Guinea, 2014

Fourteen years

ago, in this very Hall, the international community, in a

promising move, pledged to attain a series of common

goals by 2015, essentially, to eradicate poverty and

achieve a prosperous and shared world in a secure

environment. Now, one year before that deadline, we

must recognize that humankind has not been able to

create all the conditions necessary for the development

we aspire to. The very foundations of our Organization

are likely to be shaken if steps are not taken to deal with

the immense challenges facing us.

Poverty always goes hand in hand with major

pandemics, undermining any glimmer of hope for

the decent life to which our people are entitled.

Humankind’s aggressiveness towards the environment

pushes it out of the balance that is essential for its

growth and for sustainable development. Fundamental

rights are still being trampled on, opening the door to

intolerance, frustrations and social crises. Peace and

security are faltering in many countries, threatening

more than ever the stability of our planet. It is clear that

only a comprehensive and cooperative approach will

lead us to a society free of the defects that prevent true

progress.

In congratulating the President of the Assembly on

his election, we would like to state that he is without

a doubt contributing to the momentum for a new

global partnership, which we have all been hoping

for and which is so crucial. Today, we wish to assure

him that we will provide him with the same kind of

unfailing support that we provided to his predecessor,

Ambassador John Ashe, to whom we pay tribute for

his leadership in seeking solutions to our issues of

concern. I must address the issue of the serious health

and humanitarian crisis that Sierra Leone, Liberia and

Guinea are currently facing. As members know, the

Ebola virus, a disease characterized by haemorrhagic

fever, continues to threaten international security.

Since its most recent appearance in March 2014, it

has caused over 2,500 deaths and continues to cause

victims. Health-care workers have not been spared.

Faced with the spread of the epidemic, an

extraordinary summit of heads of State and Government

of the Mano River Union was held in Conakry on

1 August. The summit adopted a common strategy

for fighting the disease and made an urgent appeal to

the international community for a coordinated global

response. At the national level, my Government declared

a health emergency on 13 August. The quarantine line

was reinforced by the establishment of compulsory

medical checks at all border crossings and crossing

places in the country, in particular airports and ports.

The negative impact of the Ebola virus on the

country’s economy can be seen in the decrease in trade,

productivity and activity in the transport, investment

and tourism sectors. To date, Guinea has suffered a loss

of nearly 2.5 per cent in the growth forecast for gross

domestic product. That loss could increase if adequate

measures are not taken in time to stem the epidemic.

There have been other adverse consequences for the

affected countries, in particular in terms of borders

being closed, the free movement of persons hindered,

flights cancelled and nationals of the States affected by

the disease stigmatized.

The Ebola epidemic reminds us of the urgent need

for a comprehensive approach to contain and defeat this

terrible disease. We must isolate Ebola, not countries.

We must counter the irrational panic that has gripped

the world. Ebola is a very serious epidemic, but it is not

a death sentence. Ebola can be cured.

We therefore welcome the fact that several African

Heads of State have joined President Ibrahim Boubacar

Keita of Mali and the King of Morocco, to whom I pay

tribute, and France and England, as President Alassane

Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, President Teodoro Obiang

Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, President

Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo and

President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon have decided

to lift the ban on flights and the use of airports. I thank

them.

In my capacity as Acting Chair of the Mano River

Union, I would like to welcome the appointment of

the United Nations System Senior Coordinator for

Ebola Virus Disease and pay tribute to the work of

the World Health Organization, the United States

Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Médecins

sans Frontières, the International Federation of Red

Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other bilateral

and multilateral partners who are sparing no effort to

support coordinated action by the affected countries to

eradicate the Ebola virus.

My Government welcomes with genuine satisfaction

Security Council resolution 2177 (2014), which was

co-sponsored by 134 Member States and adopted

unanimously by the members of the Council, and

resolution 69/1, on the establishment of a United

Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. I

welcome the spirit of solidarity that continues to be

shown to the countries affected by the epidemic and

express our gratitude to all States and organizations

that have assisted us. I thank in particular President

Obama, President François Hollande and the Secretary-

General for their support and their call to action to all

the countries of the world.

Our countries have urgent needs that must be met

to further boost our efforts to fight effectively against

Ebola. Those needs are in a variety of areas, including

strengthening our infrastructure and health systems

and increasing the number of health-care workers and

financial, material and logistical support, as the gaps in

those areas inhibit our efforts. Promises are nice, but

there is an urgent need for action on the ground. The

faster we act, the better chance we have of stopping the

disease.

Sustainable development remains the cornerstone

of the harmonious development of humankind. The

international community has an obligation to end the

poverty that still grips almost 2 billion people, most of

whom live in Africa. Beyond the economic and social

concerns, it is a matter of human dignity. It is a matter

of justice and fairness. We therefore do not have the

right to back off, much less to give up.

Certainly, progress has been made, if unevenly,

towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Illiteracy has been pushed back, although efforts

are still needed to achieve the quality and equality

required in the pursuit of knowledge. The essential

role of women in transforming society has been further

enhanced. However, family health and access to water,

basic health care and social protection deserve further

investment and political commitment. Worse, the

digital divide has been slow to show any improvement,

for lack of an adequate policy of ownership or transfers

of science and new technologies. However, encouraging

results have been achieved in the fight against malaria

and HIV/AIDS despite the spectre of the disease, which

still haunts the lives of millions of people who do not

have access to antiretroviral medicine.

