Let me join previous speakers
in congratulating you, Sir, on your assumption of the
presidency at the sixty-fourth session of the General
Assembly. I should also like to extend Zambia’s
sincere appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Miguel
d’Escoto Brockmann for his able leadership during the
sixty-third session.
The theme for this session provides us with an
opportunity to evaluate existing multilateral
approaches to address the challenges arising from
globalization. Those include threats to socio-economic
development and international peace and security.
There is a need to develop innovative approaches and
responses to those challenges, which include
HIV/AIDS and influenza A(H1N1), terrorism, climate
change, nuclear weapons and, more recently, the global
economic and financial crisis. In this globalized and
interdependent world, no country, however wealthy or
powerful it is, can resolve all those challenges single-
handedly. Common solutions are therefore required
through a strong United Nations.
This session is taking place against the backdrop
of the adverse effects of the recent global economic
and financial crisis, which has spared no one. In my
own country of Zambia and in other African countries,
the economic growth achieved from 2000 to 2007 is
now declining as a result of the global economic and
financial crisis. We are faced with serious financial
constraints, lower commodity prices and weak external
and domestic demand for our products, high inflation
and rising unemployment. Manufacturing and
construction activities have also slackened. As copper
accounts for about 70 per cent of Zambia’s exports, the
effect of the collapse of international copper prices —
from $8,985 per metric tonne in August 2008 to $2,902
at the end of 2008 — has, among other things, resulted
in greatly reduced revenue collections.
Zambia’s experience from the recent global
financial and economic crisis is a timely reminder of
the consequences of overdependence on a single
economic sector. My Government has therefore
developed a diversification plan to shift the economy
from dependence on copper. That is being done
through policy interventions in the agriculture, tourism
and manufacturing sectors, coupled with programmes
aimed at improving the business environment in
Zambia.
For those efforts to succeed, however, there must
be an expeditious conclusion to the World Trade
Organization’s Doha Round of negotiations. Zambia
considers the aid-for-trade component of the
negotiations as critical, as it will develop our country’s
capacity to overcome supply-side constraints and
encourage value addition in its commodities.
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Zambia’s response to the global economic crisis
needs the support of its international development
partners. We appreciate that our cooperating partners
have also been affected by the global economic crisis.
Nonetheless, we urge them to fulfil their pledge to
increase their contributions to official development
assistance to 0.71 per cent of gross national income.
That is necessary if the global development agenda is
to help vulnerable economies, such as Zambia’s, meet
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
Zambia believes that there is a need to reform
international financial governance systems in order to
avoid future global financial crises. The changes,
which must be inclusive, should respond to the needs
and concerns of all nations, regardless of status. It is
essential that there be an increase in the voice and
power of developing countries at the World Bank and
the International Monetary Fund. The reform process
should aim to improve the predictability of aid flows
and emphasize reforms that promote faster aid delivery
and fewer conditionalities.
Zambia roundly applauds the leadership that the
United Nations provides in tackling climate change, as
was illustrated only two days ago by the hosting of the
high-level Summit on Climate Change. Our efforts to
raise the standards of living for the world’s poor people
in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals
are being frustrated by the effects of climate change.
Scientists have spoken. We have seen with our
own eyes, in just one generation, how great an effect
climate change has had on our environment. On the eve
of the Climate Change Summit, just a few days ago,
unprecedented floods hit the state of Georgia in this
country, as if to rebuke any of us who still doubt the
evidence. Let us just look around us. We do not need
science to tell us that deserts have expanded, that
forests have drastically shrunk, that rivers have dried
up and that it rains less and less in many places, and
yet so much more in others. Nature has lost its balance
and humankind has lost its footing.
In our own short lifespan, in my own country, I
remember a time when forests were within a child’s
walking distance, teeming with a profusion of animals,
birds, plants, insects and fruits. Today my
grandchildren would be lucky to name the indigenous
fruits of our country on the fingers of one hand. So
many species of our countries’ flora and fauna have
become extinct — forever lost to the world — in such
a short time.
Our children have spoken. Our citizens have
spoken. If we go to Copenhagen to question the science
yet again, or to make more speeches justifying
inaction, if we still believe that we can only act after
our competitors act, then we as leaders will have failed
our peoples and consigned the world to utter
destruction. Copenhagen is the precipice, either we
step back and let live or tip over into the abyss. We
must act, and act now.
With regard to mitigation, Zambia’s view is that
the shared vision should be based on shared
responsibilities for climate change; and that there must
be an equitable burden-sharing mechanism that requires
developed countries to commit to reducing emissions to
legally binding levels, while developing countries take
actions to ensure a substantial reduction from
environment-degrading development programmes.
As the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
draws near, Zambia expects an agreement that will
balance climate change concerns with development.
The Copenhagen agreement must provide increased
and predictable support for the implementation of the
adaptation programme, which must be established
within a binding legal instrument under the United
Nations Framework Convention.
Speaking in my capacity as the Chairman of the
International Conference on Great Lakes Region, I am
happy to report to the Assembly that the Great Lakes
region of Africa is now more stable and peaceful than
it has ever been in the past 15 years, albeit with
challenges. The improved relations between the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and
their joint efforts to tackle the problem of negative
forces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, has opened up opportunities for achieving
sustainable peace and stability in the region.
