I wish to add my voice to
those who have spoken before me on the need for
effective responses to global crises and for
strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among
civilizations for international peace, security and
development.
 I believe that there is no longer an excuse for
world leaders to be reluctant to move closer together
and stimulate debate on how multilateralism and
dialogue could be strengthened. We need to strengthen
collaboration so that the international community
responds effectively to such global challenges as
climate change, the financial and economic crisis, food
and energy crises, armed conflicts, terrorism and,
above all, poverty reduction.

 The first item on the multilateralism agenda is to
reach a global consensus on reforming multilateral
institutions, including the United Nations, to ensure the
equitable and geographical representation of developed
and developing countries alike. It is imperative that
developing nations have an effective voice on matters
that concern them. Therefore, the United Nations
should promote dialogue that ensures the inclusiveness,
transparency and accountability that are needed to
attain genuine global peace, security and development.
 The Security Council must be made flexible to
allow the countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and
the Middle East to have fair representation in that
body. The continued monopoly of that body by the
super-Powers is no longer justifiable. Developing
nations cannot continue to be silent spectators in
matters that affect them. Every sovereign nation is an
integral part of the global village. Gone are the days
when conflicts, wars and economic crises in Africa,
South-East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America
were the concerns only of the peoples and
Governments in those areas.
 The second agenda item for multilateral dialogue
is the attainment of world food security. Food
shortages threaten the foundations of democracy and
good governance. The United Nations cannot sustain a
world system where huge populations live permanently
with hunger and starvation. This world body must find
a formula whereby the world can produce enough food
for all at affordable prices. I believe that it is possible
under the auspices of the United Nations to achieve
global food security.
 Malawi has a well-organized agricultural
development strategy and can contribute to United
Nations efforts in this matter. Malawi has, within a
short period of time, transformed itself from being a
food-deficit and hungry nation to a food-surplus
nation. Malawi now produces enough food for all its
people, and we are able to export to neighbouring
countries.
 The key factor behind this success story is that
Malawi has allocated huge budgetary resources and
heavy investment to the agricultural sector. We have
also successfully introduced an agricultural input
subsidy programme that enables poor and low-income
households to buy fertilizer, seeds and chemicals at a
heavily subsidized price. As a result, poor smallholder
farmers have become more productive. At the same
time, there are visible signs of improvements in the
standard of living of the people, particularly in rural
areas.
 The third agenda item for multilateral dialogue is
to manage climate change. Malawi is happy that this
matter will be fully discussed at the Copenhagen
Conference later this year. At the national level,
Malawi is responding to the challenge of climate
change through intensive irrigation farming and by
moving away from dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
The Government has introduced the Green Belt
programme that will irrigate up to 1 million hectares of
land for small-, medium- and large-scale farmers by
harnessing water sources from the rivers and lakes to
provide extensive irrigation. We shall grow a broad
range of food crops, such as rice, wheat, maize, beans
and lentils, as our way to contribute to resolving the
world food crisis.
 The threat of climate change is real. I believe that
the price of complacency will be much higher if we fail
to act today. For Africa and developing countries
elsewhere, we need to adequately address the issue of
deforestation, environmental degradation and
agricultural productivity. We need to act now.
 Let me conclude by stating that we also need a
global dialogue on democracy, good governance,
human rights, the rule of law and the fight against
terrorism in all its manifestations. We also need a new
understanding of how developing nations can cope
with the shocks of global financial crises and
escalating fuel prices.
 I believe that, working together, all nations of the
world, rich or poor, powerful or powerless, can
strengthen multilateralism and dialogue for lasting
international peace, security and development. We live
in one world. We have the same destiny.


Before anything else, allow me to congratulate His
Excellency Mr. Ali Treki of Libya, a country with
which we maintain excellent relations of brotherhood,
for his election to the important post of President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, which
role he will certainly carry out with his usual level of
excellence. I would also like to congratulate His
Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for his
excellent work on the world economic crisis during his
presidency at the sixty-third session.
 A year has passed since the opening of the
Assembly’s sixty-third session, and yet we have still
not recovered from the full effects of the global
economic crisis, despite enormous efforts on the part of
developed countries. The same distortions in the
world’s economy remain.
 But it is not just economic and financial problems
that we face. Our biggest challenge today is
guaranteeing the future of our planet, not just in the
economic sense, but also resolving climate change
issues that threaten the very survival of small island
nations like Sao Tome and Principe. Though our carbon
emissions are insignificant and our forests play a key
role as part of the world’s lungs, rising sea levels are
already causing coastal erosion around our country.
 Time is no longer on our side but has become our
unforgiving judge. There is no time for more
unfounded justifications for the non-fulfilment of the
Kyoto Protocol. We cannot continue evading these

09-52320 16

essential environmental issues, which are not a
question of developing countries against developed
ones. We need urgent measures that are global and
concrete to save us from this crisis.
 The report of the Secretary-General on the work
of the Organization (A/64/1) contains some important
points to which we have given considerable attention,
because my country shares similar concerns. I am
referring to the urgent need for reform of the United
Nations system. Africa, especially its small countries
on the periphery, continues mired in the deepest
poverty. Our problems are particularly difficult to solve
due to a combination of adverse factors that deserve an
approach from the international community that is
more systematic, more diligent and more coordinated.
 There have been several crises in 2009, and we
have to re-think together the future of the new world
economic order. Those crises affect all countries and
demand a global response. Sao Tome and Principe is a
micro-State with a micro-economy, and thus it is poor
and vulnerable. As such, it is not immune to the effects
of those crises.
 We need to reinforce the merits of multilateralism
as an instrument through which the international
community can promote peace and development.
Therefore, Sao Tome and Principe wants to
demonstrate its support for the institutionalization of
this agenda within the framework of the United
Nations. In a world confronting a global economic and
financial crisis, along with the negative impact of
climate changes, there is a need to guarantee food
security and energy security, to deal with migrations
and pandemics and numerous regional conflicts of
increasing complexity and associated risks.
 The only way we can face these crises is through
active multilateralism, based on international law and
on the principles of the United Nations Charter, and
through reaffirming our commitment to achieving the
goals set out in the United Nations 2005 World
Summit. We are well aware that we will achieve those
goals only through a renewed multilateral system,
integrated in a world organization that is stronger,
more egalitarian and with more solidarity.
 In this framework we call for support for the oft-
repeated proposal for reforming the United Nations
system, and particularly the issue of permanent
members of the Security Council. We believe that this
issue cannot be endlessly put off. There must be more
justice in the context of the United Nations. The
African States must have a voice and cannot be ignored
in this process of reform of our Organization. That is
why I want to state my complete agreement with what
was said from this tribune yesterday, at the
3rd meeting, by the President of the African Union, our
brother-leader Qadhafi, reclaiming better participation
by the African countries as permanent members of the
Security Council.
 We are beginning the last five years in the
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). The past five years have presented us with
the biggest challenges facing global society: poverty,
pandemics, environmental degradation — everything
that galvanized the world’s position that was translated
into the declaration that we heard yesterday. The goals
and hopes that this declaration embodies need
attention. I can say that in Sao Tome and Principe we
have made determined efforts, especially to achieve the
Goals in the areas of health and education. We are
almost there, although we are yet not completely
satisfied.
 The biggest debates related to global warming
concentrate on substitutions for fossil fuels in order to
reduce carbon emissions that contribute to the
greenhouse effect. This debate has gone on as
temperatures have risen, causing the glaciers and polar
ice caps to melt, which in turn has already caused a rise
in the sea level. As I mentioned earlier, that is
threatening our country.
 These environmental changes present a strategic
challenge for countries, with increasing global
insecurity caused by the effects of violent storms,
droughts, massive migrations and pandemics, which
lead to an increase in poverty, environmental
degradation and weakening national Governments.
Experts in this field call our attention to the fact that
these climate changes may result in an unprecedented
need to provide emergency food aid, which could cause
a crisis of sustainability for the international
community.
 The negotiations in the framework of the United
Nations are aimed at creating a substitute for the 1997
Kyoto Protocol, which establishes limits on greenhouse
gas emissions by 2012 for 37 countries in the
developed world and is an attempt to profoundly alter
the world climate situation.

