Sierra Leone, 2004

I would like to join

others in congratulating you, Mr. President, on your

election to direct the affairs of the General

Assembly — this great parliament of nations — at its

fifty-ninth session. Let me also take this opportunity to

pay tribute to your predecessor, His Excellency

Mr. Julian Hunte, especially for the momentum he gave

to the ongoing process of the revitalization of the

General Assembly.

Once again, in his annual report on the work of

the Organization and in his forthright statement to the

Assembly last week, the Secretary-General set the tone

of the annual general debate. My delegation commends

him for his tenacity and courage under extreme

political circumstances and shares his overall

assessment of the current international situation and

the role of the United Nations.

20

Just a little more than three weeks ago, on the

initiative of the member States of the Non-Aligned

Movement, the Assembly reaffirmed the central role of

the United Nations in the maintenance of international

peace and security and the promotion of international

cooperation. It was, indeed, a reaffirmation that this

Organization was founded on international cooperation

and that its efficacy is rooted in international

cooperation. My delegation therefore urges all Member

States to adhere to the principle of cooperation.

Sierra Leone believes, and will continue to

believe in the United Nations. After all, we are part of

the United Nations, like each and every State

represented in the General Assembly. Of course there

are some difficulties, but we strongly believe that,

given adequate resources and cooperative support in a

timely manner and given the necessary moral and

political support, the United Nations can deliver, as it

has done admirably in Sierra Leone.

In that connection, allow me to express our

sincere appreciation to all the countries that have

contributed to the United Nations Mission in Sierra

Leone (UNAMSIL). Our thanks also go out to the staff

of all the agencies and programmes of the United

Nations family and the non-governmental

organizations that have worked in partnership with the

United Nations, the Government and civil society to

restore peace and stability in our country and, most

recently, to conduct local government elections.

A theme that has reverberated within the Hall in

the past week, and in other international forums, is the

observance of the rule of law. The Secretary-General’s

analysis of its significance needs no embellishment.

The causes and character of the conflict in Sierra

Leone, perhaps more than in any other country in the

world in recent times, tell us that nearly everything

crumbles when the rule of law collapses and that,

therefore, it should be made the pillar of post-conflict

reconstruction, national recovery, governance and

administration of justice and the cornerstone of lasting

peace.

While the Government of Sierra Leone is

struggling, albeit with limited resources, to reform its

own administration of justice, it is also concerned

about the financial situation of the Special Court,

established in the country to address impunity. The

efficacy, and indeed the credibility of the Court, could

be questioned unless urgent measures are taken to

address its budgetary problems. I should therefore like

to take this opportunity to appeal for continued

voluntary contributions, as well as the requested

subventions from the regular budget of the United

Nations for the Special Court.

As President Kabbah said at the formal opening

of the courthouse last March, it is

“a Special Court for Sierra Leone, a symbol of

the rule of law and an essential element in the

pursuit of peace, justice and national

reconciliation for the people of Sierra Leone. It is

also a Special Court for the international

community, a symbol of the rule of international

law.”

There is no guarantee that the victims of

violations of international humanitarian and human

rights law during the civil war in Sierra Leone will

receive reparation for those heinous crimes. So the

least we can do for them now is to ensure that justice is

done. We can do so by reducing the financial burden of

the Special Court and by demonstrating that we are

indeed serious about respect for the rule of law.

The United Nations was formed over 50 years

ago as a response to the peace and security needs of the

era of its birth. Since then, the world has experienced,

and continues to experience, fundamental changes, to

which the United Nations should adapt. That is why

Sierra Leoneans continue to follow with profound

interest the consultative processes for the revitalization

of the General Assembly and reforms in the Security

Council in order to reflect the reality of the

contemporary world. My delegation wishes to urge the

President to sustain the momentum in the processes

generated by the fifty-eighth session of the General

Assembly.

The menace of terrorism and local conflicts

continues to impede peace, stability and development

in many parts of the world. Innocent victims aside,

conflicts have reversed the development gains of poor

countries, and even reduced them to the status of

donor-dependants. While deploring all acts of

terrorism, it is important to recognize that poor

countries, particularly those emerging from conflict,

have weak capacity to fight terrorism. If global action

is what is needed to fight terrorism, and my delegation

believes that this should be the case, efforts should be

made to enhance the capacity of poor countries to play

their own role in that battle.

21

After about 11 years of a violent and destructive

civil conflict, Sierra Leone is now in the delicate post-

conflict phase. It is in that phase that the root causes of

the conflict should be addressed and the foundation for

permanent peace, stability and sustainable development

should be laid. In short, that is the phase in which the

gains of the peace effort should be maximized, using a

synergetic approach that incorporates development and

other strands of generators of peace into peacekeeping.

But this approach needs resources and planning beyond

the traditional peacekeeping strategies that involve

pulling out when the guns fall silent.

It is in that regard that my delegation is soliciting

continued and enhanced support for post-conflict

Sierra Leone. An important component of this appeal is

that development and financial institutions should

understand the multifaceted demands and delicate

character of post-conflict situations and treat them as

special cases. That means that those institutions should

revisit their rigid and standard prescriptions, with the

purpose of making them flexible and responsive to the

special requirements of post-conflict situations.

