Botswana, 2007

Many speakers before me

have eloquently debated the theme for this session. I

am delighted that no one disputes the evidence that

science presents to us concerning climate change.

Today we meet in this Hall as neighbours and residents

of this one planet earth. We are bound together by our

common humanity and shared future. We have within

us the capacity to act resolutely to save our planet, and

now is the time. We cannot afford to squander any

more opportunities, for tomorrow might be too late.

William Shakespeare instructs us, in his famous

work, Julius Caesar, that:

“There is a tide in the affairs of men,

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;

Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat;

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose our ventures.”

We are convinced that we should focus on

working together to save our planet from the increasing

threat of global warming and all its attendant

consequences. When we meet as the peoples of the

world, we must of necessity remind ourselves of the

original and higher purpose of the United Nations.

Many of the global challenges we face persist, not

because they are insurmountable, but because we have

fallen short of the commitments and obligations freely

entered into under the Charter.

We, the peoples of the earth, have the human and

cultural resources and technology to end severe global

poverty and disease, reverse climate change, prevent

wars and alleviate human suffering. Unfortunately,

substantial resources continue to be wasted on

destructive endeavours rather than constructive work.

We squander valuable assets in the production of

weapons of war and mass destruction rather than

development.

The world would be a much better place if the

natural resources on this planet were exploited to feed,

clothe, educate, care for the sick, prevent diseases and

build communities. Young men and women should

grow up looking forward to doing extraordinary things

to advance the cause of economic and social progress

and not spending precious time manufacturing bombs

and weapons of war or planning how to kill other

human beings.

It is deeply regrettable that nations continue to

give higher priority to the narrow pursuit of national

interests than to cooperation for the common good and

mutual benefit. This emphasis on rivalry breeds

injustice, intolerance, extremism and aggression. We

must remind ourselves that all of us are the people of

this earth and no other. We are bound by our common

humanity. We must rise to the challenge of the

founders of this unique universal Organization, so that

we may live for our respective countries rather than die

for them and together build a more just and equitable

future for us all.

The United Nations has touched the lives of the

vast majority of our fellow human beings. We therefore

reaffirm our abiding faith in its efficacy and usefulness

in addressing global issues. The Organization embodies

our hope and aspirations for peace, security, respect for

human rights and development; in one word, a better

life for all. In that respect, the search for consensus in

all aspects of United Nations reform must of necessity

continue in a fair, just and balanced manner.

From 51 Member States in 1945 to 192 in 2007,

the United Nations has grown in diversity and

universality. It has also spread and consolidated its

legitimacy and authority throughout the world. The

United Nations is the centre for harmonizing the

actions of nations towards the attainment of the

common good. Its strength lies in its unparalleled

legitimacy. Without the United Nations, States, both

large and small, would encounter many formidable

challenges.

It is hardly surprising, therefore, that for this

Organization to live up to its mandate and to people’s

expectations, it has to constantly reform itself to

respond to contemporary global challenges and

realities. In his inspiring and visionary statement at the

closing of the San Francisco Conference 62 years ago,

President Harry Truman of the United States proffered

timeless wise counsel when he said,

“This Charter, like our own Constitution, will be

expanded and improved as time goes on. No one

claims that it is now a final or a perfect

instrument. It has not been poured into a fixed

mold. Changing world conditions will require

readjustments but they will be the

readjustments of peace and not of war.

Those visionary words of one of the founding fathers

of the United Nations should guide us in dealing with

United Nations reform. We call upon the original

signatories of the United Nations Charter and, in

particular the permanent members of the Security

Council, to assume greater leadership in the search for

consensus and compromise on the reform of the United

Nations Security Council. They should be more

flexible in responding to proposals put forward on the

reforms of the Security Council.

As nation States we are encouraged to build

sound democratic institutions. It is imperative,

therefore, that the principle of fairer, more inclusive,

participatory and accountable institutions should be

extended to global governance. In that respect, it

should be perfectly understandable why a substantial

number of Member States consider it not only

necessary, but also long overdue, to increase

membership of the Council in both the permanent and

non-permanent categories. Today, important matters of

international peace and security cannot be resolved

through the monopoly of fire power. It requires greater

participation and collaboration of nations large and

small.

Botswana recognizes that we cannot all be

members of the Security Council. There are those

among us who have the capacity to carry the daunting

responsibilities of permanent membership. That is why

it should be possible for us to reach consensus in

making “readjustments of peace and not of war”. An

all-or-nothing approach is not in our best interest.

Botswana strongly supports the search for a

compromise on that long-standing issue, which if left

unresolved can only become an unnecessary distraction

to other equally pressing priorities.

