The Gambia, 2014

Thanks be to the almighty

Allah for giving me another opportunity to address

this global body at a time when human civilization is

teetering on the brink of a major catastrophe. Before

going further, let me convey our warm felicitations

to you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the

General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. While

wishing you success, I would like to assure you of the

support and cooperation of the Gambia during your

tenure as President of the Assembly. I would also like

to commend your predecessor, Mr. John William Ashe,

for his able stewardship as President of the General

Assembly.

It is a well-known fact that injustice, iniquities,

exclusion and greed all contribute to the creation of

international tensions that can lead to catastrophic

consequences, conflicts, wars, death and destruction.

Today we witness lamentable inertia on the part of

the United Nations, as powerful Member States take

undue advantage of weaker Members; unjust economic

and financial sanctions are imposed on other Member

States; others are bullied and their natural resources

looted; or wars are waged against still others, simply

in the name of democracy, freedom and regime change.

All of those actions are based on false pretences.

That is not the scenario that the noble and

distinguished gentlemen, the founders of the United

Nations and its Charter, envisaged. What those great

founding fathers of the United Nations intended over

half a century ago was a world body committed to

promoting the principles and ideals of peace and security

and advancing the causes of justice and equality;

freedom for all; and respect for the sovereignty and

the territorial integrity of States, rich or poor, black or

white, big or small; and respect for the social, spiritual,

religious and cultural values of all peoples. Therefore,

in order to uphold the founding principles of the Charter

of the United Nations, Member States must avoid the

promotion of all forms of aggression, confrontation

and dangerous tension by exercising maximal restraint

in the pursuit of their individual or collective national

interests at the expense of others. In fact, the pursuit of

one’s interest at the expense of the legitimate interests

and security of others is criminal.

Invariably, when major tensions erupt into conflicts

or wars, the world economy as a whole suffers, with

major disruptions or reversals in the developing

countries. That has been evident in the wake of past

regional or international conflicts, when oil prices, for

example, surged, with the developing countries bearing

the brunt of the debilitating consequences. In short, the

United Nations must be seen not as a prejudicial but

rather as an all-embracing global body that stands for

the interests of not only the few and the powerful but all

its Member States.

The Gambia acknowledges with satisfaction the

outcome document of the United Nations Conference

on Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we

want” (resolution 66/288, annex), and the resulting

establishment of the Open Working Group on Sustainable

Development Goals and associated consultative

forums, including the African regional consultations

on the sustainable development goals. While the

Gambia appreciates the proposals of the Open Working

Group on the post-2015 development framework, it is

hoped that the goals and targets outlined thus far will

reflect an integrated and transformative agenda that

would ultimately build upon the gains made from the

implementation of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) in order to fully address the many difficult

challenges that we face today.

It is in that connection that we welcome the choice

of the theme for this session, namely, “Delivering on and

implementing a transformative post-2015 development

agenda”. That theme is indeed pertinent and timely, as

it gives fresh impetus to our ardent desire to identify

a set of global priorities to steer the international

development agenda, once the MDGs expire at the

end of 2015. However, in launching that new initiative

for transformative change, we must not allow novelty

to mask any shortcomings of the MDGs experiment.

There is a need to take stock of the achievements and

failures of those Goals and indeed to renew support

to those developing countries, particularly the least

developed, landlocked and island developing countries,

that may still have difficulties in meeting their critical

MDG targets before the end of 2015.

At a time when the world is facing multiple and

complex challenges, there is a need to pay attention to

the commanding role that the United Nations should be

playing in advancing international peace and security,

justice and the fundamental rights and freedoms of all

peoples. The attainment of the post-2015 sustainable

development goals will be elusive, unless the United

Nations begins to execute its core mandate in earnest

and exercises its commanding role in dealing with the

host of local and international crises that are disruptive

to development. A few current issues stand out on which

the United Nations has yet to be seen to be playing a

leading role.

