Niger, 1997

On

behalf of the delegation of Niger, I should like Sir, to

express my warm congratulations on your unanimous

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its

fifty-second session. We regard your election as a just

tribute to your country, the Republic of Ukraine, whose

commitment to the ideals of our Organization is well

known.

I would also like to congratulate the other members of

the Bureau, who I am convinced will help you in the

accomplishment of your delicate mission.

In addition, I wish to express to your predecessor,

Mr. Razali Ismail, our deep appreciation for the remarkable

work he did during his presidency.

To Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of our

Organization, may I express my Government's full support

and brotherly encouragement for the commendable action

he is carrying out in order to promote greater cooperation

between our peoples and nations in order to build a world

of peace and progress.

Once again, Niger is pleased to take part in a session

of the General Assembly, which is an ideal framework for

the Member States of our Organization to debate, in a

spirit of partnership, complex matters affecting the destiny

of humanity.

We must all agree that over its 52 years of existence

the United Nations has gained a more than honourable

record in achieving its purposes, especially in the areas of

peacekeeping, decolonization, and the promotion of, and

respect for, human rights, as well as in the search for

global solutions to the major problems of our times —

development, the environment, population and the

protection of women and children, to mention just a few.

The immense work accomplished so far is above all

the result of our capacity to work together in our common

interest and in the interest of future generations. Niger

therefore believes that international cooperation, which is

the basis of these major achievements, must be

strengthened, because it is the source of stability and

progress.

The maintenance of international peace and security,

the primary purpose of our Organization, deserves

everyone's special attention at a time when the

international community, with the cold war finally ended,

is getting down to establishing a new world order that

strictly respects the purposes and principles of the United

Nations Charter.

Niger welcomes the report presented by the Secretary-

General last July on the reform of our Organization. We

support this process and hope that it will provide synergy,

giving the means and flexibility indispensable for the

Organization if it is to meet the numerous challenges it

faces at the dawn of the third millennium.

My delegation believes too that the Security Council

must be reformed in order to make it more effective, given

its responsibilities in the sphere of collective security. In

particular, such reform must address the expansion of the

Council on the basis of the principles of equitable

geographical distribution and of the sovereign equality of

States.

In the same vein, we consider that better handling of

the emergencies that constantly arise in so many places

must include an improvement in the Organization's capacity

to deploy peacekeeping forces in a timely fashion wherever

necessary.

Let me express Niger's deep concern at the conflicts

and tensions in Africa and in the Middle East. Turning first

to Africa, we note with distress that internal confrontations

and disruptions are the main cause of the political

instability in some countries and of the massive movements

of refugees that are at the root of a tragic humanitarian

crisis. Niger has a deep commitment to peace, and must

once again urge the warring parties in the States concerned

to renounce violence and engage in productive dialogue to

find solutions to their disputes, thus restoring stability to

their respective countries.

I take this opportunity to pay a well-deserved tribute

to the people of Liberia, who after seven years of cruel war

accepted the peace plan proposed by the States members of

the Economic Community of West African States

(ECOWAS). The Liberian people's will for peace is clearly

reflected in their respect for the ceasefire and, above all, in

the 19 July national elections, which were conducted in an

atmosphere of calm and openness. I am pleased to pay

tribute to the valuable role played by our great brother

country, Nigeria, in the process of restoring peace to

Liberia.

In Congo (Brazzaville), we hail the tireless efforts of

neighbouring African countries, of the Organization of

African Unity and of the United Nations to calm the

situation. More than ever, that crisis highlights the urgent

need to create an African peacekeeping force. I can today

assure the Assembly that my country is fully prepared to

contribute to the establishment of such a force, as it did

in the cases of Rwanda, Burundi and Liberia.

Turning to the situation in Western Sahara, my

country welcomes the recent agreement by the two

parties; we hope that the referendum will take place in

conditions of peace and calm.

To promote peace and security in the Middle East,

the international community must pay sustained attention

to the tension in the occupied Palestinian territories,

which has been steadily rising since the Israeli

Government decision to build a new settlement in

occupied East Jerusalem. That Israeli decision endangers

the peace process that began in Madrid on the basis of

Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and

425 (1978) and on the basis of the principle of land for

peace.

In the face of that Israeli Government position, the

international community has no choice but to redouble its

efforts to secure dialogue and, above all, justice — which

form the foundation of a peaceful future in the Middle

East, along with the necessary exercise by the Palestinian

people of its inalienable rights, including the right to the

establishment of an independent State, and scrupulous

respect for agreements reached between the Israeli

Government and the Palestine Liberation Organization on

the basis of the relevant Security Council and General

Assembly resolutions.

Since its creation, the United Nations has always

given high priority to disarmament, and in particular to

the elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of

mass destruction. There has been good progress on this

issue with the conclusion of a number of international

instruments, the most notable of which, in our view, are

the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,

the Chemical Weapons Convention and the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Niger is deeply

convinced that disarmament is an essential element in the

maintenance of international peace and security and has

acceded to those important agreements, which are aimed

at preventing the development of nuclear weapons and of

other weapons of mass destruction.

My country is keenly aware also of other, no less

important, issues relating to illegal trafficking in small

arms and to a complete ban on the anti-personnel mines

that constitute a harsh scourge that continues to inflict

unspeakable human suffering.

2

Civil wars and political upheaval in Africa have

fostered the proliferation of illicit weapons. To collect and

monitor weapons illicitly held by individuals, Niger has

joined the United Nations and several neighbouring

countries to take wide-ranging action against this scourge.

On the domestic level, we created in 1994 a national

commission for the collection and monitoring of illicit

weapons.

