It gives me great pleasure to
congratulate Mr. Amara Essy on his election to guide the
work of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session.
His election to that important post is testimony to his
personal credentials and to the important role played by
Côte d’Ivoire in international affairs. I am confident that
his wise guidance and leadership will enable this session of
the General Assembly to deal successfully with the very
important issues on its agenda.
I should also like to commend the work of his
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Samuel Insanally of
Guyana, who demonstrated outstanding diplomatic skills
and dedication in so ably steering the work of the forty-
eighth session of the General Assembly to a successful
conclusion.
Allow me also to pay a well-deserved tribute to the
Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros-Ghali, for his untiring
efforts in promoting international peace and security and
justice.
The winds of change that are currently sweeping
across the world give us, more then ever before, new
hope in the promise of a better future, a future in which
scarce resources will be utilized to feed the millions of
hungry mouths and to provide basic health care, safe
drinking water and a basic level of education to the needy
rather than be again spent to build military might and to
threaten the world with a new era of confrontation - a
future which will provide a safe and clean environment in
which human beings can live safely, in dignity, respect
and hope.
The recently held World Conference on Human
Rights, the Global Conference on the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States, the
International Conference on Population and Development
and the forthcoming World Conference on Women and
World Summit for Social Development are clear
testimony to that hope.
This was the dream of our founding fathers, and it
is also ours. With the end of the cold war and on the eve
of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, let us
not hesitate to rededicate ourselves once again, with more
vigour and more commitment, to the fulfilment of this
dream.
The United Nations must be able to evolve and
promote a stronger and more comprehensive system for
preventive diplomacy and peacemaking. Let us not allow
potentially dangerous situations to escalate into situations
that leave the international community with no alternative
but to take painful and expensive measures to enforce
peace. Most important, the Organization must play a
revitalized role as the principal broker and promoter of
peace and justice in the world.
My delegation welcomes the present process of
restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations. We
are hopeful that the process of reform will take into
consideration the concerns of all States to protect their
security and maintain their sovereignty and territorial
integrity.
The establishment of effective measures of internal
oversight of the United Nations system is one of the
useful steps taken by the General Assembly. Special
14

attention must be given to all the issues involved in the
choice and recruitment of personnel if we truly intend to
improve the efficiency of the Organization, and we must
emphasize quality rather than quantity so that the United
Nations system may remain non-biased, less-politicized and
vibrant.
For Maldives, the United Nations has always been and
will always be the best hope for warding off challenges to
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States. The
Charter of the United Nations, which we remain firmly
bound to honour, recognizes the inalienable right of every
nation to exist within secure boundaries and of the people
of every country to live in dignity and peace. It therefore
falls to the world Organization to be the unequivocal
guarantor of security and protection for those countries that
lack the physical means to provide their own or that might
simply be overrun by more powerful States.
Once again at this session the United Nations General
Assembly will deliberate the agenda item on the protection
and security of small States. My delegation hopes that
important item will once again receive the same attention
and support it was given at the forty-fourth and forty-sixth
sessions.
My delegation draws inspiration from the unwavering
and renewed resolve of the international community with
regard to important security and political issues, which was
significantly demonstrated in the Gulf crisis, among others.
The inherent vulnerability of small States was never more
clearly demonstrated than it was in the case of the
international intervention in Kuwait in 1990. Who, indeed,
could have imagined that a fully sovereign State Member
of the United Nations, economically strong and with
powerful friends, would find itself at risk of being wiped
off the world political map - and if a country like Kuwait
can be forced into such a precarious position, where is the
security of far smaller and economically weaker States?
The recent instances in which the United Nations took
firm and decisive action certainly highlight the importance
and effectiveness of the collective-security system
envisaged in the Charter. In addition, they brought home
to the international community the fact that a rapid-response
system needs to be constantly in place if international peace
and security are to be maintained. The Security Council
Summit Meeting in January 1992 reaffirmed that body’s
commitment to collective security as a valid principle in the
maintenance of international peace and security. My
delegation believes that this is the time to give urgent and
deeper consideration to the overall question of collective
security. This is easily said, but the subject includes the
question of improving the skill and ability to exercise
foresight and act with dispatch, as well as of building up
the capacity and capability to move with greater
coordination.
True success in accomplishing this challenging task
facing the international community will require sincere
commitment and dedication. This can be achieved only
if every Member of the Organization exercises the
political will to settle all disputes peacefully, without
discrimination, and to assist the United Nations to move
forward in that direction. The recommendations set forth
in the Secretary-General’s report, "An Agenda for Peace",
on preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping, peacemaking
and post-conflict peace-building, can serve as an
extremely effective tool to achieve this end.
My delegation sincerely feels that as we study
together every possible means of strengthening the
structure of the United Nations to make it more effective
and responsive to a changing world the security of small
States must be given its rightful place when priorities are
reviewed and special consideration given the task of
preserving international peace, security and stability.
One of the most encouraging events in world history
has been the classic manner in which the Republic of
South Africa, under the leadership of President Nelson
Mandela, has not only eliminated the policy of apartheid,
that most inhuman form of racial discrimination, but also
established democracy with full respect for all the norms
of national reconciliation. It is therefore with sincere
sentiments of congratulation and good wishes that my
delegation welcomes the restoration of the Republic of
South Africa to its rightful place in the family of nations
and this Organization.
I view the positive developments in the Middle East
as a most valuable lesson on how sincere, determined and
dedicated efforts based on peace and conciliation can
yield rich dividends in dangerously volatile situations.
I sincerely feel that the international community
owes a debt of gratitude to the Governments of the
United States of America and other States concerned for
their most valuable contributions to the creation of the
necessary atmosphere for the ongoing peace negotiations
in the Middle East, in which I fervently hope and pray
the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine will be
restored. I am convinced that the present trend of events,
if pursued with patience and in good faith by all the
15

parties involved, will result in the establishment of a
sovereign, independent State of Palestine, the settlement of
the issues related to the occupied Territories and finally the
attainment by that region of a comprehensive and lasting
peace based on the principles of justice and equality.
Time and again Maldives has stressed the importance
of continuing accelerated efforts to attain the United
Nations goal of completing the disarmament process. My
delegation firmly believes that success in preserving and
maintaining international peace, security and stability will
depend on progress in the field of disarmament.
Admittedly, there have been significant achievements in this
area. However, the production, stockpiling and sale of
weapons of war continue on an alarming scale throughout
the world.
Although there is a convergence of views regarding
the dangers of nuclear arms, some countries seem to desire
to acquire or retain nuclear-weapons technology. We
believe that so long as this trend continues unabated it will
indeed be difficult to improve the climate of security and to
pave the way for a safer world for generations to come.
One of the key disarmament issues confronting the
international community is the question of a decision on
extending the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons. We remain convinced that its unconditional and
indefinite extension should be one of the cornerstones for
building a world free of all nuclear weapons. But this
requires that all the countries possessing nuclear weapons
and nuclear-weapons technology take a responsible stand,
something that can come about only through a sincere
desire to establish a genuine international non-nuclear
regime. In our opinion, the apparent reluctance of some
countries to comply with the International Atomic Energy
Agency safeguards system is not encouraging. We
therefore urge all those countries to join the international
community in the persistent effort to establish a safer
world.
My delegation also supports the concept of the
establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones and zones of
peace throughout the world. We feel that the failure to
promote this concept in all regions of the world is a clear
indication of the doubt and suspicion that still prevail in the
international community. Unless we can overcome these
uncertainties the chances of achieving global disarmament
will indeed be bleak.
