The
sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly is being
held at a time when the international community, faced
with numerous crises, is seeking ways to build a world
of shared peace and development. However, although
the political and economic consequences of the current
financial crisis affect the whole world, they are and
will continue to be more severe for African countries,
given their fragility and the limited diversity of their
economies.
Is it fair that those who have not caused this
tremendous international upheaval should pay the
highest price? It certainly is not. That is why, in the
face of the deep recession besetting the entire planet, it
is important to bolster partnerships for development in
order to correct the dysfunctions of the currently
failing global economic system. I welcome the incisive
conclusions of the high-level Conference on the
financial and economic crisis, which could lead to the
establishment of a more virtuous world government
assuring sustainable development for all States.
In order to relaunch growth, achieve full
employment and restore confidence, it is essential that
09-52463 14
we adopt strict rules to regulate and manage the
international financial system. At the same time, it will
be necessary to increase aid to developing countries in
order to help achieve the Millennium Development
Goals.
On 1 September 2009, Burkina Faso experienced
floods that caused extensive loss of life and material
damage. I reiterate my deepest thanks to the friends
and partners who have supported us in dealing with the
consequences of this natural disaster. The growing
frequency of such events all over the world is due to
the effects of climate change. We must therefore take
action to address the pressing need to come up with
appropriate solutions. In this regard, I welcome the
marked convergence of views and the mobilization of
the international community in connection with the
issue of climate change.
The fifteenth United Nations Conference on
Climate Change, to be held from 7 to 18 December in
Copenhagen, will offer countries a prime opportunity
to take bold decisions to protect our generation and our
planet from the effects of global warming. It is to that
end that Burkina Faso will host, from 9 to 11 October
in Ouagadougou, the Seventh World Forum of
Sustainable Development in the context of climate
change. This event will allow Africa, a continent ill-
equipped to resist and adapt to the consequences of
climate change, to amplify its contribution to the
global debate on this issue.
The recurring conflicts affecting the world are a
genuine threat to peace and international security, as
well as a serious obstacle to the economic and social
progress of nations. Burkina Faso wishes to express its
deep concern over the current situation in Darfur and
southern Sudan, and reiterates its commitment to
working with the Sudanese people in their quest for
peace. In that connection, Burkina Faso will dispatch a
military battalion to join the African Union-United
Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, as well as a
formed police unit to assist in peacekeeping operations.
The support of the international community for the
efforts of the Joint African Union-United Nations
Mediator to create conditions for productive dialogue
and forge a lasting peace agreement between the
principal parties is essential.
The equally tragic situation in Somalia calls for
genuine support for the Transitional Federal
Government so that it can definitively restore security
throughout the country and in Somali territorial waters.
Burkina Faso is also following political developments
in Guinea and Madagascar with particular interest. I
urge the various political actors in those two countries
to engage in constructive dialogue with all stakeholders
to ensure a rapid return to the constitutional order.
I congratulate the African Union and the
subregional organizations for the efforts they have
made to find satisfactory solutions to numerous
hotspots of tension on the continent. The holding of
presidential elections in Guinea-Bissau is an example
of success on the part of the international community.
In particular, I encourage the Peacebuilding
Commission to support the Government of Guinea-
Bissau in the reconstruction of the country.
In Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, the political actors’
commitment to ensuring the effective implementation
of the accords to end the crises in those countries
affords real reason to hope for the organization of
regular and transparent presidential elections in future.
I welcome the Security Council’s unflagging readiness
to work with Côte d’Ivoire on implementing the
Ouagadougou Political Agreement, and I encourage it
to continue to pursue its efforts to achieve peaceful
solutions to conflicts.
In regard to the matter of Western Sahara,
Burkina Faso reaffirms its endorsement of Security
Council resolution 1813 (2008), supports the
Secretary-General’s efforts to find a political solution,
and considers the Moroccan initiative to negotiate
autonomy for the Western Sahara to be an appropriate
way to settle the disagreement.
In the Middle East, we welcome the successful
conduct of elections in Lebanon and encourage that
country to improve its relations with Syria and Israel.
The restoration of stability and prospects for
normalized relations with Lebanon’s neighbours
represent an opportunity for calm consideration of a
global settlement of the Palestinian question.
The contribution of the Republic of China on
Taiwan to assisting the least developed countries
should be commended, and its participation in the
previous session of the World Health Assembly augurs
well for the positive evolution of this country’s
contribution to the life of the international community.
For some years, the question of the proliferation
of nuclear weapons, which pose an enormous threat,
15 09-52463
has divided the international community. I thank and
encourage President Obama for his successful
organization and leadership of the Security Council
summit on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.
The commitments made could lead to a denuclearized
world that is more ambitious in its exploitation of
nuclear power for civil purposes and more vigilant in
policing illicit trafficking in nuclear materials.
The reform of the United Nations, which has
been on our agenda for more than a decade, calls for a
cautious but determined approach, particular as regards
the Security Council. I express the hope that
negotiations will soon be undertaken regarding the fair
and equitable representation of all regions of the world,
the strengthening of the effectiveness of the Council’s
role and the revitalization of the General Assembly.
True to the ideals of the United Nations, Burkina Faso
will make its contribution to the various issues and
actions under way to endow our global Organization
with the vitality and authority essential to taking on the
new challenges on the horizon.