The Gambia, 2008

I bring to everyone here

greetings from His Excellency Al Hadji Yahya A.J.J.

Jammeh, President and head of State of the Republic of

the Gambia.

The legitimacy of multilateralism, which lies at

the core of the United Nations system, is being

increasingly questioned. Yes, with the launching of the

former Secretary-General’s report “In larger freedom:

towards development, security and human rights for

all” (A/59/2005), a lot of reforms have taken place and

are still taking place. However, the question is, “Is it

enough?” One of the unassailable conclusions reached

in that report is that “no reform of the United Nations

would be complete without reform of the Security

Council” (A/59/2005, para. 169). We have established

a new Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding

Commission and have undertaken far-reaching

management reforms, yet the reform of the Security

Council is still being unnecessarily stalled for no

justifiable reason. That delay constitutes a source of

frustration for the citizens of this world, who are

increasingly questioning the legitimacy of our

decisions. The world is watching the unsatisfactory

status quo with dismay.

In any event, the aspirations of the African people

and their Governments to adequate representation on

the Council cannot be ignored because they are

legitimate and justified. The suggestion that reforming

the Council’s working methods alone could constitute

sufficient reform is not accurate.

A/63/PV.13

29 08-53122

My delegation has taken note of the High-level

Panel’s report and the Secretary-General’s comment on

United Nations system-wide coherence, as well as the

concept paper on institutional options to strengthen

United Nations work on gender equality and the

empowerment of women. My delegation aligns itself

with the position of the Group of 77 and China on that

work in progress.

Our world is also going through a period of

crises, ranging from the food crisis and the energy

crisis to the collapse of financial markets and the

collapse of trade talks. There is no country on Earth

that is not affected by those crises. Too many repetitive

high-level meetings, too many false promises and

unfulfilled commitments continue to characterize our

efforts to address the global crises. We in the

developing world have received too many prescriptions

from the international community and we have

fastidiously followed them. The irony, however,

remains that our partners are not fulfilling their side of

the bargain in the way they should. It is our hope that

the upcoming Follow-up International Conference on

Financing for Development to Review the

Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, to be

held in Doha this November, will result in the reversal

of that trend.

We are asked to eliminate subsidies while our

partners in the North continue to give huge subsidies to

their farmers. We are opening up our markets while

they continue to introduce subtle measures including

tariff and non-tariff barriers to deny us effective market

access. They commit to doubling overseas

development assistance, but turn around and withhold

the little that trickles in. When it trickles in, it becomes

a media event. That is no way to end poverty. That is

no way to end the food crisis. That is no way to end the

energy crisis. Certainly, that is no way to address

climate change, and it is no way to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals.

Allow me to share some thoughts about the

global food crisis. When the crisis struck earlier this

year, no economy was spared. The food crisis was

predictable because the international community over

the past decade has neglected agriculture in the

developing countries. In most developing countries,

agricultural research and training institutions

collapsed, largely because of underfunding. Research

and development were outsourced to multinational

corporations. Most of us in the developing world saw

the collapse of our agriculture markets through

competition from the heavily subsidized farmers of the

developed world. World trade talks keep on failing, to

the detriment of poor farmers in rural Africa and

elsewhere in the developing world.

Our response to the food crisis followed the usual

pattern of convening conferences and meetings and

adopting blueprints that merely heal the symptoms. We

need more than that. How many times have we met in

Rome and elsewhere just to adopt the same

commitments that we have already adopted over the

years? Our farmers need agricultural inputs, such as

machinery and fertilizers, to enhance their production

capacity. We all know what is at stake. Let us honour

our commitments in order not to repeat the dramatic

events that stem from food shortages.

As we address the food crisis, we cannot

underestimate the impact of skyrocketing energy costs

on the incomes and livelihoods of our populations. Our

economies are under enormous stress and our gains in

economic growth and development are at risk of being

completely eroded. We appreciate the efforts that a

number of energy-producing countries are making to

ease the impact of the crisis on net importing countries.

Our delegation believes, however, that sustained efforts

should continue to be made to stabilize the oil market.

Beyond tackling the economic crisis that is impacting

the world, we should also pay attention to the question

of conflict resolution in various conflict areas.

One of the cornerstones of the Gambia’s foreign

policy is the pursuit of peace and security. As a peace-

loving people, it is our constant desire to contribute to

the search for lasting peace wherever there is conflict.

It is for those reasons that the Gambia actively

participates in peace missions and promotes good-

neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation throughout

Africa and beyond.

