It gives me pleasure to congratulate
Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I
am confident that he will successfully manage the
session thanks to his competence and his rich and long
experience in diplomacy in the service of his friendly
country, the Republic of Serbia. I also express our great
appreciation for the President of the Assembly at its last
session, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of
the fraternal State of Qatar, and thank him for the vital
role he played, the constructive issues he advanced and
his excellent management of the work of the sixty-sixth
session. We are proud of him as a seasoned diplomat
from a State member of the Gulf Cooperation Council,
and wish him every success in his future endeavours.
Let me also express our great appreciation for
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and thank him for
the strenuous efforts he has made to enhance the
effective role of the Organization in various fields. We
look forward to a renewed role for the United Nations
compatible with the Secretary-General’s new vision so
that the Organization will be able to address the major
challenges before it.
Since joining the United Nations, the Kingdom
of Bahrain has worked tirelessly to promote the noble
purposes and principles of the United Nations, in
particular, the maintenance of peace and security and
the development of cooperation and friendly relations
among nations on the basis of mutual respect. Guided
by full respect for those principles, I am honoured to
represent a country that acts upon its international
commitments and has laid the foundations of a modern
State through initiatives, planning and political and
organizational vision. We seek to build a modern
society that is well organized and committed to its
values in various fields, notably education, health,
employment, vocational training, economic reform and
the advancement of women.
Our country, Bahrain, has opted for dialogue as
an approach to all its modernization efforts aimed
at meeting the requirements of its long history. We conducted municipal elections in the 1920s and
parliamentary elections in the past few decades.
Important results have been achieved in providing a
greater degree of equality, participation, transparency,
political rights and human dignity. That is truly a
historical milestone on the path towards building a
society based on competitive sustainability, justice,
the rule of law, equality and the consecration of the
principles of popular participation and representation
in the decision-making process.
Notwithstanding all those remarkable national
achievements, since last year the Kingdom of Bahrain
has faced some serious challenges to its security and
stability, which it has addressed in full transparency,
commitment and honesty. In that context, we established
the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry to
ascertain the truth and provide redress. Consequently,
we launched a comprehensive dialogue among the
various sectors of society that resulted in a series of
constitutional and legislative reforms encompassing all
aspects of life — political, economic, social and legal.
Against that backdrop, His Majesty King Hamad
bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain proposed the creation of
an Arab court of human rights to lay the foundations of
an environment conducive to the protection of human
rights and the prevention of their abuse in the Arab
world, using the model of the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights
and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Council of the League of Arab States endorsed that
historical initiative, and arrangements are currently
under way to establish the legal basis for the court’s
establishment. We hope that the court will become a
reality in the near future.
Last week, consistent with our efforts to build
a pluralistic Bahraini society and in full respect for
the protection and enhancement of human rights, the
Kingdom of Bahrain approved more than 90 per cent
of the recommendations made by the Human Rights
Council in Geneva during its Universal Periodic Review,
including a possible accession to the Optional Protocol
to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The challenges and threats facing our region have
led the States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council
to realize the need for greater synergies among them.
They have endorsed the proposal of the Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, to move from cooperation to union as a
means of addressing those challenges and threats and
building capacities to achieve a Gulf Cooperation
Council society based on a shared vision of the future
that responds to the accelerating pace of the world and
answers to the aspirations of the peoples of the Gulf
region. They are convinced that their interests and
gains can be served only through solidarity and unity
with a view to preserving national independence and
State sovereignty and to meeting the needs arising
from the strategic transformations on the regional and
international scenes.
My country believes that the United Nations has an
indispensable role to play in addressing international
and regional problems and finding appropriate
solutions to them. Our region dearly needs that role
to be fulfilled, given the catastrophic and fast-paced
developments taking place in Syria. The international
community, represented by the United Nations and
its organs and bodies entrusted with the maintenance
of international peace and security, is called upon
to unify its position with a view to putting an end to
the humanitarian suffering of the Syrian people and
finding a political solution to the crisis that will end
the violence and bloodshed, preserve the unity of Syria
and the cohesion of its people, and spare the region as a
whole serious repercussions that could spill far beyond
the borders of Syria.
The United Nations must therefore shoulder
its responsibilities to protect unarmed civilians
without allowing the Organization’s procedures and
mechanisms to impede its ability to prevent crimes
against humanity from being committed. It must set
aside narrow geopolitical interests and proceed to
attain the supreme goal of protecting civilians in armed
conflicts and wars. My Government welcomes the
appointment of Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi as Joint Special
Representative of the United Nations and the League
of Arab States, and wishes him every success in his
endeavours to achieve the legitimate demands of the
brotherly Syrian people.
On the basis of the same humanitarian principle,
we should also stand by the Rohingya Muslims in
Myanmar in their ordeal and provide them with
assistance and support while providing good counsel to
the Government of Myanmar in that regard.
Although the Syrian crisis is preoccupying
the international community today, the Palestinian
question remains the core issue for the Arab States and the international community. The Kingdom of Bahrain
believes that it is imperative to redouble efforts towards
a just, durable and comprehensive solution, notably
through the creation of an independent Palestinian State,
with East Jerusalem as its capital, in conformity with
the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Arab Peace
Initiative and the decisions of the international Quartet.
We are extremely concerned at attempts to violate the
sanctity of the holy sites in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the
attempts to alter their identity.
We call on the international community to
support Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of
Palestine, who is striving relentlessly to defend the
cause of his occupied country and to achieve a just and
comprehensive peace in the region. We therefore urge
the international community to demand that Israel cease
its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian
territories and dismantle settlements that jeopardize
the chances for peace. We also stress the need to
implement the relevant General Assembly and Security
Council resolutions by putting an end to ongoing Israeli
violations and aggression, and to ensure the principles
of international legitimacy, notably the Fourth Geneva
Convention of 1949, which prohibits any geographical
or demographic alteration in occupied territories. We
look forward to peace in our region, which would serve
the interests of all its peoples.
One tenet of our foreign policy is to enhance peace
and security in the region. In that regard, Bahrain
reaffirms its unf linching position in favour of a
nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. That will
be possible only by compelling Israel to implement
relevant international resolutions, to adhere to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
and to subject its nuclear facilities to the supervision of
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Moreover, we stress that the Islamic Republic of
Iran must fulfil its commitments in full and transparent
cooperation with the IAEA. Indeed, nuclear weapons
constitute a serious threat to peace and security in the
entire region, and various parties must therefore assume
their responsibility for peace and security and refrain
from the language of intimidation, threats and counter-
threats that have recently dominated our region.
In that regard, we stress the importance of an
excellent preparation process for the 2012 conference
to be held pursuant to the agreement reached in the
Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference of
the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT/CONF.2010/50 (Vol. I)).
We also reaffirm that the principle of establishing
a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East in no
way precludes the right of all nations to access nuclear
technology for peaceful purposes, provided that they
do so in full transparency and abide by the IAEA
guarantee system.
While the States members of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) have extended their hand to their
neighbour, the Islamic Republic of Iran, they have
unfortunately found no positive Iranian response that
could facilitate confidence-building, peace and security.
On the contrary, we have had to endure constant
interference in our internal affairs from our neighbour.
Recently, Iran has reiterated menacing threats to GCC
Member States, in contradiction of the spirit of good-
neighbourliness, thus generating tension and distrust in
the region. More importantly, the Kingdom of Bahrain
reaffirms the need, either through direct negotiations
or through arbitration by the International Court of
Justice, to resolve the problem of the three United
Arab Emirates’ islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and
Lesser Tunb that are occupied by the Islamic Republic
of Iran.
With regard to the situation in brotherly Yemen,
we are aware of the need for a successful transitional
period in order to achieve security and stability
in the country, in line with the agreement reached
within the framework of the GCC initiative and its
implementation mechanisms. We welcome the steps
taken by Mr. Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour,
President of the Republic of Yemen, to launch a national
Yemeni dialogue, and we are fully confident of his wise
leadership of Yemen during this critical transitional
period, so that the aspirations of the Yemeni people can
be realized.
In that regard, the Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes
the convening of the donors conference for Yemen,
held in Riyadh and sponsored by the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, and fully supports the recommendations
and conclusions agreed upon with a view to building
a brighter future for brotherly Yemen, as well as the
outcome of the meeting of the Friends of Yemen, held
today in New York.