My country is genuinely pleased also at the existence

of regional disarmament initiatives, some of which have led

to the conclusion of arrangements such as the Treaty on the

Denuclearization of Africa.

In our view, it is essential to benefit from the climate

of confidence and cooperation now prevailing on the

international scene to give new impetus to multilateral

negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament. That is the

only way to make progress towards building a safer world,

which is a legitimate aspiration of all our peoples.

The tragic effects of poverty in a large number of

countries merely exacerbate instability in the world.

Despite the remarkable progress made in recent years

in the economic and social fields, following the

implementation of structural economic reforms, Africa

remains in many respects a region where poverty has

increased spectacularly. On this continent are found the

majority of countries with the lowest indices with respect

to human development.

For this reason, as a Sahelian country, we feel that the

reform process proposed by the Secretary-General must

strengthen the role of the United Nations and its functions

in development matters, making priorities of reducing

poverty and strengthening the participation of more

countries in an expanding world economy. The remarkable

contribution made by the development institutions, such as

the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United

Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in our country must be

highlighted. We encourage the Secretary-General to ensure

that in the reform process there will be respect for the

autonomy of these bodies in order to preserve their

effectiveness.

We welcomed the United Nations New Agenda for the

Development of Africa in the 1990s, adopted in 1991,

which has been supplemented by the United Nations

System-wide Special Initiative on Africa launched by the

Secretary-General in March 1996. Their purpose was to

help Africa in its recovery efforts. Today it is more

urgent than ever that the industrialized countries grant

broad support to these programmes, and establish funds

for diversification to allow African countries to obtain a

better return for their commodities and thus assure vital

resources for their populations. This support in particular

must take the form of resources to be invested in priority

sectors, such as basic education, health and security of

food and water supplies, sectors capable of laying down

solid bases for sustainable development in Africa.

Africa certainly needs assistance. But my country

remains convinced that the resources the continent needs

for its development efforts can be generated by increasing

trade with the developed countries. African countries are

waiting for the industrialized countries to implement the

measures adopted as part of the Final Act of the Uruguay

Round negotiations, supplemented by specific preference

provisions in the Marrakesh Agreements, to mitigate the

negative effects the reforms envisaged in the negotiations

could have on countries which are net importers of food

products.

Similarly, the external debt of African countries is a

problem requiring viable and fair solutions, going beyond

the measures taken in the Paris Club framework. The new

initiative taken recently by the World Bank and the

International Monetary Fund to significantly reduce the

multilateral debt of the poorest countries, should extend

to all those countries, without any eligibility conditions or

deadlines.

Nonetheless, the cancellation of all the debt is the

most appropriate solution in order to ensure accelerated

development by the least developed countries. Such

actions, in my delegation's view, will make it possible to

reduce poverty noticeably.

These recommendations are set out in the Agenda

for Development, adopted during the last Assembly

session. It is up to the international community to

effectively implement this programme to bring about

development and growth in our countries.

Because of its lack of resources, successive droughts

and high population growth, Niger is part of the group of

African countries where poverty is omnipresent. In the

light of its high level of poverty, His Excellency

Mr. Ibrahim Maïnassara Baré, President of the Republic

of Niger, and the Government decided that for society to

progress we needed stable and democratic institutions

guaranteeing respect for and the promotion of human

3

rights. It was also decided to make all our development

actions part of our battle against poverty.

In liaison with its development partners, the

Government of Niger has therefore agreed on a plan to

combat poverty, with policies to stimulate sustainable

growth, improve rural income, give better access to social

services and slow population growth, in particular. We

would like to take this opportunity to invite bilateral and

multilateral donors to play an active part in implementing

this plan to combat poverty in Niger.

Our Government is firmly committed to ensuring good

management of our economy, deepening the

democratization process and bringing about the participation

at all levels of those who would benefit from the execution

of this plan, which is based on principles of good

government. That commitment undoubtedly guarantees its

success.

Moreover, I am particularly pleased to inform the

Assembly, and thus to reassure the my country's backers

and partners that peace in Niger has become an

unquestioned reality. Indeed, since the signing of the peace

agreement of 24 April 1995 in Niamey between the

Government of the Republic of Niger and the Organization

of the Armed Resistance, the peace process has made

remarkable progress. For example, action has been taken

with respect to decentralization, the return of refugees, the

celebration each year of a day of harmony and the

implementation of an emergency programme for the

rehabilitation of our agricultural region. I solemnly appeal

to the international community to contribute to the

completion of the peace progress already begun.

Before concluding, I would like to reaffirm the

complete commitment of a Sahelian country such as Niger

to protecting the environment, whose continuous

degradation is a source of real concern. Niger welcomed the

recent holding in New York of the nineteenth special

session of the General Assembly, devoted to a review of

the implementation of Agenda 21 and the establishment of

new policies for the future.

The special session showed us that while notable

progress has been made with respect to climate change,

biodiversity, combating desertification and the use of

renewable sources of energy, that is not the case with

regard to no less important questions, such as access to

drinking water, which is a real problem for humankind, the

unbridled exploitation of the oceans and deforestation.

Thus, we have to recognize that, at the conclusion of

its proceedings, the special session did not live up to the

hopes placed in it. In particular, it failed to create new

levels of international cooperation or to establish a basis

for legally binding codes of conduct on improved

environmental protection.

In that context, my delegation confines itself here to

recalling Principle 7 of the Rio Declaration, which

emphasizes the concept of common but differentiated

responsibilities for the entire international community

with respect to environmental matters. The

complementarity between economic, social and

environmental questions obliges all our countries to

acknowledge the need for solidarity and joint action to

reach the goals laid down in Agenda 21. We owe this

solidarity to future generations.