Tanzania, 2003

It

gives me great pleasure on behalf of my delegation to

extend to you, Sir, our heartfelt congratulations on your

well-deserved election to the presidency of the General

Assembly at its fifty-eighth session. My delegation is

particularly pleased at the way you have been

conducting the work of the Assembly thus far. The

skills and experience that you bring to the Assembly

have been amply proven in the past days of our

deliberations. I wish to assure you of the continued

support and cooperation of my delegation.

Let me use this opportunity to congratulate your

predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, for a job well done during

the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly.

In the same vein, I wish to pay tribute to our

illustrious Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his

valiant efforts in bringing the United Nations closer to

the people and in fostering peace and development

around the world. He is discharging the functions of his

high office in such a manner that he has won the hearts

and minds of many people the world over.

This fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly

is being held at a very momentous time in the history

of the United Nations — a time when multilateralism is

facing serious threats and a time when the United

Nations, the main embodiment of multilateralism, has

been confronting formidable challenges. Never in

history have the relevance and mandate of the United

Nations been put to a greater test as in the past few

months.

Certainly, the tumultuous events of the past

months have shaken the very foundation of our

Organization, but fortunately have not broken it. We

are comforted by the fact that the United Nations has

withstood the test of time and emerged as not only

relevant, but indispensable in keeping world peace.

Likewise, multilateralism has stood out as the only

hope for all peoples. As we celebrate the United

Nations and its success, we should always remember

that it is our solidarity and steadfast adherence to the

ideals of the United Nations that have made our

Organization survive the trials and turbulence of the

past year.

I assure the Assembly that the Government and

people of the United Republic of Tanzania take pride in

Tanzania’s membership of the United Nations. We

remain committed to its ideals and ready to work

tirelessly towards its advancement, strengthening and

success.

Peace and security still eludes the world, as guns

and explosives continue to thunder and cries of agony

continue to be heard across the continents. These days,

violations of human rights have become common

occurrences, even among the developed countries of

the world. Wars continue to rage, with Africa and Asia,

sadly, claiming the largest share. Acts of terror, too,

continue to resonate all over the world. Since the last

General Assembly session, for example, terrorists have

struck in 12 countries.

As a country that has been a victim of

international terrorism, Tanzania condemns terrorism,

whatever the reason and wherever it takes place. My

Government remains committed to the war against

terror. In this regard, we will continue to cooperate

with world Governments and institutions of goodwill to

defeat terrorism. I take this opportunity to inform the

Assembly that Tanzania has ratified all the major anti-

terrorism protocols. We have also enacted a

comprehensive legislation to deal with terrorism and

terrorist acts in our country.

It is very saddening to note that even the United

Nations has become a target of terrorist attacks, as

exemplified by the recent tragic bombing of the United

Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which resulted in the

death of 23 United Nations staff members, including

the charismatic diplomat and chief of mission, Sergio

Vieira de Mello and his chief of staff, Nadia Younes.

Once again, we condemn this senseless act, while

joining in mourning our fallen heroes. They died for

the United Nations. They risked their lives and died for

a just cause, for which they will be remembered for

ever in the history of our Organization. Tanzania

proposes that the United Nations erect a fitting

memorial in their honour and memory.

12

I mentioned earlier that Africa has had an unfair

share of violent conflicts and wars, especially when

one considers the rampant poverty and low levels of

development on the continent. However, I dare say,

with a sense of guarded optimism, that we see a

glimmer of hope in the evolutions of processes to

resolve some of Africa’s seemingly intractable

conflicts. I have in mind the conflicts in Liberia, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, the Sudan

and Somalia, where encouraging progress has been

recorded on the path to finding lasting solutions. The

most welcome development in these conflicts,

however, is the fact that African nations and leaders

have taken the lead in the search for solutions. They

have done so under the auspices of the African Union

or their regional economic groupings. In several cases,

they have also intervened as individuals or as groups of

neighbours or like-minded nations and leaders.