We also reaffirm the unwavering, principled and
consistent position of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in
solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco, regarding the
preservation of the territorial integrity of Morocco and the peaceful settlement of the Moroccan Sahara issue
pursuant to relevant Security Council resolutions.
In regard to the current political developments
in Somalia, the Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes the
election of Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new
President of the Somali Republic in the context of
the transitional process. We call on the international
community to offer its support and assistance in the
restoration of peace and security in the country and in
the preservation of Somalia’s territorial integrity and
political independence. We commend the efforts of the
Somali Government, together with the international
community, to restore peace, stability and cooperation,
particularly in combating piracy in the Horn of Africa.
We have recently witnessed ugly insults and
denigration addressed to our beloved Prophet
Muhammad — peace be upon him, his family and
his companions. A typical example of that is the
shameful video that the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns
in the strongest terms, and which led to violence
and destruction around the world. Our concern is
compounded by the unjustified aggression perpetrated
against the diplomatic mission of the United States
of America in Benghazi that killed Ambassador
Christopher Stevens and a number of innocent
American diplomats, in f lagrant violation of the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
In spite of these serious developments and
repercussions, we should not let that gloomy scene
overshadow the spectacle of the crowds that took to
the streets in Libya the following day to condemn that
abominable attack on the American mission. We are
all responsible, as peoples and nations, to teach each
other about respect. We need to redouble our efforts to
prevent the recurrence of insults to religions, prophets
and other religious symbols as Allah commands us in
the Holy Koran:
“We have created you from male and female
and made you peoples and tribes that you may
know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you
in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.
Indeed, Allah is all-knowing and acquainted”
(The Holy Koran, XLIX:13).
The Kingdom of Bahrain is among the first to
have achieved most of the Millenium Development
Goals (MDGs) before the prescribed time frame in the
fields of education, the empowerment of women, the
expansion of social security to vulnerable groups, equal opportunities for men and women, and the enhancement
of health services, notably for children. Therefore, the
Kingdom of Bahrain occupies an advanced position
at the global level, as reflected in the United Nations
Human Development Reports issued during the past
few years.
If the international community is to overcome the
challenges facing Member States, we must be able to
fully shoulder their responsibilities, especially as the
deadline for achieving the MDGs is approaching. We are
only three and a half years from that deadline. We have
to redouble our efforts and review our policies in order
to enhance national and regional capacities to avoid
imbalances and to overcome challenges. According
to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2012,
and notwithstanding some negative indicators, child
mortality has been decreasing across the world, the
percentage of those living in extreme poverty has been
halved, and over 89 per cent of the world’s population
now has access to safe drinking water.
However, it seems that other objectives are still
unattainable in many countries, and inequalities
continue to rise in some areas such as public health that
remains dismal and a cause for great concern. That also
applies to the scarcity of water resources. We therefore
cannot use the global financial crisis as an excuse
for reneging on our financial commitments to those
countries in greatest need.
In that regard, Bahrain welcomes the outcome
of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development, as well as the Secretary-General’s vision
with regard to sustainable development. Much remains
to be done, however, to ensure that people across the
world not only have access to the most basic needs, but
that they have the tools to maintain them over time.
We must acknowledge that sustainability is not merely
a response to needs but rather a principal element of
human dignity.
To conclude, I believe that the formidable changes
and challenges our world faces today present valuable
opportunities that we can exploit through wisdom,
courage, patience and joint action. We must work with
all our capacity to address the elements that divide us,
particularly backwardness, extremism and isolationism.
At the same time, we must continue to lend a hand
to those most in need. We must use objectivity and
honesty to challenge immobility and prejudice in order to achieve the progress, dignity and prosperity to which
our peoples aspire.


I
warmly congratulate the President on his election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. His election demonstrates the esteem in which
he and his country, Serbia, are held on the international
scene. I can assure him that he has the support of
my country, Gabon. I also commend the outstanding
work done by his predecessor, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser, during his presidency of the Assembly at its
sixty-sixth session. And I would like to reiterate our
confidence in the efforts that Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon is undertaking as the head of the Organization.
Our world more than ever needs a dialogue
of civilizations and cultures. In order to build a
more peaceful world, it needs more tolerance, more
understanding and more respect among peoples. During
this session, we are called upon to redefine the outlines
for better management of global challenges. I would
like to welcome the theme chosen by the President for
this session, namely, “Bringing about adjustment or
settlement of international disputes or situations by
peaceful means”, which will remain at the heart of our
common efforts and is indeed an ongoing quest.
The debate we held yesterday on the rule of law
at the national and international levels was also a
discussion of the conditions for peace in our countries
and around the world. By maintaining our focus on
that goal and working together, we can better tackle
the challenges of an international context that is still
marked by multifaceted crises, illustrated by many
hotbeds of tension around the world. That is shown by
the situations in the Middle East and Africa, which are
still of concern to us.
The Syrian crisis, which arose as an extension of
the Arab Spring last year, is having a destabilizing
impact on several countries of the Middle East region.
We hope that the efforts undertaken by the Joint Special
Representative, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, will help put a
stop to confrontation and will open up a dialogue.
With respect to the situation in Mali, we condemn
the attempts to divide the country and the destruction of
the World Heritage sites in Timbuktu. Gabon supports
the efforts of the new transitional Government, the
Economic Community of West African States and the
African Union to try to re-establish territorial integrity.
I urge the Security Council and Member States
to support the United Nations integral regional
strategy on the Sahel, which addresses issues of
security, governance, development, human rights and
humanitarian concerns.
When we served on the Security Council, we
joined other members in responding to the appeals of
the Libyan people. The situation there is still dire, and
we encourage the United Nations to continue to work to
promote political stability and reconstruction efforts.
We reiterate our condemnation of the attack on the
United States Consulate in Benghazi.
With regard to the ongoing tensions in the eastern
part of our brother country the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, our collective support for the Congolese
State must be maintained in security, political and
humanitarian matters.
I welcome the progress made in Somalia with the
adoption of its provisional Constitution and the election
of the new President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whom
I congratulate and commend. Gabon will continue to
help Somalia, as it did last year with humanitarian
contributions. I commend United Nations and African
Union involvement in Somalia. Thanks to the African
Union Mission in Somalia and to Government forces,
security is improving even far outside Mogadishu. I
have the highest praise for the country, whose troops
pay a heavy price on the ground.
I honour the memory of the first Prime Minister of
Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, who passed away on 22 August.
All of us know of his work for peace in Somalia and the
Sudan, his commendable tenures as Chair of the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development Heads of State
and Government Orientation Committee and his focus
on climate change.
It goes without saying that the crises and conflicts
that continue to ravage the world constitute a profound
betrayal of the cry-from-the-heart aspirations of all
peoples for peace and security, justice, development
and the equal sovereignty of States. Those cries come
from the people of Palestine and Cuba, who long for a
better future. One wants recognition of a State living in
peace and security with its neighbours, within secure,
internationally recognized borders, while the other
wants an end to the economic, commercial and financial
embargo it suffers under. The General Assembly has
many times spoken out on the side of those two peoples’
aspirations, through numerous resolutions, which my
country has unequivocally supported.
To fulfil the aspirations of all peoples, we need global
governance that is more balanced, more democratic,
better structured and based on the principles of the
Charter of the United Nations. Such governance must be founded on the primacy of international law and
respect for the sovereignty of States in their quest for
democracy and development.
Throughout the coming sixty-seventh session we
will focus on certain priority issues, starting with
various reforms of the Organization, especially the
revitalization of the General Assembly, to make it better
able to play its part given the changes and current realities
in the world. We must strengthen the Assembly’s role
as an active force and as the premier forum for global
democracy. Likewise, in its commitment to Security
Council reform, Gabon continues to support permanent
and equitable representation for Africa.
As we did during our recent tenure on the Council,
we will continue our focus on mediation, prevention
and the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts.
We believe action must be taken before disputes
escalate into armed conflict, sparing the heavy expense
of peacekeeping operations. But current realities force
us to focus also on new, cross-cutting threats to peace
and security, including trafficking in small arms and
light weapons and maritime piracy, which is ravaging
the Gulf of Guinea.
That is why we are working along with
other countries in Central Africa to put in place
confidence-building measures, including the early
warning mechanism for Central Africa. We greatly
appreciate the support offered by the United Nations
Regional Office for Central Africa, which my country
hosts, in promoting peace.
