Namibia, 2004

It is a source of pride for

Africans and our friends alike to see you, Sir, presiding

over the demanding business of the fifty-ninth session

of the General Assembly. You bring to your high office

the immense wisdom and experience you have gained

over the years as a dedicated public servant and

Cabinet minister of the Gabonese Republic. You hold

in your capable hands the mandate given to you by the

Charter of the United Nations to give new impetus to

the promotion of peace, human security and sustainable

development throughout the world. I congratulate you

warmly and pledge Namibiaís full support to you

personally and to your Bureau.

You will recall, Mr. President, the renewed spirit

and firm resolve for change demonstrated by African

leaders in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. There,

we stressed a new beginning for Africa in transforming

the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and

launching the African Union and its development arm,

the New Partnership for Africa's Development

(NEPAD). We also reiterated our commitment to

embrace the African diaspora in consolidating and

transforming our continent.

I am, therefore, delighted to note that the

outgoing President of the General Assembly, His

Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte, hails from the sister

country of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. I pay tribute

to him for his excellent and successful service to the

United Nations. During his tenure of office, he showed

leadership and dedication to world peace, security and

sustainable development.

We are gathered once again at United Nations

Headquarters to reaffirm the precious ideals, principles

and purposes of the Organization, and to transform

them into action towards ending armed conflict, saving

our children and investing resources to eradicate

hunger, disease and poverty in the world.

Our illustrious and hardworking Secretary-

General, my dear brother Kofi Annan, has left no stone

unturned in his tireless efforts to exert his authority in

conflict situations. His insistence on the centrality and

legitimate responsibility of the Organization to be on

the side of the poor, the weak and the needy in the

world should be commended. In his annual report on

the work of the Organization (A/59/1), the Secretary-

General once again reminds Member States of the

terrible state of the world, and offers real alternatives

for world peace and security, social development

financing and the mitigation of the effects of the

HIV/AIDS pandemic and other infectious diseases. I

commend the Secretary-General for his worthy

interventions and effective leadership.

During the 1999-2000 period, Namibia had the

rare honour and privilege of serving the Organization

in two capacities. My country served both as a non-

permanent member of the Security Council and,

simultaneously, as President of the fifty-fourth session

of the General Assembly, whose task, among others,

was to prepare for the Millennium Summit and the

adoption of the historic Millennium Declaration. I was

thus called upon to co-chair that Summit together with

my Finnish counterpart, Her Excellency Ms. Tarja

Halonen.

At that memorable Summit, the largest ever

gathering of world leaders unanimously endorsed the

far-reaching Millennium Development Goals and

targets. Today we all remain bound by that historic and

unique undertaking. Member States collectively

pledged, among other things, to eradicate extreme

poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary

education; promote gender equality and empower

women; reduce child mortality and improve maternal

health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and

other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability;

and develop a global partnership for sustainable

development.

By endorsing those Development Goals and

targets, our Governments have made a serious and

irrevocable commitment, through reliable public policy

interventions, to care for the millions of our children

all over the world who are asking for nothing more

than love, protection and a peaceful childhood.

In this undertaking, we cannot ignore the ever-

widening income gap between the rich and the poor,

between the industrialized North and the developing

South. This situation represents a dangerous time

bomb, which the world can ill afford to let take its own

course. Our planet Earth is too small to perpetuate the

unacceptable juxtaposition of abject poverty and

abundant prosperity. We will deal with this situation

effectively only when we promote mutually beneficial

commercial trade between the North and the South

within the framework of North-South and South-South

cooperation.

I would like to emphasize that the Millennium

Development Goals and targets by themselves are only

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declarations of intent. Our Governments must translate

them into sustainable policies, buttressed by adequate

financial and technological resources, to make a real

difference in the lives of our peoples.

For its part, Namibia, in cooperation with the

relevant United Nations agencies, has adopted a

countrywide programme to implement the Millennium

Development Goals and targets. In addition to

deploying our own resolve and capabilities, we call

upon other development partners to assist us in our

national efforts towards nation-building, reconciliation

and transformation.

At the initiative of President Luiz Inacio Lula da

Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil, world

leaders converged at United Nations Headquarters on

20 September 2004 to exchange views and find

workable solutions aimed at bringing an end to hunger

and poverty in the world. We commend him for that

important initiative, in which we participated. At the

end of the meeting, a declaration was adopted, which

Namibia fully supports. We call upon Member States

and other stakeholders to implement it with due

urgency.

The world has enormous resources with which to

fight and defeat poverty, hunger and

underdevelopment. In this process of dialogue, we

must insist on a realistic balance between the total

world spending on war and weapons technology on the

one hand and the implementation of the Millennium

Development Goals and targets on the other. What is

required is political will and compassion on the part of

world leaders. The debate on weapons of mass

destruction must not divide United Nations Member

States, but should lead nations to find and enhance

peaceful coexistence and cooperation. Developed

countries should consider their support to the countries

of the South as an act of enlightened contribution to

regional and global stability, and as a purposeful

incentive to encourage increased mutually beneficial

commercial trade and investment among all nations.