As we begin yet another session of discussions,
consultations and debates on ways and means of uniting our
efforts and resources to make the world a safer place for
mankind and to alleviate the terrible human suffering in
many countries, we should, I firmly believe, pause to
assess the tremendous responsibility we carry. As
representatives of individual countries, we have to
consider our national interests; united, we have an
unshakable commitment to giving undaunted and
unwavering support to the process of making the United
Nations as effective as is humanly possible, to prevent the
evolution of such tragic, dangerous and explosive
situations as those in Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The question of Bosnia and Herzegovina has yet to
be resolved. We condemn the continuing violence and
genocide there, and call upon the international community
to take more decisive steps to implement the Security
Council’s resolutions in order to discharge fully the
responsibilities entrusted to us by the Charter and restore
the sovereignty and independence of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Let us not tolerate in our time any act of
genocide based on ethnic hatred or prejudice.
Similarly, my delegation is deeply concerned about
the tragic situations continuing in Angola, Somalia and
Rwanda despite the fact that the United Nations is still
providing humanitarian assistance to alleviate the
suffering of their peoples. While commending the efforts
of the international community to help these countries,
which are being torn apart by civil strife, we feel that the
assistance should not be limited to meeting humanitarian
needs, but should extend beyond that to restoring peace
and stability in those countries, giving them another
chance to rebuild their national economies.
As I observe the world economic situation I cannot
but feel considerable dismay at the fact that, despite the
recent conclusion of the seven-year Uruguay Round of
negotiations, the developing countries have not been
provided with much impetus to maintain economic growth
in the face of the increasing gap between themselves and
the developed countries and of persistent protectionism in
trade.
The situation adversely affects the least-developed
countries most as they lack the resources to overcome the
odds stacked against them. I feel that further
intensification of South-South cooperation has become
more necessary, in order to harness their resources for
purposes of assisting the less developed of the developing
countries and encouraging developmental efforts on the
basis of collective self-reliance. The United Nations and
16

the international developmental and financial institutions
should encourage and support this process.
At the same time, the North-South dialogue must not
be allowed to be marginalized, since it is essential for the
growth of a world economy on a firm foundation of
partnership to promote common interests and benefits.
Without this basic element, the chances of promoting a
stable world economy indeed seem bleak.
After decades of protracted studies, research,
discussions and debates, and then the resulting experience,
we are today in a position to appreciate fully that
development is not simple. It can be achieved only through
a process that encompasses numerous attributes of human
life; education, health, the environment, peace, the
economy, society and culture and national and international
behaviour all contribute to its achievement.
The reviews and expert opinions gathered on the
Agenda for Development, together with the recent sessions
of the Commission on Sustainable Development, indicate
that intergovernmental cooperation involving the various
agencies of the United Nations, regional organizations and
non-governmental organizations must contribute to laying
the groundwork for development. I do not foresee any easy
or quick means of achieving development goals. While
further detailed consideration is given to this multifaceted,
all-important question, I should like to add my voice on the
need to bear in mind the great diversity in the levels of
progress that Member countries have been able to achieve,
and the wide variation in the extent of resources that they
can invest in this venture, which is an inherent right of
every nation.
As the representative of a small island State, I pay
tribute to all those responsible for the planning and
organization of the Global Conference on the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States, which was
held in Barbados this year. I believe that appropriate
recognition has now been given to the special
environmental and economic circumstances of small island
States in the context of achieving sustainable development.
One of the most important outcomes of this Conference
was a re-emphasis on the dire need of small island
developing States for the development of human resources.
But assessment of the need is only a prelude to the
implementation of any programme of action. What is
required is sustained effort by the developing States and
technical and other input by the developed countries and
international organizations. In view of the Programme of
Action and Declaration emanating from the Barbados
Conference, as well as Agenda 21, I need hardly
emphasize the urgent need to stimulate positive responses
by the international community with regard to assisting
the island developing States to improve the
socio-economic standards of their peoples in order to
embark on plans for sustainable development.
At the same time, we are concerned at the speed at
which international conferences are being held and
ambitious programmes of action being drawn up without
sufficient resources to implement them. I make this
statement because of the experience we have had
following the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development in Rio in 1992. The expectations which
followed that conference have started to recede because
of insufficient resources available to implement the
programme of action. One of the most outstanding
results of the Conference was the creation of greater
awareness of the environmental problems that the
international community faces. At the same time, it is
tragic to note that greater awareness of the predicament
on the part of those countries most susceptible to
environmental damage only helps to increase
apprehensions of disaster and frustration.
As an island developing country, Maldives
appreciates the tremendous achievement of the
international community in establishing the rule of law on
the vast stretches of the high seas, which cover two thirds
of the surface of the Earth. The fact that it took 12 long
years after its adoption for the Convention on the Law of
the Sea to enter into force is indeed a development that
will be written in letters of gold in the annals of world
history.
The question of human rights should occupy a
central place in our minds when we deal with all issues
of global concern. The establishment of the post of
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is
certainly a most welcome step. But this step can have
meaningful results only if the necessary resources are
provided for the High Commissioner to carry out his
mandate fairly and objectively, without any further
financial burdens on the membership of this Organization.
I would also like to emphasize here that, while the
Universal Declaration of 1948 may be the universal guide
for future work in this area, we must not attempt to lay
down rigidly uniform standards of human conduct and
behaviour for all societies without due respect for and
regard to the diverse cultures and religions prevailing in
17

the world. For it is the full understanding of this diversity
that reinforces the fabric of what we call international
relations and the unity of the membership of this
Organization.
The United Nations is being burdened with more and
more onerous responsibilities not only for the preservation
and maintenance of international peace, security and
stability, but for also assisting mankind in the realization
of the goals of a safer world and a higher standard of living
for the generations to come.
I remain convinced that if this universal Organization
is to be successful in meeting the numerous challenges
before it, every one of its Members must extend unstinting
financial, technological, military and manpower-resource
support to the Organization.
We cannot afford to be complacent, nor can we
condone any attempts to deflect the work of the United
Nations to any path other than that of right, justice and
equality, as enshrined in the Charter.
For my part, I can only reiterate the sincere
commitment of the Government of the Republic of
Maldives to supporting the United Nations and the
principles of the Charter to the best of our ability. Only by
so doing is there any hope of avoiding disastrous
consequences. What is more, the Government of the
Republic of Maldives implicitly trusts the United Nations
as the guarantor of its security and as its protector.


Let me join other representatives who have spoken before in congratulating you, Sir, on your unanimous election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. Your election to this high office is a demonstration both of the confidence that Member States have in you and of the respect they have for your beautiful country, Cote d'Ivoire. We are confident that under your wise guidance our deliberations at this session will achieve the desired results.
I also wish to pay tribute to your predecessor, Ambassador Insanally of Guyana, for steering the forty- eighth session to a successful conclusion. During his presidency, Ambassador Insanally undertook several initiatives aimed at strengthening the General Assembly and improving its relationship with the other organs of the United Nations. We thank him for his dynamic and imaginative leadership.
May I also extend our congratulations to Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Secretary-General, on the untiring and visionary manner in which he is managing the affairs of the Organization.
The peace dividend expected after the end of the cold war, four years ago, is yet to be realized. On the contrary, the world has been faced with the escalation of new conflicts and in some cases the intensification of old conflicts. The disappearance of the great ideological rivalry between the East and the West has enabled the United Nations more constructively to play its central role of facilitating conflict resolution and maintaining international peace and security. The emerging international situation has however brought with it new challenges to which the international community should respond in a dynamic manner and within the framework of the United Nations Charter.
