UN General Assembly
2006

here has the responsibility to implement national policies that provide opportunities for those who have always been deprived of their human dignity as a result of living perpetually on the margins of the socio- economic mainstream. My Government is guided by the notion of citizenship with dignity as a moral compass for action. We believe that socio-economic justice is a fundamental pillar of human dignity. We are therefore determined to provide concrete opportunities to the economically disenfranchised, in order to lift them out of the vortex of unjust economic inequalities. I have always upheld the ideals of social justice. I have therefore ensured that my Government dedicates no less than 12 per cent of our last national budget to an ambitious empowerment programme. That programme is funded by State and non-State actors, thereby heralding a new partnership for development in my country. It will provide tangible avenues for the poor 15 06-53317 and unskilled to equip themselves with the tools necessary for them to join the economic mainstream. It also seeks to create a new and flourishing class of