Uganda joins other
delegations in congratulating Mr. Al-Nasser on his
election to the presidency of this body. My delegation
has confidence in his ability to steer our deliberations
to a successful conclusion. I wish to pay tribute to
Mr. Joseph Deiss for his effective stewardship of the
work of the General Assembly during the past session.
Uganda takes this opportunity to congratulate the
Government and the people of South Sudan on
attaining statehood and becoming the 193rd Member of
the United Nations. Uganda also congratulates Mr. Ban
Ki-moon on his reappointment as Secretary-General.
The theme of this session’s general debate, “The
role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by
peaceful means”, is most appropriate in the light of the
conflict situations in various parts of the world,
including Africa. When actualized, the peaceful
settlement of disputes saves lives and property that
would otherwise be lost if force were used. Strategic
interventions, such as mediation, are necessary to
mitigate conflict situations and avert crises that
threaten the stability not only of nations, but also of
entire regions, with adverse effects on development
and people’s livelihoods. Mediation is a necessary and
essential tool for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, as
it is aims to support disputing parties in the process of
negotiating a mutual understanding or agreement.
Uganda has consistently advocated an enhanced
role for subregional and regional organizations in
conflict prevention and resolution. When those
organizations are involved in mediating disputes, they
play a critical role in bringing about sustainable peace
and security. It was against this background that
Uganda supported and sponsored resolution 65/283 on
mediation as a tool for the peaceful settlement of
disputes. The resolution provides a basis for
consolidating normative mediation efforts, reinforcing
mediation support activities and enhancing the role of
Member States.
Uganda has been involved in various initiatives to
bring peace to the Great Lakes region, the Horn of
Africa and the African continent as a whole. Our
involvement included participation in the Burundi
peace process and in the negotiations, led by the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development, on the
Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which
culminated in the birth of a new nation, South Sudan,
which is now participating as an equal partner in the
community of nations.
In the case of Somalia, in addition to our
contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM), Uganda continues to support the
engagement of the Somali Transitional Federal
Government with other actors so as to promote
dialogue in the context of the Djibouti Agreement and
the Kampala Accord. In order to consolidate the gains
realized on the ground, the United Nations and the rest
of the international community must urgently
strengthen support to Somalia by means of capacity-
building for the Somali Transitional Federal
Institutions; the deployment of the additional
authorized 3,000 troops; the approval of a reliable and
predictable funding mechanism and of the required
aviation assets to AMISOM; and the provision of
urgent humanitarian relief and assistance to meet the
basic needs of the people through quick-impact
projects in such areas as health care, water and
sanitation.
Our experience in conflict prevention and
resolution in Africa is that if such efforts are to succeed
and be sustainable, a number of factors come into play.
First, peace initiatives should be led by the region, with
strong support from regional organizations, the United
Nations and other relevant actors. Secondly, it is
sometimes important to initially give priority to peace
before justice in order to strengthen confidence-
building between parties. Thirdly, peace and
reconciliation mechanisms, including transitional all-
inclusive administrations, need to be established to
heal the wounds of conflict. Fourthly, post-conflict
recovery and reconstruction programmes or projects
should be instituted simultaneously so as to
demonstrate the benefits of peace dividends.
Mediation is a worthwhile investment. It costs
much less than other undertakings, such as
peacekeeping or peace enforcement. In terms of
benefits, effective mediation can avert unnecessary
wars and their attendant consequences, such as the loss
of life and property, and contribute to building capacity
for home-grown solutions to address conflict. The
mutual confidence that normally results from
mediation between parties can also be instrumental in
achieving inclusive political and other arrangements
following the conclusion of peace agreements. Once
19 11-51384
achieved, such arrangements have a positive impact on
the consolidation of peace and security, as well as on
sustainable post-conflict reconstruction, recovery and
development.
Uganda believes that potential differences
between and within countries are better addressed
using home-grown solutions. External influences or
interventions do not necessarily offer sustainable
solutions to conflict. On the contrary, the latter tend at
times to contribute to a cycle of destabilizing
tendencies.
It is therefore important that the involvement of
the United Nations, the international community and
other actors take full account of the interests and
concerns of all parties. Hence, there is a need for close
coordination, consultation and information-sharing
with the parties concerned. The support of the
international community should target areas mutually
agreed upon with the parties concerned. It is also
important to underscore the fact that, where potential
conflict situations arise and external support becomes
necessary, the international community should provide
a timely, adequate and robust response.
It is equally necessary to build and strengthen the
mediation capacities of subregional and regional
organizations. Specifically, in the case of conflicts in
Africa, our preferred solution is peaceful settlement
through mediation, not military intervention. In the
case of the Libyan crisis, the African Union (AU) has
called upon the National Transitional Council to
establish an all-inclusive transitional Government, as
proposed in the AU road map for the peaceful
resolution of the Libyan conflict.
Uganda would like to make a strong case to this
Assembly that Africa should be given the chance to
resolve its conflicts. Africa has strong political will to
handle them, and any interventions should be aimed at
supporting African initiatives to find peaceful
solutions. It is therefore imperative that our partners
recognize the existing dispute resolution mechanisms
of the regional bodies in Africa. I also call upon the
United Nations to fully support Africa in that regard.
Besides, the role of women in mediation must be
appreciated and enhanced. Experience has shown that
women can contribute a lot to efforts aimed at peaceful
settlement of disputes and at conflict prevention and
resolution. It is therefore vital that women become
increasingly involved in mediation efforts and
processes.
On the Israeli-Palestinian question, Uganda has
consistently called upon the Israeli and the Palestinian
parties to muster the necessary courage to negotiate
and reach a peaceful settlement based on a two-State
solution, that is, Israel and the State of Palestine living
side by side peacefully and within secure borders. We
urge both parties to urgently resume negotiations in
order to reach a two-State solution that will guarantee
durable peace.
The outcome of this debate should include
practical and pragmatic actions to address some of the
challenges relating to mediation. These include, but are
not limited to, issues involved in the adequacy and
predictability of the requisite resources, capacity-
building at the national, subregional and regional
levels, the involvement of women, and the
strengthening of coordination and collaboration in
mediation efforts and processes.