Kenya supports the ongoing efforts aimed at reforming the United Nations with a view to adapting to the new challenges, and hopes that these efforts will be intensified during this session of the General Assembly. We welcome progress already made in the reform of the economic and social sectors of the Organization as well as the revitalization of the working of the General Assembly. However, more needs to be done, particularly in the context of the new Agenda for Development. Furthermore, a great deal still remains to be done in reforming the Security Council to enhance its effectiveness, its transparency and its relationship with the General Assembly as well as Member States. The open-ended Working Group of the General Assembly on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council has been able to highlight, substantially, areas where the Security Council needs to be reformed. It is our hope that the Working Group will reach a consensus on this vital exercise before the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations.
The role of the Security Council has become critical in the new era. Kenya is cognizant, and appreciative, of the special responsibilities entrusted to the five permanent members of the Security Council. However, the circumstances which led to the creation of the present membership structure have changed. It is therefore crucial that the membership of the Council reflect these changes and incorporate regional interests for a more balanced distribution of seats.
The United Nations is currently involved in an unprecedented number of peace-keeping operations. This clearly underlines the growing confidence of the international community in the role of the United Nations. During the forty-seventh session, the Assembly adopted the Agenda for Peace, which emphasized preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping. The most rewarding parts of this three-pronged strategy are the first two - namely, preventive diplomacy and peacemaking. This is especially true, when we consider that mobilization for peace-keeping is usually very slow. We are therefore convinced that the United Nations should invest more in preventive diplomacy and development to avoid the human catastrophes we have witnessed recently in many parts of the world, particularly Africa.
We happily welcome the victory of democracy in South Africa and the dismantling of apartheid. Kenya heartily congratulates President Nelson Mandela, his Government and the people of South Africa on the peaceful transition to a new democratic and multiracial South Africa. We are also delighted with the peaceful resolution of the territorial dispute between Chad and Libya. The positive developments in Mozambique and Burundi towards peaceful resolution of long-standing conflicts are indeed commendable. A comprehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict is now on a steady course with the ongoing implementation of the accord between Israel and Palestine and the recently concluded peace agreement between Jordan and Israel. We congratulate all the parties and encourage them to widen and intensify the peace processes.
International peace and security can flourish only if peace and stability exist in individual countries. The fundamental responsibility of ensuring peace and stability lies with the individual countries themselves. The Charter of the United Nations clearly underscores that responsibility under the principles of sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of States.
With the recent resurgence of problems based on ethnicity and of nationalism, sustained effort is required at the national level to forge national consensus. All nations have to build their democracies on the basis of their national circumstances, experiences, traditions and aspirations, but within the context of the universal values and norms of democracy, good governance and human rights.
The international community also has an important role to play in the support of national efforts towards the strengthening of democratic processes, sustainable development, peace and security. Very often, international conflicts are fanned by the struggle for the sharing of scant resources and public offices in the absence of a wide economic base to absorb competing interests. Development needs, therefore, have to be addressed from a wider perspective. The international community's support for institutional capacity-building and human resources development is pivotal to sustainable development, peace and security.
Over the last year, the international community has witnessed the intensification of some perennial conflicts. The experiences of Rwanda, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sudan and Liberia clearly demonstrate that there is no substitute for a political settlement negotiated between the parties to the conflicts. At the same time, the international community, particularly the United Nations, should be tireless in its efforts to assist parties to reach lasting solutions to these conflicts.
In this connection, regional bodies need to be strengthened, as their role in supporting development and facilitating solutions to national conflicts cannot be overstressed. The escalation of conflicts in one country has left neighbouring countries flooded with refugees and other spill-over effects, including the spread of banditry and illegal arms. Accordingly, we welcome the draft declaration on the strengthening of the cooperation between the United Nations and the regional organizations, and arrangements in the maintenance of international peace and security. Adoption of that declaration at this session of the General Assembly will be an important milestone towards strengthening the role of the regional bodies in the maintenance of international peace and security under the overall responsibility of the Security Council.
The magnitude of the Rwandese human disaster calls for extraordinary efforts in the mobilization of the United Nations system and the international community to stop the suffering of the Rwandese people and to restore normalcy to that unfortunate country. The decision to scale down the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda at that critical time contributed to the vacuum that resulted in the estimated loss of 1 million lives, with about 4 million people being internally displaced or fleeing as refugees. The experience of Rwanda calls for fundamental changes to United Nations peace-keeping operations to ensure an adequate, timely and effective response.
We take this opportunity to commend the neighbouring countries for accommodating so many refugees and offering logistical support for humanitarian operations. We also commend the countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations that have been extending critical humanitarian support. We are encouraged by the assurance of the new Government that it will foster the reconciliation of the Rwandese people. This calls for the intensification of international effort aimed at restoring normalcy in Rwanda. Kenya, for its part, has continued to play a facilitating role in the supply of humanitarian assistance to Rwanda.
On Somalia, we strongly believe that the continued presence of United Nations peace-keeping personnel is critical in the pursuit of peace and security in the country if we are to avoid the deterioration of a situation that is already unacceptable. We note with concern the Secretary-General's report on the growing incidence of violence and attacks on United Nations soldiers as well as the inability of the Somali faction leaders to agree on a formula for the creation of an interim central authority. While we commend the efforts of the international community in the search for a settlement to the Somali conflict, we are greatly concerned about the failure of the faction leaders to utilize the opportunities afforded by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) and the Organization of African Unity, as well as the neighbouring countries, to bring an end to the conflict.
Somalia is a sister country with which we share an 800-kilometre border, family relations, and ethnic and cultural affinities. The very heavy influx of Somali refugees into Kenya has had a devastating effect on the most ecologically fragile parts of the country. The refugee burden on my country is still excessively high, with about 300,000 registered refugees. Kenya is cooperating closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in accelerating the resettlement and voluntary repatriation of refugees. Physical and social infrastructures have also been overextended due to excessive usage.
The national efforts aimed at mitigating the negative effects caused by the influx of refugees in the border region are constrained by the magnitude of the problem and the competing security, administrative and development commitments in the area. In this regard, while appreciating various forms of assistance from the international donor community, including the non-governmental organizations, to address the problem, Kenya further appeals to the United Nations and the donor community to assist in the financing of the rehabilitation of the physical and social infrastructure as well as the restoration of the region's ecosystem.
The border region security dimension is another issue of great concern to Kenya. Our people and our security personnel have been subjected to numerous acts of banditry by armed gangs crossing into Kenya from Somalia. For this reason, we are reiterating our request to the Secretary-General to reinforce the UNOSOM patrols along the Somalia side of the border so as to complement the efforts of Kenyan security personnel on our side of the border. We believe that the joint security efforts will significantly scale down the flow of armed gangs and individuals into the Kenyan side.
The problem in the Sudan has been of great concern not only to Kenya and the neighbouring countries, but also to the international community. After four rounds of negotiations in the past year, it has become apparent that the regional peace efforts spearheaded by Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea and Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, under the chairmanship of President Daniel T. Arap Moi of Kenya, within the framework of Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGAD), have so far not been able to bridge the differences between the parties to the conflict. We appeal to all parties involved in the conflict to be flexible in the search for a just and lasting solution. The international community has an important role to play not only in terms of humanitarian assistance but also in facilitating the settlement of the fundamental differences between the parties. In this regard, Kenya is very grateful to the Governments of Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the many others that have generously provided material and financial assistance to the process.
On Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are greatly concerned that despite many serious attempts at a negotiated settlement no solution is in sight. Kenya strongly appeals to the combatants to opt for a negotiated settlement for the sake of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Kenya is substantially involved in United Nations peace-keeping activities, having contributed military and civilian police personnel to various peace-keeping operations world wide. The enormous rise in the number and scope of peace-keeping operations demands that the ability of the United Nations Secretariat to cope with such large-scale operations be strengthened.
