I congratulate you, Sir, on
your election as President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-third session. We support the priorities that
you have identified for this session. I wish to express
Namibia’s appreciation for your predecessor, Srgjan
Kerim, for focusing the agenda of the sixty-second
session on matters of crucial importance to Member
States. We commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, for tirelessly taking up the challenging issues
of peace, security and economic development.
The sixty-third session of the General Assembly
is taking place at a time when the global economy is
dominated by four interrelated crises. I have in mind
the financial crisis in the industrialized countries, the
global energy crisis, the devastating impact of climate
change as well as the food crisis which has adversely
affected poor people around the world. Other, no less
daunting, challenges are the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
underdevelopment and abject poverty, as well as the
need to foster peace and security around the world. We
must act decisively and collectively at national,
regional and global levels to overcome these
challenges.
The devastating effects of climate change have
become present-day realities in all parts of the world.
Namibia has experienced the negative impact of
climate change. The floods and droughts during 2007
and 2008 were some of the most devastating in recent
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times. In their wake, they left poor harvests, livestock
losses, environmental degradation, damaged infrastructure
and destroyed livelihoods, thus putting a severe strain
on our plans to invest in new development projects.
Namibia is committed to the Bali road map in
order to conclude the negotiations on the post-Kyoto
regime by 2009. We call on all parties to honour their
commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, including the
immediate and full capitalization of the Adaptation
Fund. Namibia will play its part in the lead-up to
Copenhagen.
We want to contribute to making Copenhagen a
success in terms of commitments and substantial
mitigations, financial instruments for adaptation efforts
in developing countries and mechanisms for sharing
and harnessing appropriate technologies.
As a net importer of food and fuel, Namibia has
been hit hard by the soaring prices of commodities.
There will be catastrophic increases in the incidence of
hunger, malnutrition and infant mortality in developing
countries unless the trend is reversed. That calls for a
decisive national, regional and international response.
In our case, the Government of Namibia has exempted
some basic foodstuffs from value-added tax in order to
mitigate the effects of higher prices on food. Such
interventions can provide some relief to households.
However, there remain long-term challenges, which
demand appropriate policies and substantial new
investment to raise agricultural productivity and
increase food production around the world.
There is a real risk that the gains made by
developing countries in poverty reduction and the
attainment of the other Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) over the years will be reversed if we do not
act rapidly.
Global efforts to address the food crisis, the
impact of climate change and the drive to achieve the
MDGs must go hand in hand. In that regard, we
support the proposal for the General Assembly to hold
thematic debates until 2015 to take stock of success
achieved and setbacks encountered in the achievement
of the MDGs.
That will give development cooperating partners
an opportunity to account for the fulfilment of their
commitments. On the other hand, developing countries
should also account for their commitments to
strengthen democratic institutions, enhance good
governance and fight corruption.
There is a need for genuine political will,
especially among donor countries, if the MDGs are to
be attained. In this context, open, predictable and
non-discriminatory trading and financial systems must
be developed. We call for the intensification of the
implementation of the Global Partnership for
Development as agreed upon at Monterrey in 2002.
We also appeal to the Bretton Woods system and
other international financial institutions to create
special mechanisms to enable middle-income countries
to access financial resources for development on
concessional terms. That was called for by the
Windhoek Declaration on Development Cooperation
with Middle-Income Countries.
The scourge of poverty is one of the most serious
challenges facing humanity today. I believe that, with
the requisite political will, poverty can be overcome.
Let us act in unity of purpose to address not only the
manifestations of poverty, but also its underlying
causes, which make communities vulnerable. Let us
harness the technological, financial and other resources
necessary to eliminate the dehumanizing effects of
poverty on all members of the human family.
Peace and security as well as social justice are
paramount to the achievement of the MDGs and to the
resolution of conflicts. In that regard, all countries
must commit themselves to implement the policies that
promote economic growth, social justice, the rule of
law, democracy, respect for human rights and the
protection of the environment, in order to guarantee
durable peace and security.
Mr. Beck (Solomon Islands), Vice-President, took
the Chair.
On 15 September 2008, the political leaders of
Zimbabwe signed a power-sharing agreement designed
to restore political and economic stability to their
country. We wish to congratulate the leaders of
Zimbabwe on that important milestone and to express
the hope that it will put that sister country on the path
towards economic recovery. We commend the
mediation efforts of the Southern African Development
Community, led by President Thabo Mbeki of South
Africa, who invested extraordinary skill, time and
energy in the process. We urge the international
community to support the implementation of the
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agreement by providing economic, financial and
humanitarian assistance. We call for the immediate
lifting of all sanctions that have been imposed on that
country.
My delegation is concerned that the question of
Western Sahara remains unresolved. We support the
ongoing direct talks between the parties under the
auspices of the Secretary-General. We also call for the
implementation of the United Nations settlement plan
for Western Sahara and of all relevant United Nations
resolutions providing for a free and fair referendum in
that territory. Namibia is also concerned about the
conflict situations in the Darfur region of the Sudan
and in Somalia. We urge the respective parties to those
conflicts to work to find lasting peace.
The people of Palestine have an inalienable right
to self-determination. Namibia is concerned about the
lack of progress in the negotiations on the question of
Palestine. We call for the immediate implementation of
all United Nations resolutions on Palestine and for the
establishment of an independent State of Palestine
living side by side with Israel.
My delegation reiterates the call that we have
made on several occasions in this House for the
unconditional lifting of the economic, commercial and
financial blockade against Cuba. Not only is the
blockade against international law; its extraterritorial
nature impedes free trade and economic development.
Namibia calls for the implementation of all resolutions
of the General Assembly calling for the lifting of the
blockade.
If we are to be able to respond effectively to the
manifold challenges of our time, we must accelerate
the reform of the United Nations. Member States
should work with resolve to strengthen our
Organization and to ensure that it delivers in terms of
its mandate. However, the process will not be complete
without reform of the Security Council. We have an
obligation to make the Council more representative,
democratic and accountable. It is an anomaly, and it is
unjust, that Africa does not have permanent
representation on the Security Council. Namibia
reiterates the African common position on Council
reform as articulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and
the Sirte Declaration. Intergovernmental negotiations
on reform should commence without any further delay.
It is our duty to ensure that the United Nations
remains true to its unique universal character and that
it becomes a source of hope for a more secure and
peaceful world for current and future generations.