Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2010

I

begin by congratulating Mr. Joseph Deiss on his

election to preside over the sixty-fifth session of the

General Assembly, and I also congratulate his entire

Bureau on their election. I also congratulate the

President’s predecessor, Mr. Ali Treki, on the devotion

and skill with which he carried out his mandate, to

great general satisfaction.

Finally, I pay a heartfelt tribute to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his praiseworthy, tireless

efforts to uphold and promote the purposes and principles

of the Charter. The Democratic Republic of the Congo

thanks him for having agreed to be present in Kinshasa

during the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of our

accession to independence. This is proof of his

commitment and that of the United Nations, together with

the Congolese people, in the search for peace, stability

and development. My country reaffirms its determination

to support him in his efforts to bring about a world that is

safer for all of us.

This session is being held at a time of particular

difficulty for all humanity, which is in crisis, marked

by challenges to the basic principles of international

relations, worsened by the self-interest of nations. The

outcome document adopted yesterday on accelerating

implementation of the Millennium Development Goals,

while being a message of hope, nevertheless gives a

sense of the gap separating the wealthy countries from

the poor countries as we seek better living conditions

for our peoples.

The food crisis and famine afflict many peoples

of the planet. Endemic diseases that had almost

disappeared are now resurfacing, and new scourges are

appearing. In particular, we see a plethora of natural

disasters in the wake of climate change, which is

proving to be even more devastating.

The grim picture that I have just painted should

motivate us to be more united in mobilizing our efforts

in a spirit of constructive solidarity in order to find

agreed, comprehensive solutions measuring up to the

vast challenges that we must meet.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo makes a

pressing appeal to all States to work together at long

last for a better world, while tirelessly trying to bring

peace wherever areas of tension persist.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo also

commends all the efforts made by a number of States

under the auspices of the United Nations to restore

peace, security, democracy and development to certain

regions of the Middle East, the Balkans, the Horn of

Africa, Central Africa and other regions of the world.

My country is emerging from a multifaceted

crisis worsened by the various wars that ravaged it

until recently. Like many other African nations, it also

suffers from the harmful consequences of the global

economic and financial crisis. As I told my people on

30 June, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of

our independence, poverty and a precarious situation

are neither inevitable nor irreversible.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo wants the

next 50 years to be much brighter and more promising.

It undertakes, to that end, to make its contribution to

the forward march of humankind towards a better

world.

With respect to the global challenges of

preserving the planet, my country, wondrously

endowed and blessed by nature, reaffirms its solemn

commitment to defend its biodiversity in its policies

and its national development plan.

The Government of my country, whose forests

provide the world with its second set of “lungs”,

believes that the issue of climate change and the

environment will require the establishment of a global

environment authority, which should involve both

public and private institutions, civil society and

scientific circles.

With respect to establishing and consolidating

peace, my country welcomes the Secretary-General’s

acceptance of our request to establish in Libreville in

the Republic of Gabon a United Nations office for

Central Africa, which clearly will help bring the United

Nations closer and ensure better coordination between

it and the countries of the region. Issues of peace,

security, humanitarian assistance and development will

be considered speedily, and implementation of

measures adopted will receive the necessary urgency.

It is up to us to consolidate peace everywhere,

through international and regional mechanisms and

17 10-54833

instruments for the maintenance of peace and the

prevention and settlement of conflict.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is

resolved to eradicate the phenomenon of foreign armed

groups in its national territory. This is the framework in

which should be understood the military operations

that we have carried out systematically since 2009 to

force such groups to lay down their arms for good. Due

to military pressures and awareness-raising and

outreach campaigns, and also because the were

displace far from their own borders of origin, the

volunteer repatriations have intensified and will

continue to do so.

The question of the Lord’s Resistance Army is no

longer a matter of defence; rather, it is now a matter of

public order. Nevertheless, given the crimes and

atrocities that it still commits against our civilian

populations, we shall remain mobilized and vigilant.

The ultimate aim is to put that group in a situation in

which it can no longer do any harm.

Together with our efforts to eradicate the

insecurity in the eastern part of our national territory,

the Democratic Republic of the Congo is working to

strengthen the rule of law, democracy and good

governance.

With respect to justice in particular, I should like

to dwell a little on the ordeal of Congolese women in

the Provinces of North and South Kivu. The lack of

security is the primary cause of the tragedy. Armed

groups, which benefit from the illegal exploitation of

raw materials, are at the very root of the scourge. We

have decided upon appropriate measures to address this

unacceptable situation.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is now

addressing the causes of the violence against women

and the causes of recurrent conflict. At the same time,

it is enhancing its judiciary in order to address together

peace, justice and security. The fight against impunity

continues to be of prime importance in Government

actions.

My Government is working within the framework

of achieving the Millennium Development Goals to do

its utmost to meet the basic needs of our people:

health, education, food self-sufficiency, basic

infrastructures, electricity and drinking water for all,

not to mention fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS and

poverty. I appreciate the commitment of our partners

who are supporting us in achieving my country’s

development priorities.

Because of the complex nature of the various

tasks that need to be carried out on our territory of

more than several million square kilometres, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a vast building

site, requiring multiple contributions for reconstruction

and modernization. Such contributions are welcome,

particularly in the framework of a partnership that we

want to be respectful and proactive with the private

sector.

Today the economic indicators are changing in a

positive manner. Several key actions have been

successfully taken. The credit for this success, which

gives us the means for a new start, lies above all with

the Congolese people. It also stems from the valuable

contributions and cooperation of our partners.

With regard to political and administrative

management, we plan to hold presidential and

legislative elections in 2011. My Government is

making it a point of honour to consolidate democracy

by respecting electoral time frames, ensuring

accountability of the highest order and completing the

establishment of the institutions provided for by the

Constitution within the framework of the

decentralization process.

My country supports the process of reforming our

universal Organization. The Democratic Republic of

the Congo reaffirms that the Member States should

work resolutely within that trend. United Nations

reform, including Security Council reform, should

therefore be undertaken without delay, because that

would support the achievement of our dreams, given

the new challenges and changes that affect our planet.

Expansion of the Security Council is a democratic

requirement. This vision needs to be strengthened by

affirming the authority of the General Assembly, in order

to enable its President to play a key role in the quest for

solutions to the problems of our time.

It is said that nature will give man only those

challenges that are within the reach of his creative

potential, which has produced tremendous inventions.

Despite our diversity, the time has now come to put our

human resources at the service of our collective

creativity.

We should not leave the controls of the global

economy to unbridled capitalism, which recognizes no

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regulation of movements of capital, and is motivated

only by the profit motive. It is our duty also to

globalize the universal values of justice, solidarity and

altruism that contribute to international peace and

security.

Together we can give humanity better times, if

day after day we work to achieve the ideals of our

Organization.