Nigeria, 2001

Recent events have

manifestly brought to the fore the importance and

relevance of the United Nations in the pursuit of global

peace, security and stability. Only last year in this

historic Hall, world leaders at the Millennium Summit

reaffirmed their solemn commitment to strengthen the

capacity of the Organization in this very important

area. Yet, two months ago, on 11 September 2001, the

efforts of our Organization were temporarily called into

question by terrorist attacks on the United States.

As a country which was directly affected by the

first terrorist bombings in Dar es Salaam in 1998, in

which our embassy building was destroyed, and

because we lost nationals at the attack on the World

Trade Center, Nigeria fully identifies with the rage and

grief of the bereaved families and the victims of these

barbaric acts.

Terrorism is a global menace that challenges the

very basis of our civilization. It must therefore be

confronted globally. That is why Nigeria fully endorses

the prompt action taken by the General Assembly in

condemning these attacks. We fully support Security

Council resolution 1373 (2001), because the measures

called for in the resolution would significantly reduce

the capacity of terrorists to carry out such acts. Nigeria

is committed to the implementation of the resolution’s

provisions. Let us sustain the unity of purpose and

resolve that the terrorist attacks have generated by

strengthening the cooperation and coordination among

our countries. The terrorists and their supporters should

be exposed for what they are: fringe elements

undeserving of a respectable place in the comity of

nations. Our strategies therefore should be informed,

consistent and focused.

In some respects, the grave challenges that we

face today also offer new possibilities for cooperation

previously unimaginable. Our Organization has not

only pursued the goal of international peace and

security, but it has also served as a focal point for the

promotion of other important agendas, particularly in

the areas of socio-economic development, the rule of

law, good governance and respect for human rights.

These goals, which reflect the aspirations of Member

States to build a new world free of conflict, prejudice,

discrimination and oppression, must remain the

enduring preoccupation of our common enterprise. For

this, we have a clear compass, not only in the Charter

of our Organization, but also in the solemn

commitment of our leaders, as reflected in the

Millennium Declaration. Let us strive to translate these

commitments into practical policies for the benefit of

our peoples.

My country’s long-standing commitment to

fostering the objectives of the United Nations in the

area of conflict prevention, peace and stability is well

known. It is regrettable that conflicts and wars continue

to be waged in many parts of the world. It is

particularly disheartening that Africa has had a

disproportionate share of these conflicts and wars, with

devastating impact on our societies and peoples. Yet,

amid the apparent gloom, we see a flicker of hope. The

process of peace and stability in Sierra Leone is

gaining momentum, as the process of reconciliation,

through a programme of disarmament, demobilization

and rehabilitation, funded by the United Nations, has

continued to generate trust and confidence. We are

equally encouraged by recent developments in

Burundi, where a newly installed interim transitional

Government is grappling with the challenges of

national reconciliation and integration. These efforts

attest to the determination of leaders in our continent to

make a success of initiatives for peace. Nigeria is

proud to be associated with these efforts. Our

experience in Liberia and Sierra Leone has reinforced

our conviction that, working in close partnership with

regional and subregional organizations, the United

Nations can facilitate the return to peace and security

in conflict areas. Let us provide these organizations

with the necessary financial and logistic support.

Apart from the commitment to durable peace and

security, there must be a re-intensification of our

resolve to eliminate weapons of war, both conventional

and non-conventional. Of the utmost concern to us in

Africa is the havoc caused by the proliferation of small

arms and light weapons. The Programme of Action

adopted at the recently concluded United Nations

Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All

Its Aspects provides us with a clear road map for

effective cooperation. Its effective implementation will

attest to our commitment to strengthen the forces of

democracy and the rule of law in the world.

We recognize the inexorable march of

globalization and fully embrace the challenges of

expanding opportunities in trade, finance, information

18

and communications technology which it offers. But

the benefits should not be limited to only a small

section of the international community. Globalization

and the twin phenomena of liberalization and

deregulation should work for all countries. The health

and stability of the global economic system demand

nothing less. For us in Africa, access to such benefits

should be reflected in concrete actions and measures

that will ensure our full integration into a new and fair

global economic system.

