Sierra Leone, 1994

It is with great pleasure

that I congratulate Mr. Amara Essy on his election to the

presidency of the current session of the General Assembly.

His remarkable talent and consummate experience assure us

that we can feel proud and confident as he discharges his

new functions admirably and with distinction. His

leadership of the Assembly confers dignity on Africa, on

West Africa and on his country, Côte d’Ivoire, with which

Sierra Leone happily enjoys excellent bilateral relations and

shares a common West African identity. We extend to him

an abiding wish for his success.

To Ambassador Insanally of Guyana, his immediate

predecessor, I convey my delegation’s gratitude and

appreciation for the commendable manner in which he

performed his duties as President of the forty-eighth session

of the General Assembly.

The approach adopted by the Secretary-General of our

Organization since he assumed office has been exemplary

in many ways. He deserves high tribute for his untiring

efforts over the past two years, especially in the realms of

the maintenance of international peace and security and the

promotion of development.

The world is still in transition. Although the outcome

of the process of transformation is not easy to predict with

any degree of certainty, it is nevertheless clear that the

world will continue to be preoccupied in the next half-

century with problems carried over from the last -

problems concerning the promotion of development,

especially of the least developed countries; the

maintenance of peace and security; and the consolidation

and strengthening of the process of cooperation and

integration between nations. These are among the major

challenges of our time.

Developmental and political issues now occupy a

larger part of our global, regional and national agendas,

and the past 12 months have been no exception. In some

cases, these developments have been a source of joy and

satisfaction; in others, the stigma of shame and disgrace

has loomed larger.

On the economic front, the slow, uncertain and

unbalanced growth of the economies of developing

countries generally has been a source of grave concern.

This is evidenced by the alarming increase in the number

of peoples living in absolute poverty, stagnating resource

flows, dwindling direct foreign investment, reduction in

export earnings, excruciating debt crises, rising

unemployment, especially among the youth, and

environmental degradation.

The persistence of these problems could easily

undermine the stability of the world economy and pose

serious threats to international peace and security.

Immeasurable work has been done to redress the

economic stranglehold in which most of our countries

find themselves. A lot more, however, needs to be done

by the developed countries and the international financial

institutions to prevent many of the world’s poor countries

from being completely submerged by the heavy burdens

imposed by the present international economic system.

More specifically, new, additional resources, at both the

multilateral and the bilateral levels, need to be provided

by our development partners if any improvement in the

lives of the teeming millions in the third world is to be

assured.

The situation is even more acute for my country,

which is in the throes of a rebel war and implementing a

substantial economic reform programme as well as a

political transition programme — all three activities

taking place simultaneously. Hardly any other State

member of the Assembly shares this unique experience.

Given the increasing interdependence and globalization of

the world economy, the massively deteriorating economic

situation of the developing countries and, in particular, the

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uniqueness of the plight of Sierra Leone deserve the full

and urgent attention of all the members of the international

community.

Poverty and the decreasing living standards of the

majority of our people are at the heart of our problems. To

alleviate these problems, my Government has embarked on

courageous, wide-ranging and far-reaching socio-economic

reforms, including the deregulation of prices and exchange

and interest rates, and the reduction of fiscal deficit. The

pace and scope of these reforms, however, contrast sharply

with the very modest results achieved so far. Despite

considerable success in securing short-term macroeconomic

stabilization, the reforms appear to have neither removed

the structural constraints facing the economy nor improved

supply capacity. We are now resolved to ensure that future

adjustment programmes are designed and implemented in

a manner that takes due cognizance of the special needs of

the vulnerable groups of our society as well as the social

requirements of development.

Those are just some of the difficult tasks ahead. They

are made no less formidable by the new challenges posed

by the Uruguay Round agreements signed at Marrakesh last

April. My Government welcomes the new agreements, but

would stress the need for continued evaluation of their

implementation to ensure expansion of world trade for all

countries, improved market access and adequate protection

of the interests of the least developed countries in

particular. Any attempt, therefore, to impose new

conditionalities, encompassing environmental and labour

conditionalities in this context, must be strongly resisted.

