Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2006

At the

outset, Sir, I would ask you to kindly convey to

Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa my warm and

heartfelt congratulations upon her election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first

session. My congratulations go also to all the other

members of the Bureau who, I am certain, will help her

to successfully accomplish her illustrious and sensitive

delicate tasks as President. I also take the opportunity

to pay due tribute to her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson,

President of the General Assembly at its sixtieth

session, for the high quality of his work during a term

of office that took place in a difficult international

environment.

I cannot continue without expressing my

gratitude, and that of the entire Congolese people, to

Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, whose mandate

will come to an end this year on a positive note for all.

Thanks to the remarkable leadership of that worthy son

of Africa, the States Members of our Organization have

enjoyed a decade of intense and active diplomacy

which has made it possible to solve a large number of

conflicts throughout the world. Here, I should mention

especially the situation of the countries of the Great

Lakes region, in particular that of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo.

As the sixty-first session of the General Assembly

is taking place, my country, the Democratic Republic

of the Congo, is passing through a special period of its

political history. The transition period that began in

1990 will soon draw to a close, with the establishment

of the country’s new institutions.

On 30 July, we held countrywide, in a climate of

peace and transparency, the first truly democratic

pluralistic elections in 40 years. The success of that

undertaking constitutes a great joint effort by the

Congolese people and by the bilateral and multilateral

partners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I

would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those

partners.

With regard to the unfortunate events in Kinshasa

from 20 to 22 August 2006 following the

announcement of the provisional results of the first

round of the presidential elections by the Independent

Electoral Commission, all necessary steps have been

taken in order to prevent such incidents from

happening again. The electoral process will continue in

a climate of national peace and harmony.

The progress achieved daily, sometimes at the

cost of much sacrifice, is the outcome of a difficult

political process that was launched, as members know,

after a long internal and external armed conflict. The

humanitarian consequences of that conflict are one of

the worst tragedies ever experienced by mankind.

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Problems remain in many sectors, and the next

Government will have to confront them, taking account

of the urgent and legitimate expectations of the

Congolese people.

The new Government must continue integrating

and reforming the army, in order to guarantee peace

and security for our people. It must work to improve

the living conditions of the population. In other words,

it must do its utmost to meet their fundamental needs,

in particular health care, education, food security, basic

infrastructures, electricity and drinking water for all —

without forgetting, of course, the fight against malaria

and HIV/AIDS and the fight against poverty.

In order to succeed, the new Government must,

inter alia, strengthen good governance by fighting

corruption and guaranteeing legal and judiciary

security in the framework of ongoing judicial reform. It

will be possible to achieve that vision only by

mobilizing the energy of our entire nation through

active and inclusive participation by all of the sons and

daughters of our country, whatever their political,

ideological or religious convictions may be.

In that regard, we welcome the configuration of

our future parliament, which already reflects the wealth

and political diversity of our people, and which has an

oversight role that will be fundamental to the

functioning of the State. For that reason, I reaffirm my

faith in the concept of peacebuilding and make an

urgent appeal to the international community to

continue its partnerships with the Democratic Republic

of the Congo after the establishment of the new

institutions.

As we observe the international scene, we see

recurring scourges, including continuing tensions and

armed conflicts in several regions of the world, the

worsening the living conditions in developing

countries, especially in Africa; the rise in clandestine

immigration; the destruction caused by different

pandemics; the increase in crime and acts of terrorism;

and the harm to the conservation and protection of the

environment. In view of these threats, the Assembly at

its previous session had organized, as part of its work,

the World Summit of heads of State and Government,

dedicated to an assessment of the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) and other commitments

resulting from the major international conferences and

meetings.

Following that assessment several decisions were

taken, including the creation of the Peacebuilding

Commission and the Human Rights Council — two

basic structures whose effective establishment we can

only welcome. Achieving the MDGs is a priority for a

good number of countries, especially the most

disadvantaged. That is why the momentum in the

implementation of the relevant recommendations of the

Millennium Summit should not weaken. We would like

to see our discussions here include those issues.

In addition to the above-mentioned scourges,

other matters are a source of concern for our country,

including the reform of the Security Council, the

complete cancellation of the debt of developing

countries, an increase in official development

assistance, the adoption of a comprehensive convention

on international terrorism and the global strategy to

fight that phenomenon, armed conflicts, collective

security, and the adoption of an international treaty on

forced disappearances. All those issues challenge the

harmonious progress of the community of nations and

the very future of coming generations.

To meet those challenges effectively, all countries

of the world must show solidarity with each other, in a

spirit of sincere cooperation and humanist justice. With

regard to crises in the world — in the Middle East, in

Africa or elsewhere — the Democratic Republic of the

Congo recommends, more than ever, their peaceful

solution under the Charter of the United Nations and

the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.

I hope this Assembly shares my belief in the

rebirth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with

the advent of new institutions seeking to usher in a new

era of peace, stability and development, not only in my

country, but also in Central Africa and the entire region

of the Great Lakes. Despite the challenges our

Organization faces day after day, it is on a note of

hope, of solidarity among nations and of synergy in

their actions for a brighter future for present and future

generations that I conclude my statement. I hope for

much success in our work.