17 09-52320

 We hope the 2020 objectives can be formalized
during the Copenhagen summit. Even in the meetings
this week, at the Assembly’s current session, we have
seen growing concern on the part of the international
community, at the level of the Secretary-General and in
the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, with
regard to the success of this process.
 Whenever I speak before the General Assembly, I
conclude by mentioning two continuing cases of
injustice: that of the Republic of China on Taiwan and
that of the trade embargo against Cuba.
 Despite everything, there are positive signs on the
international scene, for which we are grateful. We
welcome the recent positive developments between the
Republic of China on Taiwan and the People’s
Republic of China. We continue to support increased
participation at the United Nations for the Republic of
China on Taiwan. In that regard, we welcome the
admission of that nation of 23 million people as an
observer at the World Health Organization. We hope
that other United Nations agencies, such as the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and the International Civil Aviation Organization, can
also take advantage of the valuable contributions that
that developed country can make with respect to the
urgent needs of the Organization.
 Unfortunately, however, while we can express a
certain satisfaction concerning the issue of the
Republic of China on Taiwan, we cannot do so with
regard to the trade embargo against Cuba; indeed, we
are greatly disappointed in that area. But we dare to
remain hopeful that the new United States
Administration will have the courage and
determination to shortly address this issue in the same
manner as it has dealt with that of Guantánamo.
 I wish to stress that the road ahead of us is very
difficult and long. There must be global cooperation in
a context of availability and responsibility to ensure
sustainable development for all countries. I therefore
appeal for greater cooperation between donor and
beneficiary countries and greater consultation not only
with Government institutions, but also with institutions
more familiar with the needs of people on the ground. I
am referring specifically to rural communities,
teachers, doctors, nurses, farmers, fishermen and all
those in the productive sectors of our countries.
 For the Government and the people of Sao Tome
and Principe, the United Nations remains an
indispensable Organization where there should be no
differences among Member States. The United Nations
must continue its mission of maintaining peace and
security and promoting international development.
Those are the Organization’s objectives to ensure the
betterment of our world.


On
behalf of Ukraine, I congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam
Treki of Libya on his election to preside over the sixty-
fourth session of the General Assembly. I wish him
every success in his activities.
 Every year we all gather here at high level in the
General Assembly to present our own national views
on the life of our planet and its peoples. We strive to
get the feeling of the overall emotional setting and
pulse of human energy, ideas and quests. The
emotional setting of Ukraine is open, principled and
tolerant.
 We have gathered here not to offend each other or
exchange insults, but to resolve our common problems.
I call upon all of us to use tolerance against bigotry,
malignancy and arrogance. I say this on behalf of a
nation whose last lustrum is unique in terms of
challenges and progress.
 We in Ukraine live in an atmosphere of
strengthening freedom. This process is both grand and
complex. Its difficulties discourage idealists and
nurture authoritarian forces, yet they are another alpine
peak for all who are enlightened to ascend. The
milestone at which our nation stands today is the basis
for moving forward to a free and safe life, to revive our
own millennium-old tradition and its interrupted ties
and to be again an active part of global civilization.
 Our democratic choice is irreversible. As a free
nation, we shall not accept any forms of interference in
the internal affairs of sovereign States, any pressure on
them or manifestations of authoritarian thinking in
international relations. We remember the price paid by
our fathers for our freedom, for the freedom of Europe
and the world, and for the future independence of
Ukraine.
 We shall soon commemorate the sixty-fifth
anniversary of the victory over fascism. This joint
victory of the anti-Hitler coalition is sacred. The
mission of all countries which remember the horrors of
fascism is to avert any hint of a restoration of
totalitarian ideology and its derivative: the policy of
imperial ambitions, neglecting the value of human life
and violating the right of peoples to sovereign national
existence.
 I raise this issue because we are witnessing the
re-emergence of very disconcerting signals from the
past, ranging from questioning the very existence of
newly independent States to denying nations’ own
views on their past and future. We are concerned about
the substitution of concepts and approaches.
Cooperation, openness and friendship between nations
are being explicitly confronted by aggressive national
egotism, which ignores the interests of close partners

41 09-52228

and dictates the right of the powerful. Unconcealed
information wars, energy blackmail and economic
blackmail, as well as interference in sovereign affairs,
fall outside the civilized framework.
 Most important, we strongly condemn and shall
not accept any violations of fundamental international
principles — in particular, territorial integrity and the
inviolability of the frontiers of all sovereign States.
 It is axiomatic for us that all United Nations
Member States, and especially the permanent members
of the Security Council, must be exemplary in abiding
by the principles of international law, of equality of
nations and of neighbourliness, for our Charter, which
remains unbroken, entrusts the Security Council with
the primary responsibility for maintaining international
peace and security.
 Ukraine acts in strict compliance with the goals
and principles of the United Nations, and expects the
same from its partners and neighbours.
 Today I have the honour to confirm Ukraine’s
resolve to become a Security Council member in 2016-
2017.
 Our country has been and will always remain a
reliable partner of the United Nations in all  peace and
security matters and in collective actions fostering
stability in every region, especially in Africa. This year
I approved the strategy of Ukraine’s international
peacekeeping activity, which will consolidate our
contribution and participation in this field.
 Safety of peacekeepers has been constantly the
focus of Ukraine’s attention. As one of the initiators of
the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and
Associated Personnel, we propose that the General
Assembly consider additional measures to strengthen
the legal protection of participants in peacekeeping
operations.
 Almost 15 years ago Ukraine voluntarily gave up
the third largest nuclear potential and acceded to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear
State. We welcome the steps taken by the United States
and the Russian Federation to elaborate a new
agreement to replace the Treaty between the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States on the
Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms,
of 31 July 1991, which expires this year.
 At the same time, Ukraine continues to count on
the support of the Security Council permanent
members for our proposal to enhance security
assurances for non-nuclear States, in particular for
those which have voluntarily renounced nuclear
weapons or their development. That will become an
important incentive for many countries.
 Ukraine will continue to act responsibly and
constructively in matters of military and security
cooperation.
 We strictly abide by Security Council resolutions,
and adhere to all established international regimes. Our
position in this sphere is consistent with all our
international obligations. It is verified, balanced and
unchangeable.
 I wish to dwell on an issue of the utmost
importance for Ukraine: the global fight against
maritime piracy. We value all the efforts of the United
Nations and the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) in this regard. However, the measures taken so
far have not been sufficient.
 Almost 60,000 Ukrainian citizens are employed
on ships under foreign flags. Any developments on the
high seas affect us directly. In the last seven years
alone pirates have attacked 18 vessels with Ukrainian
sailors on board, and in the last nine months alone
35 Ukrainian sailors have been taken hostage. It is no
longer a local problem; it has become very dangerous
and threatens us all. We shall not turn a blind eye to it.
 Ukraine was among the sponsors of IMO
resolution A.1002 (25), entitled “Piracy and armed
robbery against ships operating in waters off the coast
of Somalia”, which laid the ground for further Security
Council resolutions in that regard. We strongly support
the elaboration of uniform, clear rules to fight pirates
and to protect sailors. We are convinced that the
General Assembly has to become a coordinating body
for the efforts of all specialized institutions in this
field. We call for a more active stance by those United
Nations Members which are main countries of origin of
marine workers and by those States and organizations
capable of making an impact on the safety of
international maritime navigation.
 On behalf of Ukraine, I propose to examine
carefully the idea of establishing in one of the African
countries a regional centre under the United Nations
aegis which would bring under its umbrella specialized

09-52228 42

agencies, programmes and funds, as well as political
offices, to counter piracy. I want to be clear: Ukraine
will be actively engaged in all international
endeavours, and we intend to join the European Union
Atalanta anti-piracy naval operation.
 As President of Ukraine, I urge the General
Assembly to debate these very critical issues in a
separate meeting.
 We face manifold challenges that we can resolve
only by concerted efforts. I am convinced that one of
the most acute problems for us all is the global
financial crisis. Ukraine welcomes decisions of
multilateral forums, in particular those of the Group of
20, as the leading instrument to counter the crisis.
 In this process, our Organization can and should
play its role in preventing the financial perturbations
from spinning out into social upheavals. Perhaps it is
time to revisit the idea, put forward earlier by Ukraine
and recently by a number of other countries, of the
creation of a United Nations economic security
council. The large scale of this proposal should not
prompt us to shelve it or reject it altogether.
 In addition, decisions on the financing of United
Nations activities within regular reviews of the scale of
assessments must be taken with due account of the
global crisis.
 The principal and most important objective for
our universal Organization and for each of our
countries is to protect common people from the crisis
and to prevent the decline of their living standards.
 Despite all the economic difficulties, Ukraine is
aware of its responsibility to support other countries
that have suffered even more. This year Ukraine has
become a World Food Programme donor. We hope that
our contribution will save millions of lives in Africa. I
say to our dear partners that Ukraine understands very
well your needs, and we shall strive to save people
suffering from hunger.
 We have gathered here today to get the feeling of
the overall emotional setting of our planet. Ukraine’s
emotional setting is resolute, persevering and
benevolent.
 We believe in our Organization. We are capable
of great achievements. I am firmly convinced of our
strength to move forward confidently for the benefit of
the world, our peoples and countries.