However, the region is still faced with the threat
posed by the continued presence of illegal armed
groups and negative forces, namely, the Forces
démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR)/
ex-Forces armées rwandaises/Interahamwe, the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic
Forces. Although the recent joint military operations
between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Rwanda succeeded in dislodging FDLR elements from
most of their strongholds, the continued atrocities
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committed by the remnants of that group against
civilians remains a great source of concern.
We applaud the role of the international
community through the United Nations Organization
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in
providing support for the Government of that country
in its efforts to build military capacity to neutralize the
negative forces in the eastern part of its territory. The
international community needs to exert more sustained
pressure on the leadership of those negative forces
living within and outside the region, so that they are
brought to justice.
The Lord’s Resistance Army, which fled to the
north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and the Central African Republic after the Juba
talks failed, continues to commit atrocities against the
innocent civilian population. The Great Lakes
mechanisms allowed for a joint military operation
against the LRA, which, challenges notwithstanding,
achieved some progress in dislodging rebel forces.
There is a need for sustained military and
diplomatic pressure to bring Joseph Kony back to the
negotiating table. There is also a need for more
logistical support from the international community to
protect the civilian population and, at the same time,
put an end to the atrocities and brutality committed
with impunity by the LRA.
The Great Lakes region is organizing a round
table conference in Bujumbura, Burundi, to be held
from 5 to 6 November 2009, at which we expect
renewed support from the Group of Friends and other
partners to finance the Pact on Security, Stability and
Development in the Great Lakes Region.
Prior to the global economic downturn, Zambia’s
economic growth was on course to meet all but one of
the Millennium Development Goals, namely, ensuring
environmental sustainability. However, the effect of the
global financial and economic crisis, coupled with the
effects of climate change, threaten the prospects of
meeting the MDGs on poverty, agriculture and
environmental sustainability.
The United Nations remains the central principal
organ for coordinating international cooperation in
socio-economic development, peace, security, human
rights and the rule of law. There is a need to reform the
United Nations in order to make it more effective and
efficient. Zambia believes that the reform of the United
Nations will not be complete without meaningful
reform of the Security Council. Making the Council
more representative, democratic and accountable to all
Member States, irrespective of status, is essential if its
decisions are to be acceptable to the entire
international community. The Security Council must
adapt to the realities of the new geopolitical situation
that characterize the world.
Given that Africa constitutes the second largest
bloc of United Nations membership, proposals to
reform the Security Council should heed Africa’s call
for two permanent seats with veto power and two
additional non-permanent seats. That would address the
historical injustice against Africa while responding to
the need to democratize the Security Council. Equally
important in that regard is the need to reform the
working methods of that important United Nations
body.
Human rights issues are an important component
in the maintenance of peace and stability in any
country. I wish to inform the Assembly that, since
Zambia was elected a member of the Human Rights
Council, in 2006, it has continued to advocate for the
promotion and protection of human rights. In May
2008, Zambia extended an open invitation to all
mandate holders on special areas of focus relating to
issues of human rights to visit and evaluate the extent
to which Zambia observes its obligations under the
various United Nations conventions. We urge other
countries to follow suit.
Even in the post-cold-war era, nuclear arms pose
a threat to international peace and security and the very
existence of humankind. It is for that reason that
Zambia stands for general and complete disarmament
in a time-bound manner, to include biological,
chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons. The
demand of the time is that we compete for peace, not
war, for development and not armaments.
There is no doubt that the United Nations
continues to be the only multilateral institution capable
of addressing the challenges of our one world. This
session’s theme attests to that fact. The world looks up
to this body to encourage dialogue among civilizations
on all global challenges in an inclusive manner as the
only practical way to ensure meaningful and effective
international cooperation.
Allow me to conclude by quoting Jonathan Rauch
in the January 2001 issue of The Atlantic magazine, in
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his article entitled “The New Old Economy: Oil,
Computers and the Reinvention of the Earth”, as
quoted by R. A. Bisson and Jay Lehr in the preface to
their book entitled Modern Groundwater Exploration.
In the article, which looked at future oil supply,
Mr. Rauch predicted that demand for oil will peter out
well before supply runs out because, he argued,
something cheaper and cleaner would come along. He
concluded by stating that “knowledge, not petroleum,
is becoming the critical resource in the oil business”
and that, although the supply of oil is fixed, the supply
of knowledge is boundless.
Thus human ingenuity holds the secret to
resolving problems confronting humankind. So it is
with all the issues facing us and this United Nations of
ours today. The resolution of our problems of climate
change, the economic and financial crisis, peace and
security and human rights and democracy depends
upon human ingenuity. The United Nations must
therefore first — and most important — work to create
an environment where ingenuity can indeed flourish,
that is, a peaceful world where all feel they belong and
are treated with dignity.
Before I conclude my remarks, let me just say a
word or two about the embargo that has been imposed
on the people and Government of Cuba since 1959 by
the United States of America. Those unfair and
unjustified sanctions have greatly hurt the people of
Cuba. The time has come for those sanctions to be
lifted. I join those who are calling for the lifting of
sanctions.