Madagascar, 2011

After

three years of political crisis and a three-year absence,

Madagascar is proud today to resume its place here in

the community of nations. On behalf of my fellow

countrymen, I am particularly honoured to participate

in this general debate under the theme “The role of

mediation in the settlements of disputes by peaceful

means”.

The successive crises around the world, most

recently in North Africa, demonstrate the importance

and relevance of that theme. Madagascar has been

through one itself, and it has just taken a major step

forward thanks to the help of international mediation,

which has allowed the Malagasy to reach a promising

consensus.

I also wish to pay a sincere tribute to the late Dag

Hammarskjöld, the former Secretary-General of this

great Organization, a pioneer of preventive diplomacy

and an architect of the concept of peacekeeping, as we

mark the fiftieth anniversary of his tragic passing.

During his tenure, he worked tirelessly to solidify the

legitimacy of the United Nations in the peaceful

resolution of international disputes. Now again, we

owe him a great debt for the universal recognition of

the virtues of mediation in resolving tensions and even

conflicts.

We have just commemorated the tragic events of

11 September 2001, which shook the city of New York

and indeed the whole world. It is also 10 years since

the United Nations Year of Dialogue among

Civilizations, during which the dialogue of cultures

and the culture of dialogue were promoted on the

international stage in order to combat the clash of

civilizations.

When we speak of conflicts, we have in mind two

different ideologies that do not uphold the same values.

That can mean two countries, two regions or even a

Government and its people. In the last case, when one

no longer respects the other it triggers a popular

uprising that ends in a conflict, leading to a crisis;

hence, the importance of the role of mediation in

settling disputes through peaceful means.

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In that regard, any mediation should collate first-

hand information. It should see for itself the realities

prevailing on the ground in a conflict before proposing

a solution that would be lasting and acceptable to all.

History has shown that the excessive acts of a

leader who resorts to force have serious repercussions

for his country that can lead it into chaos and cost the

lives of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of

innocent people. It is an entire people who,

unfortunately, suffer the grave consequences. This

occurs because true solutions are often too slow in

coming, plunging a large segment of humankind into

poverty, since we must respond to suffering, anguish

and despair. We want to change and we will change.

To better illustrate my words, allow me to speak

of the case of my country, Madagascar. Everyone here

knows as well as I do that the island of Madagascar has

been in political crisis since late 2008. The Malagasy

people rose up with determination to break with a past

marked by poor governance and non-respect for

democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law

that gave rise to widespread impoverishment,

unbearable and inescapable social poverty, and the

growing frustration of the majority of my countrymen.

The Malagasy people therefore demanded a better life

and genuine change, with strengthened respect for

universal principles.

When the search for a solution to the crisis turned

to the principle of consensual and inclusive

management of transition, and when that consensus

proved difficult to reach, commendable mediation

efforts among the Malagasy protagonists were made by

local civil society organizations, the bilateral and

regional partners of the big island, and the international

community.

I permit myself to mention here and to strongly

commend the untiring and patient efforts of the

mediation team of the Southern African Development

Community (SADC), a regional body mandated by the

African Union, as well as the determined initiatives of

other entities, such as the United Nations, the

International Organization of la Francophonie and the

Indian Ocean Commission. The involvement of these

and all actors concerned in the mediation was critical

in responding with effectiveness and pragmatism

commensurate with the emergency and in meeting the

vital needs of the Malagasy people and economy,

which could and would have been weakened if the

crisis and the negotiations had lasted any longer.

The Malagasy people were patient and showed

unprecedented and exemplary courage in the peaceful

settlement of the political crisis, despite all the

economic and social restrictions, as well as the absence

of international aid that it has suffered for the past

three years. The post-crisis road map for Madagascar,

proposed by SADC mediation, was initialled on

9 March and signed by the political factions

representing the vast majority of Malagasy

stakeholders on 17 September. The great political

Malagasy family is now determined to move forward

and to work together in the overall interest of the

nation for the well-being, peace and serenity of the

entire people.

An extremely important threshold has just been

crossed, but there is still much work to be done. Now,

we must focus primarily on the implementation of the

provisions of the road map, with full respect for the

people’s primary aspirations, leading towards the

holding of free, credible, fair and transparent elections.

That, in my opinion, is the only definitive solution to

the crisis ensuring a return to constitutional normality.

We have finally managed to reach a consensus

agreement, reflected in the sense of compromise of

which we are particularly proud, based as it is in the

inherent culture of Fihavanana — a notion of social

life that has guided the Malagasy people since the

dawn of time and that can be boiled down to the

principles of fraternity, solidarity, mutual respect,

tolerance and wisdom. We have thereby expressed our

resolve to move forward towards the reconstruction

and development of our society.

For my part, I will spare no effort and will do my

utmost to ensure that these actions achieve the

anticipated results and are rapidly crowned with

success. I therefore launch a solemn appeal to the

international community to make the needed individual

and collective contribution to their implementation. In

particular, I draw the attention of the United Nations to

the work that it must undertake in assessing

Madagascar’s electoral needs so that an electoral

timeframe, drawn up in a credible, neutral, transparent

and independent way and based on respect for

fundamental rights and international standards, can be

established as soon as possible.

History teaches us that, even following the use of

force, all wars and conflicts always end around a table.

That clearly shows that mediation can be chosen as an

alternative to weapons. We are opposed to the use of

any form of repression whatsoever. It is entirely

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possible to resolve differences by peaceful means, as in

the case for Madagascar, by resorting to a more

effective method, such as dialogue.

The world is evolving. The world is changing,

and all of us leaders here want a better world for our

respective peoples. Yes, it is possible, and we can do it.