At the outset, allow me to congratulate
Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, Minister of African Union
Affairs of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, on his
unanimous election as President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. We are convinced
that, guided by his Government’s adherence to the
principles of national independence and sovereignty,
the primacy of the values of the human individual, the
maintenance of international peace and security, and
the economic development of all countries, and with
his well-known diplomatic skills, he will contribute to
the good management of the Assembly and to ensuring
that the United Nations achieves the universal
objectives of peace, stability and global development.
We also express our thanks to Mr. Miguel
d’Escoto Brockmann, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Nicaragua, for his outstanding work at
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the sixty-third session, at a time when the world was
shaken by an acute financial and economic crisis the
consequences of which have fomented instability and
threatened peace in various regions of the world.
Mr. Singh Puri (India), Vice-President, took the
Chair.
Amid this climate of insecurity, the food and
global energy crises, natural disasters and climate
change that threaten the sustainability of the global
ecology, the work of the Secretary-General, as the
coordinator of the activities of our Organization, has
been far from easy. We therefore commend Mr. Ban
Ki-moon for his efforts to address those issues and
offer him our full support and cooperation so that his
actions can be implemented without delay.
In taking the floor to address this international
forum, I wish first and foremost to express our
gratitude for this renewed opportunity to share our
thoughts, experience and common concerns for the
modern world. It is timely indeed that the Secretary-
General has dedicated the sixty-fourth session of the
General Assembly to the topic of effective responses to
the current global economic and financial crisis in
order to analyse its causes and adopt policies and
strategies that will enable States to mitigate the
negative consequences of the crisis, which are having
an increasingly debilitating impact on economically
weak countries in particular.
Following the end of the cold war and the
disappearance of the bipolar and antagonistic world
that emerged from the Second World War, it became
clear that a more globalized, united and integrated era
had dawned among nations that would result in greater
justice, solidarity and integration in international
exchanges and relations. Mutual respect for cultural
specificities remains the fundamental basis for
international cooperation, an association of shared
responsibilities, mutual respect and equitable mutual
benefit. That has been the guiding ideal of the United
Nations since its inception. Its efforts to create a world
of peace, development and well-being for humankind
have followed this aim for the sixty-plus years of its
history.
Yet the gap between developed and developing
countries has only widened, in spite of the numerous
resolutions, decisions and recommendations that have
been adopted to promote the equality of political,
economic, social and cultural rights; the global
development of humanity; the replacement of the old
economic order with a new, more just and equitable
system; the provision of financial assistance to the
most vulnerable countries; the liberalization of global
trade; and in spite of the many other measures adopted
at special summits.
Yet, despite all this, global achievement of the
United Nations Millennium Development Goals has
fallen short by 20 per cent. We can see that,
unfortunately, egoism and the desire to dominate
remain the driving force in international relations.
Inevitably, without a multilateralism that respects the
criterion of partnership based on mutual respect for
shared responsibilities and reciprocal and equitable
interests, the global political, economic and social
balance is undermined. Inevitably, unless this
partnership is based on respect for the cultural values
of every nation, a new cold or hot war is bound to
break out between poor countries and rich countries.
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea welcomes the
timeliness of this debate, since in the middle of this
unprecedented global crisis we can all redefine our
positions on the subject of global development. Here,
in New York in 2009, we must resolve these problems
so that the current causes of a misery and
conflictiveness driven by the wealthy countries to the
detriment of the poor or economically fragile countries
no longer justify this new and absurd bipolarization —
when, despite everything, humankind has assimilated
the supremacy of the values that make up the human
individual.
What kind of morality is it when some States
enjoy economic abundance, while others suffer in
misery, marginalization and desolation?
Accordingly, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea
calls for new global approaches that will enhance the
capacity of developing countries to contribute
politically and economically and will allow a
coexistence that safeguards the political and economic
interests of all countries.
We can no longer continue on the path that we are
on. We can no longer continue on this irrational and
irresponsible path. We must consider matters calmly in
order to adopt positive attitudes that effectively support
the original philosophy of the United Nations, a
philosophy that conceived of a united world where
human beings, regardless of race, culture or level of
29 09-52228
civilization, are recognized as human beings, in both
the North and the South.
Thus, there can be no justification for theories of
globalization of policies unless they respect the
cultural plurality that characterizes the peoples of the
world. There can be no discrimination or exclusion.
Intercultural dialogue must strengthen this community
of nations with a view to achieving a coexistence that
is conducive to learning from one another for the
mutual benefit of us all.
Equatorial Guinea conceives of its development
as the outcome of coordinated action between national
effort and international cooperation. We rule out
discrimination of any kind for reasons of political,
economic or cultural system in the case of any country
or international organization, provided that the latter
respects our country’s independence, national
sovereignty and territorial integrity, the peace and free
exercise of the sovereignty of the people, the right to
the free utilization of our natural resources, the
maintenance of friendly relations and cooperation for
reciprocal benefit, and respect for the cultural values of
the people.
Through its application of these principles,
Equatorial Guinea enjoys excellent ties of friendship,
cooperation and good neighbourliness with all
countries in Central Africa. We accept economic
cooperation with countries of all ideological beliefs,
from the East to the West and from the North to the
South. This is part of our contribution to global peace
and balance.
As a result, our oil and other resources contribute
not only to the development of our European partners,
but also to that of Africa, America and Asia. This being
said, we are constantly amazed by the conflictiveness,
suspicion and envy that these oil resources arouse in a
number of countries, these same resources that we have
made freely available to the international community.
We witnessed this first-hand when Equatorial Guinea
was the victim of mercenary-led invasions, terrorist
attacks and plans for political destabilization, whose
clear aim was to gain illegal access to resources which
belong solely to the people of Equatorial Guinea.
We wish to emphasize that Equatorial Guinea is a
peaceful country without ambitions to acquire territory
or engage in political hegemony and without policies
designed to jeopardize peace or stability in other States
and nations. We reaffirm our commitment to the
principles of the United Nations Charter and the
Charter of the African Union with regard to the
maintenance of peaceful relations, the rejection of
violence and the peaceful resolution of disputes
through dialogue, mediation and, where necessary,
recourse to international tribunals.
Global peace is the universal right of all and an
indispensable prerequisite for the survival of
humankind. It is non-negotiable, not to be traded with
any public or private interest, and is so fragile that it
can be shattered when injustices affecting a State or a
community of States are committed. Therefore, we are
addressing the situation caused by the global economic
crisis, which, without a doubt, has had repercussions in
individual States of the international community, each
at different levels and each with the potential to affect
global peace. We have witnessed examples of such
consequences in the recent conflicts that have engulfed
various States in the world today. Yet, this noble world
Organization was created for peace.
It is for the sake of maintaining peace and world
stability that we all meet here every year. It is also for
the sake of peace and stability that we must be careful
not to the let the attitudes of some countries or groups
of countries foster, out of whatever ambitions or
selfishness they have, continuing injustices that have
created the crisis in international relations.
With best wishes for a world abundant in peace
and happiness, I wish every success to this sixty-fourth
session of the General Assembly.