Eswatini, 2010

It is a pleasure for me to address

the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.

We meet following the historic review summit on

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the High-

level Plenary Meeting of the Assembly, which gave us

the opportunity to review progress and share

experiences and ideas on how best to achieve our set

goals and objectives for 2015. As we return to our

respective countries we go with renewed commitment

to keep working harder to meet the MDGs.

I would like at the outset to extend our thanks and

appreciation to the Secretary-General and the United

Nations agencies for their presence around the world.

We commend the active participation of the United

Nations in various missions, such as efforts to restore

peace in conflict areas, and its role in disaster relief

and in various exercises to fight hunger and poverty.

We pledge ourselves to continue to support the

United Nations in its primary role of ensuring that all

the nations of the world live peacefully with each other

while supporting nation-building through development

projects.

The theme for this sixty-fifth session,

“Reaffirming the central role of the United Nations in

global governance”, came at a most opportune time in

7 10-55103

the life of the United Nations, since we have been

calling for all our voices to be heard. I must hasten to

state that all the wars and conflicts that we see around

the world can only be resolved through peaceful

dialogue and negotiations. The United Nations is the

organization best positioned for this task. There is no

place for unilateralism.

It is on this basis that the Kingdom of eSwatini

reaffirms our call for the finalization of the United

Nations reforms, with particular reference to the

Security Council. It should be appreciated that the

world today faces a new set of challenges, different

from those that it faced when our Organization was

founded in 1945; thus the urgent need for the United

Nations to remain dynamic and transform itself to meet

today’s challenges.

One of the major organs that require immediate

reform is the Security Council, which has seen a

number of regions expressing a desire to gain

membership, to ensure wider representation. The

Kingdom of eSwatini stands by the African position, as

clearly stated in the Ezulwini Consensus, that Africa

should have two permanent and five non-permanent

seats. We hope that during this session this matter will

be finalized.

We in the African continent are committed to

resolving all conflicts through peaceful dialogue. The

coordination and cooperation between the African

Union and its various regional blocs is beginning to

pay handsome dividends. We now approach issues as a

collective for better results. We are happy that the

United Nations continues to work and cooperate with

us in effecting our programmes for peacebuilding and

peacekeeping.

The General Assembly will know that the African

Union declared 2010 to be our Year of Peace and

Security. We have made it clear that all perpetrators of

coups and civil wars and all forms of conflict should be

dealt with squarely and decisively. Indeed, we are

committed to the promotion of lasting peace, because it

is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.

We appreciate the support of the United Nations in our

resolve to ensure that peace prevails in the continent

and, indeed, the whole world.

I am happy to say that I personally had the

honour of lighting and hoisting the African flame of

peace twice this year. The Swazi nation prides itself on

this, because we are a peaceful nation, which is telling

the world that peace is the best formula for

development.

Another issue that touches upon global

governance is that of the Kingdom of Morocco. It is

our considered view that the United Nations, working

with relevant regional organizations, should work on

the issue and find a lasting solution.

We note with concern the continued conflicts in

Madagascar, Somalia, Darfur, the Middle East and

Afghanistan, to mention just a few. We call for the

restoration of peace in all those areas, as it is always

disturbing to see people undergo so much suffering due

to conflicts.

While Afghanistan is still undergoing its process

of reconciliation and the reconstruction of its

institutions, it is depressing to note that there are at

times pockets that seem to disturb the peace process in

that country. We must continue to work hard to find

lasting solutions, because such instability affects peace

and prosperity, not only in Afghanistan, but also in

neighbouring States and the region.

The Kingdom of eSwatini draws hope from the

promising developments in Iraq, as that country

continues on the road to peace through restoration of

its important institutions for self-determination.

Furthermore, we are also following with keen

interest efforts to ensure peace between Israel and

Palestine. We are pleased to note the concerted

mediation efforts led by the United States of America

in bringing the parties together in pursuit of peace in

the Middle East. We support this process, and remain

optimistic that it will reach its desired conclusion, so

that the Israelis and Palestinians can live together in

harmony. In order to concentrate all their efforts

towards development and peaceful coexistence, we call

upon them to reach a compromise and place the best

interests of peace and security above everything else.

Developments in cross-straits relations between

the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People’s

Republic of China continue to be a source of

inspiration to us all. We note with appreciation that the

Republic of China on Taiwan and the People’s

Republic of China have made impressive strides to

promote mutual understanding leading to more trade

and interaction between them. I am happy to say that

Taiwan highly appreciates being allowed to participate

as an observer in the World Health Organization.

10-55103 8

Hopefully, this will also lead to Taiwan’s participating

in a similar manner in all other United Nations

agencies. Of particular interest is the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Our world today continues to be concerned about

nuclear proliferation and the threat that weapons of

mass destruction pose to human existence, world

peace, economic development and the environment.

The spread of nuclear weapons makes a mockery of

our efforts for world peace and protection of the

environment.

It is a disheartening fact that currently efforts to

ensure accountability and compliance with United

Nations resolutions are hindered by an apparent lack of

impartiality in the processes meant to completely rid

the world of deadly nuclear weapons. I call upon the

United Nations to strengthen the capacity of the

International Atomic Energy Agency to enable the

inspectors to do their work more effectively, with the

involvement of all the countries with nuclear

capability.

The United Nations must never compromise the

implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons; it must ensure that all countries,

without exception, comply. Countries must be made to

comply and be accountable within clear time frames.

It is my suggestion that we eliminate all weapons

of mass destruction, because they present an uncertain

future. Indeed, we need a fresh start so that we may

regain the moral high ground in deterring whoever may

have ambitions for nuclear capability in the future. For

example, if we compel everyone to dismantle their

nuclear capacity we will be able to rein in other

countries which may still be developing their arsenal,

without being accused of unfairness or bias.

A world free of nuclear and other weapons of

mass destruction will allow us to concentrate on issues

of sustainable development.

As a developing nation, the Kingdom of eSwatini

is following with keen interest the issues surrounding

the effects of climate change. As an agriculture-based

economy, the Kingdom is also a victim of

environmental degradation. We therefore look forward

to the climate change Conference to be held in Mexico

later this year. I trust that the ongoing negotiations will

result in agreements acceptable to all parties. What is

of paramount importance is for the developed world to

honour pledges to assist developing countries in their

mitigation and adaptation efforts.

It is a known fact that access to international

markets for our products is one of the ways to grow our

economies in our quest to eradicate poverty. We are

encouraged that the developed nations have opened

their markets for some products from developing

countries. We look forward with optimism to an

amicable conclusion of the Doha Round of talks, an

outcome essential to boost global trade and economic

recovery for the developing world.

As part of our development and poverty

alleviation strategy, the Kingdom is ready to explore

and exploit existing and emerging markets. Our focus

is on limiting exportation of raw material by

emphasizing the production of finished goods.

The Kingdom continues to promote equality in all

sectors of our development spheres. We therefore

welcome the recent establishment of the new United

Nations entity for gender equality: UN Women.

Women the world over continue to play key roles in

contributing to the socio-economic and political

development of our nations.

We are meeting as a family of nations that seeks

to promote peace and coexistence among all nations of

the world and bring hope for the future. Our people

look to us, as leaders, to take the lead in promoting

peace, as enshrined in the Charter.

We must find lasting solutions to all the

challenges. They include poverty, unemployment,

disease and global warming, but the major challenge is

to make peace within and among all nations happen.

By finding solutions, we shall indeed guarantee a clear

road towards the achievement of sustainable

development by all the nations of the world. We shall

achieve that noble goal if we all reaffirm and adhere to

the central role of the United Nations in global

governance.