Lesotho, 2006

My delegation associates

itself with the compliments extended to Ms. Haya

Rashed Al-Khalifa, on her election to the presidency of

the General Assembly, to her predecessor, His

Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson, and to the Secretary-

General. It would be remiss of us if we did not express

our delight at the fact that our proceedings are being

led by a lady President this year.

We meet in the aftermath of the worst conflict in

the Middle East. This conflict has brought untold

misery and has resulted in unnecessary loss of life,

displacement of people and wanton destruction of

property. In the midst of all this, the Security Council

remained pitifully helpless.

The delay by the Security Council in reacting to

the Israel-Lebanon conflict graphically demonstrated

the Council’s extreme inadequacy in responding

urgently, with prompt and decisive action, to

international armed conflicts. It is precisely such

06-53005 12

failures that lend credence to the call for reform of the

United Nations, in particular, reform of the Security

Council. In this regard, the well-known position of the

African Group has never made more sense than it does

now.

The African continent still experiences internal

armed conflicts. The African Union (AU), without

usurping the powers of the Security Council, has taken

the initiative to resolve some of those conflicts.

However, the African Union’s resources and capacities

are limited. It is against this background that the

African Union, through its Peace and Security Council,

resolved to hand over the Darfur mission to the United

Nations. It is our hope and earnest plea that the current

misunderstanding between the United Nations and the

Government of the Sudan will be resolved as a matter

of urgency. The United Nations, particularly the

Security Council, cannot afford to be a helpless

spectator to yet another genocide.

My delegation calls for concerted efforts by the

international community, and by the United Nations in

collaboration with the African Union, to find a lasting

solution to the crises in Somalia and Côte d’Ivoire.

With regard to Somalia, the efforts of the Inter-

Governmental Authority on Development to broker an

agreement between the Transitional Government and

the Islamic Courts must be complemented by the

international community, specifically, the United

Nations. There is also an urgent need to lift the arms

embargo so that the Transitional Government may be

able to function.

We congratulate the people of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, who, following decades of

undemocratic rule and civil war, recently exercised

their inalienable right to elect a Government of their

choice. It is our hope that with continued assistance

from the United Nations, particularly from United

Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, and other partners, the second

round of elections, scheduled for 29 October 2006, will

proceed peacefully.

We likewise commend the people of Burundi on

the signing of a peace agreement between the

Government and the Forces nationales de libération

(FNL). This should enable them to focus on the

development issues of their country.

Furthermore, we congratulate the Government of

the Republic of Uganda on the initiative aimed at

finding a political solution to the protracted war with

the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). That war has taken

its toll on the people of Uganda and has contributed to

instability in the region.

We express our solidarity with the peoples of

Palestine and Western Sahara in their struggle for self-

determination and their quest for everlasting peace.

Surely, things do not have to deteriorate to the level of

the Israel-Lebanon conflict before the international

community snaps into action in these two volatile

situations.

Following the 2005 World Summit, and in the

context of the reform of the United Nations, my

delegation notes with satisfaction the creation of the

Human Rights Council, the operationalization of the

Peacebuilding Commission and the establishment of

the Central Emergency Response Fund, among other

achievements. These are timely events that continue to

prove the relevance of this Organization in the twenty-

first century.

My delegation also notes the efficient manner in

which the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs responded in some countries that faced major

man-made or natural disasters over the past year. That

can be attributed to the newly established Central

Emergency Response Fund. It is our hope that the Fund

will continue to live up to the expectations of Member

States.

The United Nations was founded on the

interlinked and mutually reinforcing pillars of

development, international peace and security and

human rights. The issue of development deserves the

undivided attention and commitment of Member

States, just as do the issues of peace, security and

human rights. Hence the call at the 2005 World Summit

for a timely and full realization of development goals

and objectives agreed upon at major United Nations

conferences and summits in the economic, social and

related fields.

My delegation is deeply concerned that Member

States were largely divided between the South and the

North regarding how to follow up on the development

section of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document

(resolution 60/1). We are indeed disheartened that, due

to a divergence of views on this important issue, the

General Assembly was not in a position to suggest

concrete actions to implement commitments made at

the relevant conferences and summits.

13 06-53005

It is past time for the General Assembly to

suggest concrete actions on how to, among other

things: fulfil the commitments to address the special

needs of Africa; seriously address the uneven progress

made by the least developed countries, landlocked

developing countries and small island developing

countries in achieving the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs); address issues relating to trade,

agricultural subsidies and the transfer of vitally needed

resources to developing countries; and fully implement

the global partnership for development as set out in the

Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus, the

Johannesburg Plan of Action and the 2005 World

Summit Outcome.