At the outset, on behalf of
the Lao delegation, I would like to congratulate you,
Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, on your election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session. I trust that, under your able presidency, our
session will be guided to a successful outcome. Let me
also take this opportunity to express our deepest
appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto
Brockmann, who presided over the sixty-third session
with dedication and distinction. By the same token, I
convey our great appreciation to Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon for his leadership and his commitment to
the work of the Organization at a time when our world
is facing numerous grave challenges.
 In recent years, the international situation has
undergone rapid changes and faced various challenges.
The United Nations, a unique world body, has been
playing an increasingly important role in maintaining
international peace and security and promoting the
peaceful settlement of disputes and international
cooperation for development. In this rapidly changing
world, it is our common duty and responsibility as
Members of the United Nations to ensure that the
Organization carry out its mandate effectively. To this
end, United Nations reform is crucial and should be
comprehensive, transparent and balanced, while the
Organization should maintain its intergovernmental,
universal and democratic character, consistent with the
Charter.
 The revitalization of the General Assembly,
reform of the Security Council and the strengthening of
the Economic and Social Council and specialized
agencies should be guided by the principles of
democracy, transparency and accountability with a
view to making this universal Organization a body that
truly represents the interests of all Member States and
seeks their benefit. In this context, the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic welcomes the launching of
intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council
reform and will continue to contribute to these
important efforts in this new phase of the Security
Council reform process.
 The ongoing impasse within the multilateral
disarmament machinery continues to undermine
international peace and security. The existence of
nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the existence
of all humankind. It is therefore vital to reaffirm the
importance of States honouring their nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation obligations. The
upcoming 2010 Review Conference will be a great
opportunity for the States parties to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to demonstrate
strong political commitment by making a collective
effort to resolve the current stalemate on the
non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. In this
regard, it is encouraging that the third session of the
Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review
Conference successfully adopted the agenda and all
significant procedural decisions, which will
undoubtedly lay an important foundation for a
productive and successful Review Conference in 2010.
 In conjunction with arms reduction and nuclear
disarmament, the issue of explosive remnants of war,
including cluster munitions and unexploded ordnance
(UXO), continues to threaten and pose serious
obstacles to socio-economic development and poverty
eradication efforts in more than 80 countries across the
world. Among these, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic is the most affected. The victims of cluster
munitions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic —
where approximately 300 victims have been recorded
every year for the 30 years since the war ended —
account for 50 per cent of the global total of cluster
munitions victims. This is due to the fact that 37 per
cent of national territory remains contaminated by
UXO. Enormous financial resources would be needed

39 09-52586

to resolve this problem, and it would take a great
length of time to clear UXOs from those areas needed
most for development and the everyday livelihoods of
communities. However, a precise estimate has yet to be
made as to how many hundreds of years it would take
to clear all UXO-contaminated areas across the
country.
 In light of the adverse impact of cluster
munitions, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
attaches great importance to the Convention on
banning and eradicating cluster munitions. In this
context, we welcome and commend those countries
that have signed and ratified the Convention, and hope
that other countries that have not done so will follow
suit so that Convention may enter into force as soon as
possible. In order to prepare for the future
implementation of the Convention, the Lao
Government has offered to host the first conference of
States parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions
after it enters into force. We hope that our offer will
receive broad support from all countries and
international organizations.
 Despite the fact that peace, development and
cooperation are the lodestars of our times, tensions,
conflicts, violence, terrorism and threats to security
persist in various parts of the world. The Lao People’s
Democratic Republic is deeply dismayed by the
prolonged conflict in the Middle East, which continues
to inflict immense suffering on millions of people in
the region, in particular the Palestinian people, who
have been struggling to exercise their legitimate and
inalienable rights to self-determination and statehood.
Although we have heard in the course of our general
debate many expressions of encouragement and
renewed hope for addressing the Middle East problem,
this can be realized only if all parties concerned
demonstrate their commitment to addressing the
impasse with a view to realizing the vision of two
States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace
and security within recognized borders, in accordance
with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.
 We also remain concerned over the decades-long
economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed
on the Republic of Cuba. It is now time to end these
sanctions.
 Climate change continues to be a pressing
concern and to pose enormous challenges to the
survival of humankind. Against this backdrop, global
measures that conform to the principle of common but
differentiated responsibility are urgently required. To
this end, the integration of the three pillars of
sustainable development — economic development,
social development and environmental protection —
should be enhanced with a view to effectively
implementing the Bali Action Plan.
 In this context, we highly commend the
Secretary-General for his initiative to convene the
high-level Summit on Climate Change on
22 September 2009, at which world leaders had the
opportunity to discuss concrete measures and potential
solutions to the consequences of climate change, as
well as to prepare for the Climate Change Conference
to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Furthermore,
world leaders have made strong commitments to taking
the necessary action to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, promote the green economy, provide
mitigation and adaptation assistance, and generate
alternative energy, including through technology
transfer from developed to developing countries, in
order to enable the latter to adapt to the consequences
and impacts of climate change.
 The Lao People’s Democratic Republic welcomes
and supports the recommendation to launch a new
Global Compact entailing a green New Deal, which
would no doubt provide an excellent platform for
addressing the current global challenges, promoting
investment in the green economy, laying the
foundations to deal with the crucial long-term issues,
and helping to create a future based on a low-carbon
economy, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
 The multiple global crises, especially the
financial and economic crises, have had many adverse
effects on developing countries, in particular on the
most vulnerable groups. This is due primarily to the
lack of basic infrastructure, access to markets,
resources and modern technology, and to the fact that
capacity to provide financing and investment remains
low. In response, various forms of consultation and
approach have been undertaken in an attempt to
mitigate the long-term impacts of the crisis. In this
regard, we welcome the initiatives of the Group of
Eight, the Group of 20 and other international forums
to build a mechanism that will help find solutions to
the crisis, including the recommendations of the high-
level Conference on the World Financial and Economic
Crisis held here in June this year.

09-52586 40

 As one of the most vulnerable countries in the
world, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is of the
view that all initiatives and measures undertaken must
be implemented effectively and in a timely manner. In
particular, it is important to address the
unpredictability and vulnerability of commodity
markets, provide preferential treatment to goods from
developing countries, especially those from the most
vulnerable ones, ensure the smooth resolution of debt
issues, improve technology transfer mechanism and
reform the international financial system.
 The fourth United Nations Conference on the
Least Developed Countries, to be held in early 2011,
will provide a good opportunity for the international
community to review its responsibilities and
commitments pledged to the least developed countries,
as well as to identify obstacles and constraints and seek
possible solutions to them, particularly in the wake of
such a profound economic and financial crisis.
 The solid political stability and social order in the
Lao People’s Democratic Republic have provided
favourable conditions for national economic
development. Nevertheless, the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic has also been adversely affected
at a certain level by the recent global economic and
financial crisis. The crisis has caused a slowdown in
economic development, with growth of the main
economic sectors such as industry, services and
agriculture decreasing by 2 to 3 per cent. The trade
sector was also affected, with exports dropping by
28 per cent.
 Against this backdrop, the Lao Government has
undertaken urgent action by identifying eight measures
and 80 priority areas to address. As a result of such
action, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has been
able to mitigate the adverse impact of the crisis to a
certain degree. However, owing to the uncertainty of
today’s global economy, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, like other developing countries, remains
vulnerable and still needs the support and cooperation
from the international community to respond to the
crisis, with a view to preventing long-term impacts,
which may occur at any time, and to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals and our ultimate
national goal of being removed from the list of least
developed countries by 2020.
 Today, more than ever, the international
community has the responsibility, as well as the
opportunity, to promote solidarity and strengthen
international cooperation in jointly addressing these
global problems, as no country can weather alone the
threats and challenges confronting it. In this spirit, the
Lao People’s Democratic Republic reiterates its
unshakable commitment to continue full cooperation
with the international community in pursuit of a world
free from fear and want, rooted in a new, just and
equitable order. I believe that, with great solidarity, we
will be able to achieve the aforementioned goals.


