Burkina Faso, 2009

The

sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly is being

held at a time when the international community, faced

with numerous crises, is seeking ways to build a world

of shared peace and development. However, although

the political and economic consequences of the current

financial crisis affect the whole world, they are and

will continue to be more severe for African countries,

given their fragility and the limited diversity of their

economies.

Is it fair that those who have not caused this

tremendous international upheaval should pay the

highest price? It certainly is not. That is why, in the

face of the deep recession besetting the entire planet, it

is important to bolster partnerships for development in

order to correct the dysfunctions of the currently

failing global economic system. I welcome the incisive

conclusions of the high-level Conference on the

financial and economic crisis, which could lead to the

establishment of a more virtuous world government

assuring sustainable development for all States.

In order to relaunch growth, achieve full

employment and restore confidence, it is essential that

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we adopt strict rules to regulate and manage the

international financial system. At the same time, it will

be necessary to increase aid to developing countries in

order to help achieve the Millennium Development

Goals.

On 1 September 2009, Burkina Faso experienced

floods that caused extensive loss of life and material

damage. I reiterate my deepest thanks to the friends

and partners who have supported us in dealing with the

consequences of this natural disaster. The growing

frequency of such events all over the world is due to

the effects of climate change. We must therefore take

action to address the pressing need to come up with

appropriate solutions. In this regard, I welcome the

marked convergence of views and the mobilization of

the international community in connection with the

issue of climate change.

The fifteenth United Nations Conference on

Climate Change, to be held from 7 to 18 December in

Copenhagen, will offer countries a prime opportunity

to take bold decisions to protect our generation and our

planet from the effects of global warming. It is to that

end that Burkina Faso will host, from 9 to 11 October

in Ouagadougou, the Seventh World Forum of

Sustainable Development in the context of climate

change. This event will allow Africa, a continent ill-

equipped to resist and adapt to the consequences of

climate change, to amplify its contribution to the

global debate on this issue.

The recurring conflicts affecting the world are a

genuine threat to peace and international security, as

well as a serious obstacle to the economic and social

progress of nations. Burkina Faso wishes to express its

deep concern over the current situation in Darfur and

southern Sudan, and reiterates its commitment to

working with the Sudanese people in their quest for

peace. In that connection, Burkina Faso will dispatch a

military battalion to join the African Union-United

Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, as well as a

formed police unit to assist in peacekeeping operations.

The support of the international community for the

efforts of the Joint African Union-United Nations

Mediator to create conditions for productive dialogue

and forge a lasting peace agreement between the

principal parties is essential.

The equally tragic situation in Somalia calls for

genuine support for the Transitional Federal

Government so that it can definitively restore security

throughout the country and in Somali territorial waters.

Burkina Faso is also following political developments

in Guinea and Madagascar with particular interest. I

urge the various political actors in those two countries

to engage in constructive dialogue with all stakeholders

to ensure a rapid return to the constitutional order.

I congratulate the African Union and the

subregional organizations for the efforts they have

made to find satisfactory solutions to numerous

hotspots of tension on the continent. The holding of

presidential elections in Guinea-Bissau is an example

of success on the part of the international community.

In particular, I encourage the Peacebuilding

Commission to support the Government of Guinea-

Bissau in the reconstruction of the country.

In Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, the political actors’

commitment to ensuring the effective implementation

of the accords to end the crises in those countries

affords real reason to hope for the organization of

regular and transparent presidential elections in future.

I welcome the Security Council’s unflagging readiness

to work with Côte d’Ivoire on implementing the

Ouagadougou Political Agreement, and I encourage it

to continue to pursue its efforts to achieve peaceful

solutions to conflicts.

In regard to the matter of Western Sahara,

Burkina Faso reaffirms its endorsement of Security

Council resolution 1813 (2008), supports the

Secretary-General’s efforts to find a political solution,

and considers the Moroccan initiative to negotiate

autonomy for the Western Sahara to be an appropriate

way to settle the disagreement.

In the Middle East, we welcome the successful

conduct of elections in Lebanon and encourage that

country to improve its relations with Syria and Israel.

The restoration of stability and prospects for

normalized relations with Lebanon’s neighbours

represent an opportunity for calm consideration of a

global settlement of the Palestinian question.

The contribution of the Republic of China on

Taiwan to assisting the least developed countries

should be commended, and its participation in the

previous session of the World Health Assembly augurs

well for the positive evolution of this country’s

contribution to the life of the international community.

For some years, the question of the proliferation

of nuclear weapons, which pose an enormous threat,

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has divided the international community. I thank and

encourage President Obama for his successful

organization and leadership of the Security Council

summit on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.

The commitments made could lead to a denuclearized

world that is more ambitious in its exploitation of

nuclear power for civil purposes and more vigilant in

policing illicit trafficking in nuclear materials.

The reform of the United Nations, which has

been on our agenda for more than a decade, calls for a

cautious but determined approach, particular as regards

the Security Council. I express the hope that

negotiations will soon be undertaken regarding the fair

and equitable representation of all regions of the world,

the strengthening of the effectiveness of the Council’s

role and the revitalization of the General Assembly.

True to the ideals of the United Nations, Burkina Faso

will make its contribution to the various issues and

actions under way to endow our global Organization

with the vitality and authority essential to taking on the

new challenges on the horizon.