At the
outset, Sir, I would ask you to kindly convey to
Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa my warm and
heartfelt congratulations upon her election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first
session. My congratulations go also to all the other
members of the Bureau who, I am certain, will help her
to successfully accomplish her illustrious and sensitive
delicate tasks as President. I also take the opportunity
to pay due tribute to her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson,
President of the General Assembly at its sixtieth
session, for the high quality of his work during a term
of office that took place in a difficult international
environment.
I cannot continue without expressing my
gratitude, and that of the entire Congolese people, to
Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, whose mandate
will come to an end this year on a positive note for all.
Thanks to the remarkable leadership of that worthy son
of Africa, the States Members of our Organization have
enjoyed a decade of intense and active diplomacy
which has made it possible to solve a large number of
conflicts throughout the world. Here, I should mention
especially the situation of the countries of the Great
Lakes region, in particular that of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
As the sixty-first session of the General Assembly
is taking place, my country, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, is passing through a special period of its
political history. The transition period that began in
1990 will soon draw to a close, with the establishment
of the country’s new institutions.
On 30 July, we held countrywide, in a climate of
peace and transparency, the first truly democratic
pluralistic elections in 40 years. The success of that
undertaking constitutes a great joint effort by the
Congolese people and by the bilateral and multilateral
partners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I
would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those
partners.
With regard to the unfortunate events in Kinshasa
from 20 to 22 August 2006 following the
announcement of the provisional results of the first
round of the presidential elections by the Independent
Electoral Commission, all necessary steps have been
taken in order to prevent such incidents from
happening again. The electoral process will continue in
a climate of national peace and harmony.
The progress achieved daily, sometimes at the
cost of much sacrifice, is the outcome of a difficult
political process that was launched, as members know,
after a long internal and external armed conflict. The
humanitarian consequences of that conflict are one of
the worst tragedies ever experienced by mankind.
06-52885 30
Problems remain in many sectors, and the next
Government will have to confront them, taking account
of the urgent and legitimate expectations of the
Congolese people.
The new Government must continue integrating
and reforming the army, in order to guarantee peace
and security for our people. It must work to improve
the living conditions of the population. In other words,
it must do its utmost to meet their fundamental needs,
in particular health care, education, food security, basic
infrastructures, electricity and drinking water for all —
without forgetting, of course, the fight against malaria
and HIV/AIDS and the fight against poverty.
In order to succeed, the new Government must,
inter alia, strengthen good governance by fighting
corruption and guaranteeing legal and judiciary
security in the framework of ongoing judicial reform. It
will be possible to achieve that vision only by
mobilizing the energy of our entire nation through
active and inclusive participation by all of the sons and
daughters of our country, whatever their political,
ideological or religious convictions may be.
In that regard, we welcome the configuration of
our future parliament, which already reflects the wealth
and political diversity of our people, and which has an
oversight role that will be fundamental to the
functioning of the State. For that reason, I reaffirm my
faith in the concept of peacebuilding and make an
urgent appeal to the international community to
continue its partnerships with the Democratic Republic
of the Congo after the establishment of the new
institutions.
As we observe the international scene, we see
recurring scourges, including continuing tensions and
armed conflicts in several regions of the world, the
worsening the living conditions in developing
countries, especially in Africa; the rise in clandestine
immigration; the destruction caused by different
pandemics; the increase in crime and acts of terrorism;
and the harm to the conservation and protection of the
environment. In view of these threats, the Assembly at
its previous session had organized, as part of its work,
the World Summit of heads of State and Government,
dedicated to an assessment of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and other commitments
resulting from the major international conferences and
meetings.
Following that assessment several decisions were
taken, including the creation of the Peacebuilding
Commission and the Human Rights Council — two
basic structures whose effective establishment we can
only welcome. Achieving the MDGs is a priority for a
good number of countries, especially the most
disadvantaged. That is why the momentum in the
implementation of the relevant recommendations of the
Millennium Summit should not weaken. We would like
to see our discussions here include those issues.
In addition to the above-mentioned scourges,
other matters are a source of concern for our country,
including the reform of the Security Council, the
complete cancellation of the debt of developing
countries, an increase in official development
assistance, the adoption of a comprehensive convention
on international terrorism and the global strategy to
fight that phenomenon, armed conflicts, collective
security, and the adoption of an international treaty on
forced disappearances. All those issues challenge the
harmonious progress of the community of nations and
the very future of coming generations.
To meet those challenges effectively, all countries
of the world must show solidarity with each other, in a
spirit of sincere cooperation and humanist justice. With
regard to crises in the world — in the Middle East, in
Africa or elsewhere — the Democratic Republic of the
Congo recommends, more than ever, their peaceful
solution under the Charter of the United Nations and
the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.
I hope this Assembly shares my belief in the
rebirth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with
the advent of new institutions seeking to usher in a new
era of peace, stability and development, not only in my
country, but also in Central Africa and the entire region
of the Great Lakes. Despite the challenges our
Organization faces day after day, it is on a note of
hope, of solidarity among nations and of synergy in
their actions for a brighter future for present and future
generations that I conclude my statement. I hope for
much success in our work.