As you, Sir,
assume the presidency of the General Assembly at this
sixty-fourth session, my delegation wishes you all the
best in your endeavours and looks forward to working
with you to address the many challenges facing the
global community.
 Every year, anticipation surrounds the General
Assembly in the hope that Governments will be able to
find points of agreement on the persisting problems
that afflict humankind and to adopt a common
direction for resolving them in a peaceful manner for
the well-being of all. Understandably, the deliberations
of the preceding session of the General Assembly were
dominated by preoccupation with the world financial
and economic crisis. It is only fitting that this year
delegations have been asked to focus on the theme
“Effective responses to global crises: strengthening
multilateralism and dialogue among civilizations for
international peace, security and development”.
 In view of a political and cultural dialogue
oriented towards the harmonious evolving of the world
economy and of international relations, we would do
well to revisit the Preamble of the Charter of the
United Nations, where it affirms that “We the peoples
of the United Nations determined … to reaffirm faith
in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth
of the human person, in the equal rights of men and
women and of nations large and small”.
 The various world crises that have intertwined in
the past months bring to the discussion presuppositions
of thought and principles of individual, social and
international behaviour that extend well beyond the
financial or economic fields. The idea of producing
resources and assets — which is the economy — and
strategically managing them — which is politics —
without seeking together with the same actions to carry
out also the good — which is ethics — has been proven
to be a naive or cynical and fatal delusion. The more
solid and profound contribution that the General
Assembly must make to the solution of international
problems lies in promoting the principles contained in
the Preamble and in Article 1 of the Charter of this
Organization in a manner that such high human and
spiritual values serve to renovate the international
order from within, where the real crisis lies.
 A first element of truth is found precisely in the
phrase “We the peoples of the United Nations”. The
theme of peace and development, in fact, coincides
with that of the relational inclusion of all peoples in the
unique community of the human family that is
constructed in solidarity. Evident in the various Group
of Eight, Group of 20, regional and international
meetings, held in parallel with the work of the
preceding General Assembly, was the necessity to give
legitimacy to the political commitments assumed and
to confront them with the thoughts and needs of the
entire international community so that the solutions
devised would reflect the points of view and the

43 09-53165

expectations of the populations of all continents. That
is why efficacious modes must be found to connect the
decisions of the various groupings of countries to those
of the United Nations, where every nation, with its
political and economic weight, can legitimately explain
itself in a situation of equality with others.
 It is in that context of truth and sincerity that the
recent appeal of Pope Benedict XVI can be seen in
perspective. As he notes in his encyclical “Charity in
Truth”, in the face of the unrelenting growth of global
interdependence there is a strongly felt need, even in
the midst of a global recession, for an urgent reform of
the United Nations, and likewise of economic
institutions and international finance, so that the
concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth.
Such reform is urgent in order to find innovative ways
of implementing the principles of the responsibility to
protect and of giving poorer nations an effective voice
in shared decision-making.
 Admittedly, building the United Nations as a true
centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the
attainment of those common ends is an extremely
difficult task. The more the interdependence of peoples
increases, the more the necessity of the United Nations
becomes evident. The need to have an organization
capable of responding to the obstacles and increasing
complexity of the relations between peoples and
nations thus becomes paramount.
 As we consider the nature of development and the
role of donor and recipient countries, we must always
remember that true development necessarily involves
an integral respect for human life, which cannot be
disconnected from the development of peoples.
Unfortunately, in some parts of the world today,
development aid seems to be tied rather to the recipient
countries’ willingness to adopt programmes that
discourage demographic growth by methods and
practices disrespectful of human rights and dignity.
 In that regard, it is both cynical and unfortunate
that frequent attempts continue to be made to export
such a mentality to developing countries, as if it were a
form of cultural progress or advancement. Yet such a
practice is by its nature not one of reciprocity but
imposition, and to predicate the decision to give
development aid on the acceptance of such policies
constitutes an abuse of power.
 Every human being has the right to good
governance, that is, the right to participate in all social
actions, at the national and international level, whether
directly or indirectly, as a guarantee for all persons a
free and dignified life. At the same time, it is an
essential part of that dignity that everyone takes
responsibility for his actions and actively respects the
dignity of others.
 Rights always exist inseparably from
responsibilities and duties. This applies to individual
men and women and, by analogy, to States, whose true
progress and affirmation depends on their capacity to
establish and maintain responsible relations with other
States and to express a shared responsibility for world
problems.
 The implementation of the principle of the
responsibility to protect, as formulated at the 2005
World Summit and approved by the unanimous
consensus of all United Nations Member States,
becomes a touchstone of the two enunciated principles
of truth in international relations and of global
governance.
 The recognition of the core objective and
indispensability of the dignity of every man and
woman ensures that Governments always undertake
with every means at their disposal to prevent and
combat crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing and any
other crimes against humanity. Thus, by recognizing
their interconnected responsibility to protect States will
realize the importance of accepting the collaboration of
the international community as a means of fulfilling
their role of providing responsible sovereignty.
 The mechanisms of the United Nations for
addressing common security and the prevention of
conflicts were developed in response to the threat of
total war and nuclear destruction in the second half of
the last century, and for this reason alone they deserve
perennial historical remembrance. Moreover, the work
of peacekeepers have stabilized and ended innumerable
local conflicts and have made related reconstruction
possible.
 Nevertheless, it is well known that the number of
conflicts that the United Nations has not been able to
resolve remains high and that many of them have
become occasions of serious crimes against humanity.
That is why the acceptance of the principle of the
responsibility to protect and of the underlying truths
that guide responsible sovereignty can be the catalyst
for the reform of the mechanisms, procedures and
representativeness of the Security Council.

09-53165 44

 In this context, my delegation would like to recall
here the Honduran people, who continue to suffer
frustration and hardship from the already too long
political upheaval. Once more, the Holy See urges the
parties concerned to make every effort to find a prompt
solution in view of the good of the people of Honduras.
 This session of the General Assembly began with
the special Summit on Climate Change, and in
December there will be the Copenhagen Climate
Conference. The protection of the environment
continues to be at the forefront of multilateral
activities, because it involves, in consistent form, the
destiny of all the nations and the future of every
individual man and woman.
 Recognition of the double truths of
interdependence and personal dignity also requires that
environmental issues are taken as a moral imperative
and translated into legal rules, capable of protecting
our planet and ensuring future generations a healthy
and safe environment.
 In closing, I would like to say that in these
changing times the international community — “we,
the peoples” — has the unique chance and
responsibility to ensure full implementation of the
United Nations Charter and thus greater peace and
understanding among nations.


I would like to
begin by extending my congratulations to Mr. Ali Treki
on his election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at this sixty-fourth session and by wishing
him every success in the execution of his term of
office. Allow me also to pay tribute to Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for his tireless work and for the
remarkable devotion that he has demonstrated at the
helm of our Organization.
 Like each year, we are asked during this session
to look at the state of the world, to consider together
the current problems and to recommend appropriate
solutions to them. In that regard, as we know, the
international community remains under the impact of a
global financial and economic crisis that has spared no
country.
 The extraordinary mobilization that it has aroused
reflects its scope and extent, as well as the gravity of
the threat that it poses to the stability of the global
economy. We must welcome that strong mobilization,
led by the major industrialized countries. It was
prompt, resolute and consistent. Without doubt, it has
demonstrated the international community’s capacity to
respond fully when it is driven and underpinned by real
political resolve.
 That is certainly a good example of solidarity, the
kind of international solidarity that we seek and that
we would like also to see in the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals, in our common
concern to narrow the gap between the North and the
South, and in our daily struggle against poverty, hunger
and pandemics.
 In other words, if we have been able to mobilize
ourselves so vigorously to contain the effects of the
financial crisis, we can do the same to address the
other challenges confronting us, namely the poverty
and underdevelopment in which so many human beings
throughout the world still live. For, while the crisis has
spared no continent, there is no doubt that its effects
vary depending on the country, region and level of
development.
 Africa, in particular, which in no way contributed
to the unleashing of the crisis, today, paradoxically,
finds itself among the worst affected victims. Among
the most alarming effects, we therefore condemn the
decrease in remittances to our countries; the severe
drop in the prices of our products; the marked fall in
investment; worsening budget deficits; and the
slowdown in economic activity — all of which, among
other things, also have severe social consequences,
such as a rise in unemployment. Furthermore, there is
reason to fear that the continuation of the crisis will
only increase the debt of developing countries.
 We find ourselves facing new difficulties just as
we are emerging from lengthy years of economic
recovery efforts under rigorous structural adjustment
programmes, resolutely implemented by our States in
cooperation with the international financial
institutions. Neither our efforts nor our sacrifices have
been in vain, and we believe that our gains, which are
the fruit of the commendable efforts of our peoples,
must unquestionably be preserved and supported.
 The President took the Chair.
 That is why we believe that, faced with the
harmful effects of the crisis, it is important that we all
work together towards a global, coordinated and
significant response for the benefit of the weakest
economies. In our view, that response should lead to
the provision of substantial financial resources free, as
far as possible, of conditionality and aimed at
mitigating or even compensating for the consequences
of a crisis that we could not avert.
 Without such support, our developing countries
run the risk of seeing their economic activity decrease