During my tenure as Acting Chairman of the
Economic Community of West African States, I will
emphasize regional integration as a means to common
economic development and strengthening peaceful
connections among member States.
We know that the conflicts shaking the world have
numerous and complex causes. Any lasting settlement
of those crises requires an approach that combines
support for institution-building and governance in the
affected countries with initiatives to revitalize their
economies. Gabon will therefore follow with great
interest the issue of an increased role for the Economic
and Social Council.
Many countries remain concerned with economic
conditions. We must therefore rethink our approaches
to sustainable development initiatives. We must reflect
clearly on the post-2015 development agenda, especially
on how to coordinate the Millennium Development
Goals and the sustainable development goals enunciated
in the outcome of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20) (resolution 66/288).
It is also crucial to break the impasse in the
World Trade Organization by rethinking the basis for
negotiations. We will thereby be better able to promote
the tripartite model of aid together with investment and
trade towards sustainable development.
During last year’s session I referred to work
in progress in my country towards the goal we set
for ourselves to become an emerging country by
2025. Since then that initiative has begun to produce
results in the creation of strategic infrastructures,
strengthening the rule of law and social, political
and economic reforms. We continue to take steps to
diversify our economy through local promotion of the
natural resources we export, which encourages wealth
creation and employment. Those efforts must be based
on sustainable management of our forests and their
biodiversity, which plays an important role in the global
environment. In that vein we are fighting poaching and
the illegal trafficking in protected species.
I am also pleased at the adoption, on 21 June, of
the outcome of the Rio+20 Conference, which reflects
the international community’s recognition of the need
to work together to promote sustainable development
through the joint efforts of individuals, Governments,
civil society and the private sector. Along those lines I
have instructed my Government to rethink our country’s
institutional framework for sustainable development,
with an eye to enacting legislation on the subject.
Gabon is also pursuing the opportunities offered by a
green economy in eradicating poverty.
We are also continuing to develop our human
resources, our financial services capabilities, new
information technologies and ecotourism. Given
current economic challenges, I recently instituted
measures to improve the daily lives of my fellow
citizens by tackling the cost of living — for instance,
by suspending customs duties and the value added-tax
on several basic items and building materials.
In the social arena, we have put in place a national
system of health coverage for all strata of Gabonese
society. That coverage, which is part of our fight against
HIV/AIDS, includes free antiretrovirals and prenatal
and maternal care for all infected pregnant women.
At the political level, we have introduced biometrics
to improve the organization of the next elections. We continue our efforts to talk with all leading players in
the nation, in particular through the National Council
for Democracy.
Together, those actions strengthen the climate of
peace bequeathed to us by my illustrious predecessor,
thereby creating an environment conducive to the well-
being of citizens and to the security of investments
needed for the development of the country. We are
therefore ready to welcome diversified and mutually
beneficial partnerships and look forward to doing so.
Our countries and the international community as
a whole must today overcome considerable challenges.
Our efforts can fulfil the aspirations of our peoples only
if we cooperate to achieve global governance based on
respect for the rule of law, dialogue among peoples,
conflict prevention, protection of the environment and
biodiversity. Our ultimate goal must be, above all, the
well-being of our peoples.
It is in that spirit that my country will continue to
make its contribution both in our Organization and in
our common work for peace, security, development and
prosperity for all.


On behalf of the
African continent and as Chair of the African Union, I
would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your
election to the presidency of the General Assembly
at its sixty-seventh session, and at the same time
congratulate the Secretary-General for his leadership
role for the peace and prosperity of our people.
In our world, shaken by so many multifaceted crises,
the Assembly’s general debate offers us the opportunity
to transcend our national interests to contemplate
together the ways and means to ensure international
peace and security and to improve global governance
for healthy economic growth, which is the guarantor
of sustainable human development. In that regard, I
welcome the relevance of the theme of this session,
on the settlement of international disputes by peaceful
means. It is a logical follow-up to that of the previous
session, which focused on mediation in the settlement of
disputes, and amply demonstrates the importance that
the United Nations accords to international peace and
security, the foundation of a better world characterized
by stability, equity, solidarity among nations, justice,
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
and international cooperation.
With regard to the conflicts and other wars that
shake our world, the African continent faces many
challenges which it cannot straighten out by itself. We
hope that the General Assembly’s attention, focused
since its previous session on the thorny question of
conflicts and how to settle them peacefully, will help
Africa to find appropriate solutions so that it can
dedicate its resources and energies to the sustainable
development of its States and to the well-being of its
populations.
The major constraints on Africa’s economic
development and social progress are at once sundry and
variable. They include, inter alia, the illicit and massive
circulation of small arms and light weapons, which
feeds chronic insecurity and transnational organized
crime in States and regions of the continent heretofore
havens of peace and prosperity. There is an upsurge in
terrorist acts in the Sahelo-Saharan area and activities
related to transnational crime, such as abductions
and illegal trafficking of all kinds, in particular of
humans, and trafficking in narcotics and counterfeit
medications. Piracy and armed robbery at sea confront
the States of the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa.
We see ongoing unemployment and underemployment,
lack of food in some regions and chronic malnutrition in many countries. Soil degradation and erosion
increase, and natural disasters, the consequences of
climate upheavals and change recur. Poor governance
in international economic relations engenders an
economic and financial crisis.
In spite of the difficulties and shortfalls noted in
their operation, the different elections that have taken
place in many African States in 2011 and 2012 show
the determination of the African peoples and their
adherence to the process of implanting democracy and
the rule of law in our dear continent.
I take this opportunity to focus particularly on the
efforts underway in the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), supported by the African
Union, to deal with the grave security and institutional
crises that have taken place in particular in Mali and
Guinea-Bissau.
In Mali a very disturbing situation is developing
which has to do with the occupation of the north of the
country by terrorist cells that threaten to destabilize
the entire West African subregion and could threaten
security on the continent and throughout the world.
The terrorist cells share the same intolerance that is
destabilizing the democratic Government of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. The international community
has a duty to act decisively against that terrorist and
fundamentalist threat and ensure that human rights are
respected. I would like to reiterate from this rostrum
my pressing appeal for the international community to
commit itself, along with ECOWAS and the African
Union, to eliminate that serious threat to peace and
security in the subregion and to prevent large-scale
humanitarian disasters.
I am not forgetting the situation in Guinea-Bissau,
which continues to hold the attention of ECOWAS and
of the African Union in spite of progress made through
mediation between the different the parties concerned,
including ECOWAS, the African Union, the Community
of Portuguese-speaking Countries, the United Nations
and the bilateral and multilateral partners. I hope that
the initiatives will continue to help to bring about a
coordinated approach to the crisis in order to reach an
international and national consensus on the situation in
that country.
I welcome the different efforts by the African
Union and the international community in pursuit
of peace with regard to the various other hotbeds of
tension on the continent, namely, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, the Sudan, South
Sudan, Madagascar, et cetera. We must strengthen the
strategic partnership established between the United
Nations Security Council and the Peace and Security
Council of the African Union with regard to conflict
prevention, mediation, peacekeeping, peacebuilding
and the promotion of human rights and humanitarian
law for the certain benefit of our people. We must also
think more deeply on ways to ensure predictable and
sustainable financing for African Union peacekeeping
operations, including the African Standby Force.
As shown by the crises that are shaking our planet,
the system of global governance that has prevailed up to
now is suffering from serious disfunctions. It is therefore
high time to accelerate the process of reforming the
international system in order to democratize the mode
of operation of its institutions and mechanisms that
regulate and promote cooperation among States.
Since the 2005 World Summit, various measures
having to do with rationalizing the United Nations
system have been taken and have resulted in particular
in the establishment of new bodies that have proven
very useful. The Peacebuilding Commission, created
to break the cycle of violence in countries emerging
from conflict, has contributed to their stabilization by
providing them targeted support to confront troubling
situations. Similarly, the Human Rights Council is
contributing to improving global governance with
regard to the protection and promotion of human rights,
humanitarian law and fundamental freedoms.
In the same spirit, negotiations to reform the
Security Council must be intensified to achieve in the
near term the establishment of an inclusive Council,
one that would repair the historical injustice done to
Africa with respect to its presence in that organ, which
heads the collective security system established by the
Charter of the United Nations.