While peace-keeping will continue to be a vital responsibility of the United Nations, the adequate financing of these operations, which now represents a substantial portion of the United Nations budget, is critical to their success. In this regard, we urge Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time in order to enable the Organization to respond effectively to the enormous challenges posed by peace-keeping operations.
The budgetary system for the peace-keeping operations also requires improvement. Notwithstanding the fact that peace-keeping operations are temporary by nature, it is cumbersome to approve budgets for periods of one to three months and usually retroactively. The current practice of piecemeal budgets compounds United Nations cash-flow problems, leading to the stifling of the operations of the Organization. Consequently, troop-contributing countries continue to subsidize United Nations peace-keeping operations at great sacrifice, a situation which cannot be sustained, especially by developing countries.
My delegation is also concerned over the growing number of fatalities and injuries among United Nations peace-keeping soldiers and other personnel deployed by the Organization. In this regard, the ongoing efforts to elaborate a convention on responsibility for attacks on such personnel and measures to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice is a positive response by the international community to this problem.
The world's economy continues to reflect sharp contrasts between countries and regions, with the industrialized countries, China and the South-East Asia region showing slight to rapid economic growth rates. The situation in Africa, on the other hand, is still of great concern, as the region's economy continues to show no signs of tangible recovery. The continent remains highly vulnerable to adverse international economic policies as well as to natural calamities, such as drought and epidemics, owing to its limited capacity to develop institutions and systems to cushion populations from these types of calamities. This situation has been compounded by the persistent recurrence of drought, debt burden, a decline in financial flows, low commodity prices, and the implementation of painful but necessary economic reforms and the uncertainties associated with major political reforms.
My country and many other African countries have in the past few years undertaken fundamental reforms to create, among other things, an environment conducive to encouraging investment flows as a necessary ingredient for economic growth and development. This underscores the determination of the African countries to speed up the recovery and growth of the economies. However, the sustainability of these efforts requires increased international assistance to facilitate an early realization of the objectives of the United Nations New Agenda for the
Development of Africa. We hope that at this time, when many developing countries are implementing major structural reforms and the liberalization of trade policies, the successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the setting-up of the World Trade Organization will lead to the elimination of all trade barriers and the expansion of international trade.
The mounting debt burden of the African countries, especially those of sub-Saharan Africa, continues to be a major constraint to economic growth and development. The problem of debt in Africa is worsened by the persistent low economic growth rates of the continent's economies. It is evident that the various measures taken by the international community on bilateral and multilateral bases to mitigate the situation, though welcome, have achieved limited results. Kenya believes that a lasting solution to the debt burden is a bold initiative for an effective reduction or cancellation of the bilateral and multilateral debt of the low-income countries, particularly in Africa.
The "Agenda for Development", as an instrument for the promotion of an action-oriented approach to economic growth and development parallel to the "Agenda for Peace" as presented by the Secretary-General, should be given paramount attention by this Assembly. The essence of it should be the recognition that development is a fundamental human right and that peace and development are intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Kenya affirms, however, that the State continues to bear the primary responsibility for its development while recognizing the importance of the complementary role of the international community.
Kenya subscribes fully to the view that the new Agenda for Development should be people-centred. While recognizing the importance of overall economic development needs, action programmes must give appropriate priority to the education, training, health and welfare of the people. The Agenda should take into account the fundamental role of science and technology in socio-economic development, particularly for developing countries. Indeed, the new Agenda for Development should become an instrument for promoting a new consensus on international cooperation for development, rather than a process of negotiations for financial needs.
Kenya welcomes the finalization of the elaboration of an international convention to combat desertification. The degradation of fragile dry lands is increasing at an accelerated rate and claiming millions of hectares every year. The afflicted countries are fully aware of their responsibilities to fight this imminent threat, but their efforts will not bear fruit without the support of the international community. The mobilization of resources as called for in Agenda 21 remains critical. Commitments of new and additional financial resources to fund environmental projects, as agreed upon in Rio, should be honoured. My delegation welcomes the recent restructuring and replenishment of the Global Environmental Facility as a positive step towards the fulfilment of some of the Rio commitments.
My delegation welcomes the establishment of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, headed by an Under-Secretary-General. We hope that the establishment of this Office will lead to greater efficiency and the reduction of waste and mismanagement, which the international community can ill afford. We also hope that the United Nations will now foster greater transparency in the awarding of United Nations contracts and in the procurement of goods and services, taking into account the cost-effectiveness of obtaining such goods and services from sources closer to the recipient countries.
As a country that is host to one of the United Nations centres, Kenya wishes to reiterate its commitment to cooperating with the United Nations in its efforts to strengthen the United Nations Centre in Nairobi, the capacity of which remains underutilized despite its enormous potential. In this connection, Kenya urges that the permanent secretariats of environmentally-related conventions, including those on biodiversity, climate change and desertification, be located in Nairobi, taking into full account the need for utilization of the capacity of the new secretariats and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as well as the human-settlement secretariats based in the United Nations Centre in Nairobi. Indeed, this would be consistent with the wish of the General Assembly and the governing bodies of the two organizations concerned, which have called for the strengthening, harmonization, cost-effectiveness and enhancement of the efficiency of UNEP and other United Nations programmes.
The recently concluded International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo clearly underlines the resolve of the international community to coordinate actions and strategies on social development as envisaged in the United Nations Charter. The resolve of the international community to deal with the problems of population and development in accordance with the Cairo Programme of
Action, which was adopted by consensus, gives us a strong basis for tackling population problems.
Kenya associates itself with the preparations and anticipated positive results of the forthcoming World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen. We hope that the Summit will come up with programmes and commitments which will effectively address the problems of poverty and social integration and lead to sustainable economic growth and broad-based social development. We are of the view that national action and international cooperation should give priority to the eradication of poverty, the elimination of obstacles to economic and social development, the expansion of productive employment, and the creation of a favourable international economic and social environment.
The Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing, China, in 1995 offers a suitable opportunity to build on the successes of the 1985 Nairobi Forward- looking Strategies and to solidify the gains of women in all spheres of life. All necessary steps at the national, - regional and international levels should be taken to develop a political, economic, social and cultural environment conducive to the full integration of women into sustainable processes of development.
Kenya also looks forward to the successful outcome of the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT II) to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996. In order to ensure broad-based national preparations for the Conference, the national Steering Committee has prepared a work programme incorporating the mobilization of action in the shelter sector so as to create public awareness. My delegation acknowledges the significant progress made in the preparatory process by the HABITAT II secretariat in Nairobi, under the direction of the Secretary-General of the Conference, Mr. Wally N'Dow. However, financial limitations are hampering elements of the preparatory process. We hope that these constraints will soon be overcome.
Any durable international system must have a sound legal regime, backed by principles of respect for and compliance with the rule of law at domestic and international levels. The recognition by States of their obligation to abide by these principles is not only an indispensable requirement, but also forms the fabric of international norms and standards which guide lawful international behaviour.
It is in this context, therefore, that we hail the decision to hold an International Congress on International Law in March 1995 here in New York, under the framework of the United Nations Decade of International Law.
In 1989, Kenya joined the growing number of nations that have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A few weeks from today, on 16 November 1994, the world community will witness the entry into force of this Convention. This long-awaited event, which marks the culmination of a process started many years ago, is a significant milestone in the human endeavour to create a new legal order for the oceans.
