Botswana, 2004

Let me start by congratulating

you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the fifty-

ninth session of the General Assembly. Your election is

a tribute not only to yourself, but also to your country,

Gabon, with which Botswana enjoys the most cordial

of relations. 1 assure you of the full support and

cooperation of my delegation in the discharge of your

onerous duties and responsibilities.

We also pay tribute to your predecessor,

Mr. Julian Hunte of Saint Lucia, for his stewardship of

the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly. Saint

Lucia is another country with which Botswana enjoys

excellent relations. Come to think of it, we can

understand why countries of the world can be friendly

with each other, as Botswana is friendly to them all.

Our words of congratulations are addressed also

to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his

visionary leadership of the Organization and for his

enduring spirit in the face of the complex challenges

that the United Nations is called upon to address across

our common universe.

I take this opportunity to join other delegations in

extending our condolences to the Government and the

people of the Russian Federation on the tragic loss of

life in Beslan. There can never be any justification for

such a savage attack on innocent children, men and

women. Botswana joins the rest of the international

community in condemning that horrendous act.

We also extend our sympathies and condolences

to our dear brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and

the southern part of the United States of America on

the loss of life and the destruction of property caused

by recent hurricanes.

We are gathered here today, 12 months before the

first review of the Millennium Declaration, an

unprecedented compact made by world leaders to unite

in action in addressing the problems bedevilling

humanity. It is our hope that we will use this gathering

to reflect on whether we have done enough to achieve

the Millennium Development Goals. We have to ask

ourselves, individually and collectively, whether the

enthusiasm and political commitment with which we

endorsed the Declaration is being translated into

programmes and projects. Simply put, we must be

ready to answer, hopefully in the affirmative, whether

we are doing enough to meet the targets that we set for

ourselves for the first five years of this millennium.

Let us recall that pessimists proclaimed the

Millennium Summit a talking shop and poured scorn

on its intended outcome. Are we doing enough to prove

them wrong? We owe it to the millions of our people

who look up to us to mitigate their suffering. Thus far,

the available evidence suggests that our performance

has been disappointing. Unfortunately, time is not on

our side. There is need to act with vigour if we are to

meet our commitments.

My delegation is fully aware that a multiplicity of

factors combined to constrain and to thwart some of

our efforts in the past few years. There is no doubt, for

instance, that major international conflicts, such as the

war in Iraq, have been a drag on the international

community’s efforts to focus on the Goals. As a result

of the war, oil prices have skyrocketed, putting

tremendous pressure on the world economy, and in

particular on the vulnerable economies of developing

countries.

In spite of those challenges, we have abiding

faith in the human spirit, and therefore remain

convinced that it is not beyond the capacity of the

international community to implement those ideals.

The Millennium Declaration recognized that

poverty eradication is fundamental to achieving

sustainable development, but many of our people still

live in conditions of abject poverty. The alleviation of

poverty and its eventual eradication therefore remain a

top priority for us. Official development assistance

levels continue to fall in real terms to below the agreed

target of 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product. I must,

however, commend the few countries that have met

that target. They have demonstrated that the target is

realistic and achievable.

The continuing debt burden is contributing

significantly to the failure to deal effectively with the

problem of poverty. Most developing countries have

undertaken courageous measures to implement painful

structural reforms. The commendable steps taken to

introduce sound macroeconomic management and

principles of good governance deserve an urgent,

positive and appropriate response. It must be

acknowledged that some of the reforms can, in the short

term, worsen the plight of the poor for a very long time

before the benefits of the sacrifices are realized.

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Structural reforms have not been confined to

budgetary matters alone. They cover the whole

economic spectrum, including the creation of an

environment conducive to the growth of the private

sector and development, as well as to the flow of

foreign direct investment. A number of developing

countries have promulgated legislative and regulatory

frameworks to stimulate greater private sector

participation in their economies. It is only natural,

given the scope of the reform measures, that

developing countries should expect some positive

reaction in the form of flows of foreign direct

investments, which at the moment are, regrettably, still

very low.

In the area of trade, we are concerned about the

slow progress in multilateral trade negotiations. As

developing countries, we have more to gain from a

more just, fairer and rule-based international trading

system that would facilitate the integration of our

economies into the global economy. We urge the major

players in those negotiations to show a greater sense of

urgency and commitment.

We are concerned at the fact that, in spite of the

strong commitments expressed at the Millennium

Summit, almost half of the people in sub-Saharan

Africa continue to survive on a dollar a day. That

reflects no change in the statistics of 1990. One

hundred twenty-one million children are still out of

school; and the under-5 mortality rate is still as high as

174 per 1,000 live births.

