Botswana, 2002

Let me begin by stating that

our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the

United States as they commemorate the first

anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks in

New York and Washington. The events of that day

compel us to unite and adopt effective measures to

eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

I take this opportunity to reaffirm Botswana's

strong support for the work of the Security Council

Counter-Terrorism Committee established to monitor

the effective implementation of Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001). The international community

must maintain its unity and remain vigilant so as to

ensure that such acts of terror never happen again.

It is my pleasure to extend to you, Sir, and to

your country, Chad, the warm congratulations of

Botswana on your election to a vice-presidency of the

General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, and to

wish you every success. I assure you of the full

cooperation of my delegation.

If we had started this meeting on time, I would

not have minded at all. I have greater respect for time

than for hordes of latecomers. I am also grateful for the

fact that after other heads of State or Government left

New York, nobody removed the chairs in the Assembly

Hall.

I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Han Seung-Soo of the

Republic of Korea, President of the General Assembly

at the fifty-seventh session, for the skilful manner in

which he conducted the work of that session.

Let me also place on record that we appreciate

the good work which our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi

Annan, is doing to reform the United Nations funds and

programmes. The reform process is contributing to the

strengthening of the capacity of those special

institutions to deliver assistance to Member States in a

more coherent and efficient manner.

I join others in congratulating and welcoming

into the United Nations family Switzerland, a new

Member State, and East Timor, which is soon to

become one.

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I am delighted that Switzerland has now taken its

rightful place in this world body. The United Nations

has indeed been strengthened, and its universal

character has undoubtedly been enhanced.

In East Timor the United Nations demonstrated

its commitment to the principles and purposes of the

Charter by playing a pivotal and decisive role in

ensuring that the people of East Timor can, at long

last, exercise their right to national self-determination.

We live in a world of diverse cultures and

traditions, yet we are united by our common humanity.

There is no alternative to coming together to address

the many dangers that threaten humanity. No one

country can hope to successfully confront, on its own,

those global challenges whether underdevelopment,

poverty, insecurity or threats to peace. They are

challenges that require global solutions and the

participation of all global stakeholders to confront

them. It is for those reasons that the United Nations

remains an important unifying institution for all of

humanity. It is the only institution that can play the

important role of fostering partnership, cooperation and

multilateralism.

States especially those, like ours, that our

small have high expectations of what multilateral

cooperation can do for them, and how it can change for

the better the lives and destiny of the peoples of the

United Nations.

In this regard, we cannot fail to speak about the

varied and complex challenges developing countries

continue to face, particularly in the continent of Africa.

Despite consistent efforts in the past to assist Africa,

there are still widening disparities in development

between the continent and the rest of the world. Africa

continues to experience high levels of poverty, which is

aggravated by, among other things, the unfavourable

global economic environment and conflicts. These

challenges are further compounded by the HIV/AIDS

pandemic.

Let me hasten to state that to acknowledge the

existence of problems does not mean that the future is

entirely bleak. There are positive developments that

give reason for hope for the realization of the

aspirations of our people. Africa has committed itself

to creating an environment conducive to economic

growth and development. We have taken concrete steps

to ensure that Africa is united and better prepared to

face up to its problems.

We have taken the first step in a broad and

comprehensive process to bring our countries together

through the establishment of the African Union. The

New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD),

which was considered by this Assembly this week, is

one of the major initiatives of the African Union.

Botswana is convinced that NEPAD provides a sound

basis for building real partnerships within the

continent, as well as with the rest of the international

community.

It is important to reiterate Africa's deep

appreciation of the support and assistance that we have

received and continue to receive from the international

community. We particularly welcome the resolution

that has just been adopted by the General Assembly

mandating the United Nations funds and programmes

to support the implementation of NEPAD. Botswana is

also happy with the decision of the G8 countries to join

hands with us to ensure the success of this initiative.

We stand ready to make our contribution so that the

noble objectives of NEPAD can be attained.

Central to the achievement of Africa's

development objectives is a commitment by the

international community to implement the decisions of

the United Nations world conferences. We need to

work assiduously to implement the Monterrey

Consensus, which identifies sources that can be used to

finance the development goals that we have set for

ourselves. Potential sources include the mobilization of

domestic resources; the mobilization of external

resources, including foreign direct investment;

increased financial and technical cooperation; and the

resolution of the debt crisis. The Monterrey Consensus

also recognizes trade as an engine of growth and

development. The international community therefore

has a responsibility to ensure that developing countries

can participate in world trade. In this regard, we view

partnership agreements, such as the Cotonou

Agreement and the African Growth and Opportunity

Act, as important steps towards fulfilling some of the

objectives of the Monterrey Consensus.

HIV/AIDS remains, undoubtedly, the most

serious threat to the economic and social progress of

the world. Its devastating impact on the African

continent is well documented. There is no doubt that no

one country has the capacity to deal with the problems

associated with this epidemic on its own. If we are to

conquer it, we will need a strategy that combines

efforts on a broad front. Those who think that they are

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still free from the epidemic and that it is an African

problem had better wake up, because next time it will

be on their own doorstep.

Botswana is immensely grateful for the support it

has received from the United Nations and other

cooperating partners in its efforts to fight the epidemic.

I also wish to commend the Secretary-General for his

tireless efforts in mobilizing the international

community to support our efforts. I am sure that, with

the help of the international community, we in Africa

will still be standing when the dust settles.

Botswana is pleased to note the commendable

efforts that the United Nations continues to make in the

maintenance of peace and security in various parts of

the world. With the continued assistance of the United

Nations and the rest of the international community, we

have reason to be optimistic and hope that the

continent of Africa will soon find peace.

We have closely followed the Organization's

initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

particularly in the areas of the disarmament,

demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and

reintegration of the former combatants into civil

society. We welcome the ongoing consultations

between the various parties to the conflict. We are

anxious, however, to see full-fledged negotiations that

can lead to a lasting political settlement. The people of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo yearn for peace

and national reconciliation, as well as the social and

economic development of their country.

We therefore call upon all parties to demonstrate

greater determination and a sense of urgency in the

search for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in that

country. Peace in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo is possible and necessary, but in the final

analysis, it depends on the political will of the

signatories to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement.

I wish to salute the efforts and indomitable spirit

of my immediate predecessor, Sir Ketumile Masire. He

has been tireless and unwavering in his mission of

facilitating the inter-Congolese dialogue, convincing

the people of that country that peace can come only if

they are willing to talk to each other. Nobody will

come from heaven or hell to create peace for them. I

also wish to place on record Botswana's appreciation

of the efforts and determination of President Mbeki of

South Africa. He has invested substantial time, energy

and resources to find solutions to the conflict in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Botswana welcomes and commends the historic

step taken by the Government of Angola and UNITA in

signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 4 April

2002 as an addendum to the Lusaka Protocol. The

people of Angola have opted for peace. They expect

the international community to help them consolidate

this peace. Let us not fail them. I ask the ambassadors

and foreign ministers who happen to be present here to

take the message to my fellow heads of State in Africa

that we should not let down the people of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo and, above all, the

people of Angola. They have suffered enough.

Conflicts and instability in other parts of the

world, such as the Middle East and Afghanistan, are of

serious concern to us. We look to the international

community, within the framework of the United

Nations, to play a greater role in the peaceful

resolution of those conflicts.

Let me conclude by reiterating Botswana's

continued support for the United Nations and express

my delegation's appreciation to the Secretary-General,

whose visionary leadership has continued to guide our

Organization.