Sierra Leone, 2008

It is an honour for me, as

President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, to deliver

my first speech to this Assembly. I wish to congratulate

Mr. D’Escoto Brockmann on his assumption of the

high office of President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-third session, and to assure him of Sierra Leone’s

support and cooperation as he undertakes the

challenging responsibility of presiding over our

deliberations during this session. I should also like to

express my gratitude to his predecessor for the efficient

way in which he guided the Assembly during its last

session.

The sacred duty of this Organization to save

succeeding generations from the scourge of war was

tested in fire in Sierra Leone, but today my country

demonstrates what the United Nations can achieve

when its Members work closely together. The people of

Sierra Leone know the value and relevance of the

United Nations and appreciate its continuing support as

we reconstruct our society from war to peace and work

with determination to build a better future.

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The theme for this general debate, “The impact of

the global food crisis on poverty and hunger in the

world as well as the need to democratize the United

Nations”, is important and timely. Africa has a

disproportionate share of the world’s poor and hungry,

and the need for urgent and concerted action is

compelling. The rising cost of food has had a negative

impact on our resources and poses a threat to our

national stability and the stability of other countries in

West Africa. It is vital that Africa increase food

productivity and achieve food self-sufficiency. African

farmers need to adopt higher-yielding land practices,

with increased use of seeds, fertilizers and irrigation.

In that connection, we welcome the work of the

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, chaired by

former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The Alliance

recognizes that massive investment in agriculture is the

key to a long-term solution to the continent’s food

crisis. That will enable Africans to grow enough of

their own food and become less dependent on handouts

from donors. Sierra Leone, like many other countries

in Africa, is suitably positioned to benefit from such

investment because of its vast arable land, abundant

water resources and the fact that over 70 per cent of its

population is engaged in farming or farming-related

activities. If that problem is going to be resolved, it is

essential to end the agricultural subsidies and trade

barriers that impoverish African farmers.

I have had the privilege to coordinate the African

Union committee of 10 heads of State and Government

charged with the mandate to promote the African

Common Position on the Reform of the United

Nations. In that capacity, and as Head of State of Sierra

Leone, I welcome the theme “the need to democratize

the United Nations” as part of this year’s work of the

General Assembly.

The need to democratize and reform the

Organization is of vital importance. However, reform is

not an end in itself but a means to an end. We support a

strong and effective United Nations that can meet the

ever-increasing and complex array of challenges in the

twenty-first century. We are convinced that a more

representative and effective United Nations will

strengthen the loyalty and commitment of Member

States and make the Organization more responsive to

the needs of our time.

It should be recognized that reform efforts have

achieved some modest successes. However, one of the

most critical and urgent issues on our current reform

agenda — reform of the Security Council — remains

unresolved. We need to make the Security Council

more representative of today’s realities. The current

composition of the Security Council contradicts basic

principles of democratic representation. Africa has

outlined its collective position in the Ezulwini

Consensus. Africa will negotiate in good faith, and we

expect others to do the same in the best interest of the

Organization. The status quo is not an option. Africa,

with 53 countries constituting about a quarter of the

United Nations membership, deserves permanent

representation in the Security Council. We believe that

the Security Council should be enlarged sooner rather

than later.

The United Nations has had an important role in

global peace and the development of justice. Sierra

Leone’s peace and stability are due largely to United

Nations peacekeeping, a visible and an important

aspect of the Organization’s work. The Peacebuilding

Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund and other United

Nations agencies are helping us in critical ways to

achieve our development priorities and to meet the

challenges of post-conflict reconstruction.

The United Nations-backed Special Court for

Sierra Leone and the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission have made extraordinary contributions to

establishing the rule of law and fighting against

impunity so that the people of Sierra Leone can put

their tragic past behind them and look forward to the

future. Without reconciliation, tolerance and the rule of

law, there will be no true and lasting peace.

The Special Court has established legal principles

that will endure beyond its anticipated closure in 2010.

I want to commend the efforts of the Special Court to

engage both my Government and the international

justice community in making preparations for any

residual issues that might remain following its closure.

The facilities of the Special Court in the heart of our

historic capital, Freetown, will be inherited by Sierra

Leone, and we will explore the best possible use for

them.

In recent years, Sierra Leone has made real

progress in consolidating democracy and good

governance by conducting successive free, fair and

non-violent presidential, parliamentary and local

Government elections. We are on the right path. On

behalf of all Sierra Leoneans, I would like to thank

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members of the international community for their

invaluable contribution to our electoral process, and

particularly for their logistical and technical support

that enabled the various institutions to perform their

respective tasks.

But we are the first to acknowledge that much

more needs to be done to achieve sustainable peace and

development. War and deadly conflicts have social and

economic consequences long after the fighting has

ended. A peaceful country requires more than the

absence of war. Development remains the foremost

need of all Sierra Leoneans. Moreover, it is the

foundation of security, and it makes political rights

meaningful.

One can be secure only if one has food, shelter,

clean water and protection from disease. That is why

the monumental task of poverty eradication is one of

the national priorities of my Government. My

Government is completing a second-generation poverty

reduction strategy to guide us in the process. We have

also developed a comprehensive strategy for the

nation’s development over the next five years, called

the Agenda for Change. The Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) are also central to our work. Despite the

enormous difficulties on the development front and in

achieving the MDGs, we are resolved to improve the

lives of our people and to respond constructively to

their needs and aspirations. International support

remains crucial, however, if we are to consolidate hard-

won gains. It is our hope that the United Nations and

other development partners will continue to be our

steadfast allies in our ongoing struggle for economic

progress and development.

The mission of the United Nations — to serve the

cause of peace, to advance development and to protect

the human rights of all — is more important than ever.

The United Nations is a unique forum where the weak

and the strong, the poor and the prosperous can have

their voices heard. Sierra Leone reaffirms its

commitment to the ideals and principles of the United

Nations and will continue to be a constructive partner

and member of this Organization.