Botswana, 2001

Before I deliver my

statement, please allow me to express the heartfelt

condolences of my delegation to the Governments of

the United States of America and the Dominican

Republic and to the families of the victims of the tragic

air traffic accident in New York on Monday. During

this time of grief and sadness, our sympathies are with

those who lost their loved ones.

It is with great pleasure that I extend to the

President and his country, the Republic of Korea, the

warmest congratulations of my delegation on his

election to the presidency of the United Nations

General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session. We are

confident that under his able leadership, we will have a

very productive session. The President can rest assured

of the full cooperation of the delegation of Botswana in

the discharge of the noble task entrusted to him.

I should also like to pay tribute to his

predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland. The skilful

manner in which he guided our deliberations during the

fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly speaks for

his wealth of diplomatic experience and diligence in

his work.

To our Secretary-General, may I express the full

support and confidence of my delegation as he begins a

second term of office. We congratulate him for the

highly esteemed Nobel Peace Prize for 2001, bestowed

jointly on him and the United Nations system. This

special award is not only to the Secretary-General,

personally, but also to the many dedicated men and

women who continue to work tirelessly for the United

Nations system.

It is regrettable that even as we are assembled

here to forge a common future within the same walls

where just 12 months ago our leaders proclaimed the

arrival of a brave new world full of hope and promise,

our attention should be drawn to acts of international

terrorism not far from where we are meeting.

My delegation wishes to add its voice to those of

other speakers who have condemned, in the strongest

language possible, the bombings that occurred in New

York and Washington, resulting in a huge loss of

human life. Immediately after learning of these attacks,

my Government issued a statement in which we

condemned these terrorist attacks and those who

conceived and perpetrated them. A unified and

concerted effort is required from the international

community in order to wipe the scourge of

international terrorism from the face of the earth, once

and for all.

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Among other things, we need to reaffirm our

commitment to the full implementation of all

conventions on combating terrorism. My delegation is

convinced that the international community

collectively has the resources necessary to win the war

against terrorism. This is a challenge of our age.

The other major challenge that presents

extraordinary danger to humanity is the HIV/AIDS

pandemic, whose devastating impact on our societies

and our economies, particularly in Africa, is well

documented.

According to recent estimates, of the 36.1 million

people living with HIV globally, 25.3 million are in

sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 5.3 million people infected

with the virus during 2000, 3.8 million were in sub-

Saharan Africa. Of the 3.0 million people who died of

HIV/AIDS in 2000, 2.4 million were in sub-Saharan

Africa. These statistics present an extremely grim

picture of the HIV/AIDS situation in sub-Saharan

Africa. As delegates are no doubt aware, my country is

one of the worst affected on the continent. Unless we

join forces to tackle this pandemic, it will continue to

have a devastating impact on our societies and

economies. Funding for the HIV/AIDS programmes is

grossly inadequate and has to be increased in order to

mitigate the impact of the scourge.

Indeed, the twenty-sixth special session of the

United Nations General Assembly underscored the

imperative of intensified global action to combat the

pandemic. The Global HIV/AIDS and Health Fund

could not have come at a more opportune time. It is our

sincere hope, therefore, that the donor community will

respond positively to the financing of the trust fund.

I want to stress the need to strengthen the role of

the United Nations in this fight. Our efforts for the

prevention and treatment of the disease need to be

augmented and strengthened by concrete measures of

support and resources from the international

community if we are to turn the tide of the spread of

HIV/AIDS.

The third issue I wish to highlight is that of

“conflict diamonds” versus “development diamonds”.

Botswana deplores the fact that diamond resources in a

number of countries in Africa are being plundered by

rebels to purchase weapons that are used to cause

enormous suffering to innocent people.

However, I want to underscore the fact that

“conflict diamonds” constitute only 4 per cent or less

of the world trade in diamonds. Legitimate, conflict-

free diamonds, such as those produced in my country,

are used to generate socio-economic growth and

development. I am glad that the contribution of

conflict-free diamonds to the economic growth of

countries such as mine, and indeed of other countries in

Southern Africa, is being appreciated.

We have been active participants in the Kimberly

Process, in which Governments of diamond-producing

countries of Southern Africa and other interested

Governments, the diamond industry and civil society

organizations are working together to institute a

certification scheme designed to eliminate that small

percentage of conflict diamonds from world trade. We

sincerely want to see the suffering inflicted upon the

people of Angola, Sierra Leone, the Democratic

Republic of Congo and others brought to an end.

