Mozambique, 2001

I wish to congratulate

His Excellency Mr. Han Seung-soo upon his election to

preside over the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth

session, and to express my confidence that with his

skilful guidance, his leadership and his outstanding

experience our deliberations will be crowned with

success. Allow me also to pay a special tribute to His

Excellency Mr. Harri Holkeri for the excellent manner

in which he conducted the affairs of the General

Assembly at its fifty-fifth session. I wish him success

in his future endeavours.

On behalf of the people and the Government of

Mozambique, I would like to extend our

congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan on

his well-deserved election to the post of Secretary-

General for a second term, as well as on having won

the Nobel Peace Prize this year. We hail his re-election

and the Noble Peace Prize awarded to him and to the

United Nations as recognition of his and the

Organization’s tireless efforts in the search for viable

and lasting solutions to the problems facing humanity.

Allow me to express our sympathy to the

Government and the people of Algeria with regard to

the loss of life and property caused by the recent floods

in that sisterly country. Mozambique, having been the

victim of terrible floods over two consecutive years,

shares the sorrow of the Algerian people.

We also express our condolences to the

Government and the people of the United States of

America and of the Dominican Republic on the tragedy

which resulted from the plane crash last Monday here

in New York.

On 11 September, we witnessed the most barbaric

terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. We

are deeply shocked at the loss of thousands of innocent

lives.

We wish to avail ourselves of this opportunity to

reiterate once again the condolences of the Government

and the people of the Republic of Mozambique to the

Government and the people of the United States of

America on the tragic and unjustifiable deaths of their

citizens. We express our sympathy and solidarity with

all of the victims and the families that have lost their

loved ones.

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We reiterate our condemnation of terrorism in all

its forms and manifestations, regardless of its origin or

place of occurrence, or of the race or religion of those

who perpetrate it. Terrorism represents a serious threat

to international peace and security as well as to

friendly relations among peoples and nations

worldwide.

The struggle against this scourge requires

concerted action by the whole international community,

within the framework of the United Nations, for the

target of this evil is not a single nation or people but

humankind as a whole.

It is therefore crucial that all United Nations

Member States work together towards signing and

ratifying all of the conventions and protocols related to

the eradication of this enemy of humanity. These

conventions represent the legal foundation upon which

we can build our collective action against international

terrorism.

The work that is under way for the elaboration of

a comprehensive convention on international terrorism

constitutes a further effort to reinforce the international

community’s resolve to face the challenge of

eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

Mozambique came about as the result of the

exercise by Mozambicans of their inalienable right to

self-determination. Therefore, Mozambicans know well

from their own experience what terrorism is all about.

But they are also aware of the distinction between

terrorism and the legitimate struggle of peoples for

their freedom and independence.

Mozambique is ready to participate in a global

discussion on this issue, as an important and useful

initiative to formulate a joint organized response to

international terrorism, so that the targets of our

common struggle against terrorism are clearly defined.

Conscious of the need for the effective

implementation of national measures to combat

terrorism as a way to complement the international

legal regime, Mozambique has already initiated a

comprehensive review of international legal

instruments to combat and eliminate terrorism, with a

view to ratifying and adhering to them.

In this context, Mozambique signed, on 11

November, the International Convention for the

Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. However, it

is clear to us that, for an effective implementation of

this and other legal instruments, Mozambique needs

support from the international community to strengthen

its institutions — namely the police, the judiciary, the

financial system and the State prosecutor’s office.

Last year, our heads of State and Government met

here during the Millennium Summit to reaffirm their

faith in the United Nations and in its Charter as

indispensable foundations for a just, peaceful and more

prosperous world.

The leaders set specific targets to halve the

proportion of people who live in extreme poverty, to

provide clean water and basic education for all, to

reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and to achieve other

development goals. They called for the strengthening

of United Nations peace operations so that vulnerable

communities can count on them in their hour of need.

They committed themselves to fighting injustice and

inequality, terror and crime, and to meeting the special

needs of Africa. In order to achieve these lofty goals,

all Member States should display political will and the

determination to turn these commitments into concrete

actions at the international, regional and national

levels.

The holding by the United Nations of the special

sessions of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS and on

Habitat, the Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small

Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and the

World Conference against Racism, Racial

Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

represent bold steps towards resolving the various

problems affecting humanity and constitute concrete

steps in the implementation of the provisions of the

Millennium Declaration.

Mozambique is proud of having played an active

role in contributing to the promising outcome of the

United Nations Conference on small arms and light

weapons. We are confident that the commitments

assumed at that Conference will contribute decisively

towards preventing, combating and eradicating the

illicit trade in, and proliferation of, small arms and

light weapons.

