Mozambique, 2003

Allow me, at the outset, to

join previous speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on

your election as President of the fifty-eighth session of

the General Assembly. We would also like to commend

your predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, for the manner in

which he guided the proceedings of the Assembly

during the previous session. I would likewise like to

commend the Secretary-General for his relentless

efforts to turn the United Nations into an effective

instrument for international cooperation in the search

for, and the preservation of, peace and security.

The United Nations family has recently lost some

of its best servants. We mourn, in particular, the tragic

death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, a dedicated servant of

our Organization. We would like to reiterate our

deepest condolences to the United Nations, the

Government of Brazil and Sergio’s family.

We also mourn the passing away of Anna Lindh,

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, who was an

outstanding diplomat and defender of the United

Nations. Her departure is a major loss for humankind,

as she fought for a world order in which every nation

could live in peace, harmony and prosperity. We wish

to reiterate our heartfelt condolences to the people and

Government of Sweden, as well as to her bereaved

family.

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I have come to this session of the General

Assembly as a messenger of the peoples of

Mozambique, and of Africa as a whole — a messenger

of peoples who are engaged in consolidating political,

economic and social reforms. Today more than ever

before, the peoples of Africa believe in the strength of

their will, cohesion and unity. They believe in realizing

the potential of their human and natural resources and

capacities. They believe in learning from past

experiences, good and bad, to restore peace and

stability and to generate wealth and prosperity

throughout the continent. The peoples of Africa are

emulating the experiences of countries like my own,

Mozambique, where after years of armed conflict a

new era of peace and gradual, but steady, development

has been taking place during the past 11 years. During

those 11 years, we have made continuous progress in

consolidating peace and democracy. We are now

engaged in the process of preparing for our second

municipal elections, which will be held on 19

November 2003. In 2004 Mozambique will hold its

third general and multiparty elections to elect the

President as well as members of Parliament. The peace

and socio-economic stability that prevail in our country

have created an enabling environment for domestic and

foreign investment, which are pivotal for the

generation of employment and for the reduction of

poverty.

The gross domestic product of Mozambique’s

economy grew at an encouraging rate of 7.7 per cent

last year, which has resulted in increased social-service

allocations in the national budget. That is all the more

important given the fact that Mozambique, like many

other countries in southern Africa, is still facing a

humanitarian crisis that is the result of continuing

unfavourable weather patterns that have stricken the

entire region for several years. We urge the

international community to respond favourably to the

recently launched appeal for humanitarian assistance

for southern Africa.

As part of its efforts to fight poverty, the

Government is implementing a plan of action for the

eradication of absolute poverty, which aims to maintain

the current average economic growth rate of 8 per cent

and to reduce absolute poverty to below 50 per cent by

2010. With the objective of creating a national vision

for development in the next 25 years, the Government

of Mozambique has launched its Agenda 2025, a

national strategy for the future of the country based on

a constructive dialogue with all political parties and

stakeholders.

Last July, Mozambique had the honour of hosting

the Second Assembly of the Heads of State and

Government of the African Union. During that

Assembly, we took important decisions that laid down

the foundations of the African Union and that will

contribute to the effective implementation of the New

Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). As

expressed in the Maputo Declaration, the commitment

and political will of African countries to take effective

and concrete measures towards the implementation of

NEPAD reflects the recognition of the fact that the

primary responsibility for the implementation of that

initiative rests with the peoples and Governments of

Africa.

In the course of the past two years, in order to

give coherence to NEPAD matters within African

Governments, we have emphasized the creation of an

institutional framework to oversee the implementation

of NEPAD at the regional level so as to integrate

NEPAD priorities into our national development

programmes and create institutions to manage those

priorities. In that connection, we must also highlight

the fact that NEPAD includes an African Peer Review

Mechanism, whose objective is to foster the adoption

of policies, standards and practices conducive to

political stability, high economic growth, sustainable

development and accelerated regional and continental

integration. We have already assembled a “panel of

wise persons” to lend its assistance to the review

process that will soon be under way.

International support for the implementation of

NEPAD is essential. NEPAD should be the framework

within which the international community, including

the United Nations system, concentrates its efforts on

Africa’s development. In that connection, Africa’s

development partners are urged to continue to lend

their assistance, with a view to translating into reality

their pledges of support to NEPAD.

That is the main agenda of the African Union,

which seeks to build a strong foundation for

democracy, good governance, peace, stability and

sustainable development, as well as to create better

living conditions for all of Africa’s peoples. We

recognize that that represents a colossal challenge for

present and future generations of African leaders, as it

was when we created the Organization of African

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Unity (OAU) 40 years ago and committed ourselves to

liberating Africa as our main goal.

In Maputo we have also dealt with the issues of

peace and security, for they continue to be the major

challenge in Africa. It is for that reason that we have

reiterated the importance of the entry into force of the

Peace and Security Council, which will be an important

body of the African Union that will deal with issues

related to conflict prevention, management and

resolution.

Step by step, and with the continued support of

the international community, Africa is steadily

discharging its responsibilities for the maintenance of

peace and stability in the continent.

In keeping with the OAU Algiers Summit

decision of 1999 on unconstitutional change of

Government, the coordinated action of the African

Union, the Community of the Portuguese-Speaking

Countries, the Economic Community of Central

African States, Nigeria, South Africa and other key

players, enabled President Fradique de Menezes of Sao

Tome and Principe to return to power, foiling an

attempted unconstitutional change of Government.