15 09-52470

and the signs of the revival that they could reasonably
hope for disappear. It is evident that, over and above
development and improved living conditions, the peace
and stability of our countries depend on it. That also
holds true for international peace and security,
inasmuch as the numerous problems confronting the
world today — be it, for example, illegal immigration
or trafficking of every kind — arise partly from a real
lack of cooperation and solidarity, and thus call for
greater justice in international relations.
 In that connection, I welcome the fortuitous
decision taken in London in April by the Group of 20
to recommend that the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) support the weakest economies through more
and softer loans, possibly with less conditionality.
Moreover, in that context, my country, Cameroon,
benefited from substantial financial support from the
IMF under the Exogenous Shocks Facility. I welcome
that support, and take this opportunity to thank
International Monetary Fund officials. That timely
support will strengthen the anticyclical measures that
we have adopted at the national and subregional levels,
fully aware that foreign aid is merely a buttress that
should not replace our own efforts.
 Accordingly, in Cameroon, we have, inter alia,
strengthened the productive sectors and taken action to
reduce the prices of basic commodities and improve
the business climate. In the subregion, member
countries of the Central African Economic and
Monetary Community have agreed to adopt tax
incentives and to establish a support fund for the
sectors most affected by the crisis. Thus, while
welcoming assistance from the international
community, we are aware that it can bear fruit only if
based on stringent management and good governance
centred on the primacy of the public interest.
 Moreover, it was in that spirit that a few years
back I recommended from this rostrum the
establishment within the United Nations of a global
ethics committee, for it is a combination of moral drift
and serious ethical deviations that is at the root of the
current global financial crisis. We trust that, in the near
future, we will surmount the crisis through collective
awareness and mobilization.
 However, alongside with the financial and
economic crisis, we are concerned about other
important matters. The food crisis is still ravaging
many developing countries. The poverty reduction
struggle is far from being won. Global peace and
security are still threatened worldwide, particularly in
Africa. Climate change is each day becoming
increasingly worrisome, with visible consequences in
every country.
 Regarding climate change in particular, Africa,
like other continents, has been hard hit despite its low
level of greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming, its
most salient feature, affects many socio-economic
sectors, including energy, health, agriculture, livestock
production, ecosystems and rapid desertification. In
this regard, the spectacular drying up of Lake Chad, the
surface of which has shrunk from 26,000 square
kilometres in the 1960s to 1,500 square kilometres
today, clearly requires significant collective action of
the Central African States which, in our opinion, needs
strong support from the international community. One
thing is certain: African countries are individually and
collectively pulling their full weight in the activity
necessary at the national, subregional and global levels
to provide concrete solutions to the challenge of
climate change.
 Such participation is significant. In Cameroon, it
has taken the form of numerous actions, including the
establishment of a national environmental management
plan and the adoption at the subregional level of a
convergence plan for the sustainable management of
the Congo basin forest which, we are all aware, is the
world’s second largest.
 The implementation of all these measures is very
costly, especially in terms of acquiring adapted
technologies, and requires our people to accept huge
sacrifices. Furthermore, without denying the fact that
the fate and future of the planet are everyone’s
business, it seems legitimate, in my opinion, to ask that
the peoples of Africa be duly compensated by the
international community for their efforts and sacrifices.
In this regard, we hope that the Copenhagen climate
conference scheduled for December will provide
satisfactory answers to the particular case of Africa.
 Regarding world peace and security, we continue
to deplore the persistence of numerous conflicts or
hotbeds of tension, despite significant progress towards
a return to calm. I refer to the situations in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur and Somalia,
among others. Cameroon is playing an active role,
including by dispatching Cameroonian contingents, in

09-52470 16

the efforts to find lasting solutions to these conflicts,
which have lasted too long.
 In this respect, I wish to hail the role of the
United Nations, which is making tireless efforts to
stabilize all these situations. However, if it is to be
more effective, the United Nations requires
commensurate human, financial and material resources.
Furthermore, the United Nations should be able to
reflect the common will of all its Members, large and
small, in order to ensure its effectiveness and
credibility. It must more clearly assert and further
strengthen its role as the crucible par excellence of
multilateralism, that is, a forum for the exchange of
ideas, solidarity, equity and equality where all the
voices and opinions of developed and developing
countries alike are expressed and taken into account.
 These values go hand in hand with the dialogue
of civilizations proposed for our consideration at this
session. Such a dialogue should not ignore differences,
but rather promote diversity so as to foster knowledge
and mutual understanding among peoples. From this
perspective, the dialogue of civilizations or cultures
advocates tolerance and mutual respect and rejects all
forms of fanaticism that threaten international peace
and security.
 That is the dual role that the United Nations, a
proving ground for multilateralism and crucible of the
dialogue of civilizations, must assume if it seeks to
embody the noblest and deepest aspirations of
humankind and satisfy our peoples’ expectations with
comprehensive and relevant solutions.
 But the question is, how can the United Nations
fulfil this role if it does not adapt to the current trends
and changes in international relations? That is the
purpose of the recommendations we have been making
for the reform of the Security Council, the
revitalization of the General Assembly and the
strengthening of the means of action of the Secretary-
General. We therefore need to fast-track the overhaul
of an Organization that, through its universal nature,
symbolizes our common destiny and seeks to be our
common abode. For only a renewed United Nations
that is more democratic, more credible and more
efficient will be able to inspire peoples’ hopes and
trust.


My delegation and I are
honoured, for the second time, to address the General
Assembly on behalf of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
and the Government and people of Liberia. We
congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki and his country,
the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, on his
election as President of the Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session. We are convinced that, as a consummate
diplomat, Mr. Treki will bring his wealth of experience
into play as we tackle the complex issues on the
current session’s agenda, while entertaining hopes for a
resounding success. In this context, my delegation and
I assure the President of our full cooperation.
 Permit me, therefore, to seize the opportunity to
pay a well-deserved tribute to the preceding President,
His Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann of the
Republic of Nicaragua, for the very able and effective
manner in which he steered the affairs of the
Assembly’s sixty-third session. His sound and shrewd
leadership was critical in steadying the turbulence
occasioned by the severe global economic and
financial crisis. Likewise, we commend the Secretary-
General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, a visionary
statesman, for the unfaltering efforts with which he
continues to administer the affairs of this Organization.
His renewed dynamism and sense of purpose serve as
an impetus to our collective aspirations for the
attainment of global peace, security and development.
 Liberia continues to make steady progress under
the excellent, indefatigable leadership of Her
Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Since her
inauguration in January 2006 as the first
democratically elected woman head of State of an
African country, the Government has undertaken a
number of important initiatives aimed at enhancing
national dialogue and reconciliation.
 On 30 June 2009, the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission submitted an unedited report, which did
not gain the unanimous consent of the Commission,
since two members issued dissenting views.
Nonetheless, since its release the report has spurred
national debate, and the President has committed
herself to working with all stakeholders towards
implementation of the recommendations, which must
be in consonance with the Commission’s mandate, the
wishes of the Liberian people and the laws of our
country.
 In order to protect the fundamental rights of the
Liberian people, the President has also nominated the
members of the Independent Human Rights
Commission, which will have the responsibility of
monitoring the implementation of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission report. Under the Liberian
Constitution, the nominees must meet the consent of
the Liberian Senate, and that process is currently under
way. We have also established the Land Commission,
and its Commissioners have been appointed to address
the explosive issues of land disputes and the need for
land reform.
 We note with satisfaction the achievement of the
national disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation
and reintegration programme, carried out in
conjunction with the United Nations Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL). That programme was successfully
concluded in July of this year. However, high
unemployment, especially among the youth, remains a
major challenge.
 Liberia is pleased with the progress being made
in the reconstitution of its armed forces, which
includes the training of the 2,000-strong army with the
assistance of our development partners, particularly the
United States of America. We continue to encourage
gender sensitivity in this important area of our national
endeavours, considering that at present there are only
58 women in the new force.
 Improvements have also been registered in the
performance of the reorganized Liberia National Police
force, with the establishment of an emergency unit.
The police, however, continue to face difficulties in
achieving full operational capability in the areas of
infrastructure, equipment, logistics and other
requirements. Two weeks ago, successful partnership
consultations were held at United Nations
Headquarters here in New York on the strategic plan