In the meantime, the observation is inescapable that

the Marrakesh agreements pose a real danger to trade

preferences previously assured developing countries; this

can lead to a loss in export market share and export

earnings. Moreover, countries that are net importers of

food face the prospect of higher food-import bills arising

from the liberalization of trade in the agricultural sector.

There is therefore a need to address without delay the

question of how the adverse consequences of the Marrakesh

agreements can be mitigated through enhanced trade

preferences, assistance and compensation.

The external indebtedness of developing countries

poses the biggest impediment to their development. A

permanent and comprehensive solution must therefore be

found without further delay. That is why we commend the

Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, His Excellency

President Soeharto of Indonesia, for taking the initiative to

convene in Jakarta last August a ministerial meeting of

non-aligned countries on debt and development, with the

theme “sharing of experiences”. That high-level meeting

on the debt crisis of developing countries, which I

attended together with Ministers from twenty-five heavily

debt-distressed, least-developed countries, endorsed a

number of general principles for debt reduction, which

represent a significant step in the search for a lasting

solution to the debt problem. We therefore urge the

United Nations and the international community to adopt

the principles contained in the report of the Jakarta

meeting, submitted to the Assembly by Indonesia.

Calling upon the international community to pay

special attention to the problems of developing countries

is not a proclamation of abdication of responsibility. In

Africa, for example, we have accepted that the key to

sustainable development is in the hands of Africans

themselves. The African leadership must therefore

demonstrate a determination to stay the course of

appropriate economic reforms and improvement in

governance. We do emphasize, however, that the

international community must play a crucial supportive

role in the creation of the environment necessary to

guarantee sustainable growth and development of

developing countries in ways that include the provision of

adequate levels of concessional, financial and technical

support for infrastructure and national capacity-building

on a continuous, predictable and assured basis.

The issues I have raised will no doubt be on the

agendas of certain conferences slated for the coming year.

The World Summit for Social Development in

Copenhagen, March 1995, will provide an opportunity for

all of us to focus on such matters as socio-economic

developmental challenges, the adoption of a global

strategy for poverty eradication, the generation of

productive employment and the enhancement of social

integration — in all of which the needs of people will

occupy centre stage. The situation of women and the

need to integrate them better in the development process

as agents and beneficiaries of development will also

receive attention at the Fourth World Conference on

Women, to be convened at Beijing in September next

year. This Assembly, for its part, is convening a

high-level intergovernmental meeting to conduct a

mid-term global review of progress in the implementation

of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed

Countries in the 1990s. Naturally, my delegation holds

high expectations that the recommendations and

conclusions of these meetings will make substantial

contributions towards creating the climate necessary for

21

enhancing the socio-economic conditions of developing

countries.

In the same vein, my delegation commends the timely

initiative of the Secretary-General in submitting “An

Agenda for Development” pursuant to the resolutions of

this Assembly. It provides us with another historic

opportunity to address the root causes of poverty and

underdevelopment of the developing countries in a holistic

and comprehensive manner. We urge the Secretary

-General to make concrete, action-oriented

recommendations for the enhancement of the

socio-economic conditions of these countries and to suggest

practical measures for their implementation.

Turning now to the environment, my delegation is

concerned at the general response to the recommendations,

decisions and commitments of the Rio de Janeiro

Conference on Environment and Development, held over

two years ago. True, some progress has been recorded

since that Conference. What is missing, however, is a clear

commitment on the part of the developed countries to

provide financial and other relevant resources for the

implementation of Agenda 21. We in the developing world

are committed to implementing Agenda 21, but this

commitment will remain illusory unless it is complemented

by adequate human, financial and technical resources.

