It is my great pleasure, Sir,
to extend to you warmest and most sincere
congratulations on your assumption of the presidency
of the General Assembly. The Jamaican delegation is
confident that much will be accomplished during the
sixty-second session under your able leadership. You
can be assured of the support of the Jamaican
delegation in that endeavour.
 To your predecessor, Her Excellency Sheikha
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, the Jamaican delegation
extends its appreciation for her unstinting efforts in
advancing the work of the General Assembly during its
sixty-first session.
 Jamaica also wishes to pay tribute to the laudable
efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who, since
his assumption of office in January of this year, has
moved forward in earnest to enhance the process of
reform of the United Nations.
 I am deeply honoured to be addressing the
General Assembly at its sixty-second session on behalf
of my country, Jamaica. Today, I especially restate my
country’s firm commitment to the ideals and principles
of the United Nations and underscore Jamaica’s strong
support for multilateralism, which must underpin the
core processes in the execution of the functions and
responsibilities of the United Nations. In doing so, I
am driven by our resolve for change, as well as by the
need for unity and for the reinvigoration of the United
Nations in order for it to effectively and efficiently
achieve the fundamental purposes set out in its Charter.
 As we begin this session, we must not lose sight
of our strategic objectives and vision towards the
maintenance of international peace and security; the
development of friendly relations among nations; the
achievement of international cooperation in the
economic, social, cultural and humanitarian fields; and
the promotion of human rights and fundamental
freedoms.
 Looking back at the record over the past year, it
is disconcerting that the challenges we face at the
global level have not seen much discernable change.
From a security point of view, the world continues to
be plagued by seemingly incessant and protracted
conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, parts of
Africa and elsewhere. Millions of innocent persons are
the victims of civil strife or are displaced as a result of
violence and armed conflict. Terrorism, transnational
organized crime and the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction continue to threaten international
peace and security.
 From the economic and social perspective, we
cannot escape the fact that we live in a world
characterized by high levels of underdevelopment and
social degradation   a world where too many people
live in dehumanizing poverty. It is a world in which
human security is being threatened by environmental
degradation. The experience of HIV/AIDS and the
constant threat of new pandemics underscore our
interconnectedness and interdependence, demanding
universal cooperation and collective action.
 All States, developed and developing, large and
small, are vulnerable to those threats and must of
necessity have a shared commitment to strengthening
collective security and safeguarding world peace and
security. No nation can address those challenges and
threats entirely on its own. Sustained collective action
and global cooperation are required to identify and
shape a common vision and agreed objectives to deal
with the complexities of our times. In recent years, we
have renewed our commitment to the United Nations as
the catalyst for effectively advancing the interests of
our peoples in the areas of development, peace and
security, and human rights.
 Unquestionably, there have been pockets of
success in global economic progress over the past
decade. By and large, however, our commitments have
not been matched by the desired implementation of the
targets for meeting basic human needs, human security
and sustainable development. It is clear that much
more needs to be done if we are to achieve the
development targets in the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
 The Government of Jamaica fully accepts that
each country has the primary responsibility for setting
development priorities through sound governance and
policies. We believe that the goals that were solemnly
agreed seven years ago are not overly ambitious and
are still achievable. In that context, my Government is
committed to taking further measures to pursue the
objectives of the MDGs and other internationally
agreed development goals. We are committed to
providing the necessary framework that will promote
social inclusion, enhance productive capacity and
employment, and facilitate investment and sustained
economic growth.
 But many developing countries, such as Jamaica,
cannot do it alone. The realization of the development
agenda is dependent not only on our own domestic
capabilities, but equally on the genuine commitment of
all Member States to pursue a global partnership for
development, which is at the core of the strategy for
development. We believe, therefore, that it is
imperative that we move beyond the simple reiteration
of principles and translate commitments into action.
We must give life to the aspirations embodied in the
outcomes of international conferences on the basis of
mutual responsibility and mutual accountability, with a
fair expectation that obligations, as agreed, will be
fully undertaken.
 In all that we do, we must recognize that progress
and uplifting the poor benefits all of us. It can mean
the difference between conflict and stability, between
hope and despair. As developing countries strive to put
in place practical national development strategies,
developed country partners must support those efforts
through greater market access, debt relief, private
capital flows, technological transfers and improved
global economic governance. Jamaica therefore calls
for renewed focus, as well as the necessary political
will, to honour the commitments made for
development, and urges the fulfilment of all
obligations that we have collectively embraced so that
we may effect real change in the lives of millions of
impoverished people around the world.
 A critical role in that process is official
development assistance, including the fulfilment by
developed countries of the official development
assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross national
income. The High-Level Meeting on Financing for
Development provides an opportunity to enhance
collaboration with our partners towards achieving that
goal.
 The unique situation of middle-income
developing countries, such as Jamaica, also requires
special attention. That varied group of countries, with
per capita gross domestic product spreading from $900
to $10,000, is by no means a homogeneous group and
possesses its own particular vulnerabilities. Greater
efforts must be made to address the needs of middle-
income developing countries, in particular the high
level of indebtedness that those countries face.
 Globalization and economic liberalization have
resulted in the increased exposure of developing
countries to external economic forces over which they
have little control. We should refuse to accept that
globalization creates winners and losers. What we
should strive for is a win-win and inclusive process in
which the benefits and opportunities are more widely
enjoyed across countries and regions.
 An enabling international environment also
requires a global trading system that is fair and
equitable and that is conducive to development and
integration in the world economy. A continued cause of
grave concern to Jamaica is therefore the current
impasse in the negotiations in the Doha Development
Round, in spite of commitments to work expeditiously
towards implementing the development dimensions of
the Doha work programme. We must summon the
necessary political will to reignite trade negotiations,
with the development agenda as the centrepiece of the
discussions as we seek to integrate developing
countries in the multilateral trading system.
 It is important that the creation of a viable and
equitable trade regime also recognize diversity in the
levels of development and size of economies. A one-
size-fits-all model disregards the complexities and
unique circumstances of countries. Jamaica will
therefore continue to insist that new trading
arrangements take account of that differentiation,
especially as it concerns small vulnerable economies.
The principle of special and differential treatment
seeks only to level the playing field and to give
developing countries a fair chance to participate
meaningfully in global trade. At the same time, we will
also join other developing countries in pressing for the
removal of support for agricultural products by certain
developed countries as a precondition for further
market access for such products.
 We call for and join in continuous and concerted
international efforts to fight the spread of
communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, malaria and others, particularly bearing in
mind that they are all preventable. The global impact
of AIDS has been particularly devastating. The high
prevalence in many countries, especially in sub-
Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, is cause for alarm. It
should be noted that the pattern of high prevalence and
high heterosexual transmission is strongly associated
with poverty.
 While noting the international response through
the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, we stress the need for
increased funding to help support developing countries
to fight the pandemic. We are particularly concerned
that the countries of the Caribbean, including Jamaica,
are placed at a disadvantage in accessing the necessary
funding to curtail the spread of the disease owing to
their assigned middle-income status.