The resources provided to fight the HIV/AIDS

epidemic remain inadequate, yet we all agree that

HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest challenges of our

time. Combating the scourge of HIV/AIDS must

therefore remain a high priority for action, because the

epidemic has a debilitating impact on everything that

we do to improve the human condition. In 2003, it was

reported that about 40 million people around the world

were living with the virus, and that well over 26

million of them were in sub-Saharan Africa alone. The

epidemic has killed over 2.3 million people in sub-

Saharan Africa, out of a total of 3 million people who

died of AIDS-related illnesses around the world.

In Botswana, our various intervention programmes

are beginning to bear fruit. We are indebted to our

friends internationally, whose partnership, support,

assistance and, indeed, solidarity have combined to

save lives and give hope to many of our people.

However, a lot still needs to be done. Our immediate

challenge is the lack of capacity to provide the

antiretroviral therapy programme to all who need

assistance. We shall therefore continue to rely on the

international community for consistent and assured

support, if we are to assist our people in time.

International peace and security are under

constant threat. Our collective memory appears to be

failing to draw appropriate lessons, even from the

recent horrors of conflicts in Rwanda, Afghanistan and

the Balkans. Millions of people continue to suffer and

die needlessly in Africa and elsewhere because of

unnecessary conflicts. It is once again Africa that has

had to bear the brunt of those conflicts.

We are concerned by the protracted conflicts in

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Burundi

and Côte d’Ivoire. As Africans, we accept our

responsibility to find solutions to those conflicts. That

is why we established the Peace and Security Council

of the African Union in May of this year. In its short

history, the Council has already deployed peacekeepers

in Burundi and peace monitors in the Darfur region of

Sudan, and has sent mediators and peace envoys to

help in negotiating solutions to conflicts elsewhere on

the continent.

One thing is clear: Africa is an integral part of the

international community. The problems of Africa are

global problems. We cannot isolate ourselves, nor be

isolated from the rest of the world, and be expected to

single-handedly find solutions to such conflicts. We

need consistent and continued international support. In

that regard, we acknowledge the important and

commendable role that the United Nations is playing in

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire

and Burundi.

The peace process in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo is at a critical stage. The international

community has a duty and a responsibility to assist the

Government and people of the Democratic Republic of

the Congo in the search for national reconciliation and

a lasting political settlement to the problems facing

that country. It is our hope that the international

community will provide the necessary financial and

material support to ensure the success of the

international conference on the Great Lakes region,

which is to be held in Arusha, United Republic of

Tanzania, at the end of this year.

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In Côte d’Ivoire, everything possible must be

done to maintain peace and stability, as well as to

promote national reconciliation, by ensuring that the

parties accept the Government of National

Reconciliation.

Regarding the situation in the Darfur region of

Sudan, the international community must take urgent

measures to arrest the deteriorating security and

humanitarian situation in that country. The people of

Darfur should be assisted to return to their homes in

safety and dignity. We urge the Government of Sudan

to be receptive to the proposals contained in the

Secretary-General’s report and, above all, take due

cognizance of Security Council resolution 1564 (2004),

and in particular to facilitate the speedy delivery by the

international community of much-needed humanitarian

assistance.

We are troubled by the escalating conflict in the

Middle East, which is a serious threat to international

peace and security. How long can humanity stand the

sight of human suffering that we see daily on our

television screens? For how long can generations of

mothers mourn the loss of their sons in combat? For

how long should succeeding generations fight wars that

their forebears fought? We ask those involved in those

conflicts, descendants of old civilizations that made

enormous contributions to the growth and development

of modern civilization, to live and let live and to find

in themselves the courage to resolve their differences

through dialogue rather than through indiscriminate

violence.

Terrorism is one of the greatest challenges to

international peace and security. No one country can

defeat that scourge, which has caused the loss of many

lives across the world. The activities of terrorists have

become very complex and sophisticated. We need

united, stronger and concerted action by all the

countries of the world to defeat that scourge, which

knows no boundaries.

In conclusion, I reaffirm the importance that

Botswana attaches to the revitalization of the General

Assembly and the reform of the Security Council. We

commend the President of the fifty-eighth session of

the General Assembly for his practical proposals in

that area. We were disappointed that the Assembly

could not reach consensus on those proposals. My

delegation will contribute in whatever small way it can

to the building of such consensus.

Regarding the reform of the Security Council, we

are concerned that, after 11 years of consultations, not

much progress has been achieved. The solution to that

vexing question rests on the ability of Member States,

in particular the permanent members of the Council, to

muster the political will to compromise. We should not

tolerate this paralysis any longer. It is therefore my

hope that action will be taken at this session to

continue the process of democratizing the Security

Council and make it more representative of the

membership of the United Nations.

Finally, I once again make a special appeal to the

general Membership of the Organization to do more to

facilitate the implementation of the Millennium

Declaration. We must do all we can to transform hope

into reality. Together we have the resources, the skills

and the science and technology to make the

Declaration have meaning in the lives of our peoples.

Botswana is committed to doing its part.