On the world political scene too, the picture that we

see concurrently inspires hope and engenders desperation.

Without a doubt, the holding of the first pluralistic,

non-racial, democratic elections in South Africa, in April

this year, and the subsequent installation of a Government

of national unity, marked a major achievement not only for

the people of South Africa but also for this Organization.

The patient and dedicated struggle of all peace-loving South

Africans to resolve peacefully the abominable policy of

apartheid, aided by the committed solidarity of the world at

large, has been amply rewarded.

In taking this opportunity, on behalf of the

Government and the people of Sierra Leone, formally to

welcome South Africa back into this world Assembly, I

wish to reiterate our commitment to work together with the

new Government to make our continent a better place for

all of us. Theirs has been a long and arduous journey

through dark and difficult times that tested both courage

and faith. The presence of the South African delegation

here today is a confirmation of man’s ability to rise above

those conditions that threaten his survival and to resolve

them peacefully, though they may have originally appeared

insurmountable.

There are at least three lessons to be learnt from the

South African experience:

First, with South Africa’s freedom, the non-white

peoples of that country, and indeed everywhere, are

enabled to regain their lost humanity. While apartheid

existed, its stigma touched many, even beyond that

country’s borders. Yet, with that policy’s banishment

from the South African landscape, this Organization

should now rekindle its sense of purpose to continue the

struggle against racial discrimination and segregation

wherever they exist.

Secondly, the attainment by South Africa of

democratic values under a non-racial Government of

national unity should demonstrate to all countries,

especially in Africa, that excuses for denying a similar

transformation to our own societies are now untenable.

Thirdly, the fact that such a man as Mr. Nelson

Mandela could emerge from 27 years of imprisonment on

Robben Island and, setting aside any bitterness, preach

and demonstrate accommodation and national

reconciliation should in itself encourage our brothers and

sisters in divided societies to forswear retribution and

strive instead for tolerance and harmony.

These lessons have not been lost on us in Sierra

Leone. We have come to understand and appreciate from

this exemplary South African political experience that,

where democratic principles are applied in full in the

governance of any nation, there is every likelihood that

solutions will be found to the political problems of that

nation, however intractable they may appear. Conscious

of this fact, the Government of the National Provisional

Ruling Council of Sierra Leone, headed by His

Excellency Captain Valentine Strasser, has unveiled a

political reform programme that will ensure the

installation of a democratically elected government in our

country by January 1996.

With that in view, an Interim National Electoral

Commission of eminent citizens has now been constituted,

headed by Mr. James Jonah, former Under-

Secretary-General of this Organization. Furthermore, as

a result of extensive debates on an initial Working

Document put together by a National Advisory Council,

the draft constitution has now been finalized and will

soon be presented to the people for final approval.

Meanwhile, a National Commission on Democracy, which

will undertake a programme of mass education to let the

people appreciate the values of democracy and their rights

22

and duties as citizens, will soon be appointed. All these

steps are designed to underscore the commitment of my

Government towards the full restoration of democracy in

Sierra Leone by the end of 1995. Let me assure this

Assembly that the Government of the National Provisional

Ruling Council remains fully committed to the transition

programme, which continues to be on course. We look

forward to the cooperation and assistance of the

international community in enabling us to realize the

programme’s objectives.

Allow me at this point to recall the adoption by the

General Assembly last year of resolution 48/196, entitled

“International assistance to Sierra Leone”, and our

continued expectation for the full implementation of its

provisions. We are appreciative of the assistance extended

to Sierra Leone so far by the international community,

especially in the humanitarian field, and look forward to its

continuation and increase in the future.

Yet, as promising as the nation’s prospects are, it

should not be forgotten that we are engaged in a rebel war

whose origins are inextricably linked to the Liberian

conflict, and whose consequences are still visible in the

large number of refugees and internally displaced Sierra

Leoneans, who now total an estimated 300,000 and 400,000

respectively. Further, the untold devastation of the

country’s economically productive areas continues to

undermine an already fragile economy.