 Implementing a global response to climate
change must remain a priority as we seek consensus for
combating global warming beyond 2012, when the
Kyoto Protocol expires. As we prepare for the
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali,
Indonesia, we are encouraged that the recent High-
Level Event on Climate Change and the General
Assembly informal debate on climate change
reinforced the urgency with which issues pertaining to
environmental sustainability have to be tackled.
 The principle of common but differentiated
responsibility must be applied across the board. We are
equally convinced that the international community
must assist small island developing States in
incorporating climate change adaptation and mitigation
concerns in national sustainable development plans and
assist them by improving access to environmentally
sound technology related to climate change.
 Jamaica and other countries in the Caribbean are
all too familiar with the adverse effects of climate
change and associated phenomena, including the rise in
sea-level and the increase in the frequency and
intensity of hurricanes and other weather events that
threaten the sustainable development, livelihoods and
the very existence of small island developing States. In
my own country, the onslaught of Hurricane Dean on
19 August resulted in the loss of life and extensive
damage to infrastructure, property and the agricultural
sector, as well as in the loss of livelihood for many.
 The threat of terrorism transcends boundaries and
has had a devastating impact on the economic
development of States, whether directly or indirectly. It
is imperative that we negotiate and conclude a
comprehensive convention against terrorism. We must
also invigorate disarmament and non-proliferation
efforts.
 There is a need to comprehensively address the
illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons,
which have the capacity to kill and maim thousands of
people. Jamaica has first-hand experience of high
levels of gun violence and the unwarranted burden it
places on our social and economic system. We urge the
international community to give priority attention to
this menace, including through the creation of a legally
binding instrument containing stricter controls on the
illegal trade in small arms and ammunition. Likewise,
we support the proposal for the establishment of an
arms trade treaty.
 A major priority of the United Nations is not only
winning the peace, but more importantly keeping and
sustaining the peace. Jamaica fully supports the work
of the Peacebuilding Commission, which earlier this
year celebrated its first anniversary and whose
groundbreaking work is assisting in post-conflict
rehabilitation and reconstruction. As a member of the
Commission, Jamaica looks forward to the
continuation of the dialogue as we seek to build on the
successes of the recent past, always mindful that the
countries under consideration require swift action to
implement priority projects as part of the rehabilitation
and reconstruction process.
 The Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
continues to be seized of developments in Haiti. We
reaffirm the importance of the continued engagement
of the international community and, in this regard,
welcome the renewal of the mandate of the United
Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to
assist in the stabilization process. We also encourage
support from the international community to meet the
long-term social, economic and development needs of
Haiti.
 We must remain unwavering in our commitment
to the promotion and protection of human rights and
the rule of law. Much more needs to be done to ensure
that the basic rights of individuals are universally
protected and that transparent and accountable
governance prevails at the local and international
levels.
 Jamaica is honoured to assume the Chairmanship
of the Third Committee during the General Assembly
at its sixty-second session, as part of our commitment
to ensure that human rights are promoted and protected
globally. In this regard, we are particularly keen to help
guide the Committee’s work in promoting and
protecting the rights of marginalized and vulnerable
groups. Jamaica recognizes the importance of the
protection of the human rights of women, which is
critical to the international processes aimed at
achieving gender equality and the development of
women.
 Late last year a significant milestone was
achieved with the adoption by the United Nations of
the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities with the distinction of being one of the
most supported conventions at its opening for signature
in March 2007. Jamaica is pleased to have been the
first country to ratify the Convention and encourages
others to accede to the Convention as a sign of their
commitment to ensuring that the rights and dignity of
the disabled are promoted and protected. We also
welcome the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.
 The deteriorating humanitarian situation in
Darfur remains a matter of grave concern and
preoccupation of the international community. Jamaica
therefore welcomes the recent unanimous adoption of
Security Council resolution 1769 (2007) for the
deployment of the joint African Union-United Nations
Hybrid Operation in Darfur to the region. We are
encouraged that by certain developments that indicate
that this kind of cooperation has begun and urge that
these efforts be intensified.
 The process of reform of the United Nations
seems prolonged and challenging, with little or no
consensus in the various proposals put forward for
improvements in the functioning of the United Nations
and its main organs. We must redouble our efforts to
revitalize the General Assembly, so that it can
effectively carry out its role and responsibility as the
chief deliberative and policy-making organ of the
United Nations. We must also work towards a reformed
Security Council that is more inclusive, more
representative and more transparent.
 This year marks the bicentenary of the abolition
of the transatlantic slave trade. Member States of the
Caribbean Community are heartened by the
overwhelming solidarity of the international
community in marking the event at the special
commemorative meeting of the General Assembly in
March and other activities during the course of the year
to memorialize the victims of this egregious period in
our history.
 A significant element of the commemoration is a
plan to honour the victims of the transatlantic slave
trade and slavery, through the erection of a permanent
memorial in the halls of the United Nations. We are
grateful to Member States that have contributed or
pledged towards the permanent memorial account that
has been established and look forward to your further
support and contributions towards the erection of the
memorial.
 We are 192 Member States; we have the
fundamental tools and the required level of expertise to
effectively address the major challenges facing us
today. It is now clear that we must also have a steadfast
will and a shared commitment towards a radical change
from the existing mindset in favour of positive action,
if the United Nations is to successfully respond to
challenges, which continue to hamper the attainment of
its objectives for peace and sustainable development.
 In calling for radical change in the existing
mindset and in the way we discourse and take actions
on international issues, we should be guided by the
purposes and principles of the Charter. A change in our
mindset will require a rethinking on the part of all
Member States as we seek to promote world peace and
achieve economic and social development. It will also
require a deep search in the conscience of all States as
we seek to adhere to our obligations under
international law with due regard for the collective will
of the international community.
 This radical change in the existing mindset will
necessarily require us to be more responsible as
Member States of a united Organization, more
responsible as citizens of this one world and more
focused on the shared responsibilities that come with
our membership in the United Nations.
 Let us not falter in our obligation to ensure that
the Organization not only remains responsive to the
vast array of concerns and demands of its diverse
membership, but that it is able to do so without
compromising the noble ideals and principles on which
it was founded.  This process begins with a conscious
determination and political resolve to transform not
only our modus operandi, but the thinking that informs
it. Jamaica stands ready to play its part in this
endeavour and calls upon all Member States to do
likewise.


I am  honoured to address the General Assembly as the first
Prime Minister of a constitutionally permanent
Government representing Iraq, its people, and its
aspirations in cementing the foundations of democracy,
peace, freedom and cooperation with the international
community. I come carrying the concerns of the people
of the Valley of Two Rivers who built the most ancient
civilization and established the first laws, and who
today offer humanity a lofty example in sustaining life,
facing challenges, and persisting in protecting our
young democratic experience.
 The Iraqi people lived isolated from the world in
the shadow of dictatorship for 35 years. There was no
freedom of expression or belief, no multiple party
system, no free elections, no democratic institutions,
no communications systems, and no media except
those that were controlled by the Government
intelligence agencies.
