Benin, 2001

I would first

of all like to express my outrage at the unacceptable

conditions that terrorism has imposed on us at the fifty-

sixth session of the General Assembly of our

Organization. New York has traditionally been a

welcoming and cosmopolitan city. But now, during the

Assembly’s fifty-sixth session, it and our Organization

have been forced to take on the appearance of a

besieged fortress.

No one knows what the terrorists have planned,

nor who their next victims will be. We are all on the

same side in the face of their diabolical enterprise —

on the side of this battered city; on the side of the

American people and their Government; and on the

side of all the innocent victims brought down so

cruelly and coldly in Pennsylvania, Washington and

New York on that tragic day of 11 September 2001. We

reiterate our profound condolences and sympathy to all

the bereaved families and to their countries and

Governments. At the same time, we reaffirm our

unreserved condemnation of terrorism. Terrorism

violates the principles of all religions. It blemishes all

the causes on whose behalf it claims to act, even the

most just among them. It is for that reason that it must

be combated by all of us without reservation.

The worldwide awakening aroused by the tragic

events of 11 September 2001 must cause us all — great

and small, rich or poor — to join in an extraordinary

effort to fight those who have decided to sacrifice us

without having ever consulted us about either their

objectives or war tactics. But it should also be said that

as wholly repugnant as terrorist practices are, they

cannot be eradicated definitively unless the fertile soil

that feeds the situations that serve as their pretexts is

removed. The strict respect for human rights and the

rights of peoples that are so rightly enshrined in the

Charter of the United Nations should today guide our

political practices more than ever before. It is urgent

for the United Nations to take its proper place in

international relations and for it to play the role

incumbent upon it. In that regard, the reform of the

Security Council is an urgent and imperative necessity.

Poverty, injustice, exclusion and marginalization

always result in creating total despair, thereby causing

extremism to flourish. And we know how easily

extremists sacrifice their own lives and those of others.

It is the duty of all of us, and particularly of the most

powerful among us, to provide the necessary support to

eradicate poverty, marginalization, exclusion and

injustice, and to bear that in mind at all times in the

just, legitimate and resolute struggle against all forms

of terrorism.

The current tragic events that I have just recalled

heighten our concerns and give greater weight to the

responsibilities of the President of the General

Assembly. But his personal talents and experience in

world affairs bolster our conviction that he will

successfully steer the ship of our Organization into port

in these particularly difficult circumstances. For some

years now, his country and mine have enjoyed friendly

and fruitful relations. He can count on the cooperation

and support of the delegation of Benin in the execution

of his noble mission.

I would also like to pay well-deserved tribute to

Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland, who guided the United

Nations into the new millennium with great spirit. He

presided over the Millennium Assembly with

competence and discipline, and we extend to him our

congratulations and gratitude.

My congratulations go also to my brother,

Mr. Kofi Annan, on his well-deserved re-election to the

post of Secretary-General of the United Nations and on

the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001, awarded to him and

the Organization he leads with such competence and

dedication. The United Nations has gained a great deal

of credibility thanks in particular to the efforts of

Mr. Kofi Annan and his team in the Secretariat. Never

has there been a more well-deserved prize, and we take

pride in it. Indeed, it is all of Africa that is honoured.

On behalf of the Benin delegation and myself, I would

like to repeat our warm congratulations and

encouragement.

Let me take this opportunity to address the

international community and each Member of the

Assembly to convey the thanks of my country for their

massive participation at the Fourth International

Conference of New or Restored Democracies, held in

Cotonou from 4 to 6 December 2000. Indeed, the

Cotonou Conference saw record attendance, with 106

States, 20 international organizations and 51 non-

governmental organizations represented, not to mention

academics and other researchers interested in

discovering Benin’s experience of democracy. Benin

was honoured by the effective participation of three

20

heads of State. The Secretary-General of the United

Nations and the Administrator of the United Nations

Development Programme made a point of attending

personally in Cotonou. We welcome this gracious and

generous gesture on their part, and express our

gratitude to all bilateral and multilateral partners, those

from the new or restored democracies as well as those

from the older democracies who contributed to

financing this Conference.