25 09-52470

for the Liberia National Police. The responses of our
partners, especially India, were encouraging. The
objective of the strategic plan is to introduce an
integrated programme that would ensure a consistent
doctrine and training philosophy to enhance continuity.
A similar strategic plan is also required for the Bureau
of Immigration and Naturalization to improve its
efficiency and effectiveness in border control.
 We are pleased to report that Liberia has
continued to make significant strides in the
administration of justice and rule of law, in spite of
daunting obstacles. We have established a special
sexual and gender-based violent crimes court, which
has begun hearing cases and encouraging victims to
come forth and report on those crimes in the spirit of
confidentiality and justice. Concomitantly, the
Government has further adopted several gender-
sensitive policies and frameworks in pursuance of
Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).
 Post-conflict reconstruction and development
require all Liberians to participate in the ongoing
recovery and sustainable development efforts. The
Government is therefore promoting and encouraging
women’s involvement at the leadership level and in all
other spectrums of society, with emphasis on the
education of the girl child.
 In this connection, I wish to refer to the
International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment,
Leadership Development, International Peace and
Security, which was co-convened by the President of
Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,
and the President of Finland, Her Excellency Madam
Tarja Halonen, in Monrovia on 7 and 8 March 2009. At
that event, the Monrovia Declaration was adopted,
calling for action on resolution 1325 (2000) on women,
peace and security, and on climate change and gender.
We want to thank all our partners and friends of the
international community, including the institutions of
the United Nations system and UNMIL, who
contributed to the success of the programme.
 In that regard, we reaffirm that resolution 1325
(2000) on women, peace and security recognizes that
women, as civilians in conflict situations, are not only
victims but also powerful agents for peace and the
security for their communities.
 We also recognize that Security Council
resolution 1820 (2008) is an important component of
resolution 1325 (2000) with regard to rape and sexual
violence against women and girls. Therefore, we
recommend that the Secretary-General appoint a
special envoy on women, peace and security who
would galvanize Member States to implement
resolution 1325 (2000) and ensure that the path
towards its tenth anniversary is well prepared in a
coherent manner.
 As a follow-up to the Monrovia extraordinary
meeting, a side event to this sixty-fourth session of the
General Assembly was jointly hosted yesterday by
those two exemplary women leaders, here at United
Nations Headquarters, to focus on the implementation
of resolution 1325 (2000) and climate change. In
commending them for their excellent work, we join in
their appeal to all Member States, Governments and
non-governmental organizations to support the
Monrovia Declaration. Liberia wishes to thank all the
participants at that historic event for renewing their
support of the Government of Liberia and for reform of
the United Nations system, including the urgent need
for gender equality in its organs and related agencies.
 Liberia’s economic revitalization is shaping up to
become a post-conflict success story, due to the
combination of the disciplined leadership and prudent
policies of Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson-
Sirleaf and the very constructive partnership with the
international community. We remain cognizant of the
fact that no amount of foreign assistance can transform
a nation in the absence of sound moral leadership and
technical competencies and of the commitment to
improve the well-being of its citizens. It is out of this
realization that we formulated the Government’s
poverty reduction strategy and have cultivated a
strategic partnership with friendly countries and
organizations within the international community.
 The country experienced 7 per cent growth in
2008 and is expected to register 5 per cent this year,
largely as a result of the negative impact of the global
economic meltdown on demand for our major
commodities and decreased capital inflows. National
revenue collection rose by 25 per cent last year. We
have improved our business and investment climate by
establishing the “One Stop Shop” concept to spur
private sector growth and create jobs.
 We have rehabilitated a total of 674 miles of
primary and secondary roads to link communities that
were isolated from the central administration as a result
of the 14-year civil crisis. A robust and comprehensive

09-52470 26

civil service reform strategy has been instituted as a
critical component of the public sector reform.
Moreover, the President has promulgated a policy of
mandatory free and compulsory primary education,
with a special emphasis on girls, who are often victims
of institutionalized bias and abuse.
 We have undertaken several economic reform
initiatives and have set up the Liberia Anti-Corruption
Commission to create a transparent and predictable
business and investment climate as well as to
encourage greater foreign direct investment.
 Liberia has also made noticeable progress
towards reaching the targets for relief under the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative.
Qualifying under this process will open up the country
to borrowing on the international financial markets and
accepting loans.
 While Liberia has made and continues to make
impressive progress towards consolidating peace, the
gains remain fragile. In post-conflict situations such as
ours, stability is linked to development. Weak
institutional capacity in the area of the rule of law,
coupled with the absence of employment opportunities,
especially for the youth, continue to threaten sustained
progress.
 As we expect to hold general elections in 2011,
successful conduct of these undertakings will set the
nation firmly on the path of stability and democracy. It
is therefore envisioned that continued, sustainable
socio-economic development will serve as the catalyst
for a smooth electoral process.
 The Mano River Union countries of Liberia,
Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire continue to
host significant numbers of each other’s refugees in the
subregion. For instance, more than 65,000 Liberian
refugees are reportedly spread throughout West Africa,
posing humanitarian challenges that require urgent
action for cross-border movements. This is why we
continue to urge the fast-tracking and relaxation of the
stringent conditions for development assistance, if
Liberia is to truly remain a model for post-conflict
reconstruction and democracy.
 In this connection, Liberia requires the empathy
and support of the international community for its
young democracy as it improves the human rights
situation, transparency, anti-corruption and good
governance, which are important priorities of the
Government.
 In this vein, we wish to express the heartfelt
gratitude of the Government and people of Liberia to
the Security Council for extending the mandate of
UNMIL for another year and further requesting it to
provide a conducive security environment for the
holding of general and presidential elections in 2011.
The crucial nature of this democratic transition cannot
be overemphasized as we commend the gallant men
and women of UNMIL for their courageous and
sacrificial services in keeping the peace.
 The issue of cross-border movement mentioned
above demonstrates that the security and stability of
the countries of the Mano River Union subregion are
inextricably linked and that progress in one country
cannot be divorced from progress in any one of the
member States. Elections are soon to be held in
Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. As Chair of the Mano River
Union and a member of the International Contact
Group on Guinea, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is
urging the United Nations and the international
community to stay constructively engaged with Guinea
while urging adherence to the original agreement so as
to ensure a smooth transition to democratic rule in that
country.
 Cross-border movements among the Mano River
Union countries have become more complex and
problematic due to the growing number of cases
involving illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking and
other organized transnational crime in the West African
subregion and beyond. These problems necessitate the
urgent need for collective international action to tackle
these criminal activities, which are a menace to
regional peace and security.
 Liberia supports the decision of the leaders of the
Southern African Development Community on the
lifting of United Nations sanctions against Zimbabwe.
We are encouraged that the power-sharing agreement
between the parties continues to hold as the country
tries to recover.
 As regards Somalia, we note with regret the
continuing deterioration of the situation in that country.
In view of the unfortunate state of affairs there, Liberia
calls for renewed commitment by the international
community to provide logistical and financial support
to the African Union peacekeeping initiatives to restore
peace in that country. Liberia, as a beneficiary of

