Togo, 2007

Each session of the General Assembly offers us an

opportunity to meet in order to take stock of our

actions and define the necessary perspectives for

breathing new life into our Organization. In analysing

events throughout the world during the past year, we

should note that despite the efforts of the international

community the situation is far from satisfactory.

Indeed, international peace and security are still

seriously threatened due to persistent conflicts in

particular in Africa, the Middle East and Iraq while

the risks of terrorist aggression are far from being

eliminated.

In economic terms, the situation

overshadowed by extreme poverty and endemic

diseases continues to be a source of serious concern for

the majority of the countries of the planet who are

considered to be the poorest. Likewise, natural

disasters caused by climate change are a constant

challenge to the human conscience, to the point of

wondering whether the international community will

be able to find appropriate and lasting solutions.

The state of our world today should inspire us to

redouble our efforts in order to give real meaning to

international solidarity. It should above all incite the

international community and Member States

collectively and individually to seek with

determination ways and means not only to ensure the

prosperity of their national populations but also to

reduce, at least somewhat, extreme poverty in the

world.

Before continuing my speech, I wish to add my

voice to those of previous speakers and to express my

warm congratulations to the President on his election

to the presidency of the sixty-second session of the

General Assembly. He may count on the support of

Togo in discharging his high functions throughout the

term, which I hope will be fruitful. I wish to once again

express my congratulations to Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his

outstanding election to the post of Secretary-General of

our Organization. I am certain his great wealth of

diplomatic experience will make it possible for the

United Nations to strengthen its actions in order to

achieve a fairer and more democratic world in which

each country will be able to exist in freedom.

With regard to Togo, after several years of the

democratization process which unfortunately has not

been smooth, the country today is now moving beyond

the lack of understanding and intolerance among its

sons and daughters. To consolidate our achievements

we have endeavoured to find appropriate solutions for

the concerns of the people by implementing a policy on

national reconstruction which will value all Togolese

without exclusion. Aware that the peace and economic

development that we want for our country cannot be

achieved without the effective participation of the

population in managing public affairs, we have spared

no effort to involve the Togolese political class in a

national dialogue in order to overcome their bitterness,

to restore confidence and to devote our energies to

national construction. That ambition is possible only if

we strive to strengthen Togolese democracy each

day a democracy based upon an integral multiparty

system and a State based on democratic law.

Very soon, on 14 October 2007, Togolese

democracy will become consolidated with the election

of deputies to the National Assembly, an assembly

within which we dare to hope that most of the political

forces within the country will be represented. Those

upcoming legislative elections, whose successful

outcomes will be possible thanks not only to the

political maturity of the Togolese people but also to

the support throughout the electoral process of friendly

countries and international institutions; its resulting

selection is an inevitable event and will be a decisive

turning point in the history of Togo.

The Togolese Government in turn will spare no

effort, nor will it skimp on expenses, to ensure that the

elections take place in strict transparency and the will

of the people as expressed by the ballot box is fully

respected. With that goal in mind, the population will,

for the first time, vote with secure voter cards with

photographs and the whole system will be supported by

a reliable electoral roll. Our greatest hope is that those

elections will give an opportunity to the people of Togo

to reconcile and an opportunity for the country to

resume its place within the family of nations.

For that reason, I wish to take the opportunity

now to repeat my Government’s gratitude to the

international community in particular the Economic

Community of West African States, the African Union,

the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific,

the European Union, the International Organization of

la Francophonie, France, Germany, the People’s

Republic of China, the United States and all the other

States for the unwavering support which they

continue to give to Togo throughout these crucial

times.

Of course, we cannot forget the United Nations,

which, through the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), has played an essential role since

the start of our democratic process, and more

specifically, in the preparation for these elections.

These elections, which are to be held on 14 October,

are due to a great extent on the facilitator chosen

unanimously by the political forces I appointed

Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso and

current Chairman of the Economic Community of West

African States (ECOWAS).

Establishment of the rule of law requires

dignified and loyal conduct from its citizens based on

the respect of the noble ideals that underpin the

Republic and promote progress in society. It also

requires bold measures from leaders aimed at

promoting national peace and harmony.