Regrettably, many more countries in our

continent continue to be torn apart by war and conflict.

We applaud the efforts of the United Nations and other

international players to enhance the capacity of African

countries to prevent conflict and maintain peace and

stability in the continent. We are convinced that the

determination of many in Africa to consolidate

democracy will go a long way towards ensuring that

conditions of security and stability are instituted

throughout the continent. The establishment of the

African Union, which will be launched next year in the

Republic of South Africa, is the most positive

expression of a new solidarity, based on an urgent

search for collective economic security and political

partnership. Without underestimating the hurdles we

still face as we move our continent towards integration,

it is our fervent belief that an era of hope has been

ushered in on our continent.

The most talked about undertaking by Africa in

recent weeks has been the New Partnership for Africa’s

Development (NEPAD), which is aimed at achieving

socio-economic development by alleviating poverty as

well as promoting peace, security, democracy and good

governance. Unlike other initiatives that came before

it, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development

challenges African countries to take primary

responsibility for their own development by ushering in

a political environment guaranteeing peace, security

and stability, respect for human rights, democratic

principles and the rule of law.

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The initiative underscores the need for a policy

framework and, indeed, regulatory structures that will

enhance governance in Africa. I must say, all of these

are achievable objectives, and we as a continent have

unreservedly committed ourselves, our Governments

and peoples, and the required resources to their

attainment. We also believe that the initiative will

usher in a new concept of technical cooperation

between Africa and our development partners, and that

the United Nations will have a critical role to play in

its implementation.

My delegation attaches importance to the

International Conference on Financing for

Development, scheduled to be held in Mexico in the

spring of 2002, and the forthcoming World Summit on

Sustainable Development, to be held in South Africa in

September 2002. These Conferences will offer us an

opportunity to examine issues of development in a

holistic and pragmatic manner. Issues of environment,

trade, domestic policy-making, international

cooperation and partnership with the Bretton Woods

institutions, as well as the private sector, will have to

feature prominently at these conferences.

Recent developments in Sierra Leone give us

hope that peace will now be given a chance in that

country. The agreement between the Government

and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which will

see the latter transformed into a political party, is a

major achievement and an important step forward. The

RUF must now translate its promises into action,

because this is the only way that the international

community will be able to provide the much needed

support for the holding of the envisaged national

elections, which will provide the basis for the

restoration of peace and stability in Sierra Leone.

There is a real window of opportunity for peace

in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After many

years of bloody conflict, which has inflicted immense

suffering on the people of the Congo, the political

players and other stakeholders have embarked on a

national dialogue that should bring peace to the

country. I would like to underline the fact that

dedication and perseverance will be required on the

part of those concerned in order for the inter-Congolese

dialogue to be crowned with success. We therefore urge

the players to see the process of negotiations through,

because the alternative is to slide back down into the

suffering and misery that the Congolese have endured

for so long. I also wish to call upon the international

community to provide the necessary support and

resources to the Office of the Facilitator, former

President Sir Ketumile Masire, to enable the

facilitation process of the inter-Congolese dialogue to

succeed.

The peace process in Burundi is moving in the

right direction after many years of painful war. The

deal brokered by former President Mandela has

provided a way out of the stalemate. The resolve of the

parties to remain committed to the peace process is the

only way forward.

We continue to be concerned that prospects for

peace in Angola remain distant. At the heart of the

impasse are UNITA’s continuing acts of destabilization

and sabotage. UNITA must understand that there can

be no military solution to the crisis in Angola. We

therefore wish to appeal to UNITA to reconsider its

position and choose the path of dialogue.

My delegation is seriously concerned at the

recent escalation of violence in the Middle East. It is

our sincere hope that the Government of Israel and the

Palestinian Authority will recognize the urgent need to

resume negotiations towards a comprehensive peace

agreement. A lasting solution to this problem is

essential.

In conclusion, let me reaffirm my country’s

commitment to the purposes and principles of the

United Nations Charter. We are committed to working

with others to strengthen this Organization in order to

surmount the challenges that face us all as nations and

peoples across the globe. The United Nations is our

only hope for a stable and prosperous world.