Cameroon, 1998

Allow me first of all, Sir, to

convey, on behalf of my delegation, my warmest and

most heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Opertti on his

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its

fifty-third session. His election is a tribute to his country,

Uruguay, a country with which Cameroon shares many

common ideals. It is also a mark of our confidence in his

qualities as a diplomat and lawyer of renown. He can rest

assured of the full cooperation of the delegation of

Cameroon in successfully discharging his important duty.

I also pay a warm tribute to his predecessor,

Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, the former Minister for Foreign

Affairs of Ukraine, who discharged with effectiveness and

authority the delicate and high-profile mission with which

he was entrusted.

Finally, I renew the firm support of my country,

Cameroon, for the work undertaken by the Secretary-

General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, at the head of

the Secretariat of our Organization since his election. He

has resolutely and effectively tackled the reform of the

United Nations with discretion, tact and realism, so as to

make it capable of meeting the challenges facing it.

At a time of globalization and information

superhighways, it is more urgent and necessary than ever

to place the development and dignity of humankind at the

centre of our concerns. We must also acknowledge that

the tremendous technological advances at the end of this

century justify high hopes of a better tomorrow.

By working for the right to development for both

present and future generations, by charting new and more

secure paths in the quest for peace, by watching over

international security more effectively than in the past,

our Organization is, at this delicate period in history,

helping to ease the anguish of humankind in an

international environment that is increasingly complex,

unequal and disquieting.

In this context, the current session of the General

Assembly gains greater prominence and importance

because it coincides with two fiftieth anniversaries: that

of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that of

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the start of peacekeeping operations. Those two events will

form the basis of my remarks.

With regard to the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, the first words of the preamble retain, 50 years

later, striking relevance. It states:

“recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal

and inalienable rights of all members of the human

family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace

in the world”.

Human rights are, first and foremost, a question of

dignity: dignity for every human being; dignity for all of

humankind. We believe that this search for dignity, which

is a condition for peace, justice and freedom in the world,

is the common ideal towards which all human rights actions

and activities should be aimed.

The commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary is a

true rallying call to us and should provide the international

community with an opportunity to refocus its approach to

human rights questions, which remains very simplistic.

Indeed, too often we forget that civil and political rights,

which exercise the international community so much, can

be fully developed only if economic, social and cultural

rights are also guaranteed. Recent experiences of

democratization processes in Africa remind us, by their

very fragility, of the incontrovertible indivisibility,

universality and interdependence of human rights.

To paraphrase the words the head of State of

Cameroon, His Excellency Mr. Paul Biya, spoke at the

World Food Summit in Rome, what dignity can there be for

the hungry? The international community must therefore

give equal priority to the promotion of the right to a

minimum standard of living.

In a world in which the globalization of trade, instead

of placing human beings at the centre of its concerns,

merely means speculation, market manipulation and deals

that generate the greatest profits, making the rich richer and

reducing the poorest to destitution, the social environment

itself is the cause of tension and conflict. That is why we

congratulate the Secretary-General on his report (A/52/871),

submitted to the Security Council as document S/1998/318

on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable

peace and sustainable development in Africa.

In this context, it is apt that, in seeking to establish a

true culture of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the

international community has chosen the central theme of the

commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary to be “human

rights for all”.

Poverty is today the most serious threat to human

dignity. This is particularly true in Africa, which is the

least advanced region and the one most seriously affected

by the economic crisis. Despite the reforms that have

taken place, at enormous social cost, to promote good

governance, democracy and the liberalization of

economies, meeting basic needs remains for many a

luxury in that continent. Whether we are talking about

access to drinking water, primary health care, or

education or about transport or other communication

infrastructures, international cooperation has not yet borne

fruit in a reliable, continuing, predictable and effective

way.

Official development assistance, which elsewhere has

helped to give rise to decent standards of living, is

dwindling drastically. Despite the increasingly favourable

juridical environment offered by Africa, investors seem to

be losing interest in the region. The debt burden is getting

worse. Our products do not have easy access to

international markets, nor are they priced according to

their true value.

It is clear that the marginalization of Africa seems

inevitable unless a true spirit of solidarity quickly

provides real long-term solutions. It is time for the

various initiatives, plans of action and other programmes

adopted to benefit Africa to be translated into reality.

Basing itself on the efforts made by the peoples of Africa,

the international community must increase its assistance

to that continent so as to enable Africans themselves to

make the progress that is indispensable for developing

their potential. In that way African countries will be able

successfully to integrate themselves into world economic

networks and achieve the development to which they

legitimately aspire, despite the well-known geographical

and historical handicaps. Such a development would

inevitably benefit all of humankind.