Conflicts in Africa cause the loss of hundreds of

thousands of innocent lives. Many people are driven

into abject poverty and exposed to disease due to the

massive displacement of populations and destruction of

their productive capacity. Huge amounts of resources

are annually allocated to the United Nations

peacekeeping budget to resolve conflicts. Even more

resources are needed for the care and upkeep of

refugees and displaced peoples.

The situation in Darfur continues to cause

concern. Concerted efforts are needed to bring that

conflict to an end. In this respect, we welcome the

Security Council decision to deploy a peacekeeping

mission in Darfur and call upon our brothers and sisters

in the Sudan to work together to find a lasting political

settlement.

Botswana is concerned about the situation in

Chad and the Central African Republic. The loss of

civilian lives is intolerable. We call upon Chad, the

Central African Republic and other parties to those

conflicts to commit to a peaceful political process to

avert further loss of lives. It is clear that the resolution

of conflict in that region will require closer

cooperation, collaboration and partnership between and

among those countries involved in conflict situations.

Following elections in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo we are hopeful the country is on the road

to recovery. It is important for the international

community to continue to support the Democratic

Republic of the Congo in its post-conflict

reconstruction and development efforts. The marauding

lawless militias that continue to undermine the peace

process should be left in no doubt that anarchy will not

be tolerated.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the

countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa will for

the foreseeable future require the assured support and

partnership of the international community, not only in

peacebuilding but more importantly, in the prevention

of conflicts.

Botswana acknowledges the existence of those

problems, not because we consider the future of Africa

to be hopeless or bleak. We do so in order to arrive at a

correct diagnosis of the illnesses and hence the

prescription of the right remedy.

The African Union is playing a pivotal role in the

prevention, management and resolution of conflicts on

the continent. While the United Nations Security

Council has the primary responsibility for the

maintenance of international peace and security, Africa

should be a dependable and indispensable partner in

responding expeditiously to the urgent need to end the

conflicts and save lives.

The countries and peoples of Africa should

recognize that the primary responsibility for durable

peace and social and economic development lies with

them. In that respect, we should adopt sound policies

and programmes that promote economic growth and

development, foreign direct investment as well as

domestic investment.

Indeed we are witnessing significant economic

growth in Africa. The latest International Monetary

Fund projections are that, in 2007 the African economy

is expected to grow by six per cent, just below the

seven per cent per annum target of the New Partnership

for Africa’s Development, that is necessary to achieve

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

We look to our development partners to deliver

on the pledges to scale up official development

assistance to Africa, effect meaningful debt relief,

improve market access for African goods and services

and encourage their private sectors to invest in Africa.

In the year 2000, at the dawn of the new

millennium, we convened in these hallowed halls to

chart a new path for the United Nations development

agenda. We adopted the Millennium Declaration and

the Millennium Development Goals. We undertook to

eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, promote gender

equality as well as to combat HIV and AIDS.

The Millennium Summit followed many global

conferences of the 1990s at which we made numerous

commitments to combat poverty and

underdevelopment. The outcomes of these United

Nations conferences and summits provide a veritable

template for addressing the debilitating scourge of

poverty, disease, hunger and underdevelopment in the

world.

Today, as we meet here seven years after the

adoption of the Millennium Declaration and half way

to 2015, we should pause and take serious stock of the

progress made or the lack of it. It is evident that, while

other regions of the world are making progress towards

the realization of the MDGs, indications are that unless

something is done to support Africa, the continent is

unlikely to achieve any of the Goals by 2015. Statistics

tell tales of a continent that is host to huge numbers of

the poor and the hungry. Diseases, in particular

HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, still kill many

people in Africa. Those factors require an urgent

response, as they create conditions that pose a threat to

peace, stability and security.

In this interdependent world, the United Nations

cannot realistically hope to achieve the MDGs by 2015

if one part of humanity is lagging so far behind.

Something must be done to assist and support Africa.

In March 2002 at Monterrey, Mexico, we recognized

the imperative of global cooperation and partnership in

the achievement of internationally agreed development

goals. We agreed that

“achieving the internationally agreed development

goals, including those contained in the United

Nations Millennium Declaration, demands a new

partnership between developed and developing

countries” (resolution 58/130, para. 11).

Let us honour our commitments and move forward.

Let me conclude by reiterating the fact that

Botswana has long recognized that sustainable

development has to be a nationally owned and led

process that requires sound democratic institutions and

prudent economic management. Adherence to those

principles, coupled with the exploitation of mineral

resources and donor support, enabled us to achieve

rapid economic growth and some measure of

development.

Continued assistance is necessary to enable us to

consolidate the gains of the past few years and ensure

sustainable development. In that respect, the scope of

development cooperation should include private sector

development, private investment and access to

technology. Assistance to middle-income countries

such as Botswana is crucial and in the long-term

interest of the global economy. We are asking not for

handouts, but for assured support, partnership and

collaboration.