Burkina Faso, 2014

Every year, the General Assembly gives us the opportunity to

get together to discuss our concerns in the various parts

of the world. Here we are, meeting again to evaluate

what has been accomplished and to consider new

solutions to the many challenges confronting our shared

responsibility. And Burkina Faso is committed, as

always, to participating in this important get-together,

the symbol of international solidarity.

I would like to express our gratitude to

President Kutesa’s predecessor, Ambassador John

Ashe, for his positive record during his tenure. I also

heartily congratulate the President on his election,

and I am confident that his wealth of experience with

international and development issues will enable

him to effectively guide our work on the post-2015

development agenda, in order to formulate an ambitious

new framework for development aimed at bringing our

peoples growth, fairness and a better life.

I would also like to pay tribute to Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon for his thoughtful focus on

peace and social and economic development around the

world, especially in Africa. In that regard, I welcome

his initiative in holding last week’s Climate Summit

in New York, aimed at persuading Heads of State and

Government and representatives of local authorities,

the private sector and civil society of the urgent and

compelling need for them to declare their contributions

to the fight against climate change in firm and concrete

terms.

Burkina Faso also reiterates its commendation of

the joint visit to the Sahel by the Secretary-General,

the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the

President of the World Bank, the President of the African

Development Bank and the European Commissioner

for Development within the framework of the United

Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel, which aims to

promote security, good governance, development and

human rights as factors of peace and stability.

Lastly, Burkina Faso welcomes the Assembly’s

adoption of the Secretary-General’s Ebola initiative

(resolution 69/1) and welcomes his appointment of

Mr. David Nabarro as Senior United Nations System

Coordinator for Ebola Virus Disease and Mr. Anthony

Banbury as his Special Representative and Head of the

United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response.

These steps will certainly help the West African

subregion to strengthen its public-health systems in

order to eradicate the epidemic, whose spread could

permanently compromise the area’s social cohesion,

development and economic integration. Burkina Faso

would like to express its sympathy and solidarity with

the affected countries, and it reiterates its commitment

to participating in the quest for a collective solution

that can ensure effective protection for the people and

for health personnel, as well as the free movement of

people and goods within the Economic Community of

West African States (ECOWAS).

Today we can celebrate the progress made in efforts

to achieve and maintain peace, as well as to achieve our

development goals, despite the fact that there is still

work to be done to speed up improvement of our people’s

living conditions. In Burkina Faso, notwithstanding our

unfavourable geographical and climatic conditions and

a difficult international economic environment, we are

committed, with determination and realism, to building

development. In the last few decades, therefore, we have

established and implemented strategic development

programmes and plans designed to put our country

firmly on the road to emergence. Poverty reduction,

the empowerment of women and full employment for

young people are some of our main objectives. For

several years consecutively those efforts have enabled

Burkina Faso to record average annual growth rates of

around 5 per cent and achieve significant investments

in a number of areas that include health, education,

agriculture, and water, road and energy infrastructures.

Clearly, development efforts cannot thrive without

a stable, peaceful environment. To that end, our

President, Mr. Blaise Compaoré, and the Government

of Burkina Faso continue to work to entrench a culture

of tolerance and peaceful coexistence that seeks to

establish, through dialogue and consultations, the

essential elements of social cohesion, a strengthened

democratic process and respect for individual and

collective liberties.

As a member of the Human Rights Council,

Burkina Faso continues to set a good example by

making the promotion and defence of human rights a

major focus of its Government policy on improving the

people’s welfare. That has been the context for the work

of Mrs. Chantal Compaoré, a goodwill ambassador for

the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices

Affecting the Health of Women and Children, whose

commitment to dealing with the issue of female genital

mutilation is an important contribution to global efforts

to protect the rights of women and girls. Burkina Faso

welcomes the Human Rights Council’s recent adoption

of a draft resolution on “Intensifying global efforts and

sharing good practices to effectively eliminate female

genital mutilation” , submitted by the African Group at

Burkina Faso’s initiative.

We are following with concern the crises and

conflicts that unfortunately continue to plague parts

of the world, particularly the African continent.

However, under the auspices of ECOWAS, we welcome

the significant progress made over recent months

in restoring peace and democracy in West Africa,

especially in Guinea-Bissau and Mali.

With respect to Mali, ECOWAS mediation brought

about the restoration of constitutional order and the

holding of free and fair elections throughout the national

territory. For the continuation of the peace process in

Mali, Burkina Faso welcomes and supports the efforts

of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria in the

search for a lasting peace solution in accordance with

the Preliminary Agreement signed in Ouagadougou

on 18 June 2013. That Agreement’s ultimate goal is to

restore peace, the territorial integrity of Mali and of

the ECOWAS region, and cohesion among all Malian

communities, in order to achieve the objectives of

harmonious development and subregional integration.

In Mali, as elsewhere in the Sahel subregion,

armed conflicts are becoming more complex and

more radicalized because of the emergence of violent

extremism and terrorism closely associated with the

criminal economy, which is characterized, inter alia, by

trafficking in drugs, weapons and human beings. Those

evils challenge us in our shared responsibility in the

fight to eradicate them. It is more urgent than ever to

work together by focusing on preventive measures and

addressing their root causes, namely such predisposing

factors as extreme poverty, youth unemployment, and

the denial of rights and justice.

