Namibia, 2014

I am proud to see you,

Mr. President, a distinguished son of Africa, presiding

over the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session,

and I congratulate you warmly on your election. I would

also like to pay tribute to the President of the Assembly

at its previous session for his sterling leadership.

This meeting is taking place at a challenging time

on the global stage. Several African countries have

been dealing with an unprecedented outbreak of deadly

Ebola disease; the 200 girls abducted in Nigeria by

Boko Haram are yet to be found or rescued; and the

indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza ended only a few

weeks ago. At the same time, terrorist groups continue

to disrupt peace and stability in various parts of the

world.

Those challenges are not insurmountable, but

overcoming them requires steadfastness and unity. We

should therefore resolutely reaffirm our faith and move

forward, guided by the enduring values and principles

of the Charter of the United Nations and all that it stands

for. Those values should guide our discussions during

this session, including on our theme “Delivering on and

implementing a transformative post-2015 development

agenda”. That theme presents an opportunity for us to

pause and reflect on the successes we have achieved and

the challenges we have encountered in implementing the

ambitious targets set by the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). The creation of a better world through

inclusive development, improved freedom from want,

and greater security and prosperity, especially in

developing countries, are some of the priorities we

agreed on 14 years ago.

In Namibia, the implementation of the MDGs

has had many positive results. We have reduced the

percentage of our people living in extreme poverty

by more than half. Primary school enrolment has

reached 100 per cent. Health care is now delivered to

many communities where once there was none. The

rates of new cases of HIV infection have stabilized.

Our coverage of antiretroviral treatment has reached

85 per cent, while the rate of prevention of mother-to-

child transmission now stands at 90 per cent. We are

moving closer to eliminating malaria as a public health

threat, and our provision of clean drinking water and

sanitation has also expanded.

Notable successes have been achieved at the global

level, too. The living conditions of millions of people

have improved, especially in developing countries. We

therefore have a strong foundation on which to realize the

sustainable development goals that are part of the post-

2015 development agenda. In that context, urgent action

should be taken to meet the basic needs of all human

beings and the protection of the natural environment,

on which we all depend for our livelihoods. I believe

no effort or resource should be spared in addressing

holistically the root causes of social strife, poverty and

political conflict in our societies.

Developing countries, particularly African and

island States, continue to bear the brunt of the adverse

effects of climate change. Floods, droughts and soil

erosion have become more severe, prolonged and

frequent. Namibia therefore calls for implementation

of the action programme and the dynamic Windhoek

Declaration adopted in 2013 in Namibia at the eleventh

session of the Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

We applaud the Secretary-General for hosting the

Climate Summit during this session of the General

Assembly. Its outcome should complement the

negotiations within the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change towards a meaningful

and coordinated global agreement in 2015.

Going forward, our discussions and interactions

should be guided by the principles articulated in the

Millennium Declaration; the outcome document

of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development, entitled “The future we want”; and the

outcomes of the major United Nations conferences

and summits on economic, social and environmental

matters. It is vital to ensure that the concerns articulated

in the African Common Position be fully integrated

into the post-2015 development agenda.

As we prepare for the implementation of the

post-2015 development agenda, we must demonstrate

the necessary political will and create strong global

partnerships to realize our shared goals. Furthermore,

we should join hands to ensure effective mobilization

and the efficient utilization of public- and private-sector

resources at both the domestic and international levels.

The ongoing efforts to reform the United Nations

system, particularly the Security Council, must be

concluded without further delay in order to reflect the

contemporary geopolitical realities.

We remain concerned about the political instability

and armed conflicts in South Sudan, Somalia, Mali

and the Central African Republic. However, the

success achieved by the Government of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Organization

Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo and the Southern African Development

Community, along with the Intervention Brigade, in

neutralizing the negative forces in the eastern part of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo is encouraging.

In order to further consolidate peace, the voluntary

programme for the disarmament, demobilization,

repatriation, resettlement and reintegration of the

negative forces must be implemented fully.

Namibia supports the participation of women in

peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations around the

world. In that context, we call for the full implementation

of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women,

peace and security. Namibia has currently deployed one

of the largest female police contingents to the African

Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur.

Namibia continues to call for the lifting of the

economic embargo against Cuba. The embargo is

contrary to international efforts to reduce poverty and

achieve the MDG targets in States Members of the

United Nations. The listing of Cuba as a State sponsor

of international terrorism is not justifiable and should

not be accepted.

We call for the full implementation of all relevant

United Nations resolutions on Western Sahara and

Palestine. The international community must fulfil its

obligations and assist the people of Western Sahara

and Palestine to realize their inalienable right to self-

determination.

Namibia condemns the abduction of more than

200 girls and other innocent people by Boko Haram

in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We call for their

immediate and unconditional release.

We support international efforts to combat Ebola

disease in the African countries affected. Towards that

end, Namibia has contributed ND$11 million to the

fight against the deadly epidemic.

As prescribed by the Namibian Constitution, I

have the honour to inform the Assembly that my term

of office as President will come to an end early next

year. Therefore, this is the last time that I will address

the General Assembly as President of the Republic

of Namibia. I would like to thank Heads of State

and Government for the excellent cooperation that

they have rendered to me and my country during my

tenure of office. I trust that they will extend the same

cooperation to my successor.

Finally, let us reaffirm our collective political

commitment to accelerating the achievement of the

MDGs as we move towards the implementation of the

post-2015 development agenda.