To judge by its title, “Peace, Security, Democracy

and Development”, the Cotonou Conference was an

important stage in the progress of our century towards

a consolidation and expansion of democracy. It marked

a remarkable advance by its future-oriented approach

and the importance of the document that crowned its

work, entitled “Cotonou Declaration”. This Declaration

lays out brave and bold measures designed to build

democracy and allow to it survive in peace, security

and respect for diverse cultures. There can be no

democracy unless it is adapted to the soil in which it is

planted, even if the values of democracy are universal.

The Cotonou Conference was also an opportunity

to appreciate how genuine the march towards

democracy in Africa is. All peoples want liberty, but

the institutional and financial capacity to establish it is

weak in many cases, particularly in developing

countries. That is why my country hopes for more

substantial assistance for the strengthening of the

institutional capacities of our countries, because

democracy can function only if the leaders and their

peoples feel they are equal stakeholders. It is also

essential that within the United Nations system, the

structure recommended by the Cotonou Conference,

while following up the International Conference for

New or Restored Democracies, be established with a

view to increasing coordination among the different

initiatives and activities undertaken or contemplated by

the agencies, programmes and various institutions of

the United Nations system.

Indeed, the Fourth International Conference of

New or Restored Democracies strove to highlight the

link that exists between democracy and development.

The Conference clearly indicated that if democracy is a

force for stability, poverty is a major factor for

destabilization and a source of conflicts and war. The

decisions of the Fourth International Conference of

New or Restored Democracies should not be allowed to

remain dead letters. We must organize cooperation and

solidarity among all the democracies of the world.

In the course of the Millennium Summit, which

took place in this very Hall from 6 to 8 September

2000, major decisions were taken. Among them, pride

of place belonged to those relating to questions of

development, the elimination of poverty and the

particular needs of the least advanced countries. The

Millennium Declaration provides, in paragraph 15 of

chapter III:

“We also undertake to address the special

needs of the least developed countries. In this

context, we welcome the Third United Nations

Conference on the Least Developed Countries to

be held in May 2001 and will endeavour to ensure

its success.” (resolution 55/2, para. 15)

That Conference was held in Brussels from 14 to

20 May 2001 and produced a Programme of Action

that was the fruit of very arduous negotiation.

However, questions remain. Will the poor countries

someday know prosperity? Will they someday be able

to satisfy their basic needs? How will they finance their

development? Public development assistance is in

decline. Investment in poor countries remains weak,

and the burden of debt is becoming heavier. What is to

be done?

With regard to the question of debt, we think

particularly bold solutions are required. For the

creditor countries, it must be recognized these

solutions are neither simple nor easy. Some of these

countries have already adopted exemplary and bold

measures; others must follow suit. At stake are their

own interests: at stake is the interest of world peace.

This demand represents to us the symbol of

solidarity and shared responsibility. That is why the

Benin delegation recommends the urgent establishment

of an effective and highly visible follow-up mechanism

of the Third United Nations Conference on the Least

Developed Countries.

In the context of the search for peace and the

promotion of international cooperation, many

disarmament organizations and other related bodies

were created to reaffirm that questions of peace and

security and questions of development were

interdependent and inseparable. The creation of the

Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic

meets this need. Its goal is to protect the coastal States

of the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean from the

dangers of nuclear weapons and to create there a zone

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of peace and strengthening of cooperation for

development.

Since the third ministerial meeting, held in

Brasilia, my country had offered to host the sixth

meeting, scheduled for the year 2000, but because of

the organization of the Fourth International Conference

of New or Restored Democracies, this meeting could

not take place. My country is looking forward to the

early meeting of this sixth meeting. That is why I

would like to announce here Benin’s offer to organize

the sixth ministerial meeting of the States of the Zone

of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic in the

second half of 2003.