I wish to underline the significance of my

presence at the current session of the General

Assembly. Attached to my attendance are a long

history, a personal journey and an unbroken link

between Namibia and the United Nations over many

years. I entered this building for the first time in 1960,

as a petitioner before the Fourth Committee of the

General Assembly.

That was my first humble but determined

emergence on the diplomatic scene. I have spent many

years since then, attending various United Nations

debates and conferences that dealt with the

decolonization of Namibia and negotiations on self-

determination and independence. During those many

years, I addressed some of the Security Council

meetings held in respect of the question of Namibia,

starting in 1971, as the first freedom fighter accorded

such an opportunity.

I got to meet and know many distinguished

statesmen, diplomats, fellow petitioners and eminent

international civil servants in New York, Geneva, Paris

and other important conference venues. My Namibian

colleagues and I will always treasure the advice,

support and solidarity we received from the United

Nations family, and from friends the world over. Many

friendly nations of the world stood firm and rendered

moral, material and diplomatic support to the noble

cause of our freedom and independence.

Many world-renowned revolutionaries,

particularly on the African continent, rendered selfless

sacrifices, not only towards the independence of our

motherland, but also to free the African continent from

colonial exploitation and apartheid.

I therefore would like to salute and pay homage

to the visionary leaders of the African continent who

shaped the vision of African unity and the continentís

emancipation from the yoke of colonialism, foreign

occupation and apartheid. Among them, I pay special

tribute to Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of

Ghana; Ahmed Ben Bella, the first Prime Minister of

Algeria; Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt; Julius

Kambarage Nyerere of Tanzania; Kenneth Kaunda of

Zambia; General Murtala Mohammed of Nigeria;

Antonio Agostinho Neto of Angola; and other African

leaders and pan-Africanists.

Namibiaís protracted liberation struggle was

bloody and bitter. It caused the untold suffering and

sacrifices of our people inside the country and those of

us who were forced to spend many decades in exile.

After many years of struggle, the international

community finally recognized and endorsed the

legitimacy of our cause for freedom, equality and

justice, led by our national liberation movement, the

South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) of

Namibia.

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Namibia became principally the legal

responsibility of the United Nations, and in that way a

unique partnership was forged for a common cause

between the world Organization and the struggling

Namibian people, which endured for 30 daunting and

eventful years.

On 21 March 1990, His Excellency Javier Perez

de Cuellar, then Secretary-General of the United

Nations, swore me in as President of the Republic of

Namibia. Later in September of the same year, I

returned to the United Nations to address the General

Assembly and, on behalf of my people, to thank the

United Nations for the special partnership and the

principled support in various forms that eventually

gave birth to the 160th State Member of our

Organization.

I paid tribute to those United Nations civil

servants and members of the United Nations Transition

Assistance Group (UNTAG) who served diligently to

ensure the full implementation of Security Council

resolution 435 (1978). I also paid homage to those who

died in the course of their duty in Namibia.

I wish to recall with appreciation that my initial

access to the United Nations was made possible by

non-governmental organizations, church groups, a

handful of United Nations staff members and

concerned diplomats from friendly countries. I

sincerely thank them all. The Namibian people salute

them and will forever honour the memories we shared.

Among those many organizations, I wish to

particularly single out and pay deserved tribute to the

Africa-America Institute for its exceptional dedication

to provide and expand educational opportunities to

Africans across our continent, including Namibians,

both before and after our independence. I join other

African leaders in welcoming the Africa-America

Instituteís fiftieth anniversary education partnership

campaign, which I wholeheartedly recommend for

global support.

By my own decision and in compliance with our

Constitution, I will be serving as President of the

Republic only until 20 March 2005. I will then bid

farewell to my State duties and public functions. I am

looking forward to a less hectic life, but I will remain a

fully engaged private citizen. I intend to undertake

certain causes that are dear to my heart and be ready to

assist national, regional and international efforts,

especially in the areas of poverty eradication, people

with disabilities, food production and infrastructure

development.

At the beginning of my statement, I referred to

the launch of the African Union, NEPAD and Africaís

resolve to pursue a new beginning. I now want to add

another crucial dimension, that of gender equality and

the empowerment of women in decision-making and

their election to national, regional and international

institutions.

Our subregional organization, the Southern

African Development Community, spearheaded this

new thinking, and we are happy that the African Union

has also started implementing this progressive and

forward-looking agenda.

The recent inauguration of the Pan-African

Parliament, which is hosted by South Africa, is a

litmus test for Africaís renewal. We must not delay or

fail in our joint venture to achieve the total integration

of our continent.

