Mauritania, 2011

It is my honour and pleasure at the outset of

this brief statement to welcome and congratulate the

Republic of South Sudan upon its accession to

membership in the United Nations and for its

participation for the first time in the work of the

General Assembly.

I am also happy to warmly congratulate

Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election to the

presidency of the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session.

Allow me to express our full confidence in him as he

undertakes the exceptional efforts required to

strengthen the progress achieved to date in terms of

international peace and security, taking into account

the need to preserve the well-being, stability and

progress of our world. I pay tribute to the effectiveness

of Qatari diplomacy and its important role in

strengthening international peace and security.

I also pay tribute to the valuable efforts made by

Mr. Al-Nasser’s predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, who

upheld the principles of dialogue and consultation in

order to reach the best solutions on international issues.

I also warmly congratulate Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon on his reappointment to head the

Organization and wish him full success. I commend his

persistent Herculean efforts to resolve many issues,

including strengthening international peace and

security, achieving the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs), combating climate change and mitigating the

threats of famine and endemic disease, as well as all of

the challenges that hinder the well-being of humanity.

The sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly

is taking place at a sensitive political juncture in our

region. The popular uprisings in many Arab countries

have led to revolutions calling for democracy, justice,

freedom and decent living conditions. My country was

at the forefront of meeting these demands and

aspirations. Over the past few years, we have

experienced radical change in the form of a peaceful

and flexible transition from a totalitarian regime that

had suppressed freedoms and emptied the public

coffers to a democratic system and credible institutions

that have consolidated the rule of law and guaranteed

individual and collective freedoms and the rights of all

sectors of Mauritanian society, based on justice and the

rule of law.

Those measures have included the organization of

free, fair and transparent presidential elections that

were monitored by international observers and even

endorsed by their opponents. Our country has also

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begun enjoying a sincere political openness at all levels

of society. A few days ago, we launched a genuine

national political dialogue open to all of the country’s

political parties. In addition, media airwaves have been

freed and licences issued to 10 radio and television

stations to begin broadcasting in the near future.

In the context of good governance, my country

has enshrined transparency in its administration and its

strengthened and independent judiciary. We have

achieved remarkable levels of growth through

ambitious programmes to improve our population’s

standard of living. These programmes focus first and

foremost on the most vulnerable sectors of society —

low-income citizens and those living in poor

neighbourhoods and isolated rural areas — allowing

my country to achieve a stable domestic situation that

will in turn foster efforts in our young, effective

diplomacy.

We are a member of the African Union Peace and

Security Council and chair the Good Offices

Commission, established to bring together opposition

parties in Libya and Côte d’Ivoire. We are fully

convinced that dialogue and mediation are the best

ways to resolve conflict and address crises, as

indicated in the theme of the general debate of this

sixty-sixth session.

Since the election of His Excellency

Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz as President, we have

endeavoured to strengthen our presence within regional

and international organizations, including the United

Nations and its various specialized bodies, the Arab

Maghreb Union, the League of Arab States, the African

Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and

the Non-Aligned Movement, to name a few. We have

also joined regional African and Caribbean groups to

show support for their systems and decisions and as

part of our strategy to broaden our principled foreign

policy.

In that context, we reiterate our support for

efforts to reform the United Nations and its various

bodies, including the Security Council. We ask that

Africa be given permanent representation, as it is the

only continent that has lacked a permanent seat on the

Security Council since the establishment of the United

Nations. Our continent has 1 billion inhabitants and

hosts more than two-thirds of United Nations

peacekeeping operations. We also call for permanent

representation for the Group of Arab States, whose

population makes up more than 11 per cent of the

world’s inhabitants.

Consultations on Security Council reform have

been ongoing for many years, and we call for

continued consultations in order to achieve a

comprehensive platform, supported unanimously by

Member States, for reform of the United Nations and

its working methods and decision-making processes. In

that regard, my country believes that we should begin

with the make-up of the Security Council, the

definition of its competence and responsibilities, and

institutional relations between the Council and the

General Assembly in order to ensure the Organization’s

effectiveness and to fairly and accurately reflect, in a

balanced manner, the will of the entire international

community.

In that context, I remind the Assembly that

Mauritania is a candidate for a non-permanent seat on

the Security Council for the biennium 2012-2013,

representing the Group of African States. Support for

our candidacy was expressed by our continental

organization, the African Union, at its Addis Ababa

summit in January and Malabo summit in June. It also

supports our conviction and profound belief in the

mission and principles of the United Nations and our

sincere will to effectively contribute to the

maintenance of international peace and security, play a

positive role in the Security Council, and assume

greater responsibilities in order to attain the noble

objectives for which this Organization was created.

I note that Mauritania has adopted a policy of

peaceful coexistence and good-neighbourly relations

with the countries of its region. It is not party to any

conflict and enjoys excellent and friendly relations

with all countries of the world. I take this opportunity

to sincerely thank all of the friendly, kindred States that

have supported our candidacy.

We note with deep satisfaction the gargantuan

efforts made during the sixty-fifth session, including

the High-level Meeting on Youth and the High-level

Plenary Meeting on the MDGs and the need to

implement them. Nevertheless, we note and deplore the

fact that the populations of most States continue to live

in dire economic conditions that are not conducive to

the achievement of the MDGs.

In that context, allow me to recall the steep rise in

unemployment, especially among young people; the

increased rate of abject poverty, especially in the most

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vulnerable sectors of society; the decelerated growth in

gross domestic product; the global recession; decreased

official foreign investment, especially in Africa; the

volatility of basic commodity prices, which has had

devastating effects on the buying power of large

sectors of the populations of developing countries;

reduced net transfers to developing countries;

decreased tourist revenue; increased maternal and

newborn death rates; and the increased debt burden.