Millions of victims in Iraq suffered throughout
that era in adventurous wars with two neighbouring
countries, Iran and Kuwait. Genocidal mass murder
was committed inside Iraq, such as during the
al-Anfaal campaign and in Halabja. In addition, there
were mass graves, horrific prison cells and detention
camps, and the immense destruction that plagued the
infrastructure of the various governmental institutions.
 Today in the new Iraq, there are hundreds of
parties active within 20 political alliances. There are
more than 6,000 civil society organizations, hundreds
of newspapers and magazines, 40 local and satellite TV
stations, as well as the offices of foreign
correspondents from all over the world working
without restrictions or conditions.
 The new Iraq is being targeted today. Terrorism
kills civilians, journalists, artists, intellectuals and
professionals; it attacks universities, marketplaces and
libraries; it blows up mosques and churches and
destroys the infrastructure of State institutions. We
consider terrorism to be an extension of the fallen
dictatorship, although it may vary in its external form
or in the gangs that carry it out. Terrorism seeks to
abort the political process and to ignite sectarian strife
as a prelude to hijacking Iraq back into the era of
tyranny, oppression and backwardness.
 Car bombs, explosive vests in public places and
the display of decapitated heads on television are all
messages of threat and intimidation that terrorists send
to the world community, the bloody chapters of which
were executed in Algeria, Spain, England, France,
Lebanon, Turkey and here in New York. We are
steadfast and determined to exterminate and defeat
terrorism in Iraq so that it does not spread through the
countries of the world, repeating the tragedy.
 Iraq, which carries the greater burden in
confronting terrorism, calls upon the nations of the
world to help and join in its efforts to fight the scourge
of terrorism. Our battle aims at providing security,
stability and prosperity, and at protecting our
democratic experience. We are determined to be
victorious in our battle, which will be a victory for
humanity. The fierce onslaught of terror against Iraq
since the fall of the dictatorship has not stopped our
people, through three epic elections, from laying the
groundwork for a democratic experience unique in
Iraq’s history and the region, in which, as a permanent
Constitution was voted upon, a parliament was elected
and a National Unity Government was established.
 The new Iraq living through its nascent
democratic experience is governed by constitutional
institutions, in which freedom of opinion, belief and
expression are respected. That Iraq will not retreat
from its democratic option, for which our people have
paid a very high price. Our position requires the
support and cooperation of the world’s nations so that
Iraq can build a modern State that guarantees justice,
equality and respect for religious, intellectual, sectarian
and ethnic pluralism.
 Our people, who have enjoyed the taste of
freedom after eras of tyranny and oppression, will
continue on the road towards building a State of
institutions, reinforcing the authority of law, respecting
human rights, and the active participation of women in
all areas. The national reconciliation and dialogue
initiative that I launched upon assuming my
responsibility as the Prime Minister of the National
Unity Government did not come out of thin air. Its
strength arises from the Iraqi people’s civilization and
cultural heritage, which have made great contributions
to humankind. Iraqis have lived in peace, brotherhood,
forgiveness and tolerance since the dawn of history.
Their religious, national, sectarian and ethnic diversity
have been elements of strength, reinforcing national
unity.
 We think of national reconciliation as a life boat,
a perpetual peace project and a safe harbour for the
political process and the democratic experience. We
also believe that national reconciliation is not the
responsibility of the Government alone. It is a
collective responsibility held by the political powers,
intellectual leaders, religious leaders, the educated,
civil society organizations and all the active powers in
the Iraqi arena. National reconciliation is the strategic
choice that has saved our country from slipping into
the pit of a sectarian war that was planned by the
enemies of freedom and democracy after they blew up
the tomb of the two Askari imams in Samara.
 National reconciliation is not a dinner party
prepared between those in dispute, nor is it a dose of
medicine, as some might think. It is a realistic vision
that counteracts the burdensome legacy of the fallen
regime in all areas. It lays the foundation for political,
social and economic progress and the security that we
strive for. Furthermore, it cements the principles of the
new political system.
 National reconciliation is the olive branch that
blossomed into the formation of support councils in
many of our provinces and Iraqi cities. It was also
successful in leading some 28,000 citizens from Iraqi
tribes to join our military efforts to combat terrorism. It
has resulted in the restoration of security in our cities,
villages and provinces, including in Al-Anbar
province, which has been liberated from the Al-Qaida
terrorist organization. The terrorists fled from there,
only to face another defeat, this time in Diyala
province. Thus, Al-Qaida is losing its safe havens, one
by one.
 Indeed, national reconciliation is stronger than
the weapons of terrorism. It caused the reintegration of
more than 14,000 people who had been members of
armed groups that splintered off from Al-Qaida. Those
fighters stood alongside our armed forces and the
multinational forces battling Al-Qaida, dealing
devastating blows to that terrorist organization.
 The practical accomplishments that have been
achieved through constant mobilization for national
reconciliation are considered important successes, in
contrast to the great challenges facing Iraq and the
experiences of people who have suffered from
dictatorships and civil and sectarian wars.
 We emphasize that the acts of sectarian violence
being committed in Iraq are not perpetrated by the
main elements of society, but rather by extremists and
fanatics belonging to various groups. We have been
successful in largely containing this problem. The
average number of sectarian killings has decreased and
security and stability have been restored in many
former hot spots. That has helped the return of
thousands of displaced families to their homes. We are
resolved to fight any and all outlaws, regardless of
their sectarian or political affiliations. Our armed
forces have been steadfast in establishing law and
order and in instilling a sense of respect for the
Government in many provinces whose residents have
diverse religious, sectarian and ethnic affiliations.
 The skills and capabilities of our security and
military agencies have grown swiftly as they have
confronted terrorist organizations, militias and
organized crime groups. However, they need further
training and development so that they can quickly take
over from the multinational forces the responsibility
for security throughout Iraq. Having proved our ability
to provide security in eight provinces, we are prepared
to assume full and swift responsibility for security so
that we can protect the democratic achievements of our
people. We shall work to ensure that our armed forces
act in a professional manner and are loyal first and
foremost to our country, not to an individual party, sect
or ethnicity.
 In addition to those achievements, the
Government of National Unity has begun the process
of reconstruction. We have voted on the largest budget
in Iraq’s contemporary history. With the cooperation of
parliament, we have adopted the investment law, which
is considered a step forward that will stimulate the
Iraqi economy and move it from a centrally based
system to one based on free enterprise and a market
economy. That in turn will help to fulfil our people’s
aspirations to development, prosperity and well-being.
In addition, the Government has finalized a draft law
for oil and gas, which if approved by parliament will
ensure fair distribution of wealth, since oil is
considered the property of all Iraqis.
 The Government also continues to adopt and
implement other laws in various areas. We have taken
practical steps to improve our people’s living
conditions, to increase salaries and pensions, to combat
unemployment and to expand the efforts of the social
welfare network. The Government is determined that
next year will be dedicated to promoting the service
sector in order to alleviate the hardships and suffering
of our citizens.