Completing Security Council reform would, I am
sure, result in more serenity in the handling of the world’s
current major problems in the area of international peace
and security. It would confer greater legitimacy upon
the actions of our common Organization and would
allow it to renew its original vocation as an instrument
of conflict prevention and resolution. It would also
allow it to shed the inconsistencies that limit it to the
incongruous role of an observer of carnage taking
place before its very eyes. Those laudable reforms must
be complemented by a system offering the youth and women an opportunity to get more involved in the life
of the United Nations.
Peace in the world is possible. We cannot ignore the
situation in the Middle East. Today the United Nations
has the means to find a fair and sustainable solution to
the Palestinian problem, and under no pretext should
it shirk its duty and historical responsibility. We are
talking about security, stability and peace, not only
in the Middle East, but for the entire world. Africa is
fully in favour of the “one land, two States” solution to
restore lasting peace in the Middle East, because in the
end the two peoples — Palestinians and Israelis — must
be able to live in love, friendship, peace and prosperity.
As the Assembly knows, the world economy still
suffers from the financial and economic crisis that
was unleashed in 2008. In spite of the macroeconomic
policies established by both developed and developing
countries, with the support of the national and
international financial institutions, the economic
slowdown that began in 2008 has persisted, with the
corollary of weak and fragile economic growth and
more than 75 million unemployed people throughout
the world, with very high unemployment rates in the
developing countries.
The prices of raw materials, which are the major
source of export earnings for developing countries,
have become very volatile, as have the prices of food
commodities. Flows of private capital meant for foreign
direct investment cannot escape the negative impact of
the crisis. At the same time, we see a tangible reduction
of aid for development and other forms of official f lows
from countries of the North to those of the South.
With regard to food security, almost 16 million
people in Sahel countries face problems of famine and
nutrition, in spite of the many efforts made individually
by our States and the collective initiatives in the
African Union through the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development and through the Comprehensive Africa
Agriculture Development Programme. In fact, of 40
countries facing a food shortage throughout the world,
34 still are in Africa, even though about twenty of them
have allocated at least 20 per cent of their budget to
agriculture. That is why the nineteenth ordinary session
of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of
the African Union adopted a decision declaring 2014
the Year of Agriculture and Food Security in Africa to
mark the tenth anniversary of the Comprehensive Africa
Agriculture Development Programme. The forecasted increase in food commodity prices, according to recent
estimates of the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, and the already high costs of energy
are certainly additional burdens for already vulnerable
populations.
We also welcome the positive initiative of the
New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition taken
by President Barack Obama on the margins of the
Group of Eight Summit, held on 18 and 19 May at
Camp David, which calls for bringing together donors,
partner countries and the private sector for a common
cause aimed at pulling 50 million people out of poverty
in the next ten years. We hope that this will allow us
to mobilize more assistance for African countries in
order to improve food security and nutrition in order
to accelerate their progress towards achieving the
Millenium Development Goals.
It is also important not to disappoint the hopes raised
by the conclusions of the United Nations Conference
on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which adopted
more than 700 official commitments and promises of
gifts totaling more than $500 billion. The impact of
those conferences will be measured by the fulfilment
of the decisions and commitments.
Africa hopes that the results of the work of the
high-level group of eminent persons selected by the
Secretary-General to advise him on the post-2015
development programme and the working group to
define sustainable development goals will be able
to achieve convergence in their efforts to suggest a
vision of sustainable human development, capable
of mobilizing the international community so as to
achieve equity and attain a prosperity shared by all.
Africa, the cradle of humankind, is also a continent
of the future, of hope and hopefulness. Indeed, thanks
to the incalculable potential of its subsoil and to the
youthfulness of its population — which in 2050 will
number 2 billion, 60 per cent of whom will be less than
35 years old — Africa could become the driving force
for growth of the global economy, if that youth becomes
professionalized.
That is why we raised to cardinal principles
the values of unity, stability, peace, security, good
governance and the struggle against any impediments
to our development, particularly corruption, impuntiy,
the loss of accountability, fratricidal wars, political
and institutional instability and brutal challenges to
the constitutional order. We have affirmed all of those values through the African Charter on Democracy,
Elections and Governance, the African charter on
public service and the African peace and security
mechanisms, et cetera.
Africa has decided to establish a free trade
zone throughout the continent and is in the
process of accelerating its economic integration
through its ambitious programme of developing
infrastructure — namely, energy, railroad networks,
airports and ports. That feeds the hope that we will
have support for private-public partnerships to finance
those wide-ranging infrastructure programmes.
In our implacable fight against poverty, Africa
has no choice but to persevere in its efforts to ensure
progress in the areas of food, nutrition, health, water
provisioning, sanitation, primary, technical and
professional education for all, and the independence of
women and children.
The fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria is a top priority for the continent, and we
will not be idle as long as we have not achieved the
objectives that we set in Abuja. In that regard, we
welcome the decision adopted by the Assembly of
Heads of State and Government of the African Union
asking the Commission of the Union to develop a road
map for the African Union for shared responsibility and
global solidarity in combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
and malaria in Africa for the period of 2012 to 2015.
A high-level coordinating meeting on the subject will
take place tomorrow, 26 September 2012, at United
Nations Headquarters.  I call on the spirit of solidarity of developed
countries and of countries of the South that are
experiencing considerable economic expansion to set
up, according to their historic responsibility and their
abilities, opportunities to assist the efforts of African
countries, as was agreed during the fourth Ministerial
Conference of the Least Developed Countries, held
in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2011, as well as at the
Group of 20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, in June.
The recommendations of those bodies reflect well
our common ambition to transition of half of the least
developed countries to the category of middle-income
countries by 2020 — an ambition that has been fully
integrated into the Rio+20 vision.

My fervent wish is that the current difficulties of
development partners of the North, due to the sovereign
debt and bank crises, and the austerity measures that
they are rightly imposing on themselves do not def lect
them from their commitments to a significant increase
in development aid. In that regard, I am pleased by the
reaffirmation at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable
Development of the resolve of heads of State and
Government to spare no effort to more promptly achieve
internationally agreed development goals, including
attaining the Millennium Development Goals by 2015,
while bearing in mind the concerns linked to the risks
that current production and consumption methods pose
to the planet in terms of the accelerated depletion of
resources and the challenges for future generations.
I am convinced that a new world is possible. It
presupposes inclusive governance in international
political, financial and economic bodies. Moreover,
the continuing challenges facing humanity make us
fully aware of our interdependence and the need for an
agreed system of governance in managing international
relations rather than withdrawal and resort to
unilateralism and coercive domination.
I remain convinced that a new world characterized
by peace, stability, security and the shared prosperity
of our planet and our peoples will emerge only by the
international community sharing its technology and
financial resources, together with the wealth of the
African continent. May God bless our planet.


I would first like to
congratulate Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at this year’s
session. I also wish to place on record Saint Lucia’s
thanks to Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser for his
contribution as President of the Assembly at its sixty-
sixth session.
I would like to underscore the words of the
President, of which we should be continually reminded,
concerning the fact that peace is not merely the absence
of war. Indeed, poverty and prejudice are the flint and tinder for violent feud and furore. And so we embrace
your suggested theme, for while in the Caribbean we
generally know peace, we are aware of the real struggle
of humankind to achieve peace in the face of disaster,
injustice, inequity and conflict.
Beyond this Hall lies a beautiful world. And
whatever the f laws and failures of mankind, we still
are blessed to be given a world from which we can seek
life and livelihoods. It is difficult to imagine at times
that even in the face of turmoil, decimation and acts
of brutality and calamity, humankind has progressed
over the millennia. That is what must give us hope and
confidence for the future: that we have been through
this before and have come through colossal tragedies,
unexplainable disasters, world wars and famine, and
still we are here. Our civilization continues to thrive.
However, we can only succeed if we recognize and
celebrate our shared humanity. This, therefore, must
be a world that continuously affirms all human lives,
a world that recognizes our collective endowment, that
celebrates our ingenuity and our enterprise. A world, as
is said in southern Africa, that is imbued with ubuntu.
Each year for the past seven decades, we have sat
here as equals, everyone with a voice, everyone with a
say. Our size, whether defined by geography, population
or both, has no relevance, albeit only temporarily for
the purposes of this discourse and dialogue. And even
while some have sat here longer, we can all embrace a
commonality that is not transient or mutable. But even
so, we can at times forget that behind every country’s
representative are real people with real lives, who seek
cherished moments despite their sea of despair.