African States do not possess the requisite scientific knowledge, technological capacity and management skills to be able to explore and exploit the marine living and non-living resources. The Convention, as well as Agenda 21, both of which furnish the basic blueprint for cooperation in marine and ocean areas, have laid emphasis on the significance of the development of manpower, technological capacity and training, particularly in the developing countries. We believe that these and other allied problems should be addressed to enable African countries to derive benefits from the rights and opportunities offered by the Convention. It is our hope that, following the successful conclusion and adoption of the agreement on the implementation of deep seabed mining, all States will now become parties to the Convention, in order to secure universal participation.
In conclusion, we feel confident that, as we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, the international community has the requisite resources and talents to deal effectively with the global concerns and challenges facing it. In particular, the Organization will have to address the crucial issues of maintenance of international peace and security, sustainable development, the environment, humanitarian issues and reform of the United Nations. In conformity with the aspirations of the Charter expressed in the words "We the peoples", everybody throughout the world has high expectations of this Organization. We cannot and must not let them down


 It is a pleasure for me to speak for the first time in the General Assembly and to convey to its members the warm greetings of the people and the Government of the Republic of Guinea.
I should like to take this opportunity to convey to you. Sir, heartfelt congratulations on your notable election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty- ninth session. It is an honor to your country, Cote d’Ivoire, and to us the citizens of Guinea it is a fitting reflection of the trust that the international community places in the continent of Africa. I am convinced that your wisdom and your qualities as an experienced and competent diplomat will ensure the success of our work. My delegation assures you of its full support.
I should also like to congratulate your predecessor, Mr. Samuel Insanally of Guyana, who conducted the business of the forty-eighth session in such a masterly and intelligent manner.
I want also to pay well-deserved tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for the tireless efforts he has made and the determination he has shown since his election to achieve the noble objectives assigned to the United Nations. His devotion to peace and the promotion of international cooperation at a time marked by many complex changes guarantees the Organization's victory over the challenges facing humanity.
My Government welcomes South Africa's long- awaited return to this Organization following the dismantling of apartheid and the holding of the first multiracial, pluralist elections.
The forty-ninth session is being held at a time that is very favorable for the strengthening of international
relations, thanks to more constructive dialog. However, a quick look at the international scene shows that we are still far from the ideal of peace. Indeed, as soon as the bells of peace announced the end of the cold war the evil spirits were awakened. Here and there warlords are stirring up tension, bringing tragedy to innocent victims - in particular, the elderly, women and children.
In Liberia, Rwanda, Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Angola - to refer to just some countries - killing, rape and destruction are going on. We are all concerned, yet we all seem to be powerless.
It is regrettable that most of this tragedy is being played out in Africa, a continent already sorely tried by economic crises, natural disasters and forced migration. My delegation believes that the international community as a whole, and this Organization in particular, should act with greater firmness and unity to put an end to this tragic situation.
For five years now, fratricidal conflicts have plunged Liberia into chaos and desolation. This conflict's damaging consequences for neighboring States have become unbearable. Despite the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States, the Organization of African Unity and the international community to secure the effective implementation of the many peace plans, the latest of which is the Akosombo, Ghana, plan, the crisis continues. My Government makes an urgent appeal to the international community to become more energetically involved in the quest for a final solution to this conflict.
Other regions of the world too are experiencing the same difficulties that threaten international peace and security. The Government of Guinea encourages the United Nations to continue its efforts to restore peace, and urges the parties to various conflicts to demonstrate wisdom by choosing dialog.
I am thinking in particular of the situations in the Middle East and on the Korean peninsula. Once again, only a proper political approach, taking account of the specific values of the parties concerned and of the political and material needs of the populations, will produce the conditions for lasting peace.
I welcome the positive developments in the Middle East, exemplified by the peace agreement signed in Washington between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization and also that signed between Israel and Jordan. These agreements constitute in many respects
important milestones in the recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and they offer hope for a lasting and comprehensive peace in that region.
By the same token, the Government of Guinea encourages the two Korean States to continue their effort for the independent and peaceful reunification of their common homeland. I have every hope that the negotiations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States will lead the two parties to continue the dialog to bring about a peaceful solution to the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula and to improve relations between the two countries.
The tragic events that have shaken the political life of Haiti for three years now have captured the attention of the international community. My Government hopes that the efforts of the international community will make it possible to put an end to that crisis and to alleviate the suffering of the people of Haiti through the restoration of democracy.
The remarkable progress made through the bilateral and multilateral negotiations in the field of disarmament and arms control clearly underscores the determination of Member States to shield our planet from the specter of destruction. However, many perils still hamper our efforts to bring about collective security, which would encompass the related problems of development, environment and human rights. In certain sensitive regions, the trade in conventional weapons and their frequent use in conflicts, along with the trade in nuclear materials and the desire of some countries to possess nuclear weapons, add to our Organization's responsibilities and call for stringent verification measures. Objectives in this field should include a nuclear test ban and the promotion of the establishment of denuclearized or nuclear-free zones in all parts of the world.
In this brief overview of some of the major issues in the world, I wish to stress the importance of peacekeeping operations. I consider it useful to rethink the problems of such operations, whose motives and procedures for implementation seem very often to involve double standards. We believe that in order to give them the desired legitimacy and effectiveness these operations should be the subject of coordination and dialog in which all United Nations Member States take part, for collective security is the business of all nations of the world, be they large or small.

Africa's keen interest in the quest for ways and means to guarantee peace, security and stability on our continent is reflected in the mechanism for the prevention, settlement and management of conflicts established by the Organization of African Unity. This instrument is already functioning; it deals with all forms of crisis that might jeopardize African peoples' efforts at economic, social and cultural development. A peace fund has been set up to give financial support to the actions undertaken by this mechanism.
While appreciating the efforts of the United Nations in the economic and social fields, we note with regret the absence of any significant results in the implementation of the measures adopted. Today we are concerned to see that inequalities in international trade are worsening and that debt-servicing, which is a burden on the meager resources obtained from structural adjustment, require bold action. Furthermore, the debt burden neutralizes the mobilization of funding for commodity exports, which are constantly depreciating because of inequitable terms of trade.
In my delegation's view, there can be no development if there is not an increase in income from commodities, whose prices, unfortunately, are not controlled by the developing countries. The quest for prosperity could be a danger, since it engenders a strong migratory flow from the South to the North.
Despite the socio-economic changes carried out in our States to stimulate private initiative and cooperative movements and to improve living conditions, the African continent is still experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis. To this precarious picture we must add the resurgence of social problems, such as juvenile delinquency, illicit trade in drugs and narcotics, unemployment, the AIDS pandemic and the deleterious effects of persistent drought and other natural disasters. In this context, we support the recommendations and decisions of the international Conference held in Tokyo on African development. Furthermore, my delegation urges the international community to increase official development assistance and requests the United Nations to give greater support to the laudable efforts of the African countries in their economic-recovery policies, in keeping with Article 55 of the Charter.
The concept of development cannot be limited to the economic dimension alone. It must necessarily take into account social and cultural dimensions. As long as some are afraid of the progress of others, the myth of Sisyphus will prevail and part of our globe will be for ever harnessed
to the yoke. Only dialog, tolerance and the elimination of poverty throughout the world will guarantee lasting peace and strengthen the unity and stability of nations.
In this regard we should stress the relevance of the Secretary-General's Agenda for Development. Highlighting the many aspects of development and its connection with peace, the environment, international security and human rights, it is a reference document in our quest for solutions to the many economic difficulties facing the developing countries. It has thus enriched our discussion on sustainable development.
The protection of basic human rights, the satisfaction of mankind's needs, and social justice are central to my country's concerns. My delegation welcomed the holding in Cairo of the International Conference on Population and Development, and we hope that the work of the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in 1995, and that of the World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Copenhagen, will give in- depth consideration to other complex aspects of this important subject.