I must register my satisfaction at the peace

dividend that is being reaped today across Africa

thanks to the commitment of African leaders to finding

solutions to African conflicts. We are witnessing the

resurgence of hope in Sierra Leone and Liberia after

many years of consolidation of peace and security. It is

my delegation’s fervent hope that the international

community will not relent in extending to them all the

financial, technical and material support they require to

turn their societies around for the better.

A/63/PV.13

08-53122 30

The Gambian delegation fully shares the agony of

the Somali Government and people over the

breakdown of law and order and the internal conflict

that continues to plague that country. In that regard, I

wish to salute the effort that the Government and the

people of Ethiopia, the neighbouring countries and the

African Union are making in trying to bring peace and

security to Somalia.

It is the strong desire of my delegation to see a

peaceful settlement of the conflict in Darfur. As a

troop-contributing country to the African Union-United

Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, we humbly call on

all the parties to iron out their differences at the

negotiating table. Regarding the threat to indict

President Al-Bashir of the Sudan, the Gambia wishes

to register its full support for the position taken on the

matter by the African Union, the League of Arab States

and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The people of the Middle East are tired of living

in a theatre of conflict. The Palestinian conflict has

lingered for too long and the condition of ordinary

Palestinians continues to deteriorate even after

numerous accords and promises. General Assembly

resolutions, Security Council resolutions and even the

recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion

on the situation are not being implemented. The

Quartet and the international community seem

helpless. We must ask ourselves: “How do we respond

to the despair and lack of action that seem to

characterize the peace agenda of the United Nations in

that region? When will the two-State solution be

achieved?” Unless we do something to break the

logjam in the ongoing negotiations, lasting peace will

remain elusive.

Iraq and Afghanistan continue to roil in conflict.

The international community must give the

Governments of those countries space to make

decisions that are in the best interests of their peoples.

Allow me now to address some neglected issues

of international justice. My delegation has always

addressed the question of Taiwan in this Assembly

from the point of view of justice, fairness and equality.

Taiwan is a stable and prosperous democracy that is

willing and able to take part in the work that the

Organization does. How can one justify the exclusion

of Taiwan from actively participating in the activities

of United Nations agencies? Safeguarding the welfare

of the 23 million Taiwanese through their participation

should be accepted under the principle of universality.

For example, although it has the world’s tenth largest

shipping capacity, Taiwan does not have access to the

International Maritime Organization. That adversely

affects the progress of its shipping industry.

Furthermore, as the world’s eighth largest

economy and twentieth largest foreign investor, Taiwan

possesses significant economic strength and continues

to share its development experiences with many

developing countries through technical and

humanitarian assistance. Taiwan is supporting the

achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

and other internationally agreed development goals. I

therefore strongly believe that we should all agree to

let Taiwan participate in the activities of the

specialized agencies of the United Nations. That is a

modest request that my delegation fervently hopes

merits the Assembly’s objective consideration.

The perpetuation of the unjust extraterritorial

economic embargo against Cuba has never made sense,

does not make sense today and has no place in our

community of nations. Its sole objective is to inflict

unnecessary harm and suffering on a resolute people.

The General Assembly’s persistent calls for its

abolition have only met with indifference. At their hour

of need, when hurricanes Ike and Gustav inflicted

massive damage on the country, Cuba’s humanitarian

call for the lifting of the embargo to enable it to

purchase necessary humanitarian supplies has met with

nothing but a cold response. There is no room for such

action in the twenty-first century. The embargo must

end.

I would like to address a number of social issues

that are very high on the global agenda. In Africa, we

are committed to combating the scourges of

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious

diseases. Over the years, African Governments have

committed substantial resources to fighting those

diseases. Yet, our health-care delivery systems remain

under serious stress because of the flight of trained

professionals to more advanced countries. That is

considered to be positive migration, but we are being

devastated by it. I think some serious dialogue needs to

begin between our countries and beneficiary States on

how to get fair compensation for such huge losses.

The other side of migration is what some call

“illegal” migration, especially from Africa to Europe.

It is a question that is tied to the problem of youth

A/63/PV.13

31 08-53122

unemployment in our societies and to the broader

question of development. Over the years, we have tried

to address the migration conundrum at various forums,

but we need to come up with solutions that empower

young people through job creation, skills and

vocational training programmes in order to stem the

tide. Governments must manage migration humanely.

The human rights and welfare of migrants and their

families should be upheld by all societies. My

delegation would like to appeal to all Governments to

do more to stamp out the increasing rise of intolerance,

xenophobia and racism directed against migrants and

their families.

Ours is a world of considerable opportunities and

challenges. Let us collectively exploit the opportunities

offered by our globalized world to tackle the

challenges that face humankind. Together, we can do it.