This solidarity should take the specific form of

reconsideration — indeed, the cancelling — of the debts

of African countries. We should recall that decisions to

cancel debt in the past have enabled countries in difficult

and precarious situations to rediscover the road to

economic prosperity, democracy and greater political

stability.

The path thus seems clearly laid out for the rich

countries that are working to promote freedom and human

10

rights. They should reflect, at the dawn of the third

millennium, on their relations with developing countries

that are becoming poorer because of their deep

indebtedness.

North-South solidarity should also be reflected in a

new concept of official development assistance. Such

assistance is indispensable for establishing development

infrastructure within the context of poverty eradication.

Private flows, channelled through non-governmental

organizations, cannot alone take on that role. Furthermore,

structural adjustment should aim to strengthen and improve

the autonomous management capacity of countries in

difficulty. Otherwise, globalization will mean that certain

countries become richer while others become poorer. That

would render meaningless the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights and put in grave danger the requirement of

dignity for every human being, for all people and for peace

in the world.

Indeed, what freedom or self-determination — and

especially, what sovereignty — can there be for a starving

people? What democracy can there be for a people

suffering from malnutrition, with no access to basic health

care, drinking water or elementary education. We thus need

to return the human being to the centre of development.

Cameroon has constantly contributed to this lofty

endeavour.

The salient activities we have undertaken to mark the

fiftieth anniversary in my country include informing people

about human rights and making all of society aware of

human rights issues through media campaigns, seminars,

conferences and poster campaigns throughout our land,

even in villages; the introduction of human rights teaching

in schools and universities; issuing special postage stamps;

promoting in particular the rights of women, children and

disabled or infirm people, establishing a prize for the best

research in the human rights area; and the opening by the

head of State of a public square dedicated to human rights.

But above and beyond commemorating the

anniversary, Cameroon has for a decade been making

important progress in promoting human rights. It did so

first through a series of legislative and regulatory measures

that, inter alia, abolished legal exemptions, restored

individual and collective freedoms, put an end to censorship

and ensured better protection for the interests of workers

and vulnerable social sectors.

Through constitutional revision and a progressive

electoral system, we have established total adherence to the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ensured the

full participation of our people in making political

choices. Furthermore, a national committee for human

rights and freedoms was established in 1990, which is

freely carrying out its activities throughout the country, as

are the many non-governmental organizations and human

rights groups that have come into being.

With regard to progress made in the world since the

adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

and the efforts that remain to be made in this area, there

is no doubt that the promotion of and respect for human

rights are a difficult, ongoing endeavour. Vigilance must

therefore be our watchword, and the struggle for human

rights should not flag in any region of the world.

The United Nations must continue to ensure that

human rights are fully enjoyed by all the peoples of the

world. To that end, the letter and spirit of the Universal

Declaration should gradually be adapted to changing

mores and to science and technology. Bodies that are

above the fray of ideologies and interests should ensure

that it is observed, including through a system of regional

and international human rights courts.

With regard to the fiftieth anniversary of

peacekeeping operations, we wish to pay tribute to the

work done by the United Nations, which has always made

its presence felt wherever peace has been threatened.

Thanks to the Blue Helmets, the United Nations is present

in all the world’s trouble spots, keeping the peace.

It is true that some voices have been heard here and

there deploring their sluggishness, hesitation and, in some

cases the inaction. Sometimes the presence of a United

Nations force or mission has not been able to prevent

large-scale massacres or crimes against humanity,

perpetrated in violation of the most elementary rules of

humanitarian law. Such limits to the actions of our

Organization remind us in a very timely manner that the

United Nations can act only within the limits of the

means made available to it by the Member States. It is up

to Member States, therefore, to provide it with the

necessary resources to enable it to respond fully to the

mission entrusted to it by the peoples of the United

Nations.

Despite these limits, we must acknowledge in a

positive spirit that over the years many peacekeeping

operations and other actions taken by the Secretary-

General have made it possible to prevent the emergence,

aggravation or continuation of many conflicts.

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Thanks to the Blue Helmets, millions of human lives

have been saved, and sometimes the United Nations has

paid a heavy price for this total commitment to the cause of

peace. The recent tragic death of Mr. Alioune Blondin Beye

and his team, to whose memory I wish to reaffirm the

fraternal homage of the people of Cameroon, is one more

particularly unhappy example of this point.

By ensuring the safety of peoples, the delivery of

humanitarian aid and respect for ceasefire agreements and

by performing an increasing number of administrative tasks,

the Blue Helmets are helping restore confidence and

prevent loss of life and the disintegration of certain States.

Such commitments and sacrifices deserve all our

encouragement.

The fiftieth anniversary of peacekeeping operations

should provide us with an opportunity to think about

questions relating to their continuation: problems of

financing, the safety of personnel involved in the

operations, the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and

ethical issues.