First, there is Ebola, a deadly haemorrhagic

fever that has claimed more than 2,000 lives in West

Africa, mostly in the severely affected countries of

the Republics of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The World Health Organization has warned that, if no

major efforts are made immediately, more lives will be

lost and the economies of those countries will come

under serious strain. Already, the World Bank and

the International Monetary Fund have projected that,

owing to disruptions in the labour force and productive

sectors of the economies of those countries, declines

in their respective economic growths could range

from 1.5 to 3.5 percentage points, if current conditions

remain unchecked.

For those affected countries, all development

efforts are now on hold as they grapple with that

contagious and deadly disease. It is encouraging that

the United States Government has committed, rather

belatedly, some funds and military assets to curb the

spread of that disease. That gesture is more than just

humanitarian aid. It is also, as President Obama said,

in the national security interest of the United States.

That is true because in a globalized, interconnected

world, infectious diseases can easily spread to any part

of the world. It is for that reason that the United Nations

should take the lead in mobilizing international support

to fight Ebola, which is an evident danger not only to

West Africa but to the world at large. On that note, we

want to thank the Russian Federation for being one of

the first major Powers to respond to the outbreak of

deadly Ebola by providing scientific and medical teams

to some of those countries as soon as the outbreak was

announced.

Secondly, for some time now, the world has been

witnessing the bloodiest and most heinous form of

terrorism, unleashed by satanic and sadistic human

vermin disguised as Islamic militants, who are acting

ostensibly in the name of Islamic purity. In reality,

those sons of infamy and their shameless and deceitful

claims of devotion to the peaceful and noble religion of

Islam are, in fact, an insult not only to all true Muslims,

but to our Prophet and humankind in general.

Before the emergence of the mujahideen in Iran and

later in Afghanistan in the 1980s, which was a movement

subsequently associated with Islamic terrorism by

the Western mainstream media in total disregard for

its creation and sponsorship by the Western Powers

to fight proxy wars against the Islamic revolution in

Iran and the Soviets in Afghanistan, there existed no

Islamic terrorism. Islam in its entire history has never

been associated with violence or terrorism, as those

activities are haram, or forbidden, for a Muslim. Islam

is a religion of peace and tolerance and has nothing to

do with the activities of those anti-Islamic bands of

dangerous criminals, who spread nothing but deep-

seated hatred for human life and whose sole intention is

to desecrate and defame Islam.

Consequently, those various treacherous hate

groups cannot be associated with Islam, as our Islamic

religion is pure and unique and cannot therefore be

classified into varying degrees such as moderate Islam,

democratic Islam, extreme Islam or violent Islam.

Simply put, Islam is a pure religion that encourages

the best of human behaviour and interpersonal

relationships, among other virtues, as prescribed

by Allah, the almighty creator. In other words, the

adherents of those lunatic fringe groups of bandits

and gangsters, such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State

in Syria and Al-Qaida, are dangerous criminals and

enemies of human civilization and development and

should therefore be wiped off the face of the Earth,

because we do not need them.

Thirdly, the situation in the Middle East remains

highly volatile, and the United Nations has been

watching the cycle of violence in the region rather

helplessly. In the most recent conflict between the

Palestinians and Israelis, approximately 2,000 people

from Gaza, mostly women and children, died at the

hands of the Israeli army, and approximately 70 Israelis,

all of them soldiers except for three children, lost their

lives. The continuing expansion of Israeli settlements

on Palestinian land, despite repeated calls for restraint

by the international community, is unacceptable, as it

undermines any prospects for a two-State solution. The

United States Government has played a very strategic

and useful mediating role in the past, but the United

Nations must now take up its commanding role in

seeking a peaceful settlement that is just, durable and

acceptable to all the Members of the United Nations.