 We understand that these promising steps do not
fulfil all our aspirations and that we have a long way to
go until we achieve our goal of a secure, stable and
prosperous Iraq. We hope that the international
community will support Iraq and help it to achieve that
noble goal.
 We believe that security is an integrated system.
A secure and stable Iraq will be in the best interests of
the region and of the world as a whole. We have
warned all countries in the region that the relentless
flow of weapons, money and suicide bombers and the
spreading of fatwas that incite hatred and murder will
only spell disaster for the peoples of the region and the
entire world.
 After the Government of National Unity was
formed, we took the initiative to improve Iraq’s
relationship with neighbouring countries. We also took
pains to make our common borders peaceful and
economically prosperous areas. The foreign policy of
the new Iraq is based on our permanent Constitution,
which does not allow our land to be used against our
neighbours and prohibits foreign interference in our
internal affairs. Today, we feel optimistic that countries
in the region are aware of the danger of the terrorist
onslaught against Iraq and that a weak Iraq is not in
their interests. A strong and democratic Iraq will be a
guarantee of security and stability in the region.
 Because of its new policies, Iraq has become a
place for negotiations and dialogue between feuding
regional and international entities. We will take steps to
reinforce that positive role, adopting a policy of
improving conditions, defusing crises and banishing
the spectre of war and conflict from the region. We
firmly believe that tension and instability undermine
security not only in Iraq, but throughout the region and
the world.
 Iraq, which in recent decades has been a hotbed
of tension in the region, is now qualified, by virtue of
its material and human resources, to serve as a
platform for regional and international economic
cooperation. That will contribute to the establishment
of an economic system that will produce development
and prosperity for the peoples and countries of the
region.
 We also wish to express our sincere desire to
establish the best possible relationship with the
international community. We believe that Iraq must be
open to all countries, developing relationships and
benefiting from the experiences of other democracies.
 As I stand before leaders and representatives of
the world’s nations, I must recall that the Iraqi people
continue to pay the price for the reckless politics of the
previous, fallen regime and to experience the
consequences of international resolutions, especially
those relating to its weapons programme and its
invasion of the brotherly State of Kuwait. Those
resolutions, which were exploited by the previous
regime for political gain, have caused much damage to
our infrastructure, service sector and education and
health systems. Our people are looking to the
international community for help in repairing that
damage and lifting the heavy burdens of debt and
reparation.
 The Iraqi people will remember the countries that
made sacrifices and stood alongside them in bringing
down the dictator’s regime. They will remember those
who helped them during the transition to a democratic
and pluralistic federal system. Moreover, they will
always respect and appreciate the countries and
Governments that support their political process and
participate in the reconstruction process.
 Our efforts, in partnership with the international
community, to achieve economic progress and social
justice culminated in success with the signing of the
International Compact with Iraq and the
implementation of its provisions. That document
represents a new stage in the development of balanced
relationships between Iraq and other Governments
throughout the world. It is a point of departure in the
building of a democratic, pluralistic, federal Iraq where
all citizens are equal and will benefit from fair
distribution of wealth after the burdens of debt,
unemployment, and administrative and financial
corruption left over from the days of the former regime
have been lifted.
 We hope that the countries concerned will comply
with the provisions of the International Compact with
Iraq. That will help the international community and
encourage it to play its role in reconstruction and
development and in supporting national reconciliation
and the democratic experience.
 Many of the region’s problems and crises can be
resolved through constructive and focused dialogue. In
order to maintain peace and security, our region must
abandon the path of war and adventure, which has led
to increased harm and suffering for the people.
 Within this framework, we call for recognition of
the rights of the Palestinian people, for assistance to
them in establishing an independent State, and for the
return of occupied Arab lands in accordance with
international resolutions. The elimination of weapons
of mass destruction in the Middle East will indeed
guarantee a just and comprehensive peace.
 We call for the intensification of national, Arab
and international efforts to help Lebanon and its
political authorities to transcend the state of division
and to bar interference in its internal affairs so that
Lebanon can regain its national unity and
cohesiveness.
 To forge partnerships and to achieve peace,
stability and prosperity, we must bolster cooperation
among all countries of the world and must work
together to attain the noble goals of the United Nations.
This also necessitates ensuring equal and balanced
relationships among States and developing a more fair
and just global order by helping economically
disadvantaged developing countries and reducing the
development gap between poor and rich nations.
 We support an active United Nations role in the
international arena, peacefully resolving crises once it
attains all the elements and support that it needs to play
that important role. We call upon the United Nations to
adopt peaceful initiatives that can help defuse
conflicts, save people from the scourge of war and
establish international security and stability. That will
guarantee the rights and interests of all nations and will
reinforce partnerships and cooperation among them. It
will also provide the necessary environment for solving
the problems and crises that face the world in a fair and
just way.
 Finally, on behalf of the Iraqi people, I wish to
congratulate Mr. Srgjan Kerim, President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-second session. I also
want to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who
played an important role in the United Nations
adoption of the International Compact with Iraq to help
Iraq carry out its reform programme of political,
economic and security reform. My deep appreciation
goes also to all countries that signed the Compact.


Senegal
welcomes Mr. Kerim’s election to the presidency of the
General Assembly at its sixty-second session. We
congratulate him and will support him as he carries out
his important responsibilities. His predecessor, Sheikha
Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a
country which is a friend to Senegal, deserves our
tribute and appreciation for her outstanding
contribution, throughout her term of office, to the
revitalization of the General Assembly.
 I also would like to take a moment to
acknowledge my brothers and sisters in the diaspora,
who this year commemorated the 200th anniversary of
the abolition of slavery. That shameful and repugnant
trade constituted the worst of attacks on the dignity of
the human person, as did its continuation, colonization.
That is why I would now solemnly warn against
horrendous revisionist arguments that attempt in vain
to falsify history. Colonialism in its design and
exclusive logic of domination, exploitation and
enslavement cannot boast of any civilizing mission or
any positive fallout, because by its very nature it is a
negation of the human condition. We must remain
vigilant and mobilized. In Senegal we say yes, we will
forgive, but we will not forget or agree to
manipulation.
 The high-level discussion we held on
24 September on the serious issue of climate change
confirms once again the terrible threat that is hanging
over our planet. I therefore welcome the initiative of
the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, to put this
crucial issue at the very heart of our agenda. We have
all seen the damage done. Mankind has not been wise.
We have, with greater or lesser awareness, destroyed
this Earth which God has lent to us. We must beseech
his forgiveness.
 Combating climate change demands innovative
solutions, which must take into account the special
situation of countries that are not significant polluters
but which nevertheless suffer from the serious
consequences of this phenomenon of the modern age.
 Senegal is aware of its responsibility to join the
struggle against pollution. Therefore, in exploiting our
mineral resources, we take particular care to restore the
ecosystem and to use non-polluting practices and
technologies. We have also prohibited the importation
of used cars more than five years old and of household
appliances that pollute. As we have already mentioned,
we do not want Africa to be a dumping ground for
outdated technology from Europe or elsewhere.
