Equatorial Guinea, 2005

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is

participating in this debate with hope and optimism

that we will see the United Nations system

strengthened once again so that it can effectively carry

out its mission as the centre of global equilibrium in

order to attain the objectives established at its creation

in 1945.

Indeed, the United Nations was created to defend

and promote the rights of persons and the dignity,

freedom and equality of human beings. The United

Nations was created to promote the equality of all

nations, mutual respect, solidarity and the promotion of

cooperation among States on an equal footing and for

mutual benefit. Another of the objectives established

was to promote the global development of nations

through a just and equitable economic system that

would protect the interests of all countries, rich or

poor.

The United Nations must be given the

international authority it needs to establish peace, order

and stability in the world, serving as a centre of

universal equilibrium with the capacity to resolve

conflicts arising among States. Force must be used

only in conformity with the provisions of the Charter

of the United Nations, with the prior consent of its

competent bodies, because the undue use of force can

disrupt international peace and security in an

unforeseeable manner.

We hope that the United Nations system will be

the inspiration for a democratic culture and for human

rights, serving as a model and guide for the internal

organization of its Members. We therefore support the

creation of a Human Rights Council that will be very

closely involved with human-rights-related issues in

each country and that will have relevant competencies

to support the affected countries with regard to the

decisions and recommendations of the Economic and

Social Council.

The democratization of societies and good

governance are concepts universally accepted by

States. Therefore, there is no need to adopt coercive

mechanisms against any State to ensure their

implementation. All that is needed is to assist and

guide each State as to how it should assimilate

democratic concepts in accordance with its economic,

social and cultural realities.

For all those reasons, we believe that, 60 years

after the Organizationís founding, the social and

political circumstances that prevailed in 1945 have lost

their validity because of the very dynamics of the

development of modern societies. Today, we are in the

best possible position to rethink the responsibilities of

the United Nations and its Members in the light of the

aforementioned objectives, bearing in mind todayís

circumstances and the experience accumulated in the

60 years of its existence.

We recognize that the task is very difficult and

complex, taking into account the various interests that

converge as we consider reforming the entire United

Nations system. That is why we congratulate you,

Mr. President, on the confidence that the international

community has placed in you and in your Government

to moderate this important debate. We hope that your

skill and professional experience will be put to good

use so that we can attain our objectives.

We believe that in this effort, we must give

priority to the spirit of democracy and the interests of

humankind, because democracy, as the expression of

the popular will, and compliance with consensual

norms both involve respect for the collective will. We

also believe that the United Nations could not impose

order and justice on a human community dominated by

the various cultural, economic and political interests of

its Member States without recourse to the democratic

principles to which all of us are bound. In that

connection, the Security Council, as the organ that

must demand universal compliance with its decisions,

must be the first to act under democratic criteria.

For my country, the needed reform of the

Security Council does not involve an increase in its

membership or, even less, an expansion of the right of

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the veto. We must examine the reasons for the Security

Councilís failure since its creation in 1945. In fact, if

there is something that should be done to reform the

Security Council, it is to simply revoke the right of the

veto enjoyed by some of its members as a concept that

was created only because of the conflict between two

opposing ideological systems within the United

Nations system. The veto has never allowed the

consensus or majority sovereign expression of the

Security Council; it has served only as a way in which

to block the popular will so as to protect the interests

of the Power exercising the veto.

In the present circumstances of a unipolar world,

we do not see the need to exercise the veto in this

United Nations body. Many just resolutions have been

vetoed despite the fact that they have sought the

common good, and we have seen the negative results.

If the veto must be maintained in the Security Council

because of interests, we ask that Africa also have that

right, because, like any other regional group, that

continent has many interests to defend.

When the Security Council is democratized we

ask that its decisions be binding and that those who do

not comply with them be properly sanctioned. This

would give teeth to its decisions. Non-compliance with

the principles and resolutions adopted by United

Nations bodies creates impunity unless disciplinary

measures are taken against those who are in breach of

them.

In this regard, Equatorial Guinea strongly regrets

the failure to take measures against the terrorists who

tried to overthrow the established constitutional

Government on 6 March 2004 despite identification of

nationalities of the terrorists and despite Equatorial

Guineaís request to the Governments concerned.

The United Nations must clearly define the

phenomenon of terrorism and in so doing avoid

confusion with what is interpreted as legitimate armed

intervention. Humanitarian intervention cannot be

carried out on the basis of an individual interpretation,

but rather must be justified by the competent

institutions of the United Nations system.

Questions related to organized transnational

crime, such as terrorism and mercenary activities, must

be the subject of a special session of the General

Assembly to deal with criminal acts such as those of

11 September in New York, 11 March in Madrid and

events in London, Russia, Morocco, Tanzania, Kenya

and the mercenary attack in Equatorial Guinea and to

adopt measures that can avert the loss of innocent life.

In Equatorial Guinea, the integration of women

into our development process is receiving the

Governmentís utmost attention through the design of

literacy programmes for them and their gradual

integration in economic activities and political

institutions with a specific percentage reserved for

women.

Lastly, we want environmental problems, whose

effects are of unforeseeable magnitude in each State, to

be addressed with due sensitivity, respect and

solidarity, in the same way as questions of world peace

and security.

We reaffirm that the primary responsibility for

promoting sustainable development in each country

resides directly with the Government concerned.

Multilateral and bilateral assistance only complement

the efforts of States themselves and provide guidance

for what must be accomplished internally by each

country.

Among these efforts, Equatorial Guinea supports

the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

proposed by the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, we

believe that transparency must be required not only of

Governments but also of the economic players that

control these industries. It is, therefore, necessary that

an international monitoring body be established to

intervene in the activities of both Governments and

economic enterprises.

We welcome the report submitted for the

Assemblyís consideration as it contains important

recommendations, above all regarding the development

programme.

I wish to conclude by calling for greater

solidarity and a spirit of commitment from all the

Members of the United Nations so that we can make

this Organization an ideological model that serves the

aspirations of present and future generations.