Togo, 2011

My

country, Togo, welcomes the election of the President

of the Assembly to direct the work of the General

Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. On behalf of the

Government and people of Togo and on my own

behalf, I would like to convey our warm

congratulations to him. We wish him every success in

accomplishing his noble and exhilarating mission.

Today more than ever, the ever increasing number

of challenges facing the planet call for greater

solidarity to provide an effective global solution

worthy of our peoples’ aspirations. When world leaders

bringing forth their nations’ ambitions meet in this

forum to reflect upon the main issues of the hour, it is

to give their people hope for a brighter tomorrow.

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In order to address those various challenges, Togo

has for several years endeavoured to relaunch its

economy to achieve sustainable development for the

well-being of its people. We have made strengthening

national unity and good governance, reviving economic

growth and combating social injustice our rallying cry.

In terms of political governance, Togo remains

faithful to its new vision of sharing its victory with all

stakeholders of goodwill, including political parties

that have lost in elections. Above all, this is about

emphasizing the peoples’ victory and not that of any

political party. In our opinion, that concept of power

should inspire all leaders who seek greater stability

following elections.

Based on its desire to strengthen the gains made

in the area of democratization, the Government of Togo

supports the implementation of the recommendations

made by the European Union election observation

mission, including institutional and constitutional

reforms, especially against the backdrop of the local

and legislative elections to be held in 2012. In that

respect, faithful to the policy of openness and

cooperation initiated by our head of State, the

Government has renewed its dialogue with all political

and civic stakeholders under its permanent framework

for dialogue and cooperation in order to pursue

discussions on all subjects concerning the management

of governmental affairs.

The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation

Commission, launched two years ago with the task of

promoting national reconciliation, is currently at the

critical stage of holding both public and closed

hearings, according to witness preference. That is an

opportunity for all Togolese men and women to talk to

each other about the most painful moments of their

history and to speak truthfully in order to ensure justice

and reconciliation, thereby making it possible to turn

the page once and for all.

In terms of human rights and fundamental

freedoms, the Government of Togo has made

commitments to increasing State capacities to protect

individuals and property and guarantee fundamental

freedoms in order to prevent Togo’s young democracy

from losing ground with regard to the progress made in

shaping its identity, as well as to avert any exploitation

of differences. In that regard, Togo has just provided

the governing body of the Human Rights Council in

Geneva with its national report in connection with the

universal periodic review that will take place in a few

weeks.

Togo would like to reaffirm its determination to

honour its international commitments. We will

continue to combat all types of human rights violations

and to take action against their perpetrators. My

country will therefore tirelessly continue the work

already begun in order to strengthen the gains of

democracy and peace, while making greater efforts to

implement the Millennium Development Goals.

In terms of economic governance, Togo is

pursuing reforms for better management of its public

finances, in order to optimize domestic revenues. We

are working for a more robust financial sector,

privatizing public banks, operationalizing the Court of

Auditors and instituting a new public tendering code

that is fully aligned with international standards. All

that is in addition to the steps we have taken towards

membership in the Extractive Industries Transparency

Initiative. Among other things, those various measures

have allowed us to successfully conclude our

participation in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Debt Initiative and to benefit from about $1.8 billion in

debt cancellation. The broad ongoing programme to

improve and rehabilitate road infrastructure throughout

our national territory is an illustration of the effective

implementation of this reform. On behalf of the

Government and the people of Togo, I would like to

thank all our partners that have assisted in our process

to improve governance.

This meeting is taking place at a time when

Africa is again threatened by famine such as we have

not witnessed in 20 years. All countries, as well as the

United Nations, must take urgent measures to confront

that exceptional situation if we wish to avoid a large-

scale humanitarian tragedy.

With respect to resolving conflict and promoting

peace and security throughout the world, which is the

theme of this session, it is encouraging to note that

significant progress has been made. That is particularly

in the case in Africa, where peace and security have

been restored in Côte d’Ivoire, thereby enabling the

relaunching of socio-economic activities in that

country.

