Uganda, 2007

Allow me at the outset to

extend our congratulations to Mr. Kerim on his election

to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-

second session. I wish to thank most sincerely his

predecessor, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed

Khalifa of Bahrain, for the able manner in which she

handled the vital business of the sixty-first session. I

also wish to express my gratitude to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his leadership of our

Organization, and most especially for his untiring

efforts in favour of conflict resolution and peace on the

African continent and elsewhere.

Sixty-two years ago, the founding fathers of the

United Nations came together, determined, in the

words of the Charter, “to employ international

machinery for the promotion of the economic and

social advancement of all peoples”. The Organization

they created was to be a centre for harmonizing the

actions of nations in the attainment of these common

goals. Today humankind is faced with a common threat

in the form of climate change. The General Assembly’s

choice of responding to climate change as the theme

for this session is timely. It will help draw attention to

the global challenge for which no single country has a

solution. It is only through concerted and sustained

international cooperation that action to combat the

effects and further escalation of climate change can be

taken.

There is no doubt that climate change is the

biggest danger facing humankind, especially the poor.

The threat of extreme conditions, including floods and

drought, is a major concern. It has many implications

for development, particularly for agrarian communities

with fewer resources to cope with additional stresses

and shocks brought about by this phenomenon. The

increasing frequency and severity of prolonged drought

threaten water supplies to millions of people in poor

countries, as well as agriculture which is

overwhelmingly subsistence and rain-fed and,

therefore, vulnerable to climate variability and change.

The vulnerability of the health sector has also

been evident as frequent floods result in outbreaks of

waterborne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid,

dysentery and the increased incidence of malaria.

Indeed, climate change today constitutes a danger

to human security, considering the effects of climate

change on the very existence of some small island

States and coastal cities, as well as the devastation by

hurricanes and typhoons.

Several years ago, the world was alerted to the

danger of climate change. Under the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change, a number

of actions were agreed upon. We all agreed to

undertake a three-pronged approach, including

development, access to appropriate technology,

mitigation and adaptation. It is unfortunate that, so far,

no meaningful actions have been undertaken to

implement these agreed interventions.

My delegation believes that the time is now to

implement these high-priority activities. We should,

however, recognize that responding to climate change

will require political leadership at all levels, starting

from the centre and extending to the grassroots.

Increasing collaborative action on adaptation is

urgently needed, so that vulnerable countries and

communities can cope with the unavoidable impact of

climate change. Reforestation efforts and control of

greenhouse gas emissions are urgent actions that we

can undertake together. However, reforestation on its

own will not produce the desired results without

adequate investment in renewable energy sources as a

measure against the massive depletion of forests for

fuel. Developed countries should encourage companies

to invest in hydro-electric power generation and other

clean energy sources in developing countries. For such

projects to be undertaken, measures such as a

successful fifteenth International Development

Association replenishment is critical. We all must learn

to safeguard and use available resources sparingly for

the sake of future generations.

Uganda considers the United Nations Climate

Change Conference, to be held in Bali, Indonesia, this

December, to be critical in the development of a long-

term response to climate change. It is an opportunity to

begin concrete negotiations on a global strategy that is

acceptable to all and implementable. Prior to Bali,

however, this Assembly should agree on guiding

principles that can help bring together all relevant

aspects of the problem. The industrialized countries

should take the lead in cutting emissions, while

developing countries will have to pursue low-emission

development strategies and benefit from incentives for

assistance for adaptation and for limiting emissions.

We must commit ourselves to an approach that

balances adaptation and mitigation, underpinned by

adequate financing arrangements and investments in

new and innovative technologies.

As Members of the United Nations, our countries

share a vision of a better standard of life, in larger

freedom, as enshrined in our Charter. We are, however,

challenged by a persistence of poverty in many of our

countries. Recent statistics indicate that, worldwide,

1.2 billion people live on one dollar a day, while

2.8 billion survive on less than two dollars. The gap

between the rich and the poor continues to widen, both

within States and among States.

The World Bank reported in 2003 that average

income in the wealthiest 20 countries is 37 times that

of the poorest 20, which is twice the ratio of what it

was in 1970. Many countries, especially those in

sub-Saharan Africa, ended the last decade with lower

per capita incomes than at its beginning. Poverty is one

of the biggest threats to international peace, security

and the environment.

At the Millennium Summit, world leaders

expressed their determination to halve world poverty

by the year 2015. The midpoint progress report on the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that was

released in July this year indicates that countries in

Africa and elsewhere are proving that large-scale

progress in achieving the MDGs is possible under

conditions of adequate financing, much of which

should flow from a strengthened global partnership for

development. It is critical that the Monterrey targets be

met.

As we respond to climate change, the fight

against poverty remains an integral part of the effort.

Unless we address poverty in developing countries, the

poor will continue to destroy the environment by

cutting trees for firewood and employing poor

agricultural practices.

