Eswatini, 2014

It is a great honour for

me to address the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth

session on behalf of His Majesty King Mswati III,

Head of State of the Kingdom of eSwatini. I convey

the congratulations and best wishes of His Majesty the

King and the people of the Kingdom of eSwatini to the

President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth

session, a son of Africa. We commend the Secretary-

General and his staff for the good work they are doing

in creating an enabling environment for all humankind

to live in peace despite the multiple challenges facing

the world.

As we gather here, we are very mindful of the

new challenge that confronts the global community

following the outbreak of Ebola in some parts of the

African continent. That disease is claiming hundreds of

lives and diverting focus and resources from essential

development initiatives. It is also a serious drawback

to the attainment of the Millennium Development

Goals and is a threat to humankind. We urge the United

Nations and its Members to spare no effort in providing

all the necessary assistance at its disposal to curb the

disease and prevent any further loss of life.

My delegation takes this opportunity to thank the

General Assembly for convening the high-level plenary

meeting known as the World Conference on Indigenous

Peoples. It was particularly opportune, as indigenous

knowledge and practices substantially contribute to the

sustainable development agenda.

Last week the General Assembly held its twenty-

ninth special session, on follow-up to the Programme

of Action of the International Conference on Population

and Development beyond 2014. My delegation was

pleased to participate in that event. We reaffirm the

Kingdom’s commitment to the Programme of Action,

which is as relevant today as it was twenty years ago.

This year the regular session of the General

Assembly was preceded by the Climate Summit, at

which Heads of State and Government deliberated on

issues of environmental protection. Those issues are

critical to the achievement of sustainable development,

particularly for the developing countries. We are

pleased that the Summit was able to mobilize sufficient

political support for guiding the Conference of the

Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change, to be held in Lima in December.

The issue of climate change is crucial for many of our

developing economies, especially on the continent of

Africa. It has a direct effect on our national objective to

produce enough food for ourselves. The unpredictable

weather conditions continue to be of great concern to

our farmers. We shall continue to call upon the United

Nations to expedite the issue to prevent further adverse

effects on our lives.

The theme of the General Assembly at its sixty-

ninth session is “Delivering on and implementing

a transformative post-2015 development agenda”. It

resonates well with our call for a development agenda

that is inclusive. It is a clear indication that we are

transcending the era of the Millennium Development

Goals, entering a new chapter of the development

agenda. As we set the stage for the post-2015

development agenda, my delegation is heartened to see

that we have not forgotten our collective inability to

meet all the Millennium Development Goals.

I commend the co-Chairs of the Open Working

Group on Sustainable Development Goals for the

manner in which they ably guided the proceedings of

the Group. We welcome the outcome document of the

Open Working Group on Sustainable Development

Goals (A/68/970) and the goals and targets contained

therein. The Kingdom of eSwatini is pleased that the

framework for the post-2015 development agenda has

taken into account those Millennium Development

Goals that have not yet been met, especially the

eradication of poverty. As we begin a new era, let

us not forget our previous commitments, and let us

continue to emphasize the urgency for the developed

partners to honour their official development assistance

commitments.

Food security remains a critical challenge for the

African continent, and we wish to reiterate our call

for the provision of adequate financial resources, the

transfer of environmentally sound technologies and

technical assistance to developing countries if we are

to achieve our development goals. We have abundant

resources on the continent. However, there is a great

need for value addition to our products in order to

maximize our food-production initiatives.

The Kingdom of eSwatini continues to set aside

a sizeable budget for agriculture. Due to the negative

effects of climate change, we have a programme to

construct dams for irrigation throughout the Kingdom.

Assistance to subsistence farmers with farming inputs

has also been increased with the intention of increasing

their yields and thus increasing food production in the

Kingdom.

The Kingdom of eSwatini fully supports the

African Union’s road map for development, Agenda

2063, which is critical to attaining the Millennium

Development Goals. We are confident that, with United

Nations support, that approach will accelerate Africa’s

regional economic integration agenda and help realize

it, facilitate integration in the world economy and

ultimately improve the continent’s living standards.

Africa is home to the majority of the world’s fastest-

growing economies, and trade remains an integral

part of the development agenda. Focus is now on

sustaining that growth through boosting intra-African

trade and establishing the continental free trade area.

It is important, however, that access to the global

markets remain open to mutually beneficial conditions

that promote the United Nations ideals of increased

international cooperation and trade.

We are encouraged by the renewed commitment for

the economic development of the African continent as

resolved in different summits. The continent abounds

with investment opportunities in different sectors,

such as infrastructure, information, communication,

technology and energy, to name but a few. That will,

no doubt, have a huge impact on the sustainable

development programmes for the continent. It will also

contribute handsomely to job creation, particularly for

the youth.

We should ensure that the post-2015 agenda is

cognizant of the special development needs of developing

countries, particularly those in Africa. We also give

particular recognition to those developing countries

that have special challenges due to their geographical

position, such as small island developing States and

landlocked developing countries. My delegation hopes

that the agenda will also take into consideration the

special plight of middle-income countries, where the

majority of the world’s poor reside.

The Government of the Kingdom of eSwatini is

pleased to note that the Republic of China on Taiwan

continues to contribute to global issues, and the

positive developments taking place in that region are

encouraging. We encourage their full participation in

all United Nations structures.

As we meet here, in some parts of the world people

are living in fear as every day thousands of human

beings, especially vulnerable groups, are losing their

lives to terrorists. We encourage the United Nations to

take a leading role in promoting peace and coexistence

in the world. We call on all those who are fighting

to find a lasting, peaceful solution to their problems

through dialogue and not through the barrel of a gun.

In conclusion, the Kingdom of eSwatini would like

to commend the United Nations and related agencies

for being a key factor in helping to overcome the

many complex challenges facing the world today. We

reiterate our call for peaceful solutions and dialogue

in all conflict situations so that the United Nations

may achieve its noble objectives. We take pride in and

reaffirm our commitment to the principles and ideals

contained in the Charter of the United Nations. May the

Almighty God bless us all.