The recent positive developments in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the

formation of the Transitional Government and the

Parliament, the appointment of army command

structures and the deployment of the forces of the

United Nations Organization Mission in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in

Bunia, have lent new momentum to the peace process

in that country. We must not allow that process to be

derailed. All of us, including neighbouring countries,

have an obligation to support the Congolese people and

its Government in their long struggle for peace and

stability.

Following the departure of President Taylor from

Liberia, on 18 August 2003, we witnessed the signing

at Accra, Ghana, of the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement. That Agreement covers a wide range of

issues, including the cessation of hostilities. More

importantly, it provides for the establishment of a

transitional Government that will assume its

responsibilities on 14 October 2003 until the holding of

credible general elections in October 2005.

Allow me pay well-deserved tribute to President

Kufuor of Ghana and President Obasanjo of Nigeria,

and indeed to all the member States of the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS), for

their critical role in that process. Regional leadership

and international support for the peace process in

Liberia will be meaningless if Liberians themselves fail

to meet their obligations regarding peace and stability

in their country. We would also like to commend the

Security Council for its action on Liberia in support of

ECOWAS efforts. We welcome the adoption of

resolution 1509 (2003), which established the United

Nations Mission in Liberia.

With respect to Burundi, we Africans have

discharged our responsibilities by establishing an

African mission in Burundi. In that context, I am happy

to inform the General Assembly that, prior to my

departure from Maputo, I bid farewell to the

Mozambican contingent of peacekeepers to be

deployed to Burundi. They are joining South African

and Ethiopian forces in a clear demonstration of our

commitment to peace and stability in Burundi and in

the subregion. In that regard, I would like to take this

opportunity to express our gratitude to the British

Government for the assistance it has extended to us.

We appeal to the Security Council to adopt a

resolution formally endorsing that mission, and to take

the necessary measures to provide political, financial

and logistical support to it. Failure to act decisively

will lead to a deterioration of the situation, with serious

implications for the stability of Burundi and the

subregion.

The African Union and ECOWAS took prompt

measures after the recent coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau

to help the people of that country to return to

constitutional legality. We are pleased to inform the

Assembly that they have already selected by consensus

a President and Prime Minister, who are going to lead a

transitional Government. They have also developed

other bodies to prepare the country for elections, which

are to be held soon. We appeal to the international

community to render its valuable assistance to Guinea-

Bissau so that it will be able to overcome its dramatic

social and economic situation as soon as possible.

In the Horn of Africa, we must continue to

encourage Ethiopia and Eritrea to work together, with

the support of the United Nations, to strengthen peace,

stability and good neighbourliness and to overcome the

difficulties that continue to exist. The ongoing peace

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processes in Sudan and Somalia raise our hopes that

lasting peace will soon be achieved in the region.

We welcome the lifting of sanctions against Libya

and the settlement reached between all parties

concerned, which will enable us to bring that issue to a

close.

The stabilization of the situation in Angola,

Comoros and Sierra Leone are clear signs that, despite

the difficulties, Africa is making strides towards the

attainment of lasting peace, stability and socio-

economic development.

The peoples of Africa are fully engaged in

building a continent of hope. The African Union, along

with the regional economic communities, is committed

to addressing the challenges faced by the continent.

Africa is endowed with human and natural resources

that can contribute decisively to African development.

What we need is an opportunity to integrate ourselves

into the world economy; an opportunity to benefit from

globalization and increased interdependence; an

opportunity to benefit from liberalized trade, finance

and investment, instead of suffering from

marginalization and exclusion; and an opportunity for

access to science and technology, in particular

information technology.

That will be possible if, among other things, the

international community continues to seek viable and

effective ways and means to address the debt burden,

the low levels of official development assistance and

foreign direct investment and the issue of market

access for African products in developed countries.

With regard to the latter, we are disappointed that the

Cancún conference failed to produce positive results.

The recent tragic events that have claimed so

many innocent lives are a painful reminder of the fact

that international terrorism continues to represent a

serious threat to peace and security in the world. Those

events have also further demonstrated that no country

is immune from the scourge of terror and that we will

have to take concerted action to effectively address that

issue. The United Nations remains the most appropriate

forum to find the best ways and means to combat

terrorism.

In recent times, some sceptical people have

wondered whether the United Nations has lost its

credibility and relevance. The answer is clear: the role

of the United Nations as the main instrument for the

maintenance of international peace and security has

today been vindicated more than ever before. As the

Secretary-General has correctly pointed out, it is

through the United Nations that we can all find the

much-sought legitimacy of action in tackling issues of

common concern, including threats to peace and

security, and in addressing the challenges of

sustainable development and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,

malaria and other infectious diseases.

The Millennium Development Goals remain the

most significant targets agreed by the international

community, as they cover the major areas of concern to

the peoples of the world.

Since the adoption of the Millennium

Declaration, experience has shown that attaining its

goals requires greater international solidarity and

cooperation.

By virtue of its universality, the United Nations

has shown that it has the political and moral authority

to tackle not only the issues I have outlined, but also all

other issues of concern to mankind. The Organization

must therefore be strengthened, safeguarded and

adequately funded. It is for those reasons that we must

continue to support the Secretary-General and the

United Nations as they shoulder their responsibilities in

laying the foundations for a just and lasting peace and

for socio-economic development worldwide. We in

Africa reiterate our firm commitment to make our

contribution to the United Nations.