My Government realizes that even though our meagre

resources are now committed to bringing this rebel war to

an end, we must necessarily look forward to the

reconstruction of our country and its economy, a task

whose success will be greatly enhanced through

collaboration with the United Nations system, especially in

working out a programme for the rehabilitation of the

devastated areas and the resettlement of our refugees and

displaced citizens. To this end, we have already laid the

foundations for the expeditious rehabilitation of these areas

upon the conclusion of the war, by setting up a National

Rehabilitation Committee that will oversee our efforts in

this matter.

While, as a Government, we continue with reluctance

to pursue the military option in prosecuting this war — and

we wish to record here our appreciation to all friendly

Governments, particularly Nigeria, Guinea and the People’s

Republic of China, for their assistance in that effort — let

me say here and now that no option is foreclosed. We

remain amenable to any option, military or non-military,

that will secure a speedy conclusion to this untenable

situation, thus ensuring the creation of an environment

conducive to the holding of the elections anticipated in

our transition programme.

The success of these undertakings and of others in

my Government’s transition programme depends largely

on the progress that is made in restoring peace to Liberia,

hence our deep concern about developments taking place

across our border. It is in this connection that we renew

our commitment to the Cotonou accords and reiterate that

they contain the essential elements for the resolution of

the Liberian conflict, namely the disarmament of the

warring factions, leading to the holding of elections.

Drawing from the experience in Angola, it is clear that

without such disarmament, peace in Liberia will be

tenuous at best. We therefore call on the United Nations

and the international community to support the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

financially, logistically and otherwise in order to

reinvigorate the peace process and ensure that

disarmament gains renewed momentum.

Given our own refugee situation, we are gravely

concerned about the increasing flows in the world refugee

population, about half of whom are children, whose needs

should be met through appropriate measures of protection

and assistance. This International Year of the Family

therefore provides an excellent opportunity to focus

attention on the essential needs of refugee children. In

contemplating concrete measures to be taken by the

international community in addressing this phenomenon,

it is essential that the United Nations Convention on the

Rights of the Child be fully implemented.

As crucial as these measures are for mitigating the

global refugee problem, we remain convinced that, unless

and until the international community overcomes the

scourge of poverty and political strife, this problem will

remain constantly with us. It is our fervent hope,

therefore, that a renewed impetus will once again be

found to prevent and eradicate this condition of boundless

human misery.

Looking beyond the borders of our region, Sierra

Leone acknowledges the signing of the Washington

Declaration by Israel and Jordan, ending the state of war

between the two countries. We see this as a continuation

of the peace process that started three years ago and that

led to the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-

Government Arrangements in the West Bank and the

Gaza Strip. It is a positive development, coming after the

assumption of Palestinian self-government earlier this

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year, and anticipates the eventual attainment of

comprehensive peace among all concerned parties in the

Middle East.

In this connection, my Government would like to

commend the role of the United States and Egypt for their

relentless efforts in bringing together Israel and its Arab

neighbours. We urge Israel on the one hand, and Lebanon

and Syria on the other to intensify their efforts and display

the spirit of accommodation that had underpinned successes

in other areas, so as to make the important objective of a

comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East

realizable within the shortest possible time — in the interest

not only of the people of the region, but of the world at

large.

With regard to the dispute between Kuwait and Iraq,

we call upon Iraq fully to respect the sovereignty and

territorial integrity of Kuwait in accordance with the terms

of the resolutions of the Security Council.

We would also hope that in other areas, such as

Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, there will be

progress in bringing to an end the present unacceptable

stalemate. While the absence of progress may be

frustrating, we nevertheless believe that it would be a tragic

mistake even to contemplate disengagement from peace-

keeping operations in Africa at this crucial stage.