 We are also gradually establishing a policy of
combating coastal erosion. On the Atlantic coast, at the
high-tide line, we are building a reinforced concrete
wall on the granite or clayey base of the continental
shelf, 2.5 to 3 metres deep by 40 centimetres thick, to
slow the advance of the sea. Experts say that the wall
will stop the sea’s advance for 50 to 100 years. We
have done this on an experimental basis, since it is
very expensive. The wall costs $2,000 per metre. We
have constructed 2 kilometres as an example, to show
that it is possible, because we consider it the ultimate
weapon.
 We are also launching a project for ports leading
into free zones, alternating with tourist complexes,
along the Atlantic coast; that is also a way of stopping
the advance of the sea. Coastal erosion, from Morocco
to Mauritania to Senegal, is a threat which the
international community must take very seriously.
 In the Sahel region, we Africans are also planting
what we call the great green wall, 7,000 kilometres
long by 150 kilometres wide from Dakar to Djibouti.
We have not waited; each of us in our own country has
begun to create the “wall”. The European Union and
France, as Mr. Sarkozy has said, are ready to provide
us with loans to help with the wall in order to stop the
encroaching Sahel and the process of desertification.
 We have also tried to take advantage of the
billions of tons of water that, each year during the
rainy season, fall on the Sahel and are absorbed by the
earth or flow into the sea. In Senegal we have therefore
built holding basins in the most low-lying areas, where
runoff water accumulates. We have built 250 of these
basins; we are walking the walk. The African countries
meeting in Bamako have decided to implement this
programme, from Dakar to Djibouti, to create such a
“wall” to stop the encroaching desert.
 At Senegal’s initiative, non-oil-producing
countries have now established an association that we
call the Green OPEC, with the aim of protecting our
interests. We call on the international community to
take on the excess costs with which we have been
burdened owing to increases in the price of oil. We also
want to turn Africa towards producing biofuels. For
this reason, I welcome the launch, here in New York on
2 March 2007, of the International Biofuels Forum. As
President of the African Non-Petroleum Producers
Association, I solemnly request that all of the Forum’s
initiatives and participants pursue our common goal of
promoting alternative energy sources.
 As we pursue economic and social development
in the South, African countries in particular continue to
face insurmountable obstacles, such as agricultural
subsidies in developed countries. We have already
talked about that subject enough. Paradoxically, at the
same time that our countries are being forced to open
their markets in the name of free trade, developed
countries are subsidizing their own products, so we are
no longer able to export our products to the developed
world.
 As I said at the Group of Eight summit in
Heiligendamm, Germany, Africa is not poor. It has
been impoverished by unjust trade practices and by the
exploitation of its resources, which are not bought at
their true price. I wish to add that trade measures are
not in themselves enough to wipe out the injustice that
has been done. We also need genuine economic
measures.
 If we want to fend off the advance of poverty, we
must be creative. But first, what is poverty? It is
certainly not an income of less than a dollar a day, the
definition advocated by the United Nations. Poverty, in
my view, is a set of unmet needs. Poverty is a leaky
roof, or not having a roof over one’s head at all. It is
poor-quality food, no drinking water, no clothing, no
health care, no education or training. Lastly, being poor
is not having a clean environment. That is what I call
the cluster of needs, which is an entire set of needs
and, as we can see, not just a monetary assessment.
 What are we in Senegal doing? We have launched
a programme to build housing, called the Jaxxay plan,
under the slogan of “one family, one roof”. We build
nice, affordable homes. For less than $70 a month,
people can become homeowners in Senegal. The
development in which we are building those houses
provides health, education and other services. That is
how we are trying to combat poverty.
 Allow me to turn to the digital revolution. We
believe that Africa has a great opportunity, because the
digital revolution is happening now. The Internet
contains all the knowledge in the world. Africans must
therefore have access to the Internet for their training,
information and educational needs and in their
universities and schools. For that reason, as Africa’s
representative to the World Summit on the Information
Society, organized by the International
Telecommunication Union in Geneva in 2003, I
proposed a Global Digital Solidarity Fund to bridge the
digital gap that separates us from the developed world.
After many ups and downs, the Fund is now supported
by all of the Members of the United Nations.
Unfortunately, the majority have not yet formalized
their acceptance of this Fund or have begun paying into
it. However, all countries in principle are members of
this Fund, which seeks to provide computers to Africa
and to be involved in various programmes, like
healthcare telematics.
 In Geneva we launched what is called the Geneva
Principle, which asks countries and producers of
information and communication technology to
voluntarily donate one per cent of the amount of each
transaction to the Digital Solidarity Fund.
 Let us now discuss the Security Council and the
need for Africa to have a seat therein, irrespective of
any question of reform. It is the only continent which
is not represented in the Security Council, even though
it has been said that 70 per cent of the Council’s
business involves Africa.
 Today, Senegal is at peace   I shall not dwell on
this   and we are trying to provide the materials and
the personnel needed for Darfur. Senegal is increasing
its contingent from 150 to 1,600 and is also providing
all the police for the operation conducted by the
African Union and the United Nations.
 The Middle East situation still gives serious
concern and I wish to reconfirm Senegal’s unwavering
support for the just cause of the Palestinian people in
their legitimate quest for a viable State. We support all
efforts to that end.
 Remembering the last two wars, we must really
try to achieve peace. Peace is not just the absence of
war as somebody said this morning. We must combat
war in the minds of men, particularly young people.
 In March 2008, Senegal will have the honour of
hosting the eleventh Islamic Summit Conference. It is,
therefore, my deepest hope that we will make progress
towards achieving peace in accordance with our
religion and the Qur’an. I have already proposed an
Islamic-Christian dialogue, which would be a first step
towards dialogue among peoples. We believe that if the
leaders of the world meet together and make a real
appeal for tolerance as a legacy from this generation to
future generations, then we will have taken a step
forwards towards understanding among the various
religions. This is absolutely essential to the
establishment of peace.
 We know that Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) oligopoly increases the
price of oil as it wishes by manipulating supply   I
know this because I am an economist. I realize that it is
the law of the market, but the rest of us suffer from it. I
propose that whenever OPEC increases the price of oil,
it voluntarily add 2 per cent, but not as a tax: 1 per cent
to combat poverty and 1 per cent to combat
environmental degradation. Out of the $200 million of
profits from Africa, this would be at least $40 million
and you won’t feel it more than you do just now,
because a barrel which cost $29 in December 2003
now costs over $81.


I stand before the  Assembly for the first time as President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, and I wish to reaffirm Nigeria's
complete dedication and commitment to the ideals of
the United Nations. We declare our total support for the
Organization's efforts to meet the multiple
humanitarian, social, peace and security and
development challenges confronting our world today.
 At the outset, may I, on behalf of the Government
and the People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
congratulate Mr. Kerim and his country, the Republic
of Macedonia, on his election as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-second session. I assure
him of the full support and cooperation of the Nigerian
delegation as he leads the deliberations of the session.
 I also wish to extend my profound appreciation to
his predecessor, Her Excellency Ms. Haya Rashed Al
Khalifa, for the commitment and dedication with which
she presided over the affairs of the sixty-first session.