Fourthly, as part of its core mandate in promoting

global peace and security and greater understanding

among peoples of different backgrounds and cultures,

the United Nations must do more to advocate a culture

of peace, tolerance and understanding, not only among

the world’s great religions but also among Member

States themselves. That is important, as we continue to

witness a growing propagation of disinformation and

misrepresentation, especially by the Western media,

about Islam in general and the application of sharia law,

particularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi

Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and sharia is the

legal system in Islam and the only divine Constitution

for not only the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but all

Islamic States. Therefore, the incessant criticisms and

misrepresentations of the application of sharia law in

Saudi Arabia or anywhere else are disrespectful and

abhorrent. It is an insult to all true Muslims to describe

sharia law as barbaric. As a matter of fact, the most

barbaric laws are those that are not based on any divine

teachings. Sharia is the legal system that the almighty

Allah has prescribed for all Muslims, and we will apply

it to the letter.

In the same vein, the General Assembly should be

commended for the designation, two years ago, of World

Interfaith Harmony Week. It urged Member States to

designate the first week of February each year as World

Interfaith Harmony Week, when messages of goodwill

and tolerance are spread through mosques, churches

and other places of worship. While that was a good

beginning for promoting peace and harmony among

religions and peoples of different belief systems, the

United Nations must do more to counter the continuing

attacks on Islam, in particular by people who do not

even believe in the existence of a supreme creator

called Allah. Those infidels have no moral high ground

to describe any religion — because they do not believe

in God, and religion belongs to God — much less say

anything about a religion as pure, authentic and noble

as Islam.

Finally, the United Nations must play its central

role in addressing the injustices associated with the

unilateral or bilateral application of economic and

financial sanctions by one Member State against

another as a coercive tool of foreign policy, because that

contravenes the fundamental principles of international

law, international humanitarian law and the principles

and norms governing peaceful coexistence among

sovereign States. In that regard, the Gambia calls on

the United States Government to unconditionally end

the long-standing United States embargo on Cuba,

which has brought about untold hardship for the Cuban

people. Is it not ironic that the Power talking today

about respecting Ukrainian sovereignty and freedom

to choose their own way of life is the same Power that

has maintained a system of unjustifiable collective

punishment against the Cuban people for almost five

decades, thereby devastating their economy, simply

because, just as the Ukrainians today, Cubans decades

ago opted for a system of governance of their choice?

That brings me to the subject of climate change.

Climate change and development are inextricably linked.

The impact of climate change is felt in all countries,

particularly developing countries, as it undermines

their ability to achieve sustainable development. While

Africa is not responsible for the pollution and the other

factors causing climate change, it stands to suffer the

most. With 96 per cent of Africa’s agriculture being

dependent on rainfall and 50 per cent of the fisheries-

related jobs estimated to be lost by 2050, climate change

poses dire consequences for livelihoods in Africa. The

Gambia firmly believes that mitigating the adverse

effects of climate change requires a timely and decisive

global response. It is a challenge that should unite us,

not divide us. In that regard, the Gambia joins other

countries affected by climate change and like-minded

groups in urging the developed countries that are

parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change to fully implement their commitments

under the Kyoto Protocol.

In 1974, the Assembly adopted the Declaration on

the Establishment of a New International Economic

Order (resolution 3201 (S-VI)), which was designed

to address some legitimate concerns of developing

countries, such as improving their terms of trade

and other issues relating to the promotion of a more

equitable international economic system. Many of

the political, economic and social issues that inspired

the new international economic order still remain

unresolved, four decades after that historic declaration.

As the post-2015 agenda attracts our attention today,

we must not relegate those old concerns of developing

countries to the dustbin of history. In a nutshell, their

old concerns, as well as their new aspirations, must

no longer be set aside. To that end, the foundation of

any transformative agenda should logically begin with

genuine reform of the global governance institutions,

particularly the United Nations system.

Given the current membership of the Security

Council, the reform of that important organ of the

world body is long overdue. We African leaders have

for a very long time been calling attention to the need

to restore the effectiveness and legitimacy of the United

Nations by allocating two permanent Seats with full

veto powers, as well as two non-permanent seats on

the Security Council to reflect current geopolitical

realities.

If the demands for the reform of the Security

Council in the interest of equity and justice cannot be

accommodated, then concrete action must be taken for

the General Assembly to assume all the powers of the

Security Council and its responsibilities, including the

power to impose sanctions. Under such an arrangement,

all decisions of the General Assembly would have to be

voted for by all Members and endorsed by the majority

of its membership, thus ensuring a more democratic

and transparent global body called the United Nations.