Tanzania appreciates the support of the United

Nations and the international community for the efforts

made by African nations and leaders in the search for

peace on the continent. We appeal for continued

support to sustain the peace in the reconstruction

phase. Equally important, I appeal for timely support

and action. Experience has shown that the support of

the international community, including the United

Nations, in the search for solutions to African conflicts

is a bit too slow, or comes a bit too late.

My delegation is extremely pleased to have been

a witness, on 25 September, of the adoption of the

principles of good-neighbourly relations and

cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. It is a welcome

initiative. We commend the Secretary-General for

conceiving the idea. Once again, I register Tanzania’s

support for the initiative and promise that we shall do

whatever is within our means to promote its success.

I would also like to take this opportunity to call

on the international community to extend the necessary

political, economic and financial support to the

Transitional Government in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo, under the leadership of President Joseph

Kabila. We consider this critical to keep up the

momentum and avoid reversals.

The situation in Burundi, regrettably, remains

precarious. While we welcome the smooth transfer of

power from President Buyoya to President Ndayizeye,

we also take note of positive developments under the

Transitional Government. However, the Government

and people of Burundi need to be supported to achieve

comprehensive peace and social and economic

reconstruction. The regional leaders have been trying

to help on the peace front and will continue to do so.

Some progress has been made, but serious challenges

still lie ahead.

The unrelenting support of the international

community, especially the Security Council, is

therefore essential. We also call on the international

community to do more by way of extending economic

and financial support to the Transitional Government

of Burundi. It needs that support to effectively respond

to the humanitarian needs in the country.

My Government welcomes the decision by the

United Nations to convene the long awaited

international conference on the Great Lakes region.

Preparations are progressing well under the able

leadership of Mr. Ibrahima Fall, the Secretary-

General’s special representative for the Great Lakes

region. There is good cooperation between him, the

African Union and the six core countries of the region.

Tanzania feels greatly honoured to be given the

opportunity to host the Conference in June 2004. We

stand ready to contribute to its success.

The Conference will undoubtedly provide an

important forum to all concerned parties to deliberate

on important issues of peace, stability and development

in the region. We also hope that it will give due focus

to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-torn

countries. I appeal to all in the United Nations to

extend the requisite material, financial, political and

diplomatic support to the Conference.

We welcome the latest Baker Plan on resolving

the long-standing Western Sahara problem. We appeal

to the parties to extend the maximum possible

cooperation to Mr. Baker so that the people of Western

Sahara can have an opportunity to determine their

future peacefully.

Owing to our strategic position in a conflict-

ridden region, and our history of stability and

traditional hospitality, Tanzania has played host to

thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries.

The influx began in 1959 and has not stopped to date.

At present, we play host to more than 800,000 refugees

from Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the

Congo and Somalia. We remain committed to our

international obligations under the 1951 Geneva

13

Convention relating to the Status of Refugees as the

cornerstone of international protection. However, our

42 years of experience of hosting refugees have made

us see the urgent need to review its relevance and

application. We are particularly concerned with the

concept and practice of burden-sharing, which does not

adequately alleviate the burden of hosting refugees in

poor developing countries like ours. We welcome the

new concept of “Convention Plus” espoused by the

High Commissioner for Refugees. We hope that new

and emerging realities will be given serious thought in

the discussions and conclusions of the High

Commissioner’s Executive Committee.

The situation in the Middle East remains a matter

of great concern to my Government. When the Middle

East road map for peace was promulgated a few

months ago, we became hopeful. My Government

supported it because it addressed comprehensively the

issue of the establishment of a viable Palestinian State,

living side by side and in peace with Israel. Despite the

current difficulties, we still believe that the road map is

the most reasonable and viable way of resolving the

long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict. It is imperative,

therefore, that the obstacles on the road map be

overcome quickly. Violence and counter-violence will

not help.

We are also of the view that the use of excessive

force and recourse to extrajudicial measures in dealing

with Palestinian militants, or exiling President Yasser

Arafat, would be counterproductive; it would inflame

the situation. We appeal to the Quartet and the Security

Council to do everything possible to bring the

implementation of the road map back on track.

