The Gambia, 2004

I should like, Sir, to

congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency

of the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. This

session might well prove to be epoch-making in that

this body will be called upon to consider and to make

far-reaching decisions on what ought to be done to

revitalize our Organization and to better align it to fit

todayís imperatives for global security, peace and

development. I have no doubt that you will live up to

our expectations and that, given your wisdom and vast

experience, you will guide our deliberations to a

successful outcome. You may rest assured, Mr. President,

that you will receive my delegationís fullest cooperation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay

tribute to your predecessor, the very energetic and

dynamic outgoing President, Mr. Julian E. Hunte, who

conducted the business of the fifty-eighth session with

gusto, dedication and courage, and who helped us to

address some difficult issues. My delegation wishes

him all the very best in his future endeavours.

To our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, I

express my deep appreciation for yet another year of

dedicated service to the Organization ó indeed, to

humanity at large. Some of the problems that were laid

before him were not easy to resolve but, as expected,

resolved they were. I hope that his efforts to ensure the

triumph of multilateralism, the resolution of disputes

and the pursuit of meaningful cooperation among

nations will be further bolstered during the session that

is just beginning.

I stand here representing the young people of the

world. My statement is very long, and is divided into

two parts: one part will be circulated to

representatives; I will read out the other part.

World leaders have stood at this rostrum on many

occasions, addressing the world. We made pledges to

the children of the world during the twenty-seventh

special session ó the childrenís summit ó in 2002.

During that special session, we pledged to create a

better world and an environment conducive to the

wellbeing of the children of the world. We have also

come up with objectives for global development so as

to make the world a better place for humanity by 2015.

So far, there is no indication that those objectives will

be achieved in the next 2,000 years.

What are the problems? Since the childrenís

summit took place, we have seen the condition of the

worldís children become more and more desperate.

Children are being butchered throughout the world.

Childrenís rights are being violated. Children are being

sold into slavery, and they are being terrorized by

adults ó we, who are supposed to take care of them.

We have seen the economies of small States

collapse as a result of rising oil prices. I come from a

volatile part of the world, but I do not represent only

Africa; I represent the young people of the world, whose

future is very bleak if the status quo is not addressed.

What are the problems of humanity today? They

are man-made problems, and, because they are man-

made, we will be able to resolve them. The solution to

those problems lies with us, human beings ó

irrespective of race, colour, creed or religion.

The problem of development can best be

summarized thus: as long as there is violence and as long

as there is no peace or global security, we, the poorer

parts of humanity, will always become poorer and poorer,

while the richer nations will become richer and richer.

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There cannot be any development without peace

and stability. There cannot be peace or stability without

democracy, justice and equality. The main problem of

humanity today ó which is creating all our other

problems - is a result of four human tendencies:

greed, double standards, intolerance and hypocrisy.

None of us here can look into the faces of our

children and assure them of a bright future or of their

safety. Because of greed, human life has been reduced

to naught. People want to become rich at the expense

of human life. Greed can come in many forms. The

insatiable appetite for world domination and

intolerance - those are things that face humanity today.

Our problem is not a confrontation between Islam

and other religions. The problem of terrorism is a

human characteristic. No good Muslim would ever

commit a terrorist act. But, because the world has

become so bad, lawlessness is rampant, and those who

want to take out their frustrations on other human

beings can do so in the name of Islam or any other

religion.

I have listened to my colleagues who have spoken

here. But, as long as certain issues are not addressed,

there will be no peace, and the war against terror will

become an elusive fight that we will always lose.

Some of us believe that, because we disapproved

of the war in Iraq in the beginning, it is not our

business to help solve it now. But let me assure the

Assembly that the war in Iraq has more far-reaching

consequences for humanity ó and particularly for the

children whom we pledged to support at the World

Summit for Children - than for anything else. We

have seen our economies collapse because of high oil

prices that rise higher every day. It is our collective

responsibility to put an end to the war in Iraq. We have

seen the rise of global terrorism; the world is a more

dangerous place today than during the cold war. The

war in Iraq ó regardless of whether or not we

supported it ó is a human tragedy, and it is not in our

interests, as the human race, to let that war continue

because we disapprove of what has happened. Two

wrongs cannot make a right. Even if we believe that

the war was wrong, it is the responsibility of the entire

human race to help put an end to the suffering of the

Iraqi people. We have seen children being butchered in

Beslan, Russia; we have seen Palestinian and Israeli

children being butchered. The problem is not a

religious problem but a political one, because we, the

leaders of the world, want to teach others a lesson by

making them suffer. That is a human tragedy.

We cannot be diplomats here if we want to solve

the worldís problems. It is amazing that, when certain

actions that are described as terrorist acts are carried

out by other parties, they are described as retaliation

for something. An unlawful act that destroys human

life is a terrorist act, regardless of its objective or the

rationale behind it.

If poverty is not addressed, there will be

desperation and hunger. And, if human beings are

desperate, they can resort to actions that are horrific to

the rest of us. We have seen that some parts of the

world are very rich and that other parts - including

Africa, where I come from - are becoming poorer and

poorer. If the world's wealth is not distributed equally,

there will be imbalances and inequities, and there will

be people who are desperate. If people are desperate,

they will do anything to survive.

However, that does not mean that one can justify

violence. I do not justify violence in any form, because

I believe that peace and stability would augur well for

our children. The fight against terror is global. Let us

be mindful of the consequences of allowing terror to be

seen as a legitimate act.

We have seen double standards being applied

when resolutions are adopted for the good of humanity

by the international community ó which is represented

here ó and, in some cases, are enforced to the letter,

whereas a few States are above international law and

United Nations resolutions.

That brings me to the issue of nuclear weapons.

As a human being and as a peacemaker, I believe that,

following the end of the cold war, no nation should

have been able to justify the possession of nuclear

weapons, much less become a new nuclear Power. If

powerful nations continue to keep their nuclear

weapons - and there are many double standards in the

way we deal with one another ó that will only become

an enticement for others to opt for nuclear weapons

because they think such weapons will serve as an

insurance policy against attacks.

I know that, during the 1980s, there was a

campaign to promote nuclear disarmament. Today, in

the new millennium, that campaign should be

strengthened through a United Nations resolution

making it illegal for anyone to possess nuclear

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weapons. We have seen conflicts simmering that will

have drastic consequences for humanity - conflicts

aimed at preventing certain States from acquiring

nuclear weapons. Now that the Soviet empire no longer

exists, all nuclear weapons - whether they are

possessed by the Gambia or by any other country -

should be eliminated. Just imagine one bomb killing

millions of people. And here we stand, telling everyone

that the world will be a better place for mankind. I believe

in the peaceful resolution of all conflicts. Indeed, as far

as I know, there is no licensing authority for the

possession of nuclear weapons; therefore, no one can

decide who should and who should not have them.

We should take a bold step to ensure that no one

has nuclear weapons. In this forum, on behalf of the

worldís children, I appeal to those who aspire to

possess nuclear weapons that that is the wrong path to

take. Peace and stability cannot be ensured through the

possession of nuclear weapons. The strength of a

nation is not based on its firepower or its nuclear

arsenal, but is determined by its ability to make the

world a better place for humanity, including its own

citizens. Nuclear weapons are not a solution.