The many challenges facing our world require an

urgent, comprehensive and coordinated response. In

the collective quest for well-being, Africa in particular

has seen renewed growth, but it is having difficulty

in translating that growth into a true engine for

development. Eradicating poverty is an uphill battle.

The new Africa that we aspire to should promote

structural changes that enable it to acquire robust and

diversified economies so as to guarantee reinvestment

in value-added and environmentally friendly industries

in future.

In that context, the Climate Summit held on the

sidelines of the current session has provided hope that a

binding agreement will be adopted at the international

conference to be held in Paris in 2015. It goes without

saying that those measures will build on the foundation

of a vibrant private sector that is underpinned by strong

institutions that guarantee good governance, which is

itself the crucible of inclusive development.

That is why, despite the backdrop of a relentless

systemic crisis and the scarcity of external resources

because of unfulfilled commitments, Africa will be able

to enter into the international system, gain confidence

and increase intra-African trade to influence the flow of

world trade. That is also why our continent will, relying

primarily on its own strength — and that is extremely

important — be able to become less vulnerable and

build resilience through coherent strategies and the

search for innovative financing to accelerate its full

potential.

Recognizing all those challenges, Guinea has made

a decisive commitment to promoting democracy and

the rule of law, which are the foundation for sustainable

development. In doing so, since our assumption of the

country’s leadership in 2010 we have taken measures

that affect all areas of our national life. The reform

of the defence and security sector ensures that our

armed forces are at the service of the Republic and

increases their participation in the development process

and in peacekeeping in the world. The independence

of the judiciary is now ensured. Our stabilized and

competitive macroeconomic framework strengthens

Guinea’s credibility at the international level.

Guinea has been admitted to the Extractive

Industries Transparency Initiative and today has one of

the most attractive mining codes. Even better, the review

of all contracts allows us to make the environment safer

for investors and ensures a development process that

benefits Guineans while preserving our ecosystem.

Of course, the development of the mining sector

will rely on promoting agriculture to ensure our food

security and to pass on to future generations the

resources needed to shape to the world they hope for.

The growth we aspire to will be even more promising

as it creates decent jobs for our youth and empowers

women — two sectors of society that constitute the rich

and inexhaustible source of all progress.

Our unquenchable desire to ensure the well-being of

our people can be fulfilled only in a stable environment

that is free from crises and conflicts. Multilateralism,

which is the only way to realize our goals, is imperative,

since our States, whether big or small, strong or weak,

are determined to contribute to building a more just

and equitable global society within a reformed United

Nations that is responsive to the needs of humanity.

In that context, Africa, the continent that is the most

affected, will shoulder its responsibilities by pooling

its efforts through greater regional integration, which

is an essential element of a global partnership leading

to a more dynamic and pragmatic peace.

That is why we must be more involved in the

struggle against terrorism, extremism and intolerance

and the illicit trafficking in small arms and light

weapons, which fuel cross-border crime and maritime

insecurity — the numerous scourges that hinder

development. The time has come to be the true builders

of our destiny. The rule of law, respect for all human

rights and good governance remain intangible realities

that we must promote. Likewise, the implementation

of the African Peace and Security Architecture and

the ability of Africa to respond quickly to crises will

strengthen our credibility with regard to stabilizing the

continent.

I should like to stress in particular the unacceptable

suffering that our Palestinian brothers are experiencing.

Guinea has always clearly and unambiguously expressed

its unconditional solidarity with the just Palestinian

cause and firmly condemns the heinous acts committed

by Israel in the Gaza Strip, which is now suffering

under the yoke of a cruel and vile embargo. My country

remains convinced that any viable and lasting solution

to the situation in the Middle East hinges on the

creation of two States living side by side within secure

and internationally recognized borders, based on the

pre-1967 borders.

We will soon have the opportunity to take stock of

the Millennium Development Goals. On the eve of that

meeting and bearing in mind that we decided, at our

sixty-eighth session, to set the stage for the sustainable

development goals, it is clear that the implementation

of those legitimate goals remains dependent both on

the appropriate means for its implementation and on

whether the priorities of poor countries, in particular

African countries, are taken into account.

That is why Guinea, which has a member on the

Secretary-General’s High-level Panel of Eminent

Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, calls

for greater attention to be given to the African Common

Position on the post-2015 development agenda. That is

all the more relevant since, if Africa does well, the world

will do better. The new Africa — more ambitious and

more promising and aware of its human and economic

potential — is now ready to assume its responsibilities.

I again thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

who has devoted all his actions and energy into forging

an adequate response on the part of the United Nations

to all the challenges we face. He deserves our gratitude

and respect. There is no doubt that his efforts will

chart the course for the indispensable reform of the

international system, so that the United Nations will be

true to its original objectives of promoting peace and

security and respect for human rights and fundamental

freedoms in a world of democracy, equity and progress

for all.