The recognition and the full participation of

women in decision-making are fundamental to Africaís

transformation and industrialization. With that in mind,

we proudly acknowledge the election of Mrs. Gertrude

Mongella of Tanzania, who became the first President

of the Pan-African Parliament. There is no shortage of

competent and experienced African women to lead the

way forward. The African Union Commission includes

female commissioners from various African countries.

Africa must place at the top of its agenda the

involvement and support of women as leaders and role

models.

Since the days of the Organization of African

Unity, the United Nations and Africa have been true

partners. In the process, they have offered one another

mutual support and ever increasing cooperation in the

vital fields of conflict resolution, peace-building,

humanitarian relief and social development. Now that

the African Union has established its Peace and

Security Council, in addition to NEPAD, we envisage a

wider scope for cooperation and resource mobilization

to plan for the prevention of armed conflicts and

human suffering in Africa.

With the attainment of sustained peace and

stability, Africaís economic growth and poverty

eradication will become a reality and the hopes and

aspirations of our people will be realized. To that end,

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we need continued and strong partnership with the

United Nations.

From this podium and in various other forums,

we have reaffirmed our belief in a peaceful,

democratic, transparent and just international system.

We have advocated a system that would bring the poor

and the rich of the world together to save the lives of

millions and pursue sustainable development and

human security.

To achieve that noble objective, the United

Nations, in particular the Security Council, cannot

continue operating on the basis of undemocratic

structures of decision-making. The Council should be

reformed without delay; political will is what is

lacking. We can do better. Now is the time. Africa

needs its place as a key player in this world body. We

demand our share of responsibility.

The current war in Iraq has divided the world,

causing enormous human suffering and undermining

international peace and security. There is widespread

distrust among nations, and the danger of nuclear

proliferation makes the situation even more alarming.

Millions of people in Africa, especially in the

Great Lakes region and the Sudan, continue to

experience untold suffering due to conflict and war.

Namibia is deeply concerned about the killings and the

human rights violations against innocent women,

children and the elderly in the Darfur region of the

Sudan. We call on all parties concerned, in particular

the Government of the Sudan, to implement without

delay all the agreements and commitments they have

made.

Against that background, my Government fully

supports Security Council resolution 1564 (2004) of

18 September 2004. While we support the efforts of the

African Union to find a peaceful solution to that highly

volatile situation, we feel strongly that the Security

Council should assume full responsibility in

accordance with the Charter. This problem can be

resolved only through a Security Council resolution

establishing a peacekeeping mission for Sudan, in

particular to deal with human suffering in Darfur. In

that context, as a product of the United Nations

ourselves, and in the light of our commitment to the

maintenance of international peace and security,

Namibia is prepared to contribute a battalion to such a

United Nations mission.

The United Nations Settlement Plan for Western

Sahara must be implemented immediately. Likewise,

the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people must be

realized. We, the international community, owe it to

them.

Namibia reiterates its call for the immediate and

unconditional lifting of the United States embargo

against Cuba in order to allow the people of the two

countries to coexist peacefully.

The global security situation is being further

threatened by the emergence of mercenaries, who

undermine legitimate Governments. The African

continent has not been spared by this ugly

phenomenon, which should be condemned by the

international community.

The United Nations is the ideal place for finding

solutions through multilateral negotiations and

compromise. The Secretary-General needs the

unwavering support of all Member States in order to

play an effective role in the Middle East and Africa

and in conflict situations around the world. Whether

fighting poverty, HIV/AIDS or terrorism, the

international community must act as one. We must stop

human suffering and promote security and prosperity

for all.

Namibia stands for peace, unity, stability and

mutually beneficial economic partnership. Our

Constitution is the primary guide we rely on in those

pursuits.

My Government is implementing Vision 2030

and the successive national development plans in

stages, with a view to further enhancing economic

growth and improving the living conditions of our

people, including by transforming our villages into

viable socio-economic participants. Poverty, education,

health care, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, skills

development, the empowerment of women, the

protection of children and assistance to people with

disabilities are among the urgent national priorities

covered in those people-centred government

interventions.

We carry them out in partnership with business,

labour and those representing civil society. Happily, the

competent United Nations agencies and international

experts based in Namibia are working closely with my

Government to bring prosperity and transformation to

Namibia and the subregion. When we succeed, Africa

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will benefit and the world, too, will acknowledge the

shared rewards of development partnerships.

I conclude my statement in the confidence that,

through the United Nations, humanity will triumph

over the challenges that confront us today so that the

future generations will live in peace, free from the

scourges of war, poverty, hunger and disease. I believe

strongly that our common goals and objectives are

achievable because a people united, striving to achieve

a common good for all members of society, will always

emerge victorious. Long live the United Nations!