By far the most appalling situation that the

international community has had to confront recently is that

in Rwanda. We will not readily forget those graphic

images of death, abject misery and destruction, or soon

overcome the torment and challenges that our collective

conscience has had to face. It is hard to explain and harder

still to understand how those dark days from April to July

could have taken place in this century in full view of the

world. That such a tragedy occurred at all points to the

failure of existing international mechanisms for responding

to such devastating situations.

Drawing from the Rwandan experience, the time has

come for all of us, but more so for us in Africa, to come to

terms with the diverse nature of our societies and realize

that the denial by any group of the right of another group

or section to participate in the life of a nation is

indefensible and ultimately self-destructive. Peaceful

coexistence of heterogeneous communities and power-

sharing within a nation are great values we must all uphold.

Further, we believe that painful admissions must be

made. A few years ago, when the Monitoring Group of the

Economic Community of West African States

(ECOMOG) was deployed in Liberia, much criticism was

levelled against it. We were accused of harbouring

ulterior motives against that country and of encouraging

intervention. Yet, looking back, none will deny today

that by its deployment ECOMOG averted a similar

tragedy in Liberia. Concerted action by West Africans

brought that country back from the brink. Today,

ECOMOG represents Africa’s flagship in preventive

diplomacy, peace-keeping, peace-building and peace

enforcement. We call on States in Rwanda’s region to

reassert their lead role in the search for a peaceful

solution to the crisis in Rwanda. We believe that in the

realm of maintaining regional peace and security, regional

arrangements have an important role to play, as envisaged

in Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter. This has

been recognized by the exemplary collaboration between

the United Nations and ECOWAS on the Liberian

situation.

In this context also, the OAU mechanism for conflict

prevention, management and resolution deserves the

fullest support of the United Nations system and the

international community. We are therefore deeply

encouraged by the positive resonance of some members

of the Security Council in that connection.

We must at this point applaud the action of the

French Government in Rwanda at a time when this

Organization seemed completely paralysed. We believe

that the French action, which undoubtedly brought a

glimmer of hope to a situation that was palpably so

catastrophic and which prevented a second Goma, is

worthy of special mention by all peace-loving nations.

We also commend the efforts of the Organization of

African Unity. What is now required to stabilize the

situation even further is the provision of full support for

the African and other troops that have been or are about

to be deployed in Rwanda. We also call upon the present

Rwandan Government to continue to take all measures

necessary to restore peace and reconciliation to their

country.

Though we must all learn the painful lessons of the

Rwandan experience, it is essential that those who played

a part — any part at all — in visiting such horror on the

people of Rwanda be held fully accountable for their

crimes. In this connection, my delegation fully supports

the establishment of a special tribunal to bring to justice

those responsible for what can only be described as

genocide. We expect that the Commission of Experts

24

will continue to collect all available evidence to make for

a speedy conclusion of this shameful episode.

In a similar vein, we expect that the International

Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for

Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law

Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since

1991 will soon begin the process of examining the available

evidence in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. The

international community has an obligation to ensure that

such callous indifference to human life and the deliberate

commission of acts of atrocity, wherever they occur, do not

go unpunished. The time has come for a strong message to

be sent to all who may presume that no consequences will

follow from such despicable behaviour simply because it

takes place behind national borders.

I wish to declare here and now that my Government

recognizes that no true governance can endure if people are

separated from and denied the full enjoyment of their

freedoms and liberties. Stemming from this recognition,

therefore, my Government has embarked on the major task

of ratifying, as soon as possible, the remaining-human

rights instruments to which Sierra Leone is not yet a party,

thus guaranteeing within our domestic law their application

to all Sierra Leoneans.

As conflicts go, none on our continent appears more

intractable than that in Angola, where more than two

decades of devastation have fostered a culture of violence

and war. The continuation of this conflict, which has cost

the lives of countless thousands of peaceful Angolans,

remains a source of pain and anguish to my Government.