And let there be no doubt that, even when our
leaders come here to speak, we will have, in all our
own countries, differences of opinion, of philosophy,
of faith. Yet despite all this, the beauty of democracy
is that we can embrace a common pursuit: the pursuit
of happiness, prosperity and enjoyment of life. Our
philosophies should therefore never destroy that
pursuit; they should affirm it. Our faiths should never
tear this apart, they should form and fashion souls of
compassion, understanding and tolerance.
For our ancestors, from Africa to Asia, from the
Arctic to the Amazon, all knew conflict and what it cost
in their lives. We know what it costs humankind right
now. And we should all know that history has repeatedly
shown us that warfare is not the best way to solve our
problems. So then do we ignore the bombs and guns if they are not heard on our streets, in our cities and parks
and playgrounds? Should the girl in Aleppo or Benghazi
not be able to share the same opportunities and dreams
and hopes as a boy in Arlington or Birmingham?
No one expects a naive world, with utopian leaders.
Nor do we suggest that our world will not have conflict,
for disagreement is inevitable in all aspects of life.
However, I ask that we have the courage to be bold
about the world we want. I ask that we act when we
know we can. I ask that those leaders who hold the seats
of higher authority always remember the minorities,
those who are easily forgotten, easily marginalized,
easily wiped out. There should never be a season for
injustice, never a season for corruption, never a season
for poverty, never a season for brutality and never a
season for torment.
Saint Lucia therefore welcomes a peaceful
resolution to the conflict in the Syrian Republic and
an immediate end to what is clearly carnage, a human
tragedy. We continue to support the efforts of the
Special Envoy and the Secretary-General in this body’s
efforts to induce the parties to focus on coming to the
table for negotiations, with a view to finding a path
towards a resolution of the conflict that is acceptable
to the majority of the people of Syria and takes into
account the necessity of ensuring the welfare and
interest of minorities in that State.
We are, of course, also very concerned about
the resort to violence in the Middle East, aimed at
confronting either religious or ideological contentions.
We condemn all attempts at disparagement of religious
prophets, deities, symbols or practices, and we appeal
for tolerance and understanding. In the same vein, we
deplore the brutal murder in Libya of the Ambassador
of the United States, and we share that country’s pain
and anguish. Religious intolerance is combustible and
dangerous and ensnares even those nations far from the
theatres of conflict.
Saint Lucia is very conscious of the active
attempts in the Middle East to develop new systems
of governance, as recent systems appear, in some
countries, to have outlived their usefulness for the
majority of their citizens. Apart from our commitment
to global and regional peace, we must also recognize
that turbulence in the Middle East has the undoubted
effect of distorting the price of the dominant global
commodity, oil, and that those distortions harm the
interests and development processes of large and small
countries alike. The world desperately needs a peaceful
Middle East. We express our hope for the continued
evolution of peaceful and consensus approaches to
issues of governance in that area.
Saint Lucia believes that all efforts to promote
peace and prosperity for everyone, while of course
protecting the health of our planet, should be embraced.
The Government of Saint Lucia is well aware of the
determination of the Chinese people to unify their
country, as signalled to the world when China took its
rightful place in the United Nations. In that context,
Saint Lucia welcomes the emerging dialogue and
cooperation between the People’s Republic of China
and the Republic of China on Taiwan. Such cross-strait
dialogue and cooperation will surely facilitate global
harmony. We look forward to a continued evolution of
the ongoing peaceful rapprochement among the Chinese
people as they search to unify their civilization.
Saint Lucia also wishes to support the calls for
Africa to gain its rightful permanent representation on
the Security Council, as supported by the Presidents
of Mali and South Africa. As we recognize the perils
of conflict and warfare in Africa so too should we
recognize the ability of Africa to bring peace to itself.
The voice of one billion people and that of an entire
continent should no longer go unheard.
Saint Lucia welcomes the resolution of the
longstanding dispute in the Sudan, the achievement of
self-determination for the new State of South Sudan
and its introduction into the community of nations. It
is pleasing that that process has occurred in a context
in which the States of the African continent have
now themselves been creating new spaces in a bid to
take advantage of the development of the continent’s
resources in a changing economic environment.
We cannot have global collaboration and
cooperation, and start anew unless extreme disparities
are reduced or eliminated. So it is necessary to
determine the causes and respond purposefully in
tackling the inequities that exist in the world. While
one of the obvious building blocks for development is
that of good governance — political structures that are
ethical and not fuelled by greed and abuse — and while
we can strengthen the rule of law, ensure property rights
and hold fair elections, those measures by themselves
do not and cannot secure democracy. While democracy
has no place for dictators or demigods, it is still rather
meaningless to a person with no food on the table. The dispossessed will have no passion and no will. The
depressed will not vote, nor will the downtrodden.
We cannot continue to ignore the age-old injustices
of slavery, of forcing people into labour and of
decimating their culture and identity. Many of us here
today are the descendants of the survivors of slavery. As
a part of that recognition, we support the Government
of Jamaica in calls for the recognition of the impacts
of the transatlantic slave trade and the need for a frank
dialogue on the status of people of African descent.
Furthermore, like Africa, we all need the opportunity
to trade equally and fairly. We all know that the death
of the Doha talks was due to the unwillingness of some
nations to relent on large-scale subsidies on farming
and agriculture.
One of the injustices that is a relic of an era of
fear and dispute long gone is the embargo imposed
upon the people of Cuba, purely for purposes of
political retribution and punishment. I must take this
opportunity to reiterate the conclusion of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) as a whole, most recently
in December 2011, that it is time to end the embargo
imposed on the Republic of Cuba by the United States.
Saint Lucia is part of the Group of Latin American
and Caribbean States and wishes to pursue the fullest
measure of economic integration in the hemisphere,
as an instrument of our own economic growth and in
order to maximize economic and social cooperation in
the area. Blockades and embargoes, in that context, are
anachronistic and outmoded. In an era of globalization
and economic liberalization they cannot be tolerated or
justified.
Another relic of colonialism is that of our Caribbean
Community member, Haiti. The suffering of the people
of Haiti can only be matched by their perseverance. It is
a country that was tormented into paying compensations
to its former colonial master. That was an extraordinary
and crude example of trade loss. Today the world’s first
black independent country is the Western hemisphere’s
poorest nation. It is still very much deserving of the
support of the United Nations in overcoming its recent
pains and indigence brought on by the earthquake of
12 January 2010. It should not be forgotten. Haiti is a
member of the CARICOM family of nations, and so we
pay due respect and regard to those countries in our
hemisphere that came to the support and assistance of
Haiti in its hour of need.

We in the Caribbean continue to experience the
challenge of our skilled population seeking to settle in
regions to the north, where they are generally greeted
with open arms. Meanwhile, we also have to contend
with the reverse f low of guns which, owing to the
narcotics trade, is finding its way into our jurisdictions.
We cannot have internal peace in our islands if our
young people are too easily being given guns. We
raised the matter as one of great concern to our security
at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia,
in April this year.
It is now clear that the current policies to combat
the consumption and trafficking of illicit drugs across
and within borders have failed, creating yet another
human tragedy of immense consequence. Lives are
being lost either to guns or to the consumption of drugs.
We remain resolute in wanting the whole matter of the
drug trade to be reviewed. Collectively, we must craft
new solutions to this problem. We also wish to place
on record our continued concern about the practice of
deporting seasoned criminals back to our small States,
without any regard for the capacity of our internal
security arrangements.
In all this there is a sobering reality for the leader
of any small State like Saint Lucia. Even as I have the
distinction of standing here today, I know that many of
the decisions that affect our world and my country are
still made in the capitals of other countries, sometimes
unilaterally and sometimes multilaterally by groups of
5 or 8 or 20 or 30. It is said that 80 per cent of the
world’s trade and economic activity is accounted for by
20 countries. I can assure everyone that Saint Lucia,
indeed all of the Caribbean Basin, lies beyond the limits
of that geopolitical circle. With few or no resources,
diplomatic or otherwise, Saint Lucia can only speak
with its moral courage, authority and convictions.
Small islands are special places with special
peculiarities that make us both unique and vulnerable.