A particularly important instrument of South-

South cooperation, the Zone of Peace and Cooperation

of the South Atlantic should lay the foundations in

Cotonou for its effective and regular functioning within

the new context of international relations. All of you

here are welcome to Benin, a marketplace and meeting

place, a land of democracy and peace.

It is more urgent than ever to establish such peace

in the Middle East by recognizing as a matter of

urgency on the part of us all the imperative necessity of

the Palestinian State — side by side, of course, with

the State of Israel — in peace with all its neighbours

within secure and recognized frontiers. This is the

same peace that Angola and all Africa long for.

We must ban all forms of the illicit traffic in

petroleum, diamonds and weapons. These types of

illegal traffic cause and sustain wars, and the

traffickers are genuine terrorists.

From 31 August to 8 September 2001, the

Republic of South Africa hosted in Durban the World

Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,

Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. That great

international forum, held under the auspices of the

United Nations, brought to light the desire for

rehabilitation, justice and fulfilment of the obligations

of memory and acknowledgement, which humanity’s

recent history has left in the subconscious of certain

peoples. The difficult debates on the thorny questions

raised during the Conference reflect the extent of the

difficulties in this undertaking that we all fervently

called for.

A collective spirit of openness, the impressive

abilities of the host country, the Republic of South

Africa, and particularly the receptiveness and ability of

my sister, Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, enabled us to

reach agreement on two encouraging documents: the

final Programme of Action and the final Declaration. In

our view, these documents represent the international

community’s renewed commitment to fighting and

eradicating the seeds of racism and racial

discrimination. The foundation has been laid. Now,

action must follow to make the two Durban documents

a reality of everyday life. This does not mean

reopening old wounds; rather, we must all now attend

to healing the wounds of the past.

The tragic events whose effects we are still living

through obliged us to postpone the General Assembly’s

special session in follow-up to the World Summit for

Children. My country hopes that a new date can be

decided on during this session so that we can assess the

situation of children in the world 10 years after the

World Summit, because much remains to be done to

improve the lot of children.

Allow me to recall that Benin, having ratified on

3 August 1990 the United Nations Convention on the

Rights of the Child, is among the first 22 States of the

world consenting to be legally bound by this

instrument. Benin has also ratified the African Charter

on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Articles 12, 13

and 26 of Benin’s Constitution guarantee the right to

education and the protection of families, mothers and

children. Benin’s intentions in this area are also

apparent in the creation of a Ministry of the Family,

Social Protection and Solidarity, which will be devoted

essentially to the implementation of a cohesive and

aggressive policy to protect the family, particularly

children.

Encouraging results have been achieved at the

national level, but much remains to be done. We are

doing admirable work in this area in partnership with

the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations

Development Programme and several estimable non-

governmental organizations, such as Terre des

Hommes, and several other partners of good will.

Those who know Benin can testify to this.

These collaborative efforts have not stopped

certain misinformed or ill-intentioned circles in search

of scandals from using the Etireno affair to deceive

people into believing that the enslavement and selling

22

of children take place in Benin. But neither malicious

intentions nor misinformation nor this sort of

intellectual terrorism will prevent us from making

progress in terms of democracy, the protection of

women and the protection of children from the abuse

they still suffer in all the countries of the world,

particularly in poor, underdeveloped countries.

The Millennium Declaration gave special

attention to Africa under the heading “Meeting the

special needs of Africa”. One year later, the countries

of Africa are still waiting for action to begin to be

taken on those promises. However, Africans are no

longer willing to wait and have taken their fate into

their own hands by creating the New Partnership for

Africa’s Development. The partnership is a

consequence of the newly restored confidence of

Africans in their own abilities. It is aimed at placing

the historic initiative in the hands of Africans

themselves, without in any way renouncing

international cooperation. An important step has thus

been taken with this new African joint initiative.

Africans finally have hope that their continent

will cease to be the continent of disease, poverty,

misery and bloody conflicts and that a real partnership

can be created between us and the rest of the world. It

is our wish that this hope will become reality.