Tanzania, 2008

Allow me at the outset to

convey my very warm regards and congratulations to

you, Sir, on your well-deserved election to preside over

the sixty-third session of this Assembly.

On behalf of the African Union, the United

Republic of Tanzania and in my own name, I would

like to assure you of our unqualified support and

cooperation throughout your term of office. Allow me

also to use this opportunity to thank and congratulate

your predecessor, Ambassador Srgjan Kerim, President

of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session, for

his leadership and for a job very well done.

Our illustrious Secretary-General, His Excellency

Ban Ki-moon, deserves special tribute from us for the

excellent manner in which he is discharging the

responsibilities of his high office. We appreciate the

way in which he has answered the call of duty. My

delegation and I reaffirm our support for his great

work. His devotion to achieving the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) reversing the impact of

climate change and his concern for Africa’s

development have won the hearts of many of us in the

continent.

As I stand before this Assembly in my dual

capacity as Chairman of the African Union and as

President of my country, I bring with me a message of

hope and optimism from Africa. Africa is no longer the

hopeless case as perceived by some. There are so many

good things happening in the continent. There is

increasing political stability, peace reigns in almost all

nations but a few and the economies of many nations

are blossoming.

Africa is now a continent in full embrace of

democracy, good governance, rule of law and respect

for human rights. There is stronger commitment to deal

with vices in society, including the problems of

corruption.

Most African countries have embraced

democratic governance and regular, periodic elections

are the norm. In the past two years, a good number of

African countries have successfully held democratic

elections. It is a matter of principle enshrined in the

Constitutive Act of the African Union that leaders who

come into office through undemocratic means are not

allowed to participate in the activities of the African

Union. It is this principle that guided the African Union

in suspending Mauritania from the organs of the

African Union until democratic dispensations are

restored.

It is heart-warming, indeed, that Africans,

through the African Union and their regional economic

organizations, have been proactive and have taken the

lead in monitoring elections and resolving conflicts

where they have arisen. This was the case with Kenya

and very recently with Zimbabwe. Indeed, Africa has

come of age. The old principle of non-interference in

internal affairs is surely being replaced by

non-indifference to violations of democracy and abuse

of human rights in Member States.

There are fewer conflicts in the continent today

than was the case a few years ago. This is testimony to

the fact that democracy and good governance are

taking root and the African peace and security

architecture is working. However, much more needs to

be done to strengthen the African Union’s capacity for

early warning, conflict prevention and conflict

resolution. There is also a need to do the same with the

regional economic groupings to buttress their

peacebuilding efforts.

I would like to recognize the United Nations, the

European Union and States and other institutions in the

world that have generously supported the strengthening

of the infant African Union peace and security

mechanism. I would like to call on all of them to

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continue supporting the African Union mechanism as

well as the regional mechanisms and peacekeeping

operations in Africa.

There are only three conflict situations worth

mentioning and discussing in this Assembly today.

These concern the conflicts in Darfur and Somalia and

the volatile security situation in the eastern part of

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In Darfur, the humanitarian crisis still persists

although there may be some encouraging signs of

improvement. I believe the situation would be much

better if the entire contingent of the United Nations

Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) forces was

deployed, and the peace talks between the rebels and

the Government of Sudan were resumed and

concluded. Also, improvement would be seen if

humanitarian aid work was allowed to be carried out

unencumbered and matters related to justice were dealt

with judiciously.

There is a need therefore for the United Nations,

the African Union and the Government of the Sudan to

continue to work together expeditiously to remove the

obstacles impeding the deployment of UNAMID, to

remove the obstacles impeding the dialogue between

the Government of the Sudan and the rebels, impeding

humanitarian operations and impeding the process of

dispensation of justice in Darfur.

I was in Sudan two weeks ago and held very

fruitful discussions with His Excellency President

Omar Al-Bashir. I also met officials of the Joint

UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur. We discussed

the situation in Darfur, the obstacles involved and

came to some understanding on the way forward. I am

hopeful that progress can be made. We need to seize

the moment and the opportunities that are now

unfolding.

