Namibia, 2008

I congratulate you, Sir, on

your election as President of the General Assembly at

its sixty-third session. We support the priorities that

you have identified for this session. I wish to express

Namibia’s appreciation for your predecessor, Srgjan

Kerim, for focusing the agenda of the sixty-second

session on matters of crucial importance to Member

States. We commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, for tirelessly taking up the challenging issues

of peace, security and economic development.

The sixty-third session of the General Assembly

is taking place at a time when the global economy is

dominated by four interrelated crises. I have in mind

the financial crisis in the industrialized countries, the

global energy crisis, the devastating impact of climate

change as well as the food crisis which has adversely

affected poor people around the world. Other, no less

daunting, challenges are the HIV/AIDS pandemic,

underdevelopment and abject poverty, as well as the

need to foster peace and security around the world. We

must act decisively and collectively at national,

regional and global levels to overcome these

challenges.

The devastating effects of climate change have

become present-day realities in all parts of the world.

Namibia has experienced the negative impact of

climate change. The floods and droughts during 2007

and 2008 were some of the most devastating in recent

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times. In their wake, they left poor harvests, livestock

losses, environmental degradation, damaged infrastructure

and destroyed livelihoods, thus putting a severe strain

on our plans to invest in new development projects.

Namibia is committed to the Bali road map in

order to conclude the negotiations on the post-Kyoto

regime by 2009. We call on all parties to honour their

commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, including the

immediate and full capitalization of the Adaptation

Fund. Namibia will play its part in the lead-up to

Copenhagen.

We want to contribute to making Copenhagen a

success in terms of commitments and substantial

mitigations, financial instruments for adaptation efforts

in developing countries and mechanisms for sharing

and harnessing appropriate technologies.

As a net importer of food and fuel, Namibia has

been hit hard by the soaring prices of commodities.

There will be catastrophic increases in the incidence of

hunger, malnutrition and infant mortality in developing

countries unless the trend is reversed. That calls for a

decisive national, regional and international response.

In our case, the Government of Namibia has exempted

some basic foodstuffs from value-added tax in order to

mitigate the effects of higher prices on food. Such

interventions can provide some relief to households.

However, there remain long-term challenges, which

demand appropriate policies and substantial new

investment to raise agricultural productivity and

increase food production around the world.

There is a real risk that the gains made by

developing countries in poverty reduction and the

attainment of the other Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) over the years will be reversed if we do not

act rapidly.

Global efforts to address the food crisis, the

impact of climate change and the drive to achieve the

MDGs must go hand in hand. In that regard, we

support the proposal for the General Assembly to hold

thematic debates until 2015 to take stock of success

achieved and setbacks encountered in the achievement

of the MDGs.

That will give development cooperating partners

an opportunity to account for the fulfilment of their

commitments. On the other hand, developing countries

should also account for their commitments to

strengthen democratic institutions, enhance good

governance and fight corruption.

There is a need for genuine political will,

especially among donor countries, if the MDGs are to

be attained. In this context, open, predictable and

non-discriminatory trading and financial systems must

be developed. We call for the intensification of the

implementation of the Global Partnership for

Development as agreed upon at Monterrey in 2002.

We also appeal to the Bretton Woods system and

other international financial institutions to create

special mechanisms to enable middle-income countries

to access financial resources for development on

concessional terms. That was called for by the

Windhoek Declaration on Development Cooperation

with Middle-Income Countries.

The scourge of poverty is one of the most serious

challenges facing humanity today. I believe that, with

the requisite political will, poverty can be overcome.

Let us act in unity of purpose to address not only the

manifestations of poverty, but also its underlying

causes, which make communities vulnerable. Let us

harness the technological, financial and other resources

necessary to eliminate the dehumanizing effects of

poverty on all members of the human family.

Peace and security as well as social justice are

paramount to the achievement of the MDGs and to the

resolution of conflicts. In that regard, all countries

must commit themselves to implement the policies that

promote economic growth, social justice, the rule of

law, democracy, respect for human rights and the

protection of the environment, in order to guarantee

durable peace and security.

Mr. Beck (Solomon Islands), Vice-President, took

the Chair.

On 15 September 2008, the political leaders of

Zimbabwe signed a power-sharing agreement designed

to restore political and economic stability to their

country. We wish to congratulate the leaders of

Zimbabwe on that important milestone and to express

the hope that it will put that sister country on the path

towards economic recovery. We commend the

mediation efforts of the Southern African Development

Community, led by President Thabo Mbeki of South

Africa, who invested extraordinary skill, time and

energy in the process. We urge the international

community to support the implementation of the

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agreement by providing economic, financial and

humanitarian assistance. We call for the immediate

lifting of all sanctions that have been imposed on that

country.

My delegation is concerned that the question of

Western Sahara remains unresolved. We support the

ongoing direct talks between the parties under the

auspices of the Secretary-General. We also call for the

implementation of the United Nations settlement plan

for Western Sahara and of all relevant United Nations

resolutions providing for a free and fair referendum in

that territory. Namibia is also concerned about the

conflict situations in the Darfur region of the Sudan

and in Somalia. We urge the respective parties to those

conflicts to work to find lasting peace.

The people of Palestine have an inalienable right

to self-determination. Namibia is concerned about the

lack of progress in the negotiations on the question of

Palestine. We call for the immediate implementation of

all United Nations resolutions on Palestine and for the

establishment of an independent State of Palestine

living side by side with Israel.

My delegation reiterates the call that we have

made on several occasions in this House for the

unconditional lifting of the economic, commercial and

financial blockade against Cuba. Not only is the

blockade against international law; its extraterritorial

nature impedes free trade and economic development.

Namibia calls for the implementation of all resolutions

of the General Assembly calling for the lifting of the

blockade.

If we are to be able to respond effectively to the

manifold challenges of our time, we must accelerate

the reform of the United Nations. Member States

should work with resolve to strengthen our

Organization and to ensure that it delivers in terms of

its mandate. However, the process will not be complete

without reform of the Security Council. We have an

obligation to make the Council more representative,

democratic and accountable. It is an anomaly, and it is

unjust, that Africa does not have permanent

representation on the Security Council. Namibia

reiterates the African common position on Council

reform as articulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and

the Sirte Declaration. Intergovernmental negotiations

on reform should commence without any further delay.

It is our duty to ensure that the United Nations

remains true to its unique universal character and that

it becomes a source of hope for a more secure and

peaceful world for current and future generations.