In my country, the Republic of Guinea, we have undertaken an ambitious program of political, economic, cultural and social restructuring. The process of establishing democratic and liberal institutions will be totally completed during the last quarter of this year with the holding of legislative elections. In order to pay the price of political and socio-economic liberalization, we need, in addition to substantial financial assistance, considerable support and understanding from the entire international community.
Member States are preparing to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. This important event will offer an opportunity for us all to recall the very special circumstances that gave birth to our Organization and to pay a well-deserved tribute to the work of the founding fathers.
My country is making great efforts to prepare for this great event, and to this end a national organizational committee has been established.
The serious international problems to which I have just referred are a measure of the gravity of the challenges facing mankind, as well as the responsibilities of the United Nations. Our Organization has gained undeniable prestige, because of its increased burdens in managing world affairs. Nevertheless, in order to become
more effective, it needs to be restructured and revitalized. This applies to the Security Council and the other main bodies.
Reforms must be based on the principle of equality of Member States, and must reflect a balance in the decision-making process between the various bodies of the system. That is what is needed for the United Nations to succeed in its mission of maintaining international peace and security and promoting a balanced world economy.
The embryonic new international order, freed of all uncertainty and threats of instability, will emerge from such a development.


I wish to join other
speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on your election to
the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth
session. Your experience in international affairs, as well
as your proven diplomatic skills, provide the assurance of
a successful conclusion of our deliberations.
At the same time, I wish to express our gratitude
and sincere appreciation to His Excellency Ambassador
Samuel Rudolph Insanally, for the distinguished manner
in which he presided over this historic Assembly during
a particularly challenging forty-eighth session, ably
representing not only his country, Guyana, but the entire
7

Latin American and Caribbean region. We commend him
for his performance.
Our Secretary-General continues his outstanding
stewardship of the United Nations during these critical
times, when this world body is increasingly being called
upon to respond to crises of staggering dimensions. The
Bahamas appreciates his tireless efforts.
Anniversaries are times of celebration and times of
reflection. As this world assembly approaches its fiftieth
birthday, it is wholly appropriate that we should seek to
evaluate our record.
I believe that we can all agree that in our efforts to
guide international relations in the 50 years since the end of
the Second World War, there have been both successes and
failures. We must surely build on the successes and
redirect our energies to effectively reduce the number of
failures.
The credible success of this world Organization and its
specialized agencies in measurably improving the health,
literacy and education standards of the world’s poor is no
mean achievement. So also has been the success of this
body in seeking to ensure the environmental integrity of the
planet, in galvanizing the resources of the world to fight the
illicit drug traffic, and in peacefully resolving disputes.
We can all be justly satisfied that the persistence of
this Assembly played a pivotal role in bringing to an end
the racist Government in South Africa. The victory of non-
racial democracy in that torn land must give us hope even
in the face of the most intractable problems. The Bahamas
joins other Members in welcoming South Africa back into
the fold of the General Assembly.
The Bahamas fully supports the noble cause of the
Government of South Africa as it begins the task of
reconciliation and reconstruction. President Nelson
Mandela and the people of South Africa can be fully
assured of my Government’s hand of friendship.
Victory in South Africa allowed us to dare to hope for
an opening in Haiti. This Assembly knows very well the
long history of abuse of that poor Caribbean nation — a
land in which the apartheid of wealth has flourished in a
destitute country. For many generations now, Haitian
nationals have felt compelled to abandon their homes,
frequently in unseaworthy boats, in search of personal
dignity and of economic and political liberty.
My country has frequently been their first safe
harbour, and, while proud of our record of assistance, we
have been and remain ill-equipped to offer such refuge.
Members are aware of the tremendous burden that my
country has had to bear in this regard. This refuge has
been provided by the Bahamas in spite of the absence of
either recognition or assistance from the international
community.
To say that our education, health and welfare
resources have been stretched beyond capacity in our
small island developing country is to greatly understate
the situation. When we add the extra costs attributable to
the necessary marine patrols associated with the
monitoring of undocumented persons, the full burden
created in the Bahamas by Haitian nationals fleeing their
homes begins to become apparent.
Hence, the recognition by this body of the absolute
necessity for the world community to forcibly respond to
the brutality of the military dictatorship in Haiti is very
much appreciated. The support given to the early
initiative led by the Caribbean Community to force a
resolution of the crisis in Haiti has already borne fruit,
and we commend the United States of America for its
leadership in this important initiative.
We therefore join in welcoming the formation of the
multinational force authorized by the Security Council to
take all necessary action to restore the democratically
elected government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Notwithstanding the tremendous costs that in recent years
have accrued to the Bahamas as a result of developments
in Haiti, we have also agreed to lend manpower support
to that force.
Today’s announcement that the coup leaders have
resigned and will be leaving the country now paves the
way for the desired return of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide later this week.
It is especially important that the international
community now dedicate sufficient funding and expertise
to the economic reconstruction of Haiti to achieve
democracy in that land. It must continue to do so even
today as Haitians await the announced departure of the
feared military from leadership and the return of their
elected President. We who promote and encourage the
adoption of democratic forms of government must also
accept a degree of responsibility to service that
democracy, especially in its infancy. The infant
democracy that is struggling to be born in Haiti will
8

surely die unless it receives the succour and support of the
international community.
Since the Second World War, the world community
has addressed the plight of political refugees. The
increased demand to assist persons fleeing political
persecution is demonstrated in the ethnic purges and
warfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The dramatic exodus, during the first half of this year,
of hundreds of thousands of persons across the seas on
unseaworthy craft or down long roads across borders
dramatically brought to the attention of the world
community the plight of undocumented persons seeking
shelter outside of their homelands.
The burden borne by the Bahamas as a result of the
presence of large numbers of undocumented Haitians is
now compounded by the more recent arrival of hundreds of
Cubans seeking to enter the United States of America. The
Bahamas Government is encouraged by recent efforts by
both the United States of America and the Republic of
Cuba to address this perennial problem of Cuban migrants.
The gravity of the Haitian crisis, the inhumanity of the
genocide in Bosnia, the cruelty of the murders in Rwanda
and the ongoing war in Angola all are clarion calls to our
Organization and to the world that we must desist from
tardy, piecemeal approaches and address in a timely and
comprehensive manner not only the effects but the very
root causes of these situations.
Not least among these is economics, evidenced by a
crisis in development. Despair at the hopeless socio-
economic conditions of one’s daily life has given rise, in
those so affected, to a basic pessimism and to the
willingness to risk even one’s life for changed
circumstances. Where basic needs are unmet and survival
is in jeopardy, there is little stake in the future and little
reason to consider the sustainability of one’s actions. The
real threat to our future security is therefore no longer
military aggression but deteriorating economic conditions.
The alleviation of widespread poverty while managing finite
resources in the face of spiralling population growth will be
among the major challenges of the twenty-first century.
The Bahamas, therefore, looks forward to the
Secretary-General’s revised “Agenda for Development”,
hopeful that it will serve as an effective guideline for the
creation and implementation of measures commensurate
with the legitimate aspirations of Member States. We must
not lose ground in this session by becoming submerged in
attempts to redefine development. We must, rather, focus
on the different levels of development that exist in our
several countries. We must learn their effects and find
solutions for narrowing obvious disparities. These
solutions must include programmes specially suited to the
differing levels of development of Member States.
We must therefore ensure that our quest for
sustainable development is people-centred. We must
consider sustainable human development with a focus on
justice, equality and democratic freedom as well as on
material well-being that incorporates equal opportunity for
all. Inequity engenders violence, and violence fragments
society.
