1967, in peace and security alongside the
State of Israel. That principled path alone could lead to
a comprehensive and lasting peace, which is a
guarantee for all countries in the region, including
Israel.
The advent of a stable climate in Côte d’Ivoire, a
brother country and neighbour, is reassuring after years
of fratricidal clashes.
My delegation welcomes the entry of the
Republic of South Sudan into the body of free nations.
The tragic humanitarian situation prevailing in
the Horn of Africa is a source of serious concern. The
efforts of the United Nations, the African Union and
humanitarian organizations and institutions currently
under way to provide assistance and protection to
populations in distress must continue. The adoption of
a comprehensive regional plan for food security and
self-sufficiency would provide a lasting solution to the
current crisis. However, Guinea attaches great
importance to the positive settlement of the fratricidal
conflict in Somalia.
The Republic of Guinea has always participated
in the collective effort to promote international peace
and security, and it seeks to strengthen its role in that
area. Indeed, my delegation believes that mediation is
the most effective tool for the prevention and
settlement of conflicts and for the maintenance of
international peace and security. It is clear that States
must create the domestic conditions to prevent and
settle disputes with the support of the United Nations.
In addition, subregional, regional and
international organizations must adopt mediation
mechanisms, while working closely with other actors,
such as civil society and youth and women’s
organizations. In the particular case of Africa, my
delegation would hope that priority be given to African
mediation mechanisms, whose action has shown to be
effective on several occasions.
Given the relevance of the central theme of the
current session, the Guinean delegation hopes that our
debates will further strengthen the role and action of
our universal Organization. The United Nations is the
crucible of our aspirations and the mirror of our
collective vision and our joint fight for improved well-
being and peace. To that end, it must pursue in-depth
reforms of its structures, operation and decision-taking
mechanisms so as to be more effective and credible.
I wish to reaffirm the joint African position
agreed at Ezulwini for fairer representation on the
Security Council. In that regard, Guinea will continue
to support the action of the Secretary-General, whose
re-election fills us with great joy. We are convinced
that the new mandate will enable him to continue and
to strengthen his efforts towards achieving the noble
ideals enshrined in the Charter.
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I could not finish without conveying my
congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Nassir
Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election as President of the
General Assembly at the sixty-sixth ordinary session. I
wish him every success in carrying out his difficult
task. To his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, I would like
to express our gratitude for his excellent work during
his term.