Still, we know that, if there is a willingness to support
their growth and development, then small islands
can be success stories. Consider for instance that our
15-member Caribbean Community has a combined
population of 17 million and an economy of about
$89 billion. The United States territory of Puerto Rico,
itself part of the greater Caribbean, has a gross domestic
product of about $100 billion. Those numbers clearly
suggest that, given support in trade and investment,
though we may be small, our economies could grow.
They could find sustainability.

The Caribbean Community has continuously made
the point that many small States are deceptively classed
as middle-income merely on the basis of per capita
income. A country the size of Saint Lucia, with the
vulnerabilities that we face, should not be subjected to
such a measuring tool for determining whether a State
can stand on its own.
For instance, Saint Lucia experienced a category 2
hurricane in 2010 that caused damage totalling nearly
30 per cent of our gross domestic product. As in the
case of other small States like ours, we were then
forced to become even more indebted as we borrowed
to replace infrastructure, such as arterial roads and
bridges, without which our country’s economy would
have faced further contraction. On top of that, we were
further impacted by unilateral domestic measures
which, showing insensitivity to such matters as our
dependence on tourism, some major developed States
implemented, making us an even less desirable tourist
destination.
Other islands that are highly dependent on
international financial services are now suffering as
a result of the attempts by some States to sully their
reputations. Though we live in a beautiful part of
the world, the reduction of foreign direct investment
f lows due to the global economic crisis, and the recent
announcement by the World Trade Organization that it
has cut its forecast for global trade growth from 3.7 per
cent to 2.5 per cent, can cause the outlook to look grim.
This means that development cannot be just about
assistance and that small States require there to be
some fairness and balance in the world economic space.
From the point of view of the developing countries, the
collapse of the Doha Round was a disappointing portent
of the difficult times to come in the discussions between
developed and developing countries. This trend was
typified in our hemisphere by the lack of progress in the
initiative for a free trade area of the Americas. At the
same time, however, there were increasing indications
of the emergence of countries in Asia, Africa and the
Far East as competitors in global economic competition.
We look to a future in which the United Nations
and other global institutions become more targeted and
differentiated in their interventions and policies. We
look to a world in which the Millennium Development
Goals are realized and in which the international
community crafts a new post-2015 strategy to tackle the major impediments to growth as well as to promote
the major creators of wealth and prosperity.
A major issue is, of course, climate change. As
expressed in the Mauritius Strategy for the Further
Implementation of the Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States and in the Global Conference on the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States held in
Barbados in 1994, small States are committed to seeing
action taken on climate change and tangible support for
the requisite adaptations and interventions needed at all
levels.
Within the Caribbean Community, the Liliendaal
Declaration issued by Heads of Government in 2009
encapsulated our concerns as small island States subject
to major dislocation as a consequence of the threat of
climate change. It notes that
“[the region’s] efforts to promote sustainable
development and to achieve the internationally
agreed development goals, including the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are
under severe threat from the devastating effects of
climate change and sea-level rise.”
In particular, it notes the “increasingly frequent and
intense extreme weather events” that have resulted
in severe damage to the region’s resources and
socio-economic base, and it emphasizes that
“dangerous climate change is already occurring in
all Small Islands and Low-lying Coastal Developing
States (SIDS) regions, including the Caribbean, and
that many SIDS will cease to exist without urgent,
ambitious and decisive action by the international
community”.
Saint Lucia is therefore in full support of the
conclusions of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development in Brazil on the challenges and
potential solutions to the climate crisis and interrelated
factors, which continue to inhibit the achievement of a
sustainable world capable of facilitating the activities of
all countries, large and small. We are comforted by the
words of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that we will
secure a legally binding agreement to tackle climate
change by 2015. With climate change, we cannot afford
any unfinished business, for there is but one world. We
also hope that there will be a strong commitment to
technology transfer and building local human capacity
to deal with climate change and attendant disasters.

Saint Lucia looks forward to the President’s tenure
in directing the work of the sixty-seventh session of
the General Assembly as one in which the upsurge of
conflicts now characterizing our globe will be subjected
to meaningful deliberations among our Member States.
Our concern as small countries is that persistent
conflicts in respect of issues and problems currently
plaguing various regions of the globe can serve to
distract our United Nations from devoting both attention
and resources to persisting with solutions to the serious
problems of economic transition and adjustment now
characterizing international economic relations in
particular. In the cacophony of regional conflicts that
inevitably draw the attention and involvement of the
major Powers, the problem of the survival of small
countries in the environment of larger States has
become more and more intractable.
We in Saint Lucia, as members of the Caribbean
Community, look forward to an enhanced cooperation
with the countries of a continent in which a large
proportion of our population finds its ancestry. We
believe that it is possible to pursue this process through
the United Nations development institutions in our
sphere and on the African continent, and we propose
that this be done.
As is now well known, the traditional economic
relations under the auspices of the Commonwealth
system and the African, Pacific and Caribbean
institutional relationships in the context of our trade
with Europe are diminishing. We look forward to new
avenues of relationships, a task in which the United
Nations can be of great assistance to us.
I wish to extend to the President the best wishes
and support of my country and delegation for success
in his task over the coming year.


Allow me to congratulate
the President on his well-deserved election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh
session. My delegation and I would like to assure him
of Malawi’s full support during his tenure of office.
It is an honour to address the Assembly today for the
first time in my capacity as President of the Republic of Malawi. As the Assembly may be aware, I took office
in April of this year after the death of my predecessor,
His Excellency Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika. On
behalf of all Malawians, I express our appreciation for
the support that the world gave us during that difficult
time in our country. I would like to also acknowledge
in particular the support I received from leaders from
the Southern African Development Community and the
entire African continent when I assumed the presidency.
The support that I received is a mark that Africa has
indeed embraced women’s leadership.
Joining the world’s leaders here and becoming only
the second female Head of State in Africa’s history,
after Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of
Liberia, is a moment of pride for me. However, mine
is not the story of the success of an individual, but of
a people. A peaceful and constitutional transition of
power was not inevitable when my presidency began.
It is the courage and determination of the people of
Malawi that made it possible. The people of Malawi
have made a decisive choice. They have chosen
democracy, they have chosen peace and they have
chosen to work together to realize their destiny. It is my
people’s courage and determination that has taken me
to the presidency, and which we will now apply to our
national development.
The theme of the general debate this year is “Bringing
about adjustment or settlement of international disputes
or situations by peaceful means”. It allows us to reflect
on some of the conflict situations around the world,
including in Africa. Those conflicts have a devastating
effect on the lives of millions, especially women and
children. The impact of conflict goes beyond the people
directly involved, affecting the region and the world.
Let me agree with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
when he said in his reappointment speech that one of
the greatest opportunities we have for a better world
without conflict is through sustainable development.
The biggest threats to security and peace are poverty,
lack of opportunity and lack of hope. It is unacceptable
to me as the President of Malawi, as it should be to the
global community, that we have children continuing to
suffer from malnutrition, or that they yearn to learn but
have to sit under trees rather than in proper classrooms.
It is unacceptable that a mother should die while giving
birth because the nearest health centre is far away, or
that thousands die of diseases that we have answers
for. It is unacceptable that the youth who represent the
future of our world have few opportunities to realize their potential, or that they are not guaranteed a society
where they can speak their mind. It is unacceptable that
farmers and other workers continue to toil to make the
best of what they have, but do not enjoy the fruits of
their labour due to lack of modernization, a supportive
policy environment and access to markets; and that
they are buried under global tariffs and taxes. It is when
those frustrations are in place that conflict takes root.
For decades, I have fought these issues in Malawi
as a social justice and human rights activist and
through my work at the gra-ssroots. I have experienced
the struggles of the poor and the suffering of Malawian
women. I have championed the advancement of the
oppressed and marginalized, fought for the rights of
women and children, campaigned for the betterment of
the rural and urban poor. I can attest to the fact that
the experience of a poor and disadvantaged Malawian
is intimately intertwined with that of Africans, and
indeed with that of the people of the least developed
countries.
Now, as the President of the Republic of Malawi,
I have a vision. My vision is to eradicate poverty
through economic growth and wealth creation. Malawi
aims to create wealth by transforming the structure of
the economy, promoting the private sector in order to
achieve economic growth, accelerating job creation
and protecting the vulnerable and the excluded within a
decentralized and democratic environment.