The Bahamas, in spite of its apparent growth and
strong economic indicators, is still only a developing
nation. However, unlike many other developing nations,
the Bahamas is continually frustrated in its efforts to
secure international resources and concessionary financing
from multilateral institutions because of its reputed level
of per capita gross national product.
As a small archipelagic country of a mere 260,000
people scattered over 100,000 square miles, burdened by
the cost of transportation and infrastructure replication,
and with a very small minority of our residents in an
extremely high income bracket whilst the overwhelming
majority of the population is at the opposite end of the
economic scale, we are advocating that this grossly
misleading per capita criterion for gross national product
should not be the only basis upon which resources and
assistance are allocated to developing countries, such as
the Bahamas.
It is the view of the Bahamas that the entire system
for determining eligibility for development assistance
should be comprehensively reviewed, as it is clear that
special consideration ought to be given to countries like
the Bahamas, with peculiar imbalances and vulnerabilities.
For its part, the Bahamas is engaged in a process of
refining its development indicators in an attempt to ensure
that data provided to international institutions are truly
reflective of our economic-development reality. We
expect that the data so provided will also have an impact
upon our budgetary assessments.
This comprehensive review, we believe, must
include consideration of the vulnerability index identified
in the Programme of Action of the Global Conference on
Small Island Developing States as the direction to be
followed in the development of a measurement of the
9

ecological fragility and economic vulnerability of small
island developing States.
In this connection, I would remind the Assembly of an
important message which was reinforced by the recent
Conference on Small Island Developing States, that is, that
unless the peculiar difficulties of these States are properly
addressed, those States will not have the wherewithal to
proceed on a path to sustainable development.
The marine environment presents both an opportunity
and a constraint with respect to the sustainable development
and security of any island State. As a maritime nation, the
Bahamas attaches tremendous importance to the
Convention, which has resulted in the creation of a new
legal regime for the oceans. Among its new achievements
are the recognition of the legal status of archipelagos, the
12-mile territorial sea, transit passage, the exclusive
economic zone, and the protection and preservation of the
marine environment and the resources of the deep seabed
as the common-heritage of mankind.
The Bahamas was particularly pleased to join with
other Member States in signing the agreement on seabed
mining in July of this year, as that agreement modifies
provisions that had prevented many States from becoming
parties to the Convention. The long awaited entry into
force of the Convention is therefore of extreme importance,
as it provides a boost to our efforts to curb infringement on
both our national security and our national resources.
While the socio-economic health of the world still
presents challenges for the Organization, we have scored
some political successes in the recent past. These successes
include, of course, the peace accord between Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization signed in September of
last year, which led to self-rule in the Gaza Strip and
Jericho for the Palestinian people, and the signing of the
Washington Declaration between Israel and Jordan last July.
We also applaud and encourage the dialogue now under
way between Israel and Syria.
In spite of those successes, peace-keeping still
occupies an important place in our activities. However, we
must ensure that peace-keeping operations are not
conducted at the expense of other activities which are
equally important, such as the development programmes of
the United Nations. After all, development is a prerequisite
for peace.
For small countries with limited resources, such as the
Bahamas, a major justification for membership in
international organizations is the enhancement of national
capacity. It is therefore the duty of the United Nations to
facilitate the efforts of small countries to arrive at just and
equitably sound solutions to differences within the
international society of States, especially when they
involve political and economic giants.
It is from this perspective that the Bahamas supports
the efforts of the Republic of China to entreat the
Organization to examine the merits of establishing an ad
hoc committee to analyse comprehensively the current
implications and future ramifications of the preclusion of
the 21 million people in the Republic of China from
contributing to, and availing themselves of, all the
benefits deriving from membership in the United Nations
and its affiliated agencies. Our Organization is expected
to reflect universality and to demonstrate impartiality
when forging international agreements for policy
commitments, for accessing resources and for action.
The Bahamas welcomes the report of the Open-
ended Working Group on the question of more equitable
representation within the membership of the Security
Council. The Group’s work thus far has been positive
and constructive, and we trust that the momentum of its
discussions will be maintained.
The report on the Security Council is of importance
to all Member States. As its conclusions affect each
Member quite directly, it is essential that the Council
should be seen to reflect as accurately as possible the
wishes of the entire international community.
Accordingly, it is imperative that the composition of a
new Security Council properly reflect regional diversity
and thereby enhance the legitimacy of the actions of that
important United Nations body.
We in the Bahamas look with great expectation to
the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the United
Nations. The preparatory period for this event is an ideal
time for reflection on targets and objectives which have
already been set by our Organization, some of which have
now been outstanding for many years. Turning fifty is an
opportunity for the Organization to regain the confidence
of our peoples. It will take hard work and determination
to achieve the desired results so that over the next 50
years the United Nations will be known in all societies
and across all levels of those societies as the real leader
in the fight to bring dignity to mankind.
In the words of the great Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe:
10

“We must not hope to be mowers
And to gather the ripe gold ears
Unless we have first been sowers
And watered the furrows with tears.
“It is not just as we take it,
This mystical world of ours;
Life’s field will yield as we make it:
A harvest of thorns or of flowers.”


The unique role of the
United Nations is to promote the well-being of people, the
security and development of nations and the protection of
our common world. It was built on a resolve to maintain
peace and security and to employ international machinery
for the promotion of the economic and social
advancement of all peoples.
The United Nations peace-keeping activities are a
challenge for all nations. For Denmark, it is a matter of
the highest priority. The United Nations can rely on
Denmark to respond swiftly and efficiently to the needs
of the Organization for troops, civilian police, customs
officials and personnel for humanitarian relief operations.
We have made organizational arrangements to make this
possible, even at very short notice. A recent example is
Denmark’s decision to contribute civilian personnel to
engage in a humanitarian effort and to promote human
rights in Haiti.
We favour a combination of peace-keeping
operations with humanitarian relief operations. The
16

establishment of the United Nations stand-by forces will
enhance the ability to respond quickly to emerging crises.
Denmark is ready to participate with further elements and
is establishing an international brigade for that purpose.
Peace-keeping has its own special features. They are
different from traditional military training. Peace-keepers
must consistently act in full accordance with their role and
mandate. As has recently been said, patience, persistence
and pressure are key elements of peace-keeping missions.
Seventy-three nations today contribute troops, military
observers or civilian police to the many ongoing operations.
The number of troop-contributing nations is increasing.
This has placed emphasis on the need for training.
Denmark stands ready to share its vast experience and
knowledge in peace-keeping training and requirements.
The cooperation between the Baltic States, the Nordic
countries and the United Kingdom on a Baltic
peace-keeping battalion is a good example of such
cooperation. At present, a Lithuanian platoon is serving in
the Danish battalion in Croatia.
Keeping the peace worldwide is costly. Funds are
limited, as is the number of trained and equipped troops.
In the future we must utilize preventive diplomacy. In
Macedonia, we have seen the positive effects of the first
example of preventive deployment.
Communication between the Security Council and the
troopcontributing countries is imperative. Further progress
is needed on this, for instance in the form of regular
consultations between the members of the Security Council,
the troop-contributing States and the Secretariat.
Peace-keeping involves the important question of
safety and security for United Nations and associated
personnel. Peace-keepers act as a neutral force. They must
be ensured the highest possible standard of protection.
Attacks cannot be tolerated. We strongly support the
efforts of the United Nations to draft a legally binding
treaty in this field.