The peaceful resolution of the lengthy conflict in

South Sudan, which has become the Organization’s

193rd Member State, gives us reason to hope that any

conflict can be resolved acceptably and sustainably so

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long as the parties concerned work in good faith to

achieve that goal.

Also as we meet here, parts of the world continue

to face waves of demonstrations and uprisings,

especially in Africa. Those legitimate movements

contribute to the blossoming of democracy for the

people concerned. In addition to delivering on their

legitimate expectations, they also help to avoid any

risk of wavering in the medium term that might

jeopardize peace and national unity. That seems to be

true for all conflicts, because we believe that no

sustainable solution is possible outside of negotiation.

With regard to the Middle East, my country

therefore firmly believes that the parties to the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict and the international community

must continue to seek a political solution to that old

conflict. The Middle East must know peace. Israel and

Palestine must coexist in two States with well-defined

borders, in peace and security. We are fundamentally

convinced that the aspirations of the Palestinian people

for a national State and those of Israel for sustainable

peace and security are not contradictory, but

complementary, objectives.

Despite the many efforts and determination of the

United Nations to eradicate terrorism in all its forms,

that scourge is gaining even more ground and is

compromising the chances for building a world of

peace and security. This year, as we commemorate the

tenth anniversary of the tragic attacks on 11 September

2001, the international community and all States must

continue to work synergistically so that humankind

will not again experience such indiscriminate and

wanton attacks as those of 9/11 or those that recently

victimized the peaceful people of Norway and the

headquarters of the United Nations in Abuja.

Those crises and conflicts, as well as new threats

to international peace and security, such as maritime

piracy, cyber crime and drug trafficking, which

undermine efforts to build peace throughout the world,

require the international community to rethink the role

of the United Nations in the context of security and

socio-economic development. At a time when the West

African subregion is witnessing an increase in violence

due to drug trafficking and terrorism in the area, we

cannot allow our shorelines to be taken hostage by

pirates, as was recently the case in the waters off Benin

and Togo. I call for stricter cooperation among all

countries to effectively combat this new phenomenon.

As I just said we need to rethink the role of the

United Nations. While it is widely acknowledged that

nothing can replace the Organization, it is just as true

that, 65 years after it was established, the United

Nations needs to be reformed. My country therefore

calls on Member States to pursue and conclude the

process of Security Council reform, which began more

than 15 years ago. Like the majority of Member States,

Togo hopes that this General Assembly session will

provide us an opportunity to take decisive steps with

regard to Council reform. In so doing, we have the

opportunity to correct flagrant and unacceptable

injustices and to make the Security Council truly

representative of all the regions of the world, thereby

making it better placed to resolve the crises and

conflicts that we face.

With regard to the process of replacing

non-permanent members of the Council, the Assembly

will elect five new members in October to replace

those whose terms will end on 31 December. Togo is

among the candidates from the Group of African States

that are seeking the votes of Member States in those

elections.

Contrary to the practice observed today in Africa

with respect to elections to the Security Council, three

candidates are in the running this year for the two seats

that go to Africa. Togo, whose candidacy enjoys the

endorsement of the Economic Community of Western

African States and the African Union, of course

attaches great importance to the sovereign right of each

State to apply for a seat on any United Nations body.

However, I would like to ask all delegations to bear in

mind the need to see emerge, after the elections, a

Security Council that is balanced and representative of

all the major regions in Africa, especially West Africa.

My country has participated in United Nations

peacekeeping operations for many years. We are

currently involved in the missions in Côte d’Ivoire and

the Sudan, and will soon participate in the one in South

Sudan. We wish to sit on the Council in order to make

a contribution, however modest, to the work of the

organ responsible for the maintenance of international

peace and security.

If elected, Togo will focus on the importance of

preventive diplomacy in the peaceful settlement of

conflicts and the link between peace and security, on

the one hand, and social justice and development, on

the other. We would also not neglect combating the

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scourges to which I referred earlier, as well as new

threats to international peace and security.

Togo’s noble ambition can only come to pass if

we have the support of delegations for our candidacy.

It is my hope that all Member States will wish to

provide their invaluable support for our candidacy. I

wish very much to thank them in advance for their

support.