Specifically, my vision is to transform Malawi
into one of the fastest-growing African economies in
the next decade. For me, growth is not merely related
to gross domestic product. Growth is about wealth and
prosperity for all, opportunity for all, happiness for all,
political and economic freedom for all. Growth is also
about growing the number of children in school and
young people in jobs. Growth is about increasing the
number of mothers who give safe birth in a hospital and
of growing the number of families who have plenty of
food.
As the Assembly may be aware, for the past
three years Malawi has faced severe economic and
social challenges brought on by poor political and
economic governance, which could have impacted our
ability to accelerate the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). Therefore, upon assuming
office I immediately put in place an economic recovery
programme to restore macroeconomic stability in the
country so that we can not only address our immediate macroeconomic issues, but also secure Malawi’s ability
to meet the MDG targets.
I would like to share that we are certain that we will
be able to achieve five of the eight MDGs by 2015. And
we will continue to strive to achieve our goals of the
three remaining MDGs: universal primary education,
promoting gender equality and empowering women,
and improving maternal health. Coincidentally, these
three MDGs are related to issues that I have worked on
throughout my life, and I will personally ensure that
Malawi redoubles its efforts to make improvements in
those areas.
My Government realizes that the potential of
Malawi — the potential of our land, our resources
and, most importantly, our people — is great. But
that opportunity will be seized only through our own
efforts. That is why my vision is not just hopeful words.
Our willingness to take tough decisions does not end
here. Our plans need to be translated into action. To that
end, within my first 100 days in office, Malawi held an
inclusive national dialogue on the economy to narrow
down five priority sectors within our medium-term
national development framework, the Malawi Growth
and Development Strategy II. The five priorities are
energy, tourism, agriculture, mining and infrastructure
development.
Central to those priorities is our emphasis on
delivery through partnership with the private sector.
We will facilitate that by making changes aimed
at improving the business climate. My Cabinet has
identified three specific projects within each priority
sector and translated that into an implementation
plan for the next two years. The projects range from
the completion of essential roads and rail lines, to
setting up alternative energy sources and undertaking
business climate reform to attract investment into
agro-processing and mining. The projects will set our
country on a path of fulfilling its full potential.
In addition, I have also launched two initiatives — the
Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe
Motherhood, and the Presidential Initiative on Poverty
and Hunger Reduction — to fast-track the interventions
needed to address the social needs of disadvantaged
groups, especially women and youth.
Malawi refuses to accept what others may consider
to be our destiny — the status of underdevelopment.
Malawi is committed to change that perception. But in
so doing, my Government and, indeed, the people of Malawi know that we need to engage the rest of the
global community. That is why, within days of taking
office, I reopened dialogue and engagement with our
neighbours, with African leaders and with the rest of the
world. The people of Malawi are grateful for the good
will that many have shown us, and we are encouraged
by the support of our partners.
Malawi will continue to need global support in
the short and medium terms. We need this support
to protect the rural poor from food shortages caused
by prolonged dry spells in some parts of the country.
Malawi is looking for partnerships to build its energy
capacity. Malawi needs support to attract private
investment for the rich potential we have in agroprocessing
and mining, among others. We are looking
for partnerships to support the development of our
transport and communications infrastructure in order
to improve access to markets.
Before I conclude I wish to draw the Assembly’s
attention to the following three issues that have a
bearing on most of the least developed countries.
First, I call upon the General Assembly to ensure that
the Istanbul Declaration and Programme of Action,
adopted in Turkey in May 2011, will be implemented
in their entirety in an effective and timely manner.
In particular, duty-free and quota-free market access
and supply-side capacity must be ensured to the least
developed countries.
Secondly, most least developed countries are facing
the adverse effects of climate change, which is causing
f looding, land degradation and drought. In that regard,
Malawi welcomes the recent outcome of the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held
in Brazil, where international consensus emerged
and agreement was reached on important areas of sustainable development. The implementation of these
agreements is very crucial for our future.
Finally, on the issue of the reform of the United
Nations, Malawi fully supports the expansion of the
Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent
categories. As members of the Assembly are aware,
Africa represents one of the single largest regions
within the United Nations, and a very significant
proportion of issues discussed in the Security Council
concern the African continent. It is for those reasons,
therefore, that Malawi joins the rest of the African
nations in demanding at least two seats in the permanent
category and five seats in the non-permanent category,
as stipulated in the Ezulwini Consensus. Africa has to
lead its own development, and that will be a step in
ensuring that it can.
At this moment, I say to the Assembly that Malawi
is on a journey – a journey to change its trajectory; a
journey to make real change happen; a journey to foster
private-sector growth; a journey to be an integral part
of the global community. Malawi is ready to take its
turn to grow, not just in wealth, but in opportunities,
hopes and freedoms for all of the Malawian people.
As a new President and a new member of the global
community of leaders, I ask for the Assembly’s support
as this one African country journeys to realize its full
potential — for its people, for Africa and for the world.


I am honoured to address
the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session on
behalf of Mr. Tillman J. Thomas, Prime Minister of
Grenada, and the people of Grenada.
Grenada commends the work of the United Nations
over the past year, with special commendation for the
leadership and stewardship of the outgoing President,
Qatari diplomat Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser.
Looking ahead, we place our confidence in you, Sir,
and your team, and look forward to your guidance of
the work this year under the general theme “Bringing
about adjustment or settlement of international disputes
or situations by peaceful means”. We extend Grenada’s
full esteem and support to our able Secretary-General,
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, whom we thank for his continued
leadership and service to Member States.
Grenada recommits unwaveringly to the principles
of the United Nations, as embodied in the Charter.
Our commitment in national and international life
to the norms of peace, equality and justice, and to
human rights and multilateralism, is clear. Over the
past year, Grenada ratified and deposited instruments
of ratification with the United Nations, including for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
In ratifying the Rome Statute, Grenada became the
Member State that brought that Treaty into force. That
exemplifies our commitment to the principle of the
rule of law, which resonates with every Grenadian as
a result of our enthusiasm for justice and for ending
impunity. Grenada welcomes the Declaration of the
High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the
Rule of Law at the National and International Levels
(resolution 67/1) of 24 September, and expects to make
a voluntary pledge.
On the domestic front, in April Parliament passed
the End Violence against Women Legislative and
Policy Reform Bill. Aware that by itself the passage
of a law is insufficient to change society’s entrenched
cultural attitudes and practices, we are also embarking
on public education and on strengthening the capacity
of Government departments, among other things.
We will continue on that path to secure the rights of
people, for we are convinced that law and security are
the sine qua non for the facilitation of the peaceful
settlement of disputes, which is itself the foundation
for an international environment of peace. Indeed,
democracy, good governance, social inclusion, conflict
resolution, development and sustained overall progress
are all helped by the rule of law within our countries
and in the international system.
Grenada is a small island developing State. Nature
has been especially generous to us, and our people
are extraordinarily hard-working and big-spirited. Yet
the fruits of nature and of our own efforts have been
undermined by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Hurricane Emily in 2005 and the advent in 2008 of the global
financial and economic crisis. That notwithstanding,
we remain confident that a pathway to success exists
for us, based on our own efforts and the support of the
international community and this great Organization.
From Grenada’s perspective, the highlight of the
past year has been the renewed international political
commitment to sustainable development; indeed,
interest continues to grow and to gain momentum.
Sustainable development is one of our declared priorities
in Grenada. It is a priority this year since the Secretary-
General announced that sustainable development would
be the number one item on his agenda during his second
term, and you, too, Sir, declared it a priority.
In June, more than 120 heads of State and
Government endorsed the paradigm of sustainable
development in Rio, and the outcome document,
entitled “The future we want”, declares: “We resolve to
take urgent action to achieve sustainable development”
(resolution 66/288, annex, para. 12). Leaders agreed to
articulate policies and programmes that would promote
socially inclusive behaviour to quickly and equitably
bring about prosperity and to do so in a manner that
would instil hope and create livelihood opportunities
for those yet to come.
Because of our tremendous green and blue
endowments and the fact that our people live
intelligently with them, Grenada has long considered
itself an island of sustainability. That describes a
holistic policy framework that defines our consumption
and production path as spelt out in our five strategic
development pillars: energy development; education,
health and wellness; information and communications
technology; tourism and hospitality; and agribusiness.