On a final note, I want to call the attention of the

General Assembly and the Security Council to the very

frequent and mysterious sinking and capsizing of boats

carrying mostly black African migrants looking for

greener pastures in the West, only to end up in body

bags on European shores. Strangely enough, those

countries, which pretend to love Africans so much

that they are always preaching to African leaders

about good governance, the rule of law and respect

for human life and rights, have been eerily quiet about

the very dangerous, racist and inhuman behaviour of

deliberately causing boats carrying black Africans to

sink, selecting only a few lucky ones to be rescued

and sent to concentration camps, called asylum-seeker

camps. Those camps are as bad as Nazi concentration

camps, and nobody, no country or human rights

institution in the West has ever raised the alarm to that

sort of genocide in the twenty-first century.

If earlier Africans who received the European

explorers before colonialism had treated them the

same way, Africa would not have been colonized for

400 years. The European explorers were nothing short

of people seeking greener pastures for their fellow

Europeans, as Europe had, at the time, turned into

brown pastures. After 400 years of colonial looting and

misrule in Africa, Africa today is reduced from green

to brown pastures, owing to overgrazing. Now African

explorers are not only unwelcome, but are greeted with

instant death on European soil. That is unacceptable.

The United Nations must therefore conduct a

full and impartial investigation into that man-made

catastrophe, namely, the sinking or capsizing of boats

carrying young Africans to Europe. If those boats are

able to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean

Sea, only to sink on European coasts, we must find out

what deadly mysterious force exists on the European

Mediterranean coasts that causes boats carrying young

Africans to disintegrate and sink upon arrival. Racism,

greed and hatred can only breed hatred, violence and

disastrous confrontation between races. We African

leaders should stand up together, I hope, to protect those

young Africans from mass murder on European coasts.

I hereby call on the United Nations to commission such

an investigation as a matter of priority and urgency in

order to avert a major racial confrontation. We have the

right as Africans to defend our black people, wherever

they are. As we welcomed all races to Africa, we will

not accept that Africans should be treated like dogs,

with impunity. That is unacceptable. If the United

Nations fails to take action, we will take action. And

the action we take will be determined by us.

In the Gambia we do not attack people because

they are white or black, or because of their religion.

No foreigner in the Gambia would say, “I was attacked

because I am a foreigner”. If a foreigner comes into

contact with the police, it is because he has committed

an offence for which even a Gambian would be

arrested. If we cannot tolerate each other, the world will

never see peace, because nobody can stop migration.

The Almighty Allah created this world for us to move

around, the same way Europeans moved around when

Europe was bankrupt. Europeans came to Africa for

400 years. We never killed them. They overstayed, and

some of us had to fight to get them out. Now they have

overgrazed our land. We also want greener pastures, but

Europeans cannot accept us. Let them send Africans

back, but do not kill them. Europeans have no right to

kill them.

Out of the hundreds of European explorers who

came to the Gambia in those days, only one European

died on the River Gambia over a span of 400 years.

Today, over a span of five years, more than 500

Gambians have lost their lives on European coasts.

That is unacceptable. Enough is enough, and the United

Nations must intervene, and intervene quickly, or else

we will all live to regret our failure to take appropriate

action at the right time.

Geopolitical realities have changed. Let the West

accept that, and with us endeavour to change along

with those realities, as we move together towards

the peaceful, brighter future we want. The so-called

military super-Powers must know that humankind

would be sent back to a pre-Stone Age should they be

reckless enough to unleash World War III.

We cannot have our cake, eat it as we please, and

at the same time dictate to others how, when and where

they should eat theirs. In the twenty-first century,

humankind has a need only for super-Powers of peace

and development, not for mediaeval European-style

warmongers. Why can we not accept the diversity of

the human race and its attendant diversity in cultures,

religions and ways of life as each of its diverse groups

deems fit?