We should continuously and critically assess the

progress made in each area of commitment, with a

view to translating into reality the aspirations and

needs of our peoples. Each subsequent session of the

General Assembly should be used to assess the degree

of progress made in the implementation of the declared

commitment towards specific targets. To this end, we

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should ensure that follow-up mechanisms are put in

place and effectively enhanced for the successful

implementation of the plans of action adopted.

As we take on the daunting task of pursuing the

goals of the Millennium Summit, we need to work

together in a spirit of partnership and cooperation.

Today we are living in a world in which a few

countries are reaping the benefits of globalization,

while the majority, particularly in Africa, are

increasingly being marginalized by the global

economy. Consequently, these increasing inequalities

and asymmetries aggravate poverty, fuel conflicts and

threaten international security, stability, democracy and

peace.

To reverse this negative trend, we call upon all

developed countries to fulfil their commitment with

regard to official development assistance, increase the

levels of foreign direct investment in poor countries,

and to cancel the external debt of the heavily indebted

poor countries.

It is disturbing to note that in Africa 340 million

people — half of the population of the continent —

live on less than $1 per day. The mortality rate for

children under five years of age is about 140 per 1,000,

and life expectancy at birth is only 54 years. Only 58

per cent of the population has access to safe water; the

rate of illiteracy for people over 15 is 41 per cent; and

there are only 18 main telephone lines per 1,000 people

in Africa, compared with 145 for the world as a whole

and 567 for high-income economies.

This appalling situation requires a strong and

clear commitment on the part of us all — Africans first

and foremost — the international community and other

relevant stakeholders.

The establishment of the African Union during

the thirty-seventh Summit of Heads of State and

Government of the Organization of the African Unity is

recognition that only by pooling our efforts can we find

effective solutions to problems affecting the continent.

This effort deserves the support of the international

community, so that a solid union and strong integration

can become a reality in Africa.

The New Partnership for African Development is

an initiative aimed at setting an agenda for the renewal

of the continent, based on national and regional

priorities and on development plans prepared through a

participatory process. It foresees a new framework of

interaction with the rest of the world, including the

industrialized countries and multilateral organizations.

The encouragement given by the G-8 Summit and other

multilateral institutions in Genoa, Italy, last July is

much appreciated.

We are also encouraged by the commitment

assumed by ministers and heads of delegations at the

high-level segment of the substantive session of the

Economic and Social Council held in Geneva last July,

in welcoming the New Partnership for African

Development (NEPAD) and calling on the United

Nations system and the international community to

support it. The invitation extended by the Council to

the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to

ensure an effective and coordinated response of the

United Nations system is a good course of action aimed

at promoting sustainable development and active

participation of Africa in the world economy. The

African leadership and ownership of the NEPAD must

be guaranteed during its implementation.

Conflicts are one of the main obstacles to

development, particularly in Africa. In order to find

durable solutions to conflicts, we need to focus our

actions on prevention measures and address the root

causes of conflict. In this regard, prevention should be

aimed at addressing, inter alia, poverty, governance,

human rights abuses, hunger, endemic diseases and

underdevelopment. The success of this action requires

national ownership based on partnership between the

Government and civil society.

Beyond the preventive measures, we should also

think how we can effectively implement sound

strategies for conflict resolution and management. The

comprehensive review of the whole question of

peacekeeping operations in all their aspects contained

in the Brahimi report provides sound recommendations

to improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping. It

emphasizes the need for effective command and control

structures, enhanced levels of interoperability, as well

as the importance of training troops to understand and

operate with more robust rules of engagement. We

believe that the recommendations contained in the

report will be effective if more resources are allocated

to peacekeeping activities, particularly in Africa, and if

the response to actual conflicts are timely, so as to

avoid the application of double standards.

Initiatives undertaken by regions and subregions

aimed at conflict prevention, management and

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resolution should be supported and endowed with the

resources they need to build their capacity to act

effectively. The Organization of African Unity

Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and

Resolution should be enhanced and consolidated to

better give appropriate and timely responses to

conflicts affecting Africa.

The international community should continue to

assist Africa in searching for the peaceful resolution of

conflicts, particularly in Sierra Leone and Somalia, as

well as in Western Sahara, when a United Nations plan

has been agreed to by all parties to the conflict.

It is worth noting that within the Southern

African Development Community (SADC) we are

strongly engaged in activities aimed at tackling

conflicts affecting the region. As the current chair of

the SADC Organ for Politics, Defence and Security,

Mozambique, in close cooperation with the other

member States, will spare no efforts to promote peace

and security, through conflict prevention and

resolution.

SADC will continue to work with the United

Nations and all cooperating partners to bring about

lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Angola and in other conflicts on the continent. The

partnership between SADC and the United Nations

should be continuously maintained and nurtured in the

spirit of the Brahimi report.