Grenada is committed, then, to a path of
sustainability. Its determined efforts are led by our
energy policy aimed at reducing fossil-fuel usage by
20 per cent by the year 2020 and at being completely
carbon-neutral by 2030. The manufacturing sector is
rapidly emerging as a producer of indigenous green and
organic products, and the hotel sector is going green.
It should be recalled that Grenada is building itself
back from the World Bank-determined loss of 204 per
cent of its gross domestic product as a result of the
hurricane destruction we experienced in 2004 and 2005.
We have made great strides with recovery due to the
generosity of our neighbours and friends everywhere,
for which we remain forever indebted and grateful.
Since 2008, our situation has been compounded
by the weight of the global financial and economic
downturn, which is dwarfing development efforts
due to loss of tourism and port receipts and even
of remittances. However, we recognize with deep
appreciation that, as our economy has slowed in direct
response to the global economic crisis, our neighbours
are again coming to our assistance.
Grenada is defined as a middle-income country,
and yet its stability and growth are challenged by
serious socioeconomic predicaments. We are facing
the high cost of fuel and food, costs associated with
confronting the illicit trafficking in drugs and small
arms and light weapons and related crime, and an
increase in unemployment and poverty.
What is consistent in that context is that, like so
many of the Caribbean and small island developing
countries, Grenada contributes least to the financial
and economic crisis, greenhouse-gas emissions and
the production of arms and illicit drugs, and yet those
scourges have a disproportionate impact on us as
compared to the countries that produce them, and of
course our ability to respond effectively is far inferior.
So what, then, is the way forward? The way
forward lies primarily in improvement of the domestic
environment. We continue to achieve this through laws,
economic and social policies and our national spirit of
perseverance. Among our many initiatives, in January
2013, for example, Grenada will be co-hosting a meeting
in the Caribbean with business innovator Sir Richard
Branson on ensuring the sustainable management of
our marine and coastal resources.
Yet small island developing States need a far more
supportive international policy climate and affordable
financing for a safe and secure way forward into
greater sustainability. That will be the way we hold on
to the hard-earned progress made so far with respect
to the Millennium Development Goals and how we
will be able to expand it. We hope then to be guided
by the sustainable development goals and the post-
2015 development framework to further support our
ambitious economic and social transformation agenda.
We continue to believe that peace and security and
a reduction in military spending in the international
community will be good for a global economic
recovery, which in turn will be good for the financing
of sustainable development. Unless there is recovery in
the large economies to which our own economic life remains tied, we will see no sustained recovery. We
therefore call for commitments made to developing
countries to be met, and we remain willing partners in
South-South cooperation.
The staggering loss of life in Syria must be
brought to an end by all those responsible. We call for
a politically negotiated and urgent settlement, and we
reiterate Grenada’s support for the diplomacy work
being carried out, inter alia, by the United Nations and
the Arab League. We call for policies of inclusion and
openness that will accommodate all just aspirations of
all members of society in the Middle East and elsewhere.
We reiterate our call for a State for the Palestinian
people in a negotiated two-State agreement with Israel
through a peace plan. The injustices meted out to the
Palestinians, including widespread unemployment,
poverty and displacement, must end now. The
Palestinian people, led by their Government, the
Palestinian Authority, have our strong support for their
just aspirations. We are convinced that the two nations
can coexist side by side in peace and harmony, like so
many other countries.
Grenada takes this opportunity to extend once
again its heartfelt condolences to the Government
and people of the United States of America and to the
bereaved families of Ambassador Chris Stevens and
his colleagues. We deplore those senseless acts and
continue to call for the improvement of the protection
of all diplomats serving abroad.
Grenada calls for the cessation of the trafficking
of weapons through our Caribbean region and for a
firm and comprehensive, yet expeditious, agreement on
small arms and light weapons. We also renew our call
for the preservation of the Caribbean Sea as a zone of
peace and development and for the bringing of an end
to the passage of nuclear waste in our waters.
Grenada looks forward to the third Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small
Island States in 2014, and we call on the international
community to lend its fullest and broadest support
to that Conference. We further call on the General
Assembly to designate 2014 as the International Year of
Small Island Developing States so as to raise awareness
of the special situation of small island developing
States (SIDS) and to mobilize international support
for their sustainable development. Support for SIDS
from China in energy efficiency and from Norway in renewable energy is already forthcoming, as is support
from Australia.
Without a legally binding climate regime to uphold
environmental integrity, Caribbean and other small
island States would lose the opportunity for achieving
sustainability soon, and some could even disappear. We
therefore see the upcoming eighteenth Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar, as an opportunity
to move decisively away from that scenario, and we
welcome the commitment of the European Union to
agreeing to an ambitious second commitment period
of the Kyoto Protocol and to climate financing. We
call on other developed countries to do likewise, and
on the Secretary-General to encourage States parties
to move steadfastly towards finalizing a new binding
climate treaty by 2015 and a gap-free period of climate
financing starting in January 2013.
If the United Nations is to continue to lead the way in
sustainability, peace and security, it must be reformed.
The centrepiece of that change must be reform of the
Security Council, particularly so as to include a seat
for small island developing States. Only a revitalized
United Nations can continue to play its historic
role in guiding the world, its international financial
institutions included, through the geopolitical volatility
that is destabilizing the global economic and financial
order. Reorganization should not mean, however,
the loss of vital country programmes, especially for
small countries. The United Nations must continue its
irreplaceable work on behalf of women, and Grenada
is pleased to serve on the board of UN-Women and to
contribute to its endeavours.
Revitalization and reform must also take place in
the Caribbean. To that end, we call for the complete
removal of the economic, commercial and financial
blockade of our sister Caribbean State of Cuba. The
United States embargo against Cuba, now almost
50 years old, is in complete contradiction to the spirit
of the United Nations Charter. Removal of the embargo
has been specifically called for by the leaders of the
Caribbean Community as well as by an overwhelming
majority of States Members of the United Nations. Cuba
plays a significant humanitarian and development role
in the Caribbean and its economic liberation from the
embargo will allow it to contribute even more through
the dynamic of growing South-South cooperation.
Furthermore, Cuba is now playing a facilitating and
mediating role in one of the hemisphere’s longest political crises and thus making a major contribution
to peace and security in the Latin American and
Caribbean region.
Two years after the unfathomable national disaster
in our sister nation of Haiti in 2010, thousands of
Haitians are nonetheless still homeless and suffering,
as their Government remains without sufficient means
to complete national rebuilding. Grenada extends its
thanks, first and foremost, to all who have pledged and
realized those pledges for the benefit of the Haitian
people, for we are but one in the Caribbean. Grenada
remains steadfast in its commitment to this imperative,
and we renew our appeal to the international community
to fulfil all its commitments and, where possible, to
increase its contributions to the humanitarian and
development needs of Haiti.
Just some 100 days ago in the city of Rio de Janeiro,
our Prime Minister, Mr. Tillman Thomas, said:
“The United Nations is indispensable to the
future we need. Grenada considers the United
Nations to be best placed for decision-making
affecting the international body politic. Indeed,
the United Nations has the full legitimacy needed
to command authority [and] secure consensus and
the necessary trust among all global stakeholders.
We recommit to the United Nations and support its
reforms.”
To conclude, on 6 August, Grenada made history,
winning its first Olympic medal, a gold in the men’s
400-metre race, thus becoming, according to one
calculation, the country with the highest medal per
capita ratio in the world. Our people have not yet
ceased to celebrate winning gold. Another enduring
act celebrated around the world, however, was the
graciousness demonstrated by the eventual winner,
Kirani James, when he embraced and exchanged bibs
with his co-competitor Oscar Pistorius, the outstanding
double amputee from South Africa, who despite
running an extraordinarily good race came in second
behind the soon-to-be Olympic gold medallist. It was
a simple Grenadian gesture of admiration, friendship
and solidarity, but one that underscores that the human
spirit must prevail in relations among individuals and,
we dare say, among nations. That one simple act of
recognition of the right and, far more important, the
nobility of another human being transformed two
runners into two brothers, one South African, one
Grenadian, one shared humanity. We name that the Kirani spirit, and we charge
this institution with the Kirani spirit — “charge” as
in giving it energy; charge as in commanding to do
likewise; charge as in holding the collective responsible
for our humanity; charge as in charging each nation and
each people with their own big-spiritedness.