As we all remember, at the dawn of the twenty-

first century, the General Assembly at a special session

discussed the challenge of poverty and development.

At the end we came up with the Millennium

Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals,

which embodied a vision of engaging in a

comprehensive offensive against poverty, deprivation

and lack of development. The clear target of halving

the scourge of poverty by 2015 was set.

When we look back and evaluate what has been

achieved in the three years since the Millennium

Summit, we cannot fail to discover that not much has

been done. Provision of the estimated $50 billion to

$100 billion additional resources required annually

over a period of 15 years to finance the implementation

of the Millennium Development Goals is far from

being realized. The subsequent meetings in Monterrey

and Johannesburg, as well as the successive G-8

summits, have been unable to meet the requirement. As

it stands now, the Millennium Development Goals risk

not being implemented as expected. Indeed, something

needs to be done quickly to save that historic summit.

It is incumbent upon the developed countries to

demonstrate greater political will. Certainly failure will

not be good for our Organization and surely it will be

bad for all of us.

The current wave of globalization is the greatest

economic process of our time. The unfortunate collapse

of the World Trade Organization meeting in Cancún

last month demands that we face up to this

phenomenon. We hope that summit will be reconvened

soon. The social imperative of the wave of

globalization presents us with two interlinked

challenges that are central to the work of this

Organization. These pertain, on the one hand, to

fighting poverty, and on the other, to working on

constructive and inclusive measures to promote the

effectiveness of global institutions in global issues and

conflicts.

These concerns have also been at the centre of the

work of the World Commission on the Social

Dimensions of Globalization, established last year

under the auspices of the International Labour

Organization (ILO), with a mandate to promote social

justice and decent work, linked to economic and social

policies for global prosperity. This World Commission,

which my President is privileged to co-chair with

President Tarja Halonen of Finland, is about to

complete its work and is due to submit its report early

next year.

The Commission has been a forum of useful

dialogue between eminent personalities with a wide

cross-section of backgrounds, views and competencies.

It has consulted widely and extensively. Its report is

expected to generate practical ideas for change that can

make the process of globalization more inclusive and

more equitable. It will address the needs of those who

feel marginalized, as well as those who have benefited

from globalization but feel uncertain about the future.

It will speak of the significance of a value-based

multilateralism and the role of this Organization.

However, the recommendations, mandate and

vision of the work of the Commission will not be

14

undertaken, pursued and achieved through the work of

the ILO alone. They will constitute a wide remit for

other agencies of the United Nations, other multilateral

agencies, regional groupings, individual Governments,

non-governmental organizations and civil society. It is

also hoped that the report will be submitted to this

Assembly for consideration and appropriate

promotional direction.

It is the hope of my delegation that the

Commission’s report will be a welcome basis for

collective and concerted action towards the attainment

of the Millennium Development Goals and in rendering

globalization a process that works for all, in all

countries, within countries and between countries.

I would like to associate myself with the

statement made this morning by the Permanent

Representative of Finland concerning the launching of

a Helsinki process on global governance and

democracy, with which my Government feels proud to

be associated.

The fight against AIDS remains a major

challenge to mankind today. It is a war that we must

fight and win. We realize the dire consequences of the

pandemic on human life and on our economies. The

high-level plenary meeting held last week was

reassuring and most of us came away from the session

modestly optimistic. Certainly, our resolve to squarely

face up to the pandemic and to meet the set targets has

to be coupled with equal responsibility for leadership

initiatives, accountability and more judicious resource

mobilization and management.

Reform of the United Nations Security Council

has been in the cards for some time now. Tanzania is

convinced that the reform of the Security Council is

desirable, to make this important organ of our

Organization more representative, more democratic,

more transparent and more measured in the conduct of

its business. We believe that this will go a long way

towards renewing the confidence and support of

Member States in the relevance and effectiveness of the

Organization.

Tanzania accepts the truism that reform is a

process and not an event. We support the establishment

of the high-level panel of eminent personalities to

review the functioning of major organs of the United

Nations. We look forward to its early constitution. We

attach special importance to this process and promise

to play our part.