 I formally extend my sincere congratulations to
Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his assumption of office as
Secretary-General. I commend him for his resolute
leadership and his determination to carry through the
requisite reform of the United Nations system and
assure him of the full support of the Nigerian
Government.
 I also pay tribute to the previous Secretary-
General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the commitment,
diligence and courage with which he piloted the affairs
of the United Nations during the past 10 years. We are
proud of the enormous contributions made to this
Organization by that illustrious son of Africa.
 Since coming into office, my Administration has
anchored its pursuit of a re-energized, stable and
prosperous Nigeria on the fundamental principles of
democracy, good governance, free enterprise and the
rule of law. Those are worthy principles which Nigeria
shares with the United Nations family.
 As a main theme of this session's general debate,
"Responding to climate change" is most appropriate.
the African continent is particularly vulnerable to the
impact of climate change. In our collective
determination to meet this challenge, African leaders at
the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the
African Union (AU), which met in Addis Ababa last
January, decided to integrate climate change issues into
all sustainable development initiatives at the national
and regional levels.
 Nigeria reiterates its commitment to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
While applauding the successful outcome of the high-
level event on climate change that was held here two
days ago, on 24 September, we affirm that much more
needs to be done.
 It has been seven years since world leaders met in
this Hall for the Millennium Assembly and committed
themselves to ridding Africa of its most pressing
socioeconomic and political challenges in order to
allow the continent move with the rest of the world.
While tangible progress has been made in a few areas,
the continent is still bedevilled by great challenges.
 The continued festering of the Darfur crisis
remains a blight on the collective conscience of the
international community, one which the Assembly
needs to address with the utmost urgency. The
humanitarian crisis has reached a critical level. The
Abuja Peace Agreement, which Nigeria helped to
facilitate, remains the reference point for a
comprehensive settlement of the crisis. However, the
lack of full implementation of the Agreement raises
serious cause for concern, and we call on all parties to
respect their commitments and help drive the peace
process forward. We continue to support the process
and reaffirm our support for the African Union â€”
United Nations hybrid force in the Sudan.
 It is imperative that the concerted fight against
the HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria, tuberculosis and
related diseases not lose momentum. At the national
level, we in Nigeria have consistently taken concrete
measures to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and to
increase funding for the National Action Committee on
AIDS. We appreciate the financial and material
assistance from our development partners in this
regard, but our continent cries out for even more
intensified collective efforts at ridding Africa of this
and other pandemics.
 Two years ago, we appraised our performance
against the set targets of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and realized that unless concrete and
more determined actions were taken, the overarching
aim of meeting the 2015 targets of poverty eradication
would remain a fantasy. We recognize that the primary
responsibility for social and economic development
rests mostly with individual States. Within the ambit of
the African Union's New Partnership for Africa's
Development, the nations of Africa are practically
facing up to the continent's economic and
sociopolitical development challenges through the
adoption and engendering of a new political culture
that will be conducive to long-term development.
 Through such initiatives as the African Union's
African Peer Review Mechanism, our programme of
self-monitoring and self-assessment, as well as the
institutionalization of the ideals of democracy and
good governance, Africa has clearly defined an assured
course to economic regeneration and political stability.
What Africa seeks from the international
community is genuine partnership for economic
development. This should be manifested in a global
economic system predicated on fairness, justice and
equity, one that ensures fair trade terms and recognizes
the centrality of mutuality in prosperity. More
specifically, Africa requires massive and focused
foreign investment in the development of critical
infrastructure across the continent.
 Let me say that we in Nigeria are wholly
committed to the United Nations Global Counter-
Terrorism Strategy (resolution 60/288) in the fight
against international terrorism. As a follow-up to that
commitment, Nigeria has established four counter-
terrorism centres in the country, in addition to the
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, which, together
with the Central Bank of Nigeria, monitors banking
transactions as part of the mechanism to locate and
terminate the illegal transfer of funds for terrorist and
other criminal acts, including money laundering.
Nigeria reiterates its condemnation of all acts of
terrorism and calls upon the international community
to muster the political will necessary to confront and
check this menace.
 Nigeria affirms its abiding faith in the ideals and
objectives of the United Nations. We believe that a
strengthened and restructured United Nations would be
best placed to address the complex challenges facing
our world today. In that regard, my delegation will
continue to collaborate with other Member States to
press for comprehensive reform of the United Nations
system, including the much-desired expansion of the
Security Council in both the permanent and non-
permanent categories in order to reflect the realities of
todayâ€™s world. The situation whereby Africa is totally
excluded from permanent membership of the Council
is unfair and untenable and must be rectified.
 The challenges that confront our world today call
for renewed purpose, renewed resolve, renewed
courage and renewed respect for human dignity.
Posterity beckons us to a real test of our sense of duty.
We cannot afford to fail that test. I assure the Assembly
that Nigeria will continue to support the United
Nations in our collective aspirations for a safer, fairer,
more just and more prosperous world.


Let me at the outset
congratulate Mr. Kerim on his election as President of
the General Assembly at its sixty-second session and
assure him of the cooperation of the Dominica
delegation throughout this session. I commend his
predecessor, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, for her
leadership during the sixty-first session of the General
Assembly.
 I also wish to congratulate Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on his election. I wish him a long and
successful tenure, and hope that under his leadership
the United Nations will give greater attention to the
plight of the world’s small island developing States,
which are among the most vulnerable to climate
change, natural disasters and a rise in sea levels.
 In the interdependent world which we live in
today, the promotion of the fundamental values of
peace, democracy, human rights and development
depends on strong multilateral institutions. Dominica
believes that it is only a strong United Nations,
sensitive to the variable geometry of its own complex
construction, that can serve as the foundation of our
shared ambitions for effective multilateralism and a
rules-based international order.
 The experience of the past decade has taught us
one important lesson: global challenges require global
responses, and those challenges can receive the
appropriate responses only through the framework of
multilateral action. The United Nations is the
undisputed centre for multilateralism, and we must all
demonstrate unwavering commitment to vesting in the
United Nations the authority and to offering it the
space to undertake effective interventions in the
interest of the preservation of human life, human
rights, peace, justice, democracy and the rule of law.
 More than ever, we need a United Nations which
is not only guided by the principles that oversaw its
creation, but capable of adapting to the growing
challenges of today’s globalized world. We need an
effective United Nations that will place the highest
priority on development, while having the capacity to
respond to the various crises that threaten international
peace and security.
 The work of the international community in
poverty alleviation must be accelerated as the chasm
between the rich and the poor continues to widen. In
that connection, the importance of achieving the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 is
critical. We must therefore rededicate ourselves to the
implementation of the actions called for in the United
Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty and in
relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, including
those related to the right to development, the
alleviation of burdensome debt, and fair and equitable
trading rules.
 Climate change is the most pressing
environmental problem humankind has ever faced. It
seriously threatens human security and will undermine
our ability to achieve the MDGs. Unless there is a
global and collective response, this planet will become
unlivable for most of us.