As the chair of the Community of the Portuguese-

Speaking Countries, Mozambique is also engaged in

the current efforts to bring about lasting solutions to

the problems still affecting some of Community’s

member States. The Community is happy to welcome

East Timor, which will proclaim its independence in

May 2002 as a result of our joint, concerted efforts

with the East Timorese people.

We are committed to the efforts made by SADC

members to eradicate poverty, combat HIV/AIDS and

better respond to challenges posed by globalization, as

a way to prevent conflicts. We are also supportive of

the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan

within SADC, which aims at boosting the region’s

development agenda for the coming decade.

Political dialogue, consensus building,

partnership and cooperation are a must and should be

pursued vigorously. We believe that the World Trade

Organization Ministerial Meeting in Doha, the

forthcoming International Conference on Financing for

Development and the World Summit on Sustainable

Development provide unique opportunities to

collectively produce an integrated and effective

mechanism for the eradication of poverty and the

overall implementation of the development goals set

out in the Millennium Declaration and in the plan of

action for the Least Developed Countries.

It is our expectation that the Monterrey

Conference will be instrumental in reshaping the world

economic order, giving it more equity and fairness. To

that end, the Conference must resolutely address the

steady decline of official development assistance and

foreign direct investment, untie development aid (as

already done by the United Kingdom, which we

salute), reform the international financial architecture

and provide a sustainable solution to the debt crisis

through broad, deep and faster debt relief mechanisms,

including total debt cancellation for least developed

countries.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development

should allow us to assess the implementation of

Agenda 21, as well as devising appropriate strategies to

further pursue this daunting challenge. In

Johannesburg, we should strive to ensure the right

balance between environmental protection and socio-

economic development, while making poverty

eradication our highest priority and fully reinstating the

principle of common but differentiated responsibility.

This is perfectly consistent with the Rio spirit

embodied in Agenda 21, a blueprint that should be

absolutely endorsed; we should avoid any renegotiation

of Agenda 21.

In Mozambique the incidence of poverty reaches

about 70 per cent of the population. To address this

negative picture, the Government approved an action

plan for the reduction of absolute poverty, commonly

known as PARPA, for the period 2001-2005. The

strategic vision of PARPA is founded on two

imperatives: the need to maintain peace and stability

and the need for rapid, sustained and broad-based

growth, where private initiatives play an important

role. The programme has gained strong support from

the meeting of the Consultative Group that was held

recently in Maputo and a boost from Mozambican debt

reduction, made within the framework of the Heavily

Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

Mozambique is greatly thankful to all its cooperating

partners for the support pledged at the Consultative

22

Group meeting and for the enhanced HIPC. We hope

for a quick implementation of the commitments made,

so that our resolve to combat poverty can be a success.

Looking at the longer term, the Government of

Mozambique launched a national initiative, Agenda

2025, a strategy based on a constructive dialogue on

the future of Mozambique. The Agenda aims at

creating, through a participatory and inclusive process,

a national strategic vision for development, as well as

strengthening the Government’s and civil society’s

ability to define and implement national policies and

projects.

The fight against HIV/AIDS is another priority

for the Government of Mozambique, for which it has

adopted a national strategic plan that focuses on

prevention and reduction of the impact of the disease.

The plan places the human being at the centre of action

and is directed at the vulnerable groups of the society,

including women, orphaned children and youth,

particularly girls. In this endeavour, the Government

has adopted a multisector approach, with the active

involvement of all stakeholders, including our civil

society.

Because HIV/AIDS is a global problem,

combating it calls for a global solution, and we

commend the United Nations for having proposed the

creation of a Global AIDS and Health Fund to combat

HIV/AIDS. The Fund will contribute positively to the

prevention and combat of this epidemic, which gravely

affects the region of sub-Saharan Africa.

Floods affected Mozambique in the years 2000

and 2001 consecutively, which resulted in loss of life

and production and damage to infrastructure, including

roads, schools, hospitals and houses, and forced people

to flee from their lands and abandon their belongings.

These catastrophes posed a serious setback to the

development of our country.

We are encouraged by the outcome of the Post-

Flood Reconstruction Conference, held in Maputo in

July 2001, at which the Government of Mozambique

presented the reconstruction programme for the central

region of the country, following the devastation caused

by the floods in the early part of 2001. At that

Conference, the Government also had the opportunity

to report on progress made on the implementation of

the programme that had been presented at the

International Reconstruction Conference on

Mozambique in Rome in May 2000. Once again, we

wish to thank all those who extended assistance to our

country. The Government of Mozambique also

appreciates the contribution of the United Nations

system and the international community at large in our

efforts to consolidate peace, to strengthen democratic

institutions and to promote development.

In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm my

country’s faith in the United Nations and its Charter,

for they both remain indispensable foundations for a

just, peaceful and more prosperous world.