The "Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277) led to discussions
on a more active role of the United Nations in peacemaking
and peace-keeping. It is to be hoped that the "Agenda for
Development" (A/49/935) will inspire an equally important
discussion on the role of the United Nations in
development. Development policies must correspond to
prevailing social, economic, environmental, religious and
ethnic problems.
We cannot fight tomorrow’s battles with yesterday’s
weapons.
My Government is proud to host the World Summit
for Social Development in Copenhagen in March 1995.
The challenge of the Summit, the first of its kind, is to
create new foundations of peace through development. It
presents a unique chance to overcome the North-South
divide through new approaches. We must eradicate
poverty and enable all people to earn a livelihood. We
must promote social integration by fostering just, safe and
stable societies with the full participation of all people.
Discrimination in all its forms must be eliminated and
human rights respected, and conditions for children and
young people must be improved.
As a link to the Beijing Conference on Women, the
Summit must make a strong commitment to achieving full
equality between men and women and to enhancing the
contribution of women to social progress and
development.
Progress has been achieved in the preparatory
process for the Summit, but this process is still marked by
difficulties. Time for preparation is running short. The
Secretary-General is making untiring efforts to promote
the Copenhagen Summit and to secure its success. It is
essential that Member States support the
Secretary-General in his endeavours in order to keep up
the momentum of the process. The Summit represents an
opportunity for world leaders to commit themselves and
their Governments to a better and more just world.
Members may rest assured that, as hosts of the
Summit, we will spare no effort to make it a success.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming Heads
of State or Government in Copenhagen.
The World Conference on Human Rights in 1993
was a turning-point in United Nations activities for the
promotion and protection of human rights. It is gratifying
to see one of its central recommendations implemented in
the form of the establishment of the post of High
Commissioner for Human Rights. Steps should now be
taken to increase substantially the resources for the United
Nations human rights programme. We must enable the
High Commissioner to discharge his mandate in full.
Human rights are a vital element in preventing and
resolving conflicts. We must therefore develop new
approaches to monitoring human rights. One such step
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could be to set up a team of human rights monitors to assist
the High Commissioner.
Freedom of expression is a basic human right. The
fatwa against Salman Rushdie and others constitutes a
flagrant violation of this right. We urge the Iranian
Government to dissociate itself from this threat.
Increasingly we realize that our actions or our
negligence as individual nations affect other nations and
their populations. All nations have a common future that
we must protect from nuclear disasters, environmental
degradation and weapons of mass destruction.
Chernobyl taught us how important this aspect of
security is. It is of great concern to my Government that
many nuclear facilities in Central and Eastern Europe and
the Commonwealth of Independent States are operating at
critically low levels of safety. We must improve this
situation.
The Rio de Janeiro Conference in 1992 put renewed
emphasis on environment and development. Denmark’s
resolve to abide by the Rio principles is strong. Our
international development assistance of 1 per cent of gross
national product (GNP) is guided by the principles of
sustainable development. This will provide additional
financial resources to developing countries and countries in
transition in order to assist them in meeting objectives of
sustainability.
Our common future also calls for taking steps towards
disarmament, arms control and confidence-building
measures. It implies reducing weapons of mass destruction,
chemical and biological weapons as well as weapons to be
used in outer space. We have reached a time that is
conducive to these aims and to allowing the role of the
United Nations to be enhanced.
Reform of the United Nations is necessary. Denmark
supports a strong Security Council. We agree that the
Council needs to be adapted to today’s world and that it
needs to be enlarged. In enlarging the Council, priority
should be given to additional seats for non-permanent
members, allocated under the principle of equitable
geographical distribution. A small number of new seats
could be allocated as permanent seats.
We entrust the United Nations with mandates to secure
worldwide peace, security and development, but we fail to
ensure the Organization the necessary financial means. It
is not tenable, for instance, that troop-contributing nations
cannot be reimbursed, and I simply fail to understand
how some Member States can advocate United Nations
actions, including peace-keeping operations, and then
refuse to pay the bill.
Denmark welcomes the withdrawal of the last troops
of the former Soviet Union from Estonia and Latvia on
31 August, in accordance with concluded agreements.
This is truly a historic event. It is of significance to
future relations between the Baltic States and Russia, to
stability in the Baltic area and for European security. The
agreements must now be fully implemented by all parties
in order to keep up the momentum.
As for the former Yugoslavia, important results have
been reached since the establishment of the Contact
Group. The decision by the authorities of the former
Republic of Yugoslavia to close the Serbian-Bosnian
border and to accept international surveillance is a direct
consequence of pressure by the international community.
The continued negative reaction to the peace plan of
the Bosnian Serbs must lead to their further isolation.
Sanctions remain one of the most efficient instruments in
our policy of isolation. We therefore welcome the
adoption of resolution 942 (1994) by the Security Council
last week.
Against that background, we welcome the deferral of
the question of lifting the arms embargo. Denmark firmly
believes that the arms embargo should not be lifted, as
this would entail risks of the conflict’s spreading. It
would disrupt the peace negotiations, which combine the
efforts of the United Nations, the European Union, the
United States and Russia, and it would make the
continued presence of the United Nations Protection Force
(UNPROFOR) impossible.
UNPROFOR is playing an indispensable role in
attempting to keep the peace and at the same time
alleviate the plight of the people. With 1,400 troops,
civilian police and monitors in the former Yugoslavia,
Denmark is one of the largest troop contributors to
UNPROFOR. We remain committed to our participation
in this operation.
We believe that a strict and effective sealing off of
the border between Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia
and Herzegovina will be a new and decisive element. At
short notice Denmark sent observers for the Mission of
the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia
(ICFY) to monitor that border.
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Denmark continues to make substantial contributions
to the humanitarian relief work in the former Yugoslavia.
Coordination by the United Nations and the European
Union is progressing favourably. Denmark is placing both
personnel and financial means at the disposal of that
enterprise.
We strongly condemn the renewed "ethnic cleansings"
which the Serbs have systematically carried out. The
persons responsible for these atrocities must be brought
before the international tribunal set up for the punishment
of crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia.
In the Middle East political will and hard negotiations
have created a historic breakthrough. Denmark warmly
welcomes the signing of the Declaration of Principles
between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) in 1993 and the Declaration signed between Israel
and Jordan in 1994. The Gaza-Jericho Agreement was the
next important step. International support is now needed to
keep up the momentum.
The holding of fair and free elections in Gaza and the
West Bank will represent significant progress. We
encourage the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli
Government to ensure speedy implementation of the
election process.
Progress should also be achieved in the negotiations
between Syria and Israel and between Lebanon and Israel.
We welcome the clear political will of all parties to
continue their efforts to bring about such progress. They
all stand to gain significantly from peace, and the United
Nations continues to have an important role to play.
The tragic events in Rwanda revealed the weakness of
the United Nations and of the international community. It
was demonstrated that we were not able to provide an
effective and timely response. The challenge remains to
create stability and ensure Rwanda the proper conditions for
development. This will require an international effort on a
considerable scale, which can be successful only if it is
firmly rooted in Rwanda and the countries of the region.
On the African scene it is heartening to see the
Republic of South Africa reinstated in its seat in the
Assembly. It is now fully participating in the work of the
United Nations. South Africa has proved to the world that
a peaceful transition from repression to democracy is
possible. It has set an example. This also confirms that
the United Nations has a role to play in bringing about
fundamental reforms in a repressive society.
Denmark has been a staunch supporter of the forces
of democratic change in South Africa. We will continue
our considerable financial support to the consolidation of
democracy.
The best contribution of Member States to the
United Nations is to reconfirm their will to implement the
Charter, to accelerate the reform process and, indeed, to
pay their dues. The United Nations is, and must continue
to be, a vital instrument in the service of the peoples of
the world.