This latter issue is already a terrible economic

burden on developing countries, and leads to the

emptying of public coffers that are modest to begin

with, especially in the light of their infrastructure and

public service needs. In such economic conditions, the

economies of the least developed countries face many

enormous obstacles, making it increasingly difficult to

achieve the Millennium Development Goals. As we

approach the deadline for achieving the MDGs, many

developing countries remain far from doing so.

We call on wealthy developed States to

contribute, in accordance with their promises, to the

revival of these least developed countries so that they

can provide acceptable levels of public services and

guarantee civil peace, security and stability, and to

strengthen the social fabric of these countries, which in

turn will contribute to international peace and security.

Non-communicable diseases are another

important public health issue. The extent of the spread

of these diseases is truly catastrophic, and mortality

rates are higher than those of all other diseases.

Furthermore, their effects on health and the social and

economic fields are a further obstacle to the attainment

of the MDGs, especially Goals 4 and 5 relative to

maternal and child health, which are closely linked to

non-communicable diseases. This is especially true

because malnutrition in pregnancy and early childhood

is the source of hypertension and diabetes later in life.

This is why I note with satisfaction that my

country has risen to the challenge posed by these

diseases by establishing extensive health infrastructure

and strengthening the human resources available to

deal with such diseases. We have also built a

specialized oncology hospital with the latest

technology, a modern hospital for cardiovascular

disease, a diabetes treatment centre and over 50 dialysis

centres. All of these have been established in record

time, less than two years since the accession to power

of Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz following the

presidential elections of 18 July 2009.

Our country is closely following the situation in

the Western Sahara. We reaffirm our support for the

efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special

Representative to reach a comprehensive, lasting and

just solution that enjoys the support of both countries,

in order to strengthen peace and security in the area

and to create an Arab Maghreb that is open to progress

and development and responds to the aspirations of its

peoples. This is a strategic option for my country.

I believe that the Israeli-Arab conflict is a source

of tension and a threat to peace and security in a

sensitive and vital region of the world. My country

supports efforts for peace that will guarantee the

recovery of all the rights of the Palestinian people and

the creation of an independent Palestinian State within

the 4 June 1967 borders, with its capital in Jerusalem,

coexisting in peace and security with the State of

Israel.

This is why the Islamic Republic of Mauritania

calls on the international community to recognize

Palestine as an independent sovereign State and to

facilitate its full membership of the United Nations on

the basis of the request made last week by

Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, Executive Secretary of the

Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the

Palestinian Authority. We must be faithful to the

historic responsibilities of the international community

towards Palestine; uphold justice, credibility and

fairness with regard to this question; and ensure respect

for the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.

We condemn the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip

and the acts committed by the Israeli military machine,

killing civilians and destroying Palestinian facilities.

We call for concerted Arab, regional and

international efforts to assist our Libyan brothers and

sisters. We seek an end to the killings and a response to

the legitimate aspirations to reform and change of our

kindred people of Libya in order to guarantee their

sovereignty and territorial integrity. We call on the

international community to support the Libyan people

and provide for all their needs in various areas so as to

ensure the success of the transitional phase.

We also call on the international community to

intensify and accelerate the international response to

the tragic humanitarian situation resulting from the

acute drought in the Horn of Africa. Speedy assistance

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must be provided to the hundreds of thousands of

Somalis citizens who have been forced to become

refugees and are enduring tragic living and security

conditions. Although our means are modest, we have

provided assistance in the amount of $1 million to

support the efforts of the African Union on behalf of

the people of Somalia.

For many years now, our region, the African

Sahel, has been the stage for the expansion of

organized crime networks that traffic in drugs,

weapons, ammunition and human beings, and are

responsible for illegal migration flows across the area,

kidnappings, abductions and terrorism. They pose a

real threat to the peace and stability of our region.

We are convinced that there is a direct and close

relationship between peace, development and

democracy. For this reason, we believe that peace and

security are preconditions to achieving development

and democracy and to strengthening the rule of law

institutions. We have adopted laws, prepared plans and

taken steps to guarantee peace, security and safety for

our citizens and foreign citizens living legally in

Mauritania. Our security system has responded firmly

and courageously to the threats of criminal terrorist

groups against our security and that of our guests. We

have succeeded in guaranteeing peace within our

borders and security at border points, as attested to by

all. We work in full understanding and coordination

with Algeria, Mali and Niger to suppress the activities

and free movement of these criminal terrorist groups.

The culture of peace, the ideals of tolerance

among nations and civilizations, and upholding justice

and law among peoples are the best ways to advance

on the road to peace and security in our world.

However, when issues remain pending for years; when

there is a growing gap between rich and poor; when

international economic institutions are fragile and

weak; and when justice, fairness and equality are so

slow to be provided, tensions will increase and

extremism and terrorism spread. We in Mauritania

reject terrorism in every form, and we adhere to the

peaceful principles of Islam — principles of tolerance

and brotherhood that reject violence and extremism.

We believe that the international community should

consider seriously why terrorism exists and root it out

vigorously.

The international community must honour the

commitments it has made since the Organization was

established, but it can do so only if all the States and

peoples of the world are able to benefit from available

potential and resources and if development efforts in

developing countries are supported so that people can

live in dignity, freedom and equality. That is the only

way we can achieve the noble goals that this

Organization set for itself when it was created.