It is an honour for me, as
President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, to deliver
my first speech to this Assembly. I wish to congratulate
Mr. D’Escoto Brockmann on his assumption of the
high office of President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-third session, and to assure him of Sierra Leone’s
support and cooperation as he undertakes the
challenging responsibility of presiding over our
deliberations during this session. I should also like to
express my gratitude to his predecessor for the efficient
way in which he guided the Assembly during its last
session.
The sacred duty of this Organization to save
succeeding generations from the scourge of war was
tested in fire in Sierra Leone, but today my country
demonstrates what the United Nations can achieve
when its Members work closely together. The people of
Sierra Leone know the value and relevance of the
United Nations and appreciate its continuing support as
we reconstruct our society from war to peace and work
with determination to build a better future.
25 08-51845
The theme for this general debate, “The impact of
the global food crisis on poverty and hunger in the
world as well as the need to democratize the United
Nations”, is important and timely. Africa has a
disproportionate share of the world’s poor and hungry,
and the need for urgent and concerted action is
compelling. The rising cost of food has had a negative
impact on our resources and poses a threat to our
national stability and the stability of other countries in
West Africa. It is vital that Africa increase food
productivity and achieve food self-sufficiency. African
farmers need to adopt higher-yielding land practices,
with increased use of seeds, fertilizers and irrigation.
In that connection, we welcome the work of the
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, chaired by
former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The Alliance
recognizes that massive investment in agriculture is the
key to a long-term solution to the continent’s food
crisis. That will enable Africans to grow enough of
their own food and become less dependent on handouts
from donors. Sierra Leone, like many other countries
in Africa, is suitably positioned to benefit from such
investment because of its vast arable land, abundant
water resources and the fact that over 70 per cent of its
population is engaged in farming or farming-related
activities. If that problem is going to be resolved, it is
essential to end the agricultural subsidies and trade
barriers that impoverish African farmers.
I have had the privilege to coordinate the African
Union committee of 10 heads of State and Government
charged with the mandate to promote the African
Common Position on the Reform of the United
Nations. In that capacity, and as Head of State of Sierra
Leone, I welcome the theme “the need to democratize
the United Nations” as part of this year’s work of the
General Assembly.
The need to democratize and reform the
Organization is of vital importance. However, reform is
not an end in itself but a means to an end. We support a
strong and effective United Nations that can meet the
ever-increasing and complex array of challenges in the
twenty-first century. We are convinced that a more
representative and effective United Nations will
strengthen the loyalty and commitment of Member
States and make the Organization more responsive to
the needs of our time.
It should be recognized that reform efforts have
achieved some modest successes. However, one of the
most critical and urgent issues on our current reform
agenda — reform of the Security Council — remains
unresolved. We need to make the Security Council
more representative of today’s realities. The current
composition of the Security Council contradicts basic
principles of democratic representation. Africa has
outlined its collective position in the Ezulwini
Consensus. Africa will negotiate in good faith, and we
expect others to do the same in the best interest of the
Organization. The status quo is not an option. Africa,
with 53 countries constituting about a quarter of the
United Nations membership, deserves permanent
representation in the Security Council. We believe that
the Security Council should be enlarged sooner rather
than later.
The United Nations has had an important role in
global peace and the development of justice. Sierra
Leone’s peace and stability are due largely to United
Nations peacekeeping, a visible and an important
aspect of the Organization’s work. The Peacebuilding
Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund and other United
Nations agencies are helping us in critical ways to
achieve our development priorities and to meet the
challenges of post-conflict reconstruction.
The United Nations-backed Special Court for
Sierra Leone and the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission have made extraordinary contributions to
establishing the rule of law and fighting against
impunity so that the people of Sierra Leone can put
their tragic past behind them and look forward to the
future. Without reconciliation, tolerance and the rule of
law, there will be no true and lasting peace.
The Special Court has established legal principles
that will endure beyond its anticipated closure in 2010.
I want to commend the efforts of the Special Court to
engage both my Government and the international
justice community in making preparations for any
residual issues that might remain following its closure.
The facilities of the Special Court in the heart of our
historic capital, Freetown, will be inherited by Sierra
Leone, and we will explore the best possible use for
them.
In recent years, Sierra Leone has made real
progress in consolidating democracy and good
governance by conducting successive free, fair and
non-violent presidential, parliamentary and local
Government elections. We are on the right path. On
behalf of all Sierra Leoneans, I would like to thank
08-51845 26
members of the international community for their
invaluable contribution to our electoral process, and
particularly for their logistical and technical support
that enabled the various institutions to perform their
respective tasks.
But we are the first to acknowledge that much
more needs to be done to achieve sustainable peace and
development. War and deadly conflicts have social and
economic consequences long after the fighting has
ended. A peaceful country requires more than the
absence of war. Development remains the foremost
need of all Sierra Leoneans. Moreover, it is the
foundation of security, and it makes political rights
meaningful.
One can be secure only if one has food, shelter,
clean water and protection from disease. That is why
the monumental task of poverty eradication is one of
the national priorities of my Government. My
Government is completing a second-generation poverty
reduction strategy to guide us in the process. We have
also developed a comprehensive strategy for the
nation’s development over the next five years, called
the Agenda for Change. The Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) are also central to our work. Despite the
enormous difficulties on the development front and in
achieving the MDGs, we are resolved to improve the
lives of our people and to respond constructively to
their needs and aspirations. International support
remains crucial, however, if we are to consolidate hard-
won gains. It is our hope that the United Nations and
other development partners will continue to be our
steadfast allies in our ongoing struggle for economic
progress and development.
The mission of the United Nations — to serve the
cause of peace, to advance development and to protect
the human rights of all — is more important than ever.
The United Nations is a unique forum where the weak
and the strong, the poor and the prosperous can have
their voices heard. Sierra Leone reaffirms its
commitment to the ideals and principles of the United
Nations and will continue to be a constructive partner
and member of this Organization.