With regard to the ethical issues, Cameroon believes

that it is time to formulate a code of conduct so that people

participating in peacekeeping operations can remain, above

all, protectors of human rights as well as true beneficiaries

of them. Given the many tasks expected of these

operations, it would be appropriate to review their range,

their scope and the modalities governing them.

Even now, as we congratulate the United Nations on

its work for peace, conflicts are still destroying lives,

tearing apart families and communities and placing at risk

the future of young generations throughout the world. The

reports of the Security Council and of the Secretary-

General, which we receive on a regular basis, are

particularly important in this respect.

The resurgence of terrorism is another element of the

picture, as we were recently reminded by the deadly attacks

against the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-

Salaam and the attack in Omagh. Cameroon, a peaceful,

justice-loving country, strongly condemns these unfortunate

events that show that we need to redouble our efforts to put

an end to mindless violence.

This means that we must silence weapons, prevent

disputes and above all create the conditions for true peace.

That does not mean merely the absence of armed

conflict, but living together in harmony, with the entire

international community and all nations building together

a society that respects individual and collective freedoms.

We need to begin by recognizing and accepting

differences as a source of richness and dynamism. We

need to practise tolerance and dialogue, the latter not just

between the citizens of one nation but also between

States, in order to build a more fraternal and democratic

society.

This means in particular that we must opt to settle

disputes through peaceful means and that States must turn

whenever necessary to the International Court of Justice

as the judicial organ of the United Nations and the

essential cog not only in the machinery for peaceful

settlement of disputes, but also within the general system

of peacekeeping and international security established by

the Charter.

At the end of the United Nations Decade of

International Law, the call has become urgent for States

to demonstrate themselves psychologically prepared to

seek recourse naturally to the International Court of

Justice and the political bodies of the United Nations and

those of regional organizations. This is Cameroon’s

conviction, as well as that of the General Assembly,

which in resolution 3232 (XXIX), paragraph 6, reaffirmed

that,

“recourse to judicial settlement of legal disputes,

particularly referral to the International Court of

Justice, should not be considered an unfriendly act

between States.”

That is why Cameroon went to the International

Court of Justice at The Hague with regard to its dispute

with Nigeria over territorial and maritime boundaries. In

this context, I should like to take this opportunity to make

an urgent appeal to the international community, and

especially to the United Nations, to help keep the peace

between our two countries before, during and after the

Court’s verdict.

Silencing weapons is a good thing; eliminating their

use through prevention and — why not? — through

disarmament is even better. That is why we must not rest

until all weapons of mass destruction are eradicated, be

they of a nuclear, chemical, biological or other nature.

It must be pointed out here that another danger has

appeared in certain subregions of Africa — namely, the

proliferation of small arms and their illicit circulation.

This phenomenon is already a threat to peace and should

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be quickly contained because it can sow the seeds of

conflict.

The conclusions of the recent seminar organized by

the United Nations Secretariat in Yaoundé from 27 to 31

July 1998 within the framework of the Standing Advisory

Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa are

particularly illustrative in that regard. I would like to thank

the Secretary-General and donor countries for their support

of the activities of that Committee. We know that we can

continue to count on their support in implementing the

recommendations of that seminar, especially in continuing

the Committee’s activities. That institution is called on to

play a crucial role in mobilizing the countries of central

Africa to take responsibility for the security of their

subregion under the aegis of the United Nations.

Also with regard to prevention, the recent creation in

Rome of the International Criminal Court is a timely

addition to the mechanisms that protect human rights and

maintain peace. The International Criminal Court will in

effect be responsible for prosecuting and punishing persons

guilty of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity

and the crime of aggression. Cameroon is pleased to have

been one of the first signatories to its Statute and hopes that

all States will become parties to it. To this end, it is urgent

that the crime of aggression be rapidly and clearly defined.

This would abolish the impunity of aggressors and prove to

the peoples of the world our real determination to put an

end to war once and for all.

In the context of this general debate, I have

deliberately chosen, as the Assembly has seen, not to touch

on most current problems, particularly ongoing crises. I

wanted to concentrate on certain permanent essential values

that lie at the basis of the two observances I mentioned,

whose violation causes most of the misfortune in our world

today. I refer to the human persons’s right to dignity and

fulfilment, the right to development and the right to

peace — in short, the right to life. The United Nations is

the guarantor of their observance and promotion.

For Africa, the recent report of the Secretary-General,

which should act as a kind of compass for all of us, lays

down the foundations for all those committed to working

for the prosperity of our peoples. In reality, all regions of

the world need this kind of wake-up call and this kind of

report. We are accountable to future generations for making

these values a reality.

Let us not disappoint. Let us not allow people to be

left along the side of the road. It is up to us to do

everything possible so that these humane values remain a

constant concern of the United Nations and of its

specialized agencies.