Similarly, it is important to strengthen the rapid-

response capabilities of our States and international

cooperation in the exchange of information, in order

to allow our defence forces and security to fight

effectively against terrorist threats. In that regard,

Burkina Faso expresses its deep gratitude to all partner

countries, especially France and the United States of

America, whose contribution to the efforts to secure the

Sahel is priceless. We would now like to reiterate our

total solidarity with and full support for the people and

Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which

continue to face the unprecedented rise of terrorism

and religious intolerance.

Other African countries are also experiencing crisis

situations. We are thinking in particular of Somalia,

Libya, the Central African Republic, the Democratic

Republic of Congo and the Sudan. With respect to

the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso salutes

the efforts of the international mediator, President

Sassou Nguesso, and welcomes the Brazzaville Forum,

which concluded with an agreement on the cessation

of hostilities. My country supports the Transitional

Government, welcomes the effective establishment

of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated

Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic

and reiterates its readiness to contribute to efforts to

restore and keep peace in Central Africa.

In the light of all these crises, Burkina Faso would

emphasize the urgent need to restore and maintain an

environment of peace and stability in the countries

concerned, without which our development and

integration efforts will be in vain. In that context, no

effort should be spared to protect peacekeepers who

risk their lives working to provide security and comfort

to civilians. I would like to take this opportunity

to reiterate our strong condemnation of intentional

attacks against all United Nations troops in theatres of

peacekeeping.

As it always has, Burkina Faso will continue to

participate in the collective action of peacekeeping

in countries in difficulty, in particular Darfur, Mali,

Guinea-Bissau, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

and Haiti. We express our deep appreciation to partner

countries for their various forms of support in terms of

training and equipment, which allow Burkinabé troops

to accomplish their tasks efficiently wherever they are

sent.

With respect to conflict resolution, Burkina Faso

advocates dialogue and consultation, which is the basis

for Burkina Faso’s consistent action when the President

of our country is sought after as a mediator or facilitator.

Accordingly, I welcome the adoption on 31 July by the

Assembly of resolution 68/303 on “Strengthening the

role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes,

conflict prevention and resolution”. In that regard, my

country, a member of the Group of Friends of Mediation,

encourages the actions taken under the leadership of

Finland and Turkey.

With regard to Western Sahara, Burkina Faso

welcomes the Moroccan initiative for advanced

autonomy status in Western Sahara, which is a credible

and realistic option for achieving a final solution

acceptable to all.

In the Middle East, we condemn the recent

escalation of violence which has led to many casualties

among civilian populations. Priority should be given to

dialogue, and we hope that the unrestricted ceasefire

that was signed between Palestinians and Israelis

on 26 August 2014, under the auspices of the Arab

Republic of Egypt, will lead to the establishment of a

definitive peace between the two parties to the conflict.

Accordingly, Burkina Faso welcomes the efforts of the

international community aimed at creating a Palestinian

State living side by side with Israel in peace, security

and mutual respect.

The establishment of international peace and

security will be but hollow words as long as the issue

of disarmament remains unresolved. Therefore, no

sacrifice is too great if together we can achieve a world

free of nuclear weapons, a reduction in the risk of the

proliferation of conventional weapons, and the entry

into force and universalization of the Arms Trade

Treaty.

To establish a permanent basis for peace, security

and freedom, it is also necessary to create the

conditions for sustainable and equitable development

for all peoples. That is why my country reaffirms

its strong commitment to the achievement of the

Millennium Development Goals. We therefore have a

deep interest in the development process under way for

the sustainable development goals and the post-2015

development agenda, and we urge that special attention

be given to vital sectors such as agriculture, renewable

energy, industrialization and infrastructure.

Burkina Faso reaffirms its commitment to the

ideals of the United Nations based on the principles of

peaceful coexistence, dialogue and peaceful settlement

of disputes. It is with conviction that we welcome and

strongly encourage the rapprochement of views between

the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of

China on Taiwan and the dialogue that forms the basis

for such an approach. We favour the wider participation

of the Republic of China on Taiwan in the specialized

agencies of the United Nations.

We salute the spirit of understanding displayed by

the international community in allowing the involvement

of that country in international organizations in order to

enable it to play a broader role on the world stage through

its contribution to the achievement of development

goals, particularly in countries like Burkina Faso.

Readmitting the Republic of China on Taiwan to our

Organization is worth considering. With 23 million

inhabitants and a large economy, the Republic of China

on Taiwan has established itself as a key player in the

international arena in terms of promoting peace and

contributing to development efforts.

With regard to Cuba, Burkina Faso reiterates its

position in favour of lifting the embargo in order to

allow the Cuban people to fit harmoniously into the

concert of nations.

Convinced of the irreplaceable role of the United

Nations in promoting multilateralism, my country

supports the reforms under consideration, in particular

those of the Security Council and the General Assembly.

Given the nature of the new factors in the threats to

international peace and security, it is necessary and

equitable that other continents have permanent seats

on the Security Council. That is why Burkina Faso

endorses the African Common Position in favour of

expanding the number of permanent members of the

Security Council to take into account the expectations

of the African continent.

With everyone’s help and moved by a spirit of

solidarity and sharing, we can strengthen the role of the

United Nations as a genuine instrument of cooperation

for peace, security, justice and development.