 Small island developing States are most
vulnerable to the effects of climate change, even
though they contribute the least to emissions of
greenhouse gases. Sea-level rise threatens the
territorial existence of small island developing States,
and low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific
and the Caribbean may simply disappear in the next 30
years or less as the melting of ice caps and mountain
glaciers on all continents becomes the new reality of
unchecked climate change. The disappearance of
beaches and coastal tourism plants and the loss of
coastal communication infrastructure would devastate
the tourism economy of most island States. Other
regions are also beginning to experience the effects of
those climatic changes, with persistent conditions of
drought followed by devastating flooding.
 Rising sea temperature is causing death and the
bleaching of coral reefs, which in turn are impacting
negatively on fish stocks, the major protein source of
island States. It is estimated that a one-degree increase
in sea temperature over pre-industrial levels will lead
to significant loss of tuna and dolphin stocks for a large
number of island States.
 Rising sea temperature also provides a fertile
ground for the development of tropical storms and
hurricanes, which affect the Caribbean region every
year. Climate change is contributing to the frequency
and severity of those storms. We are currently in the
midst of the 2007 hurricane season and, over a two-
week period in the month of August, the Caribbean
region suffered the onslaught of two category-5
hurricanes, Dean and Felix. Those storms seriously
affected Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint
Lucia, Jamaica, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and
Mexico. We are only half-way through this hurricane
season, which is forecast to have seven category-5
hurricanes. It may very well be that the worst is yet to
come.
 My own country, Dominica, was severely
battered by Hurricane Dean, the third-worst hurricane
to make landfall in the Caribbean since 1850. After 15
hours of buffeting by winds of 110 miles per hour and
continuous rainfall, our agricultural economy was
destroyed, our infrastructure devastated by swollen
rivers and numerous landslides, and our housing stock
seriously affected. We appreciate greatly the solidarity
of a number of countries, regional and extra-regional,
and the generous support they provided in the
immediate aftermath, but now comes the serious
challenge of reconstruction, which is estimated to cost
over a $100 million.
The high-level event on climate change helped to
underscore that doing nothing about climate change
will have enormous negative implications for all
countries, and more particularly for the least developed
countries and small island developing States. The pace
of climate change negotiations is disconcertingly slow
because it is not adequately responsive to the urgency
dictated by science.
 We urge all the nations of the world to come to
Bali in December prepared to advance the multilateral
negotiations. A demonstration of collective political
will and commitment to determined action will be
critical if we are to reach agreement on a fair, effective,
flexible and inclusive climate regime under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and its Kyoto Protocol. Developed countries and the
more advanced developing countries must make a
greater effort to do more and to be considerate of the
emergency situation facing the small island States.
 We continue to stress that the vulnerable situation
of the small island developing States must be addressed
through the vigorous implementation of the actions
called for in the Mauritius Strategy for the Further
Implementation of the Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States.
 We call for the full implementation of the
mandates contained in the Millennium Declaration, in
particular the commitments to development and
poverty eradication, the protection of the common
environment, and the realization of human rights,
democracy and good governance. As a follow-up to the
reform commitments emanating from the 2005
Summit, we welcome the reports of the High-level
Panel and of the Secretary-General on system-wide
coherence, and we hope for the strengthened capacity
of the United Nations in development, humanitarian
assistance and the environment.
 The adoption of the Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy by the General Assembly was an important
achievement. It will be meaningless, however, if we do
not address its full implementation. Small States like
Dominica and the rest of the States members of the
Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States must be
assisted to meet the various obligations required by the
implementation of the counter-terrorism conventions.
 As a country with an indigenous Kalinago
population, Dominica is proud to have played a role in
the negotiation process that led to the recent adoption
of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous People, and we call on those Member
States that have not yet done so to embrace the
Declaration.
 Dominica applauds the African Union for its
unwavering efforts towards the maintenance of peace
and security on the African continent, and we are
supportive of the long-term vision of an African peace
and security architecture. In that context, Dominica
welcomes the creation of the African Union-United
Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, which we hope
will contribute to the political resolution of the conflict
there and bring to an end its tragic humanitarian
consequences in the Sudan and the neighbouring
States.
 In our region, we welcome the continuing
engagement of the United Nations and the
Organization of American States in Haiti. We urge the
United Nations to make the commitment to going
beyond the current engagement through the United
Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to
a longer-term engagement that will bring sustainable
economic stability and development to Haiti. We
appreciate the important role of Brazil and the other
Member States that are participating in MINUSTAH,
but we must be careful not to see those interventions as
the emergency response of an international fire brigade
quickly extinguishing political conflagrations and
remaining only long enough to dampen the embers of
renewed conflict.
 Haiti’s problems stem from underdevelopment
and extensive periods of dictatorship. It is in
democracy and development, therefore, that the
solutions for Haiti lie. A stable and prosperous Haiti
will significantly strengthen the Caribbean Community
and contribute meaningfully to the process of
deepening regional integration and the attendant march
towards the Caribbean single market and economy.
 Recent violent upheavals in Myanmar are not
encouraging for the hoped-for resolution of the long-
standing difficulties afflicting that country in its
transition to democracy. We urge influential countries
in South-East Asia that have friendly relations with the
military regime in Rangoon to use their good offices in
support of the United Nations effort to bring about a
political solution and national reconciliation among all
concerned parties.
The continued presence of the Republic of
France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom and the United States of America in the
Caribbean should provide an opportunity for the
strategic engagement of those metropoles, Canada and
Spain with the independent Caribbean States to create
in the Caribbean a zone of peace, security and
prosperity, complementing the invaluable development
assistance of the People’s Republic of China, the
Republic of Cuba, the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela, Japan and the European Union.
 I wish to underscore the vital importance of a fair
global trading system as the only way for small States
to survive in this globalized world. We do not want to
depend on fast-disappearing development assistance.
We want to have the assurance that we will be able to
trade the goods and services we produce on terms and
conditions that will enable us to build our economies
and to provide employment for our citizens. That is
why we continue to call for the earliest possible
conclusion of the Doha Development Round of the
World Trade Organization (WTO). We urge the major
trading nations to demonstrate a spirit of compromise
and constructiveness, backed by a genuine will to
commit to a balanced agreement that embraces the
principle of special and differential treatment for small
island developing States and places development at the
centre of any final agreement.
 Dominica has made important progress in its
quest to adapt to the challenges of trade liberalization
and its attendant preference erosion. Those changing
terms of trade have progressively devastated our
primary source of foreign exchange earnings   the
export of bananas. That persistent assault on our
banana exports to the European Union through
unrelenting recourse to the WTO dispute settlement
body has impacted negatively on our overall economy.
As a result, we have had to undergo a structural
adjustment programme and undertake stringent fiscal
measures that have required sacrifices by the
population as a whole in order to stabilize the
deteriorating fiscal and economic position. We have
turned the corner and returned to a period of sustained
economic growth, and are moving steadily to the
diversification of our economy. The impact of
Hurricane Dean so soon afterwards will therefore be
doubly devastating.