Nigeria’s call for a fundamental change in current

debt strategies towards developing countries is derived

from a keen appreciation of the impact external debt

has on the economic growth and political stability of

developing countries. The fact that, in spite of welcome

initiatives on debt relief and debt management, many

of our countries have neither grown out of debt nor

been able significantly to service their debts in a

sustainable manner, warrants a bolder and more

imaginative approach, such as outright debt

cancellation.

International efforts to resolve the debt problem

should be bolstered by collective action to discourage

the illegal transfer of funds from developing countries

and the repatriation of such funds to the countries of

origin. African leaders have established a clear linkage

between our huge debt burden, the activities of foreign

collaborators and the transfer of funds by former

leaders and other individuals from our continent. We

are concerned about the corrosive impact of corruption

on our fledgling democracies and our social, economic

and political development. Let us redouble our efforts

to support an international instrument on the illegal

transfer of funds abroad.

At the thirty-seventh regular session of the

Organization of African Unity (OAU), which took

place in Lusaka in July, the leaders of the continent

endorsed the New African Initiative, now called the

New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

The inaugural meeting of the Implementation

Committee of Heads of State and Government on

NEPAD took place in Abuja on 23 October 2001.

Based on a common vision and shared conviction about

the need to urgently eradicate poverty and place

African countries on the path to sustainable growth and

development, NEPAD has, among its key themes, the

promotion of peace, democracy, human rights, social

and economic management, regional cooperation and

economic integration. We appreciate the support

already offered, and we sincerely believe that this

provides the best platform for a viable partnership with

our development partners.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to pose

serious challenges to development in our world. We

appreciate the contribution of the international

community in combating that scourge, as reflected in

the outcome of the special session on HIV/AIDS.

Africa’s resolve to meet the pandemic head-on has

struck a responsive chord, and we are grateful to the

United Nations Secretary-General for his clear

advocacy. I believe that we have reason to be

encouraged by the progress made in establishing

structures and a multilateral framework for greater

cooperation and support in confronting the problem.

Every effort should be made to ensure that the Global

AIDS and Health Fund becomes operational by January

2002. Meanwhile, we should maintain the momentum

so that in the shortest possible time we bring succour to

those who live with AIDS or suffer from tuberculosis

or other related infectious diseases. This is the

expectation of the African leaders who met in Abuja in

April this year to agree on a coordinated strategy on

this health and development crisis. Our attention

should also be focused on the campaign against

malaria, as a follow-up to an earlier summit, which

also took place in Abuja.

The rescheduling of the United Nations special

session on the rights of the child to May 2002 should

provide us with an opportunity to ponder the

challenges which the world’s children face today. For

us in Nigeria, the session will coincide with the

passage of far-reaching legislation, now before the

National Assembly, to protect our children, and go

beyond the provisions of the OAU African Charter on

the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which we have

recently ratified, to revolutionize public awareness and

the defence of their rights. Indeed, in mid-2002,

Nigeria proposes to host an international conference

that will, inter alia, address the issue of trafficking in

children in our region. We look forward to the

participation of Member States.

I cannot conclude without reference to the

question of the reform of the United Nations system.

Nigeria maintains that, in order for the United Nations

to meet the complex challenges of our new century,

long-overdue reforms of the Organization must be

speedily undertaken. The reform of the Security

Council, in particular, constitutes one of the major

19

challenges facing the United Nations today. Let us

work assiduously to complete the reform process and

thereby make the enlarged and expanded Council truly

representative of the United Nations membership.

May I express our profound gratitude to

Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his leadership of our

Organization in the past year. Nigeria rejoices with him

over his well-deserved re-election, a reward for faithful

stewardship and a signal of the trust and confidence of

the United Nations membership in his shared vision for

the future. No less significant is the award to him and

to our Organization of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001.

We wish him well and heartily congratulate the United

Nations on that achievement.