It is the considered view of the African Union

that the indictment of President Omar Al-Bashir at this

particular point in time will complicate the deployment

of UNAMID and the management of the humanitarian

crisis in Darfur. It is for this reason that the African

Union sees deferment as the most expedient measure

now.

Let me make one thing clear: when we talk about

deferment, we should not in any way be perceived as

condoning injustice. Justice is a matter of essence. It

must be done, it must be seen to be done. We are

simply concerned with the best possible sequencing of

measures so that the most immediate matters of saving

lives and easing the suffering of the people of Darfur

are taken care of first. Getting the support and

cooperation of the Government of the Sudan is a matter

of essence in the fulfilment of all that we want to seen

done in Darfur.

The conflict in Somalia remains difficult to

manage and resolve. The inter-party dialogue has not

yet borne the desired results. The African Union

peacekeeping efforts seem to be overstretched. We call

upon the United Nations to step in and take over the

peacekeeping responsibilities at the earliest possible

time before the African Union mission is overwhelmed.

Time is of the essence. Let me use this opportunity to

commend the Governments of Ethiopia, Uganda and

Burundi for their invaluable contribution to

peacekeeping efforts in Somalia.

The volatile security situation in the eastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a matter of great

concern. We are deeply saddened by the ongoing

fighting between the government forces and rebel

forces of General Laurent Nkunda. The continued

presence of negative forces threatening the security of

countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the

Congo is another complicating factor.

The African Union is committed to be more

proactive in the search for lasting peace in that

troubled region. We will work with regional leaders

and the United Nations in that regard.

On September 15 this year, a landmark

breakthrough was achieved in the Zimbabwe political

crisis when the three political parties to the conflict:

The African National Union-Patriotic Front, the

Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai and the

Movement for Democratic Change-Mutambara, signed

the historic agreement for ending the conflict and

forming an inclusive Government. The leaders of those

three parties are now engaged in the process of

implementing that agreement. Getting to this point in a

conflict situation that seemed almost impossible to

resolve is a major achievement indeed.

We need to congratulate President Robert

Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara on their

wisdom and statesmanship. We also need to

acknowledge, recognize and commend, in a special

manner, President Thabo Mbeki of the Republic of

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South Africa for his sterling leadership. It was his

patience, perseverance and understanding that made it

all happen. His imminent departure from office, which

comes suddenly, raises some concerns about what may

happen if difficulties are experienced with the

implementation of the agreement. I see no cause for

alarm. The South African Government remains, and I

am sure the new leadership will continue to be, seized

of the matter.

Moreover, since the agreement is the product of

the decision taken in July by the African Union at its

summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the African Union

and the Southern Africa Development Community

stand ready to assist if need should arise.

We in Africa thank you, Mr. President, for

including the food and oil crises among the themes for

this session of the General Assembly. The current

global escalation of food and fuel prices has reached

crisis proportions. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region

affected the most. It is home to the majority of the least

developed countries on this planet. Their food and oil

bills have increased exponentially. Food import bills

have increased by over 40 per cent over the past year,

while oil prices have increased by over 100 per cent

since 2005. Even the recent drop in oil prices has not

helped much, because prices are still more than twice

what they were in 2005.

The high food and oil prices threaten to erode the

humble gains made in implementing the Millennium

Development Goals and sustaining macroeconomic

stability in Africa. The food and oil crisis, coupled with

the worsening financial crisis throughout the world,

gives us every reason to be very worried. The need for

comprehensive action to reverse the situation cannot be

overemphasized. We call upon the international

community and key players in the global economy to

act quickly. The United Nations should take the lead.

Yesterday, this Assembly held a high-level event

on Africa’s development needs. The meeting received a

comprehensive report from the Secretary-General on

“Africa’s development needs: state of implementation

of various commitments, challenges and the way

forward” (A/63//130). We are glad to note that the

report incorporated some of the recommendations of

the Millennium Development Goals Africa Steering

Group.