There are time-tested ways to bring people out of

poverty. Trade liberalization and export-led growth

have the potential to lift millions out of poverty.

However, to benefit from trade, developing countries

must add value to their raw materials and sell them as

finished products, taking advantage of appropriate

value chains. That will not only increase earnings but

create jobs, thus ending the mass migrations to the

developed countries. They should develop their human

resources through education and better health services.

Education is a critical factor in transforming society.

An educated middle class with adequate income to

spend is critical for industrialization and the transition

of societies. That has happened in some countries of

South-East Asia; it can happen elsewhere in the

developing world. As a priority, agriculture needs to be

commercialized. Related to that is the urgent need for

regional integration so as to enlarge markets.

Under heavy pressure, many developing countries

have removed trade barriers, while the developed

countries have not reciprocated in such key areas as

agriculture and textiles, where the former have a

comparative advantage. Is it not absurd that a cow in

the European Union gets a daily subsidy of $2.2, while

40 per cent of the world’s population lives on less than

$2 a day? The World Bank estimates that protectionism

by the developed world costs developing countries

$100 billion annually. A fair system will require

appropriate measures to deal with the unfair trade

privileges of developed countries that hinder market

access. It is vital that the stalled trade talks under the

Doha Development Round be resumed and

successfully concluded.

Peace and security are necessary conditions for

sustainable development. The rise in inter- and intra-

State conflict has been the hallmark of the post-cold-

war era. Internal conflicts have spilled over borders to

create regional instability. Internal displacement has

taken place, and equally alarming has been the

international refugee crisis that has resulted from such

conflicts. In some countries, central authority has

collapsed, creating havens for terrorists and drug

traffickers, with the attendant threats to international

peace and security. No meaningful actions against

poverty and in favour of environmental protection can

take place in that kind of atmosphere.

The President returned to the Chair.

Most of Africa is now peaceful, and democracy is

being consolidated through regular elections, the

observance of human rights and constitutionalism.

However, there are some areas that require urgent

international attention. There is a need to ensure peace

and stability in Darfur in accordance with the

internationally agreed framework under Security

Council resolution 1769 (2007). Further attention

should be given to supporting the implementation of

the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the

Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s

Liberation Movement in the South.

In Somalia, the General Assembly should support

an all-inclusive peace and reconciliation process and

the Africa Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia

(AMISOM) with the necessary resources to facilitate

the peacekeeping. Uganda has honoured its pledge of

troops for peacekeeping; we call on other countries that

made similar pledges to fulfil them. The international

effort in Somalia should focus on capacity-building to

empower the Somali people to solve their own

problems. We also call on the Secretary-General to

finalize plans for possible deployment of a United

Nations peacekeeping force to replace AMISOM, as

called for in Security Council resolution 1772 (2007).

In the Great Lakes region, various efforts are

under way to improve peace and security and to create

an atmosphere conducive to development. Through the

Tripartite Plus One Commission, bringing together the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi

and Uganda, we have agreed on a framework and

actions to deal with negative forces that pose a threat

to peace and security in the region. In that regard, we

refer to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter and

to provisions of Security Council resolution 1756

(2007). The Security Council should reinforce the

mandate and the means of the United Nations

Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo to enable it effectively to work with

Congolese armed forces to totally eradicate the threat

of negative forces operating in the territory of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In northern Uganda, we are holding peace talks

with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Of the five

agenda items, two agreements have been concluded

and signed. Those are the Cessation of Hostilities

Agreement and an agreement on comprehensive

solutions. However, the LRA has not met any of the

terms of the very first Agreement on Cessation of

Hostilities. For example, it is stipulated that LRA

forces assemble at Ri-Kwangba in southern Sudan;

they have, however, not done so to date. They are still

camped in Garamba National park in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo. We urge the international

community to bring adequate pressure to bear on the

LRA to assemble at Ri-Kwangba and to set a time

frame for the talks. Talks cannot go on forever. As we

inch towards a comprehensive peace agreement,

international support and understanding are required to

balance the need for durable peace and stability on the

one hand, and the imperative for justice on the other.

I wish to assure the General Assembly that

Uganda is fully aware of its obligations under the

Rome Statute and cannot undermine it. We cannot

condone impunity. To that end, we are working closely

with the International Criminal Court to ensure

accountability under the complementarity stipulations.

Uganda will be convening a Consultative Group

meeting later this year to mobilize resources and

coordinate actions for the post-conflict reconciliation

programme in northern Uganda. The international

community is invited to support that programme.

When you chose “Responding to climate change”

as the theme for this session, Sir, I believe you

intended to have this session consider and recommend

ways of addressing that common threat. You believed,

as indeed we do, that a world that pays no attention to

that problem is fatally damaging the interests of future

generations. Addressing climate change will involve

fighting poverty, ensuring peace and security, and

investing in clean energy, especially in developing

countries. This session should be the turning point at

which we all come together and agree on ways to save

our planet.