My delegation hopes that at its current session the

General Assembly will, among other things, finalize all

details regarding the convening of a review conference

on the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus.

Furthermore, we hope that all stakeholders will

reaffirm their commitment to the full implementation

of the outcomes of the recently held high-level

meetings on migration and development and on review

of the implementation of the 2001 Brussels Programme

of Action for the Least Developed Countries.

There is definitely an inherent global benefit, for

all countries, in the pursuit of development cooperation

based on genuine partnership and mutually beneficial

arrangements. The realities of globalization,

liberalization and interdependence have demonstrated

the inadequacies of the traditional modes of financing

for development, such as official development

assistance, foreign direct investment, trade and other

forms of capital flows.

If all Member States are to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals by 2015, certain

measures must be undertaken. First, official

development assistance must be doubled. It must also

be timely, predictable and dependable. Secondly, all

partnerships with New Partnership for Africa’s

Development must be linked to the Millennium

Development Goals and other agreed upon

development goals and targets. Finally, there must be

complete debt cancellation, not just for the highly

indebted poor countries, but for the least developed

countries as well.

The suspension of the Doha Development Agenda

negotiations was a disquieting development for some

of our countries. While Africa had on various

occasions expressed concern on the limited progress

made in negotiations on issues of major interest to the

continent, our faith in the negotiations never wavered.

We truly believed, and we still do, that there is a

common understanding that trade is the most effective

route out of poverty, and that the prosperity and

security of all nations, rich or poor, strong or weak, are

dependent on, inter alia, free and fair trade.

Much has been said about the HIV/AIDS

pandemic. Its consequences are now commonly

understood. Conferences at the highest levels have

been held, subregionally, regionally, continentally and

globally. These conferences discussed at length the

importance of economic, technological and medical

developments to subdue and defeat HIV/AIDS in

affected countries. It is now time for words to be

followed by concrete actions targeting, in particular,

infected and affected groups and lowering infection

prevalence rates.

My delegation regrets the paralysis that has

befallen the United Nations disarmament machinery.

Also regrettable is the failure of the 2005 Review

Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to produce a

consensus substantive outcome document. Equally

regrettable is the absence of a section on non-

proliferation and disarmament in the 2005 Summit

Outcome Document. The coup de grâce, however, is

the failure to agree on an outcome document of the

2006 United Nations Conference to Review Progress

Made in the Implementation of the Programme of

Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit

Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its

Aspects, adopted in 2001.

Thus, Member States should not run away from

the blatant truth that, during the sixtieth session of the

Assembly, the stalemate that, over the past four years, has

characterized negotiations regarding non-proliferation

and disarmament, finally became abundantly clear to

all nations. For small arms and light weapons remain

the weapons of choice that are indiscriminately used in

conflicts, as well as in other forms of violence,

including criminal behaviour. Yet they are still so

cheap and so easily accessible that, in some remote

villages, they are exchanged for chickens.

Terrorism continues to pose the greatest threat to

human security. In this regard, I wish to welcome the

adoption by the General Assembly of the United

06-53005 14

Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (resolution

60/288). However, it is unfortunate that the General

Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on International

Terrorism has still not been able to conclude a

comprehensive convention on an international response

to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The

fact remains that Member States have a moral

obligation to overcome their long-standing differences

on the definition of terrorism. Failure to agree on a

definition, however, cannot and must not be used as an

excuse for not decisively confronting the scourge of

terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Following the adoption of Security Council

resolution 1696 (2006) on 31 July, and the subsequent

response by the Iranian Authorities, it is our fervent

hope that all parties to the issue will constructively

engage in seeking a lasting solution to avert possible

economic and diplomatic sanctions and to guarantee

Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme.

Last but certainly not least, this session marks the

end of tenure of office for an illustrious son of the

African soil, a distinguished diplomat and statesman, in

the person of His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan. He

leaves a legacy for this august body which every one of

us must emulate in the best interests of the peoples we

represent and serve. It is therefore befitting to pay

tribute to him and to wish him and Mrs. Nane Annan a

well-deserved rest and a future filled with happiness.

He will, needless to say, be inundated with our calls for

his wisdom and advice in the service of mankind.

Our standing ovation and the declaration made in

honour of His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan during the

last African Union Summit held in Banjul, Gambia,

said it all. With typical eloquence, he delivered a few

days ago in the Assembly before the world’s leaders a

rich statement filled with emotion. No wonder that

even the world leaders accorded him a standing

ovation. His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan has run his lap

with excellence. He deserves a medal of honour.