The report’s findings underscore the fact that

Africa cannot meet its development needs without the

support of the international community. Indeed, the

international community has been responding

favourably. A number of commitments to assisting

Africa have been made over the years in different

international forums. Unfortunately, the commitments

made have not been met fully.

We appeal to the General Assembly to echo the

call and impress upon Africa’s development partners

the need to honour their promise and deliver on their

commitments. I also urge this family of United Nations

Member States to fully support the political declaration

adopted at the high-level meeting yesterday, as we re-

dedicate ourselves to meeting the development needs

of Africa.

We in Africa have been following with keen

interest the ongoing process of the reform of the United

Nations. We remain convinced of the ideal that a

reform of the United Nations would be incomplete

without a reform of the Security Council. On our part,

we have authorized our permanent representatives in

New York to embark on negotiations with all parties on

the reforms of the Security Council. At this juncture, I

should reiterate the position of the African Union of

asking for two permanent seats with veto power and

two non-permanent seats. Our demand should be seen

against the backdrop of the reality that Africa is the

only continent without a permanent seat in the Security

Council, despite our large membership in the United

Nations. That is an anomaly. It has to be corrected. The

reform of the Security Council, therefore, should take

that into account.

The reforms of the United Nations have, on the

other hand, to enable the Organization to work better

and be more efficient, effective and responsive to the

challenges of our times. We are happy with the work of

the General Assembly at its previous sessions on

advancing the United Nations system-wide coherence

agenda. The work has thus far advanced

intergovernmental consultations on the United Nations

delivering as one: one programme, one budget, one

office and one leader.

Tanzania is one of the eight pilot countries on the

United Nations “delivering as one” project. Our

experience so far has shown that delivering as one is

possible. It improves national ownership and

strengthens national leadership in the development

process. It permits the realignment of United Nations

assistance with national priorities and streamlines

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business transactions, thus enhancing the efficiency

and effectiveness of United Nations activities. I urge

this Assembly to follow up on the implementation of

this important reform, and I appeal to our development

partners to provide the requisite resources.

At the sixtieth session of this Assembly, I

reported on the work of the Helsinki Process on

Globalisation and Democracy, a joint initiative

launched in 2003 and co-chaired by Finland and

Tanzania. The Helsinki Process, a forum to facilitate

multi-stakeholder dialogue on the possibilities offered

and challenges posed by the process of globalization,

has come to an end. The main objective of that

initiative was to mobilize political will in support of

the Millennium Development Goals. The President of

Finland, Ms. Tarja Halonen, and I would be glad, as

co-chairs of the Process, to present the final report to

the Secretary-General this week. We trust that the

report will add impetus to global efforts to see political

will prevail in the implementation of the Millennium

Development Goals. A democracy deficit in

international institutions is attendant.

Before I conclude, allow me to mention three

things. First, I would remind this world body that the

Western Sahara problem remains unresolved. Allow me

to make a humble appeal to the Security Council to

expedite the process so that the matter is concluded

soon. It has been going on for too long. The people of

the Western Sahara will then be given the opportunity

to determine which way to go. They deserve to be

afforded the opportunity to live a normal life in a

nation that has been designated as theirs.

Secondly, we should remain seized of the

Palestinian question until the two-State solution — the

State of Israel and a State of Palestine living together

side by side and in harmony — is attained.

Thirdly, there is a matter that we discussed at the

most recent African Union summit. It is with regard to

the issue of universal jurisdiction being practiced by

some European nations. It has now become a matter of

harassment for African leaders. We discussed the matter

at length at the summit, and we intend to raise this issue

with the United Nations for appropriate attention.

Once again, I would like to reiterate the support

of the African Union and Tanzania of your efforts, Sir,

in fulfilling our collective objectives during this sixty-

third session of the General Assembly. Count on our

support; rely on our support.