Republic of the Congo, 2012

It is a

happy coincidence — and one that gives me great

pleasure — that my fellow countryman, who is presiding

at this meeting, has given me the f loor.

Despite progress in the field of knowledge and

forecasting, the evolution of humankind remains

subject to uncertainties. In that connection, the work of the United Nations, which is the appropriate forum

for seeking collective solutions to the many challenges

that make up our world, is markedly affected by those

uncertainties.

The persistence and resurgence of hotbeds of

tension of all kinds pose a serious threat to peace and

international security, jeopardize the implementation

of all projects for sustainable development and pose

a dangerous threat to the promotion and protection

of human rights. In that context, it is appropriate that

the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly has

opened under the banner of the theme, “Bringing about

adjustment or settlement of international disputes or

situations by peaceful means”. My delegation welcomes

that choice, which is also in line with the theme of the

previous session on mediation and reflects in a timely

manner the concerns of the day and aspirations of our

States.

A year ago, speaking from this rostrum, I asserted

the importance and necessity of mediation as an

essential tool for the prevention and settlement of

conflicts, a tool that has proved itself, not only in Africa

but around the world. Having endured the horrors of

armed conflict for years in the 1990s, the Congo chose

the path of mediation and dialogue. Thanks to that

commitment, my country has been able to overcome

the sociopolitical upheavals of its recent history, and

today, the peace that reigns throughout the country has

cleared the way for the impetus needed to strengthen

our democratic process and economic development.

Two rounds of legislative elections were conducted

in an atmosphere of calm on 15 July and 5 August,

followed by the peaceful celebration on 15 August of

the fifty-second anniversary of our independence in

Kinkala, city seat of the Department of Pool, which had

endured violence for a long time; those events serve as

additional examples of positive developments.

Strengthened by that experience, the Congo would

like to voice its deep concern about the continuing

crises threatening peace and security, regionally and

internationally. For many years Africa has been the

theatre of choice for conflict. Today a number of African

countries — indeed, in some cases an entire region,

like the Sahel — are still at the mercy of instability

and increasingly complex crises. Several meetings

dedicated to conflicts in Africa are listed on the agendas

of high-level meetings during the General Assembly’s

current session, which is unquestionably an indicator

of instability in the world. However, we can agree that the conflicts and crises that have marked the African

continent for the whole of its post-independence history

have also enriched it with the experience of mediation

initiatives and have mobilized efforts aimed at settling

the conflicts by peaceful means.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is dealing

with a serious crisis in the eastern part of the country,

characterized by repeated violence that has resulted

in an intolerable humanitarian tragedy produced by

small armed groups of the Mouvement du 23 mars

and other opposition forces. That situation is a serious

threat to peace and security and to the integrity and

development of our brother country. Furthermore, the

political, security, socioeconomic and humanitarian

consequences can be felt throughout the Great Lakes

region. The heads of State and Government of the

region, meeting at the International Conference on the

Great Lakes region, are fully committed to seeking

peaceful solutions.

I would like to take this opportunity, as I did this

morning, to commend again the initiative of Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon to organize a high-level meeting

on 27 September on the situation in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, which will certainly provide a

stimulus to the International Conference on the Great

Lakes Region, supported by the African Union. The

Congo, which is committed to that effort as a neighbour,

a State member of the Conference and a member of

the Peace and Security Council of the African Union,

concurs with the conclusions of that important meeting,

hoping to see them realized as soon as possible, so as

to enable the Democratic Republic of the Congo to

regain its stability and play the role expected of that

great country. Our region will continue with its efforts

to achieve the objectives we have sought and will use

every mechanism we have to attain them.

In December the Congo will host the thirty-fifth

ministerial meeting of the United Nations Standing

Advisory Committee on Security Questions in

Central Africa, which will allow us to celebrate the

twentieth anniversary of that General Assembly body

and continue our cooperation on settling crises in the

subregion.

The collapse of democracy in Mali, which was once

a fine example of democracy in Africa, represents a

relapse that my country has condemned, while calling

for a return to constitutional order. The deteriorating

humanitarian situation, combined with the risk of spreading terrorism, calls for urgent implementation

of the decisions of the Economic Community of West

African States, together with the support of the African

Union, the United Nations and the international

community, so as to ensure that that dangerous

precedent is not repeated anywhere else and that any

impulses towards destabilizing and partitioning States

by terrorist groups are quashed.