27 09-52470

peacekeeping operations, registers its strong
condemnation of the recent barbaric killings of
17 African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.
 On Darfur, we are heartened by the expressed
willingness of all the parties to end armed hostilities
and to find a political solution to the problem that will
ensure lasting peace for all people in that region.
 Liberia welcomes the just-ended Summit on
Climate Change convened by the Secretary-General.
We firmly believe that urgent action is needed to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help all
Member States, particularly developing countries,
adequately respond to the harmful effects of this global
phenomenon.
 Liberia continues to join in the call for a
democratic Security Council that reflects the realities
of the twenty-first century. The world today is far
different from and more complex than that of the
1940s, when this Organization came into being.
 Liberia supports peacekeeping operations to put
out the flames of war. However, we wish to underscore
the benefits of establishing an early warning
mechanism that will deal with potentially explosive
situations before they escalate into full blown
conflagrations that present only ghastly choices.
 Additionally, it is important that the international
community provides special assistance and
dispensation to post-conflict countries to shield them
from shocks in the worldwide system, such as the
current global financial crisis. These upsets often have
the effect of reversing the gains made in restoring
peace to countries emerging from conflict.
 That is why Liberia welcomes the empathy and
support of the international community in rebuilding its
institutions destroyed by protracted civil conflict. The
current global financial crisis is impregnated with the
potential to undermine donor support to our national
renewal agenda, thus threatening much needed foreign
direct investment and delivery of social services.
 The result of the Government’s inability to
provide these basic services to its people has the
propensity to provide fertile ground for acts of
destabilization from internal and external sources. It is
cheaper to prevent these risks than to have to mobilize
already diminishing resources at much higher cost,
sometimes involving human lives and enormous
resources, to react to them.
 In conclusion, we pledge our unstinting support
to your leadership and entertain the hope that together,
we can advance the cause of humanity and make the
world truly a better place to live.


Before beginning my statement, I would like to
mention something that happened on our continent, in
West Africa, yesterday. Indeed, tragic events occurred
yesterday in a country in West Africa, of which Cape
Verde is a part: soldiers once again fired on a crowd.
As a neighbouring, friendly and long-standing partner
country of Guinea, I wish, on behalf of my country, to
express my deep sympathy and the unequivocal
condemnation of an act that disgraces the entire
continent. I am referring to a challenge to the brave
people of Guinea and to the international community. I
pay tribute to the numerous victims of this odious act,
which threatens stability and peace in the entire
subregion. I am pleased to congratulate Ambassador Ali
Abdussalam Treki on his election to the presidency of
the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. I also
congratulate his predecessor, Father Miguel d’Escoto
Brockmann, for his involvement, dedication and
courage, which left an important imprint on the work
of the sixty-third session. To Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, Cape Verde expresses its confidence that he
will continue to further our aspirations and consolidate
the foundations of this Organization he leads that is
dedicated to the common good. We thank him for his
detailed report on the work of the Organization
(A/64/1).
 Peace, security and development are public assets
that are essential to the progress of humanity. However,
they have never before been as threatened as they are
today. Therefore, I would like to share with the
Assembly some of my country’s concerns in that
context.
 During the Assembly’s sixty-second session, the
Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Mr. José Maria Neves,
said:
  “We are living at a time when problems and
threats are of concern to all. They are not
confined to a single State or region. Nor can there
be local solutions to the global threats of our
era.” (A/62/PV.11, p. 2)
He was referring to terrorism, organized crime and
human trafficking and to weapons and drugs that in
certain instances threaten the foundations of the
democratic rule of law. He said that these phenomena
“corrupt values, compromise development and thwart
the most legitimate expectations of peoples” who are
exposed to them and that “Responses to these issues
will be ineffective unless they are undertaken within a
robust, balanced and fair multilateral perspective”
(ibid.).
 I quote these remarks by the head of Government
of Cape Verde because they are quite current and
because the themes they address have been the object
of increasing attention by the international community.
 Cape Verde and other West African States are
facing organized crime, which has found fertile ground
for its activities in our region because of our fragile
economies, the vulnerability of our emerging
democracies and, in general, our States’ weak
capacities to respond to this major threat. With the
support of the United Nations, in particular the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the logistics
capabilities of our partners, we, the States members of
the Economic Community of West African States are
pooling our capabilities to confront this tremendous
challenge that has engulfed our subregion.
 In Cape Verde we believe that a small country
cannot allow itself to be poor, vulnerable and unstable
all at once. We therefore seek to reinforce our
advantages, reduce our weaknesses and diversify our
partnerships, in addition to strengthening our relations

09-53165 18

of solidarity for the benefit of peace, stability and
progress in our subregion.
 Therefore, at the October 2008 conference on
drug trafficking in our region and at the April 2009
round table on Guinea-Bissau security sector reform,
both held in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, we
sought to define together the parameters of our actions
in these areas. We will continue to pay special attention
to this threat, as we are convinced that the zone of
peace we are building in the South Atlantic must
become a tangible reality if we wish to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals and, in general, the
life of peace and progress that we wish for all.
 In this context in which States and democratic
processes are threatened by exogenous elements,
multilateralism appears as an indispensable shield and
an essential resource. There is no doubt that this
confluence of wills and means among the most diverse
countries and the most widespread regions at the heart
of the international community constitutes the path to
follow, not only for strengthening cooperation among
the entities of international life and for the timely
resolution of differences in the framework of the
principles and values of the United Nations, but also
for the strengthening of international law, which is
indispensable for strengthening peace and security in
the world.
 The United Nations, in this context, remains the
central element of the collective conscience of the
community of nations. Thus the revitalization of the
United Nations system emerges as a necessity of our
time, giving priority to the participation of all, to the
detriment of unilateralism, strengthening efficiency for
the benefit of common interests and seeking solutions
that meet the aspirations of the most vulnerable and of
present and future generations.
 Cape Verde is contributing to that framework as
one of the eight pilot countries testing the Delivering
as One process on the ground, which is successfully
under way as a unique programme with a unique
budgeting plan, a single purpose and single leader. This
process has had positive repercussions on cooperation
between the Government and the agencies, funds and
programmes of the United Nations working in Cape
Verde, thus enhancing the coherence of this
programme, reducing transaction and administrative
costs and benefiting all.
 According to the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development, it is expected that the global
gross domestic product will shrink by more than
2.5 per cent in 2009. The growth of developing
countries will decrease from 5.4 per cent in 2008 to 1.3
per cent in 2009, which means a reduction in the
average per capita income. In light of the stagnation
and reduction of economic growth, the developing
countries have seen an increase in poverty,
unemployment, the cost of essential goods and
malnutrition. With the drastic reduction in investment,
there is a strong likelihood that the Millennium
Development Goals will not be achieved.
 It is expected that in 2009 world trade will be
reduced by at least 11 per cent in real terms and by
20 per cent in dollar terms. For the African continent,
the prognosis points to a significant deceleration of the
growth of production in 2009. However, it will remain
positive and drop to 3 per cent in North Africa and
1 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. The medium- and
low-income countries in this context will certainly
require more support in the form of a coordinated
effort at the international level to increase official
development assistance.
 The perspective of a solution to the crisis is
significant. It requires, among other things, a new
political strategy that includes regulation of the
financial market. The recent meeting of the Group of
20 in Pittsburgh offers some elements of response.
Indeed, management of the crisis in the context of
globalization and interdependence requires an
integrated response of the parties as well as a change in
the global financial system, more efficient institutions,
countercyclical policies, better monitoring of risk and
institutional regulation. The outcome document
adopted by consensus at the United Nations
Conference on the World Financial and Economic
Crisis of 24 to 26 June 2009 (resolution 63/303, annex)
contains recommendations to fight economic recession
and establishes viable and safe financial practices, in
addition to indicating important areas of intervention.
 Cape Verde, despite the difficult situation created
by the economic and financial crisis, seeks to preserve
the gains already made in the various areas of the
Millennium Development Goals, thanks to a prudent
and pragmatic policy and taking its partners into
account to help diminish the impact of the crisis on the
archipelago.