 We are working towards a new energy regime
that will significantly reduce our dependence on fossil
fuels for our energy needs and slow the haemorrhaging
of scarce foreign exchange earnings to meet the ever-
rising cost of petroleum products. We plan to increase
our current 40-per cent renewable energy generation
from hydropower through initiatives for geothermal
energy development and further expansion of
hydropower. We will need the continuing partnership
of the development partners to remain on that path
towards successful economic transformation.
 May I call on the United Nations once more to
rededicate itself to making development the highest
priority of this body. Together, the developed countries
and the developing countries must work in a
cooperative manner to address the challenges of
climate change and sustainable development. We can
work together to defeat poverty and underdevelopment
and to give hope and dignity to all peoples. To achieve
that, we must implement the decisions that we take
here in this General Assembly every year. The time for
action is now.


Sir, allow me to
congratulate the President on his unanimous election to
preside over the General Assembly at its sixty-second
session. We are confident that he will discharge the
high responsibility of his office with the wisdom, skill
and experience for which he is renowned.
 I also wish to commend Ambassador Sheikha
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, who acquitted herself very
well in the management of the General Assembly at its
sixty-first session.
 I equally wish to express our appreciation to the
Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
for taking up challenging issues facing humanity with
courage and determination.
 The world needs a stronger United Nations and
effective multilateralism that can help humanity to
respond in a timely and effective way to global
challenges. Namibia regards climate change as one of
the urgent challenges facing humanity today. There is
an overwhelming body of scientific evidence that
points to the urgency and gravity of climate change.
Climate change is a global issue with serious
implications for economic growth, sustainable
development and the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals.
 Climate change is a present-day reality that
adversely affects the lives of many people. The
international community has to live up to its
commitment to provide resources to developing
countries in order that they may adapt to the effects of
climate change. By the same token, compulsory targets
must be set for the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions.
 Namibia is not happy with the rate at which
investments are being made in the development of
renewable and clean energy sources. I call upon the
private sector to join hands with Governments to
develop and apply technologies that can mitigate
climate change. Sir, I assure you of Namibia’s
commitment to act in consort with other Member
States to solve this problem through the establishment
of concrete and ambitious goals to be implemented
over an agreed period. All countries have a
responsibility to act according to their common but
differentiated responsibilities and respective
capabilities.
 Namibia would like to see the process for the
reform of the United Nations expedited. The
importance of a stronger and effective United Nations,
capable of delivering its mandate, cannot be
overemphasized. This, among other things, would
involve the revitalization and reaffirmation of the
authority of the General Assembly as the chief
deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of
the United Nations.
 Namibia is pleased with the enhanced role of the
Economic and Social Council. I believe that it is well
positioned to shape the overall development agenda, to
deal effectively with economic and social issues and to
mobilize international efforts for the protection of the
environment.
 We believe that the Security Council should be
made more democratic and transparent in its
composition and working methods. All Member States,
both big and small, should have a meaningful stake in
it. Namibia appreciates the efforts of the President of
the General Assembly at its sixty-first session to move
the reform process forward. The Security Council has
great significance for Africa, since a major part of its
agenda currently concerns peace and security issues on
that continent. In 2006, for example, 42 out of a total
of 87 resolutions adopted by the Security Council dealt
with Africa. However, Africa has only three
non-permanent seats on the Council.
 I wish to reiterate Namibia’s strong support for
the common African position as contained in the
Ezulwini consensus and in the Sirte Declaration. The
need for Africa to be equitably represented in the
Council, with all the privileges associated with
membership, remains a priority for us. The challenge in
the immediate future would therefore be to begin a
genuine intergovernmental negotiation process, based
on the principle of justice and fairness for all.
 The achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed
commitments stand central to global economic stability
and prosperity. The highest priority should be our
collective commitment to sustainable socioeconomic
development on a global scale. I therefore wish to
express my delegation’s appreciation for the
Millennium Development Goals Report 2007, which
we find very useful as a summary of what has been
achieved so far.
 Namibia is concerned, however, that the results
are slow and uneven. We wish to underline what is
stated on page 4 of the report: “that the MDGs will be
attained only if concerted additional action is taken
immediately and sustained until 2015”. All
stakeholders need to fulfil, in their entirety, the
commitments they made in the Millennium Declaration
and their subsequent pronouncements. It is, therefore,
important that Governments and institutions in the
economically advanced countries offer genuine
partnership by providing new and additional resources
commensurate with the commitments made in line with
the MDGs.
 Namibia is classified as a lower middle-income
country. It ranks number 126 out of 177 countries on
the Human Development Index, as it still bears the
legacy of social and economic inequalities inherited
from its colonial past. Inequality in the distribution of
income and assets in Namibia is among the highest in
the world. Nevertheless, Namibia has made progress in
the provision of health, education and other critical
services for the majority of the population, and we are
on course to meet a number of the MDGs.
 Indeed, we face severe difficulty in responding to
a combination of the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic,
high levels of food insecurity and poverty at the
household level. This situation is compounded by
declining international aid to Namibia because of its
classification as a lower middle-income country. I once
again call upon the international community to increase
its support to Namibia, including market access and
access to financial sources, in the form of targeted
official development assistance, concessional loans and
investment flows.
 Namibia applauds the Joint Communiqué agreed
to by the United Nations Security Council and the
African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council as a
step in the right direction. There is a need for more
structured and formalized cooperation between the two
bodies on issues of peace and security in Africa. Such
cooperation should also include the areas of financing,
logistics, technology and training.
 The right of peoples to self-determination is a
fundamental human right that is enshrined in the
Charter of the United Nations. It is sad that, seven
years into the twenty-first century, colonialism is still
with us, posing a serious challenge to this Organization
and humanity at large. My delegation has raised its
voice repeatedly in this Assembly by calling for the
realization of the inalienable rights of the people of
Western Sahara to self-determination. The international
community has an obligation to assist the people of
Western Sahara in their quest for freedom and
independence. Namibia, therefore, calls for the
immediate and unconditional implementation of the
United Nations Settlement Plan for Western Sahara,
and all resolutions of the Security Council and the
General Assembly, with the aim of holding a free and
fair referendum in Western Sahara.
 Similarly, Namibia is deeply concerned about the
continuous suffering of the people of Palestine under
Israeli occupation. We wish to reaffirm our full and
unequivocal support for the inalienable rights of the
Palestinian people to self-determination, including
their right to return to their land. I reiterate our appeal
to the parties to resume the peace process on the basis
of international law and all the relevant United Nations
resolutions. To this end, the United Nations has a
responsibility to assist the process.
 My delegation reiterates its call for an
unconditional end to the economic, commercial and
financial blockade imposed by the United States of
America against Cuba. We believe that the blockade is
not only against international law, but that it is also
politically unjustifiable and undemocratic. Its
extraterritorial nature impedes free trade and economic
development. We urge the Government of the United
States of America to heed the call of the international
community and to implement the resolutions of the
General Assembly that call for an end to the blockade.
 Let us commit ourselves, once again, during this
session of the General Assembly, to address effectively
the challenges we face, to save humanity from
catastrophe and to make the earth a common place for
all, where all will live in peace and security.