Although not much optimism has been evinced, there

seems to be some progress in the Lusaka peace talks. With

the acceptance by both the Angolan Government and

UNITA of the comprehensive package put forward by the

Secretary-General’s representative, there is now renewed

hope that the talks will soon yield the desired result of a

durable solution. My delegation welcomes this

development and would like to encourage both parties to

the conflict in Angola to allow the will of the Angolan

people to prevail over the barrel of the gun.

On the positive side, in a year that has been as volatile

as this one, the knowledge that general elections will soon

take place in Mozambique is cause for satisfaction. We

call upon the people of Mozambique to seize this

opportunity to firmly demonstrate faith in their own ability

to resolve finally the many years of conflict they have

endured. Africans everywhere, I am sure, will give their

blessing as Mozambique embarks on the path to durable

peace and reconciliation.

Among the many ills that afflict our world today,

few are more inimical to the common good than the

alarming resurgence of racism and xenophobia. Our

concern is heightened even further when we recall that it

is scarcely more than 50 years ago that the world

witnessed the worst manifestations of racial

discrimination. Back then, passions were inflamed by

those who argued falsely that the presence of so-called

foreigners was injurious to the economic well-being of the

State.

Today, this nefarious argument is once again gaining

ground among bigots who see immigrants, asylum-seekers

and refugees from other countries as targets for violence.

Surely civilization has come too far to accept this

situation. It is for this reason, if for no other, that we

believe that the world community should intensify the

promotion of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and

Racial Discrimination and to ensure the success of its

objectives.

To many of us it seems that the socio-economic

well-being of our world is under siege from conflicts in

many lands, far and near. In the Organization, our

approach has been the traditional reliance on peace-

keeping operations. Yet, recent experience has shown

that this is not always the best option. My delegation

maintains the view that the Organization would be better

served by committing the greater part of its scarce

resources to socio-economic development activities and

preventive diplomacy.

Many questions will continue to be asked about the

direction that the United Nations must pursue as its

fiftieth anniversary dawns. Of vital importance is still the

need to encourage and provide for the full participation of

all Member States in the work of the Organization. In

many ways, we are convinced that the growing incidence

of political instability worldwide is a strong advocate of

a more efficient, transparent and democratic Security

Council — a Council cultivating a culture that frowns

upon a few seeking always to wield dominion over the

rest.

There is now a compelling case for the pursuit of the

democratic ethic nationally. But it does not and should

not end there: it is equally relevant to the international

arena. My delegation hopes that the deliberations of the

Open-ended Working Group, seized of the question of

25

institutional reforms, will gather momentum and will bring

these concerns to fruition as soon as possible.

I have adverted at length to our problems, our

concerns, our fears and our aspirations, which we believe

we all share in this global village that is home to all of us.

Over the years, we have striven together to find solutions

to a wide range of problems whose impact can no longer be

localized. If our journey through the decades has taught us

anything, it is that blinding ourselves to the realities of our

time, turning away from them, avoiding involvement or

seeking solace in inaction provides only momentary

consolation or comfort. The quantum leap in transport and

communications makes us all our brother’s keepers. No

longer is poverty merely the affliction of a distant cousin in

a far-off land, nor can we successfully shield ourselves

from the trials and tribulations of those who may be less

fortunate than we are.

The lesson to be learnt from all this is that, as human

beings, we have a fate inextricably interwoven, whether we

like it or not. Thus, our common endeavour to improve our

world should be impelled by a much bolder vision — one

that brooks no compromise in combating injustice, be it

political, social or economic, and one that seeks to

strengthen the pillars of international cooperation, eradicate

poverty and address the causes of instability.

These, then, are the challenges before us that a new

and revitalized United Nations must pursue with vigour and

commitment. “An Agenda for Peace” and “An Agenda for

Development” not only show that peace and development

are inseparable twins but contain the essential ingredients

of a new vision of our one world. Let us now give that

vision the focus and direction of a better tomorrow.