Ten days ago, the Security Council extended the

mandate of UNAMSIL to June 2005. The Government

of Sierra Leone has endorsed the Secretary-General’s

assessment and recommendations regarding the

benchmarks for the residual presence of UNAMSIL in

the country. We note in particular that, over the next

several months, the Security Council will review the

residual functions against the capacity of the Sierra

Leone armed forces and police to maintain security and

stability effectively throughout the country. We hope

that the review will also take into consideration the

security situation in the subregion.

I would like to reassure the international

community through the Assembly that we do not

expect UNAMSIL to remain in Sierra Leone

indefinitely. The Government of Sierra Leone is

determined to ensure a smooth and seamless transition

from UNAMSIL to the Republic of Sierra Leone

Armed Forces and the police throughout the country.

The restructured army and the police have already

demonstrated through training, discipline and

performance that they are nearly ready to assume full

responsibility for the security and safety of the people

of Sierra Leone. But training is only a part of the total

picture of readiness. For effective operational

readiness, both the army and the police need logistical

support and equipment. Accordingly, my delegation

wishes to appeal to friendly nations for assistance to

equip our security forces to enable them to function

effectively. Meanwhile, for obvious reasons, the

Government and people of Sierra Leone are

encouraged by the prospects for consolidating the

deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping

mission throughout neighbouring Liberia.

Recent dialogue between, and among, the leaders

of the Mano River Union also augur well for peace and

stability in our subregion. We need the continued

support of the international community in resuscitating

the objectives and programmes of the Mano River

Union, because, if fully functional, it can complement

the efforts of the Economic Community of West

African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations in

the subregion. In that connection, I would like to

express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for

his encouragement of the rejuvenation process of the

Union.

The United Nations has already identified many

of the root causes of armed conflict within States. With

the assistance of the international community, efforts

are being made to address those root causes. The

objective is to prevent the recurrence of armed

conflicts. My delegation believes that equal attention

should also be paid to the root causes of armed conflict

across States, including the senseless acts of

international terrorism that are being perpetrated in

many parts of the world. While prompt, effective and

decisive measures are absolutely necessary to deal with

the phenomenon, it is about time that we try to identify

and address the root causes of such ignoble acts.

New challenges are emerging and new threats are

being hatched in various corners of our world with

unprecedented frequency. However, we must not forget

the old, unresolved challenges and threats to human

safety and security. Without prejudging the outcome of

the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Threats,

Challenges and Change, Sierra Leone hopes that the

Panel’s report will help to throw some light on the

probable link between what could be described as old

and still existing threats and those now being

characterized as new threats and challenges. Perhaps,

as President Kabbah suggested at the Millennium

Summit four years ago, the old and still existing

challenges are taking on a new form and new

dimensions. What we are experiencing is, perhaps, the

transmutation of threats and challenges.

22

In speaking of old challenges and threats, the

question of Palestine comes to mind. It has been on our

agenda for far too long. We know that that is a complex

issue. However, the longer it remains unresolved, the

greater the risk of unending cycles of violence. Sierra

Leone firmly believes that an equitable solution, in

particular the establishment of an independent

Palestinian State side by side with Israel within secure

borders, would be a giant step towards peace and

security, not only in the Middle East but also in the rest

of our troubled and unsafe world.

Still in the area of existing threats to international

peace and security, my delegation is disturbed by the

tragic humanitarian situation in the Darfur region of

the Sudan. We applaud the response of the African

Union to the crisis and urge all stakeholders to do

whatever is necessary to speedily resolve the conflict.

But let me emphasize that the African Union would

like to do more — and would do more if it had the

resources. Accordingly, I would like to make an open

appeal, on behalf of the African Union Commission,

for financial and material support for the African

Union to enable it to deal with the situation.

The Government and the people of Sierra Leone

know from experience that ceasefire, disarmament,

demobilization and reintegration are essential

components of peace. But we are still faced with the

daunting task of consolidating the peace, because peace

goes far beyond the process of the disarmament,

demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants. The

consolidation of peace — real peace — means

improvements in the lives and livelihoods of all our

people. It means jobs, food, education, health care,

adequate housing and other social services. As the

Secretary-General observed in his most recent report

on the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone,

considerable progress has been made towards

economic and social recovery. However, in order to

sustain the process of consolidating peace and to

facilitate the smooth transition from recovery to

sustainable development, Sierra Leone needs continued

support, particularly for vulnerable areas of the

country.

We look forward to the 2005 comprehensive

review of the implementation of the Millennium

Development Goals — a review that will coincide with

the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations. We in

Sierra Leone will also be reviewing the state of our

food security goal of ensuring that by the end of 2007,

no Sierra Leonean will go to bed hungry. Our food

security goal must be seen in the context of one of the

United Nations Millennium Development Goals,

namely, the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger.

Given the grave consequences of extreme poverty and

starvation, those are realistic goals. They represent the

minimum standard necessary to save lives. They are

attainable.

We know that it is our responsibility to do more

for ourselves. We also know the urgency of addressing

the democratic deficit in international economic and

financial decision-making. In our interdependent and

increasingly globalizing world, economic and social

inequities within countries are a reflection of unfair

rules, unfair trade practices and an uneven playing

field in international transactions. The Director-

General of the International Labour Organization, Juan

Somavia, was correct when he told the recent African

Union summit in Ouagadougou that good national

governance will not succeed unless we have good

global governance.

Consumers need to share, in a more equitable

manner with producers in the developing world, the

benefits derived from their abundant natural and

human resources. That means, among other things, fair

prices and debt relief, all of which should have a

positive impact on our capacity to reduce poverty

within our respective developing countries.