In this respect and to take into account

commitments undertaken through the Global Political

Agreement, our Togolese Government is determined to

establish in the near future the two Commissions

provided for under the Agreement, namely, the

Commission to Investigate Acts of Political Violence

Committed in the Past and to Study Methods for

Compensation for Victims and the Commission to

Propose Measures to Promote Forgiveness and

National Reconciliation. The Constitutional Court, one

of whose missions is to deal with electoral disputes,

was set up on 20 September after its reconstitution in

accordance with the wish of the political class as

expressed during the national dialogue.

These measures, together with all the other

actions that the Government carries out every day, are

part of our will to ban political violence and combat

impunity, in all sincerity, pragmatism and discernment.

A national programme to combat impunity has

already been set up and the first awareness activities

have been carried out with success throughout the

country over a period of a month and a half. This

programme, which is aimed at helping to develop

conditions conducive to the birth of a democratic spirit,

is supported by the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights created in Togo, and

we are pleased to express our appreciation of its

efficient role in strengthening governmental action.

The problems of peace, security and the building

of a democratic State based on the rule of law and the

sustainable development of Togo can only be grasped

by taking into account the economic realities of the

country. Indeed, the Togolese economy has suffered a

great deal from disruption of external assistance from

its traditional partners since 1993. This absence of

external assistance has certainly had a negative impact

on social programmes and development programmes

designed by the Government and has seriously eroded

public infrastructure and has delayed measures aimed

at good economic governance. This situation has

slowed the efforts of the Government to improve the

living conditions of the Togolese, more than 60 per

cent of whom still live below the poverty threshold.

How can our collective conscience remain indifferent

in the face of such a situation?

Giving this alarming observation, we feel that

Togo should be able to benefit from special assistance,

which would allow it to raise its economic level and to

bolster, as a result, its young democracy. I should thus

like to make an urgent appeal to all of our development

partners that they decide to support our efforts in the

face of the major challenges before us. The assistance

that we are requesting and the Togolese Government’s

own efforts will allow my country to work towards the

achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs).

The maintenance of international peace and

security remains a prerequisite for any development

process. Togo thus reaffirms its devotion to the ideals

of peace, security and stability, both within and outside

of States. My country feels that threats to peace and

security on the African continent require that the

United Nations become more involved than it has so

far.

However, I am pleased to pay tribute to the role

that has been played and continues to be played by the

Organization in Africa with regard to the restoration of

peace and security in certain countries, particularly in

Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We also feel that Chad, Burundi and the Central

African Republic should benefit from firm actions for

peace and security in order to put an end to acts of

violence and to consolidate peace, democracy and

political stability in these countries.

As regards Côte d’Ivoire, my country is pleased

to note that, despite the delay in the implementation of

the United Nations road map, the peace process has

reached a key phase with the signing of the

Ouagadougou peace agreement on 4 March 2007, the

lighting of the flame of peace on 30 July 2007 and the

announcement of the presidential election in the next

few months.

As regards Sudan, Togo welcomes the adoption

on 31 July 2007 by the Security Council of resolution

1769 (2007) on the deployment in Darfur of a hybrid

United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force. We

hope that the international community will do

everything in its power to ensure that the necessary

logistical and financial means are made available for

this mission.

My country also urges the other rebel factions

that did not participate in the Arusha discussions in

August 2007 to join the negotiating process in order to

reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

As regards Somalia, Togo makes an appeal to the

international community that it become more involved,

together with the African Union, so that a

peacekeeping force can be deployed there.

Beyond Africa, our eyes turn constantly to Iraq

and the Middle East, still in the grips of violence. As

regards the Middle East, Togo supports the idea of

organizing an international conference under the aegis

of the Quartet in order to restart the process of direct

and constructive negotiations. From this viewpoint,

Israelis and Palestinians should be encouraged to

persevere with dialogue in order to achieve a

comprehensive and lasting settlement, in accordance

with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.