19 09-53165

 We think all international partners must
implement joint efforts to minimize the impact of the
economic deceleration, especially for developing
countries, and enable all to achieve more inclusive,
equitable and balanced development, oriented towards
economic sustainability, to help overcome poverty and
inequity in order to avoid an unprecedented human
crisis.
 The Summit on Climate Change organized by the
Secretary-General last week was an undeniable
success. The Member States wished to participate in
large numbers to reaffirm their determination to see
this vital problem treated in a convincing, urgent and
genuine manner. The head of State of one of the heavy-
emitting countries declared that if we do not act now,
no one will ever be able to do so, reinforcing what
scientists have been demonstrating for some time: that
our planet is at serious risk of not being able to assure
life in all its fullness because of the consequences of
climate change. And the time to act is now.
 The participants departed the Summit convinced
that there is no more time for evasion. The moment has
come for concerted, coherent and systematic action to
achieve a convincing and meaningful reduction of
greenhouse gases, to slow global warming and avoid
raised sea levels likely to endanger vast coastal regions
throughout the world, particularly the small developing
island States. Such States are increasingly vulnerable
and suffer the most from the consequences of a
situation created to a large extent by emitter States. At
its summit here in New York on 21 September, the
Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), of which
Cape Verde is a member, adopted a declaration
clarifying its position on various points being
negotiated within the framework of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 Cape Verde is a small archipelago with a small
population, in a geographic location that leaves it
simultaneously isolated in the ocean and dangerously
exposed to the effects of climate change and global
warming. As a Sahelian State, it has long faced
drought, desertification and a serious lack of water.
Those phenomena aggravate the population’s poverty,
hinder Government efforts and strongly affect actions
in the areas of environmental preservation and human
development.
 In Cape Verde we are making efforts to make the
best possible use of our river basins, saving water
wherever possible and adopting modern irrigation
methods with the help of new technologies. We are
implementing an active policy in that area. A dam on
one of our islands is energizing the local agricultural
sector and allowing us to promote better subsistence
methods among farmers, while helping us develop
renewable power sources throughout the country with
the goal of providing electricity to 95 per cent of the
country by 2011. A research and development centre
for renewable energies aimed at serving the entire West
African region is under construction in Cape Verde.
 The international community, and the developed
countries in particular, must strive to support the
specific dynamics of those States in the areas of
adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate
change and to enable them to minimize the risks that
burden them today, given that some of those States are
already facing issues of mass dislocation and forced
migrations.
 For the people of Cape Verde, the ocean is more
than a nurturing mother or a demanding lover — it is
our vital source of civilization and inspiration. We
want to protect it; we want to preserve it. But equally,
along with the coastal nations of the Atlantic Ocean,
particularly in its southern half, we want to see it be an
area of exchange, not speculation, a realm of active
solidarity, not unruly competition. Far from making it
one more focus of human greed, let us preserve its
unique value as a precious cradle of life and the
repository of the hopes of our planet.


Before I deliver the
statement I have prepared I should like to support one
aspect of the long speech made by the Chairman of the
African Union, brother Muammar Al-Qadhafi, which
touched on so many issues, and that is reform of the
United Nations system and fairer representation for the
African Union in the Security Council. That is an
African position and I support it.
 It is said in the Holy Bible, in the book of
Deuteronomy, chapter I, verses 2 and 3, that it was an
11-day journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to
Kadesh-barnea on the border of Canaan, yet it took the
Israelites, coming out of slavery in Egypt, some
40 years to complete it. It was a journey of only
11 days, but it took them 40 years.
 In Deuteronomy, chapter VIII, verse 2, it also
says:
 “And you shall remember that the Lord your God
led you all the way these 40 years in the
wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know
what was in your heart, whether you would keep
His commandments or not”.
 Similarly, Africa, especially black Africa, has
been wandering in the desert of underdevelopment for
much of the 40 years following independence. As it
says in the Book of Common Prayer, one cannot help
but wonder whether it was because we had “left
undone those things which we ought to have done”,
and we had “done those things which we ought not to
have done”, and there was “no truth in us”. On the
other hand, the Asian countries — South Korea,
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, et cetera — did
not similarly wander in the desert of
underdevelopment. That is not to mention the People’s
Republic of China.
 Fortunately, in the past 15 to 20 years, Africans
have also grasped the development compass. We have
started to do what we had left undone for a long time,
and the truth is now beginning to be in us. Uganda’s
economy has grown at a rate of 6.5 per cent per annum
for the past 23 years. During the last financial year,
Uganda’s rate of growth was 7 per cent, in spite of the
global recession, which affected us all. In the current
financial year of 2009-2010, our rate of growth will be
in excess of 7 per cent. In the financial year 2007-
2008, our rate of growth was 9.8 per cent, before
adjusting for inflation.
 We achieved these reasonable rates of growth
despite the fact that we have not yet dealt decisively
with three strategic infrastructure elements: electricity,
roads and railways. While we have achieved peace,
macroeconomic stability, education for all, some
aspects of health for all, economic integration in the
region, international market access, democratization
and scientific research, we have been slow on these
three: electricity, roads and railways. This slowness
was the result of dependence on foreign funding, which
tends to be frivolous and erratic. We depended on
foreign funding because our tax collections were
initially very low, but they have now grown in tandem
with the growth of the economy.
 Uganda is, therefore, now able to fund road, rail
and electricity projects on its own, although of course
we welcome foreign investment. We can no longer,
however, be held to ransom by foreign funding for
those vital foundational elements of infrastructure. It is
amazing and, indeed, shameful to see the low levels of
electrification in Africa. In the United States, kilowatt-
hours per capita are 14,124. In Africa, on the other
hand, the figure is only 547 kilowatt-hours per capita.
Some African countries have as low as 9 kilowatt-
hours per capita. How could we expect growth and
transformation in such a situation?
 The whole of Africa needs to wake up on this
issue and cooperate to find a solution. The same goes
for our high transport costs due to poor roads and poor
or non-existent railways. In China, it costs $12 to
transport a ton of cargo between Beijing and Shanghai
by rail. In East Africa, on the other hand, transporting
the same cargo over a comparable distance would
require $65. We are aware of these bottlenecks, and we
are dealing with them one by one.
 There are two other bottlenecks that we often talk
about: the export of raw materials, and the failure to
transform subsistence and traditional farming into
modernized agriculture. The haemorrhage that is the
export of raw materials, for which we get only 10 per

29 09-52179

cent of the final processed product, has been
recognized by many of us as modern slavery.
 In Uganda we are transforming traditional
subsistence agriculture into modern agriculture. This
involves using improved seeds, fertilizers, tractors,
irrigation, breeding stock and agricultural practices.
However, we know that we cannot do all of this
sustainably if we continue to neglect the environment.
 Therefore, our development and transformation
manifesto and action plan in Uganda entails the
following: peace; democracy; education for all; health
for all; macroeconomic stability and economic
liberalization; electricity generation and distribution to
banish the very low levels of kilowatt-hours per capita;
modernization of roads; rebuilding and modernization
of railways; commercialization and modernization of
agriculture away from traditional subsistence farming;
adding value to our agricultural and mineral products
instead of just exporting raw materials, including
petroleum and gas; regional integration to widen
markets as well as accessing international markets;
environmental protection; and scientific research — we
are already supporting a quantity of innovative
research by Ugandan scientists.
 Ugandans and other Africans in our region who
have been chronically underconsuming in the past are
now helping our economy to stay afloat in spite of the
global recession, because they now have greater
capacity to purchase what we produce. Their
consumption is going up, thus supporting our
regionally oriented industries. We think that we have at
last graduated from wandering in the desert of
underdevelopment and are now marching towards
socio-economic transformation. We are finally doing
that which we ought to have done and the truth, this
time, is in us. The phase of what the French scholar
René Dumont called “a false start” in Africa, or, in this
case, Uganda, is over. We are entering the phase of
growth and transformation. Thus, we believe, our
economy will soon take off.
 Thus, Uganda’s response to the global crisis has
been fair, because of regional trade. It would have been
fairer if we had already dealt with the three
infrastructure elements I have talked about: roads,
electricity and railways. This would have enabled us to
lower the costs of doing business in Uganda and, thus,
increase the profitability of enterprises.
 Africa has great potential for growth that is not
tapped. The current global crisis was caused by certain
laxities in the management of some of the economies
of the world. Those laxities need to be rectified
through multilateral action, as some heads of State
have already noted. We need to stop money-laundering
and strengthen regulation. Multilateral action would
also be welcome in unlocking the dormant potential of
Africa. In the case of Uganda and many other African
countries, we have a double challenge: first, the
struggle to transform our economies from a
pre-industrial to a modern state; secondly, to cope with
the problems caused by others, such as the present
global financial crisis and environmental degradation.
 There are, however, a few questions I keep asking
myself. Is the present profligacy of some of the
developed countries sustainable if we all join in that
lifestyle? Or was it only possible when a tiny minority
of humanity was enjoying affluence? Is there a need
for a more rational modern lifestyle?
 The need for dialogue among civilizations is long
overdue. That dialogue could help us deal with some of
the headaches and dilemmas confronted by humanity.