My delegation can only welcome the positive

developments in the political process established by

the African Union in Somalia, which culminated in

the election on 10 September of the new President

of the Republic, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Many challenges remain, of course, particularly

those of security, unification and reconciliation and

establishing the rule of law, to name only a few. In

that regard, we must support Somalia by helping that

country to strengthen the gains of recent months,

focusing everything we do on working within a global

strategy for the reconstruction and development of the

entire Somali territory and maintaining a coordinated,

organized and coherent approach on the part of the

international community, in support of the efforts of

the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Regarding the dispute between the young Republic

of South Sudan and the Republic of the Sudan, my

delegation urges both countries to demonstrate the

necessary political will and to spare no effort to

successfully and implement sign the Comprehensive

Peace Agreement, as called for by the African Union

in envisioning the existence of two viable States

and a lasting peace. We support the African Union’s

negotiations in Ethiopia on that issue.

Outside the African continent, particularly with

respect to the Middle East, the ongoing violence in

certain countries continues to erode the prospects for

peace in the region, not to mention the blocked peace

process between Israel and Palestine, now deadlocked

for several decades and, even worse, 10 years after the

adoption of the Arab Peace Initiative. The Arab spring

has apparently not bloomed there, to the detriment of

the interests of a people who have the same right as any

other to live in peace with its neighbours in a viable

State. The Palestinian State has a rightful place in this

body.

The situation in Syria is particularly troubling, as

speakers before me have emphasized. Faced with the

risks of the general destabilization that that situation presents for the subregion and the world, we call for a

coordinated and negotiated settlement that takes into

consideration the interests of the various parties, so

as to put an end to the escalating violence and serious

violations of human rights.

Regarding the nuclear issue, which represents a

serious threat to humankind in general, it is essential

that the nuclear-weapon States take responsibility, as

they should, to implement specific measures that will

enable progress towards genuine nuclear disarmament,

while monitoring the ban on nuclear proliferation

with regard to military purposes. We reaffirm the

importance of respecting the three pillars of the Treaty

on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, that is,

nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the right

of every State to develop nuclear energy for peaceful

purposes under the supervision of the International

Atomic Energy Agency.

The development agenda of the United Nations is

struggling to give sustainable support to our countries

in their unceasing efforts to improve their economic

development and their peoples’ well-being. The

commitments made by industrialized countries at the

major international conferences under the auspices of

the United Nations have still not been met. The global

economic and financial crisis continues to weaken the

economies of developed as well as developing countries

around the world. We are also concerned about the

ongoing crisis in the euro zone and its effects, which

are having a considerable impact on the achievement

of social development objectives at the international

level, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Areas such as the fight against poverty, employment,

education and health are affected by the crisis. In

that light, my delegation reaffirms the responsibility

and central role of the United Nations in forging the

spirit of solidarity and cooperation that can enable the

commitments made in the areas of aid and financing of

development to be respected.

Climate change remains a serious threat to the

equilibrium of mankind. Sadly, we have to admit that

we have not done enough to reverse its negative effects

on the environment. It is therefore important to waste

no more time and work to find solutions that will ensure

a better future for coming generations.

Along those lines, my delegation took an active part

in June at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development (Rio+20), a high-level exchange on the

challenge of sustainable development. The President of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, brought Africa’s

voice to the Conference, in his role as spokesperson for

the continent. While we welcome the analysis and the

reaffirmation of shared positions that the Conference

yielded, my delegation remains concerned about the

lack of real progress on the important issues of an

institutional framework for sustainable development

and for global environmental governance, as well as

plans for their implementation.

Although not all of Africa’s concerns were

addressed, Africa’s common positions are nevertheless

well represented in the Rio+20 final document (resolution

66/288, annex), thanks to the dogged perseverance and

resolve of the African Group, which maintained unity

and strove throughout the negotiation process to keep

the African point of view in the fore. I want to take

this opportunity here in New York to convey President

Sassou Nguesso’s words of appreciation to the African

Group and to extend his special thanks to the group of

experts led by Kenya and its Permanent Representative.

The sixty-seventh session of the Assembly is an

important forum for a follow-up to Rio+20. I once

again urge African delegates to speak with one voice

in defending African interests in the vital matter of

sustainable development. Especially important is the

intergovernmental process for developing proposals for

effective sustainable development financing strategies

to mobilize resources and put them to effective use.

I could well have raised many other issues, such

as Security Council reform and the need for genuine

global governance that takes into account people’s

desire for multilateralism. But I will limit myself to a

few words about certain concerns that should be taken

into account. First is the need for global governance

of political and security issues through the necessary

reform of the Security Council. We also need to address

global economic management by granting greater

authority to the Economic and Social Council. Finally,

there is the need for global environmental management

through an international institution with real power

to protect the environment and promote sustainable

development.

Our times demand the pursuit of those legitimate

goals, shared by the majority of Member States of our

world Organization. Its credibility and credit in the

world will increase if we meet the challenge of global

governance with a unified drive to create a more peaceful, prosperous and just world for the benefit of

all.