However, the prerequisite for any negotiation

between the two parties lies in the need to see all of the

Palestinian elements overcome their internal

differences.

In the area of disarmament and the control of

weapons of mass destruction, Togo welcomes the

beginnings of a resolution to the North Korean nuclear

issue with the historic agreement concluded between

the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the

international community. In the same vein, as regards

the question of the nuclear programme of the Islamic

Republic of Iran, my country calls on the interested

parties to pursue and give priority to talks, in order to

achieve a negotiated solution that takes into account

the interests of the parties involved.

With respect to light weapons, Togo expresses the

hope that this session of the General Assembly will

undertake strong commitments in order to strengthen

efforts aimed at negotiating a treaty on trade in light

weapons similar to what was done by the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

With respect to terrorism, which is also an

obstacle to sustainable development, my country

believes that, following the momentum that led to the

adoption of the global strategy to combat this scourge,

it is essential that we make universal and improve the

international legal framework to combat terrorism.

In this respect, the rapid conclusion of

negotiations relating to the draft global convention to

combat international terrorism would be welcome and

would serve the interests of all countries and all

peoples.

It is disturbing to note that today’s new economic

order continues to produce a society where profit for

profit’s sake and inequalities of all kinds reign. The

solidarity which we have so keenly advocated in the

United Nations has yet to be realized. At the very least,

we can say is that this situation penalizes the

economies of developing countries, which, due to

globalization, are frequently obliged to open their

markets against their own interests.

That is why we think that development, generally

speaking, should take place at the global level. From

this viewpoint, all countries should honour their

commitments related to the establishment of a global

partnership aimed at promoting equitable and

sustainable development for all.

Thus, Togo appeals once again to the

international community, in particular to the developed

countries, that they increase their development

assistance and promote international trade and direct

foreign investment, particularly towards poor

countries. It is also essential to focus seriously on the

urgent question of debt and to resume the Doha

negotiations so that trade liberalization will promote

the development of all nations, particularly the poorest

among them.

In this respect, we commend the commitments

undertaken at the Group of Eight Summit, held in June

2007 in Germany, to support the facilitation of

economic growth and investment, including

microfinance; to support the establishment or

strengthening of development institutions in the private

sector and structural reform which will improve the

economic environment; and to support efforts in the

areas of health, in particular the prevention and

treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

The high-level debates which the General

Assembly held on 24 September once more illustrated

the fact that one of the major challenges that the

international community must immediately tackle

remains climate change, which is the source of

numerous natural disasters.

Togo, which, like many other countries on the

continent, has just experienced serious and deadly

floods, firmly believes that it is urgent that concrete

actions be undertaken to begin a determined and

concerted struggle against environmental degradation.

It seems to us that the survival of planet Earth is at

stake.

The irreplaceable and unparalleled role of the

United Nations in international relations should

encourage us to reform this institution in the light of

present reality. However, we should not lose sight of

the fact that the reform of the Organization should

reflect the principles of the sovereign equality of States

and equitable geographical distribution and should help

to strengthen cooperation on an equal footing among

States. It should also be based on the principle of broad

international consensus, particularly when it involves

issues involving the responsibility of all of the

Organization’s constituent parts.

That is why Security Council reform must

guarantee that all regions of the world be represented

within that organ and enable developing countries,

which play an important role in accomplishing the

tasks of the Organization, to make their contribution,

no matter how modest, to promoting peace worldwide.

We hope that the present session of the General

Assembly will bring hope to the international

community, and particularly to the African peoples,

who are waiting to see improvement in their living

conditions and lives through decisive and tangible

actions.

In order to attain the objectives that we have set

for ourselves, in particular during the Millennium

Summit, it is essential that we honour all of our

commitments within their time frames and that we

assume additional commitments in order to bring about

a world free of fear, hunger, extreme poverty and

disease a world where we will be able to live in

security.

Togo, in its determination to construct a State

based on the rule of law and to improve the living

conditions of its population, will spare no effort in

carrying out its obligations. It hopes it can count on the

assistance of the international community in order to

do this.