Cameroon, 2011

First, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Paul Biya,

President of the Republic and Head of State of

Cameroon, and on behalf of the delegation that I have

the honour to lead at the current session, I warmly

congratulate the President on his unanimous election to

preside over the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session.

To Mr. Joseph Deiss, his predecessor, we wish to

say how much his work as President of the Assembly at

its sixty-fifth session was appreciated, just as

Cameroon appreciated his visit to Yaoundé in January

during his African visit.

We also once again sincerely congratulate

Mr. Ban Ki-moon on the extension of his mandate as

Secretary-General for a further five years. His

determination and commitment to the United Nations

during his first term of office contributed to the

initiatives and important actions of the United Nations

to promote peace and social and economic

development throughout the world. He will have our

best wishes and constant support during his second

term, when we hope that he will successfully continue

his work in every area within the framework of the

United Nations agenda, particularly in terms of

aligning and harmonizing the points of view of the

various Member States.

This year a new Member, the Republic of South

Sudan, joined the Organization. We had the

opportunity to solemnly, but joyfully, welcome it on

14 July, following its declaration of independence a

few days earlier. The arrival of this new State allows a

dark chapter to be closed: decades of war, with a litany

of woes, death, displaced persons, tears, human tragedy

and suffering among the people of that land on our

African continent.

Cameroon takes the opportunity to join in paying

a well-deserved tribute to the leaders of the Sudan and

of South Sudan, as well as to the United Nations and

the African Union, for their tireless work in supporting

the negotiations before the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement was signed in 2005, as well as during its

subsequent implementation. The United Nations

Mission in the Sudan and the recent creation of the

United Nations Mission in the Republic of South

Sudan, whose task it is to support the new State in the

process of consolidating its institutions and democracy,

show the unique, decisive role played by the United

Nations, fully in line with the fundamental purposes

and principles of its founding Charter.

Cameroon welcomes the role that the United

Nations has played in that regard. In more general

terms, we believe that its role in conflict management

should be played in a fully transparent way and in line

with the principles, purposes and ideals of the Charter,

which calls for the peaceful settlement of international

disputes and for respect for the sovereignty and

territorial integrity of States.

That is where the theme selected for this sixty-

sixth session — “The role of mediation in the

settlement of disputes through peaceful means” —

takes on its importance, reminding us that the Charter

states that the Organization’s primary purpose is

“To maintain international peace and

security, and to that end: to take effective

collective measures for the prevention and

removal of threats to the peace, and for the

suppression of acts of aggression or other

breaches of the peace, and to bring about by

peaceful means, and in conformity with the

principles of justice and international law,

adjustment or settlement of international disputes

or situations which might lead to a breach of the

peace”.

The Charter also calls upon Members of the

United Nations to

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“refrain in their international relations from the

threat or use of force against the territorial

integrity or political independence of any state, or

in any other manner inconsistent with the

Purposes of the United Nations.”

International disputes, and a fortiori internal

conflicts, should be settled peacefully in line with our

Charter, through negotiation and mediation, rather than

by recourse to force.

That is the position that the African Union, the

continental organization of African States, ceaselessly

advocates and defends. Cameroon agrees with the

African Union that any lasting solution to an internal

political crisis must take into account the State’s

national political institutions and the legitimate

aspirations of the people concerned, but also the

maintenance of the country’s unity and territorial

integrity. It considers that priority must be given to

measures that guarantee the maintenance of peace, the

promotion of national reconciliation and the

consolidation of a democratic culture and ownership of

the rule of law by Governments and citizens.

With regard to some current burning questions in

this area, and particularly with regard to management

of the Libyan issue, Cameroon noted the General

Assembly decision on 19 September approving the

mandate of the Libyan delegation established by the

National Transitional Council, as well as the statement

made here by the Chairperson of the African Union

Council on 21 September, which was preceded by the

19 September press release. Fully in line with our

external policy, Cameroon will respect the decision and

statement in the context of its bilateral relations with

the Libyan State, and within various international

institutions.

It is the international community’s duty to

support States and their peoples in the management of

their national affairs, and in seeking to ensure that they

control their own fate. Governments, for their part,

must seek to respond to the legitimate aspirations and

the many and varied expectations of their peoples in all

areas.

In Cameroon the Government is seeking to

implement the reforms that began a few years ago to

consolidate national political institutions and

modernize our democracy. At the same time, it has

established policies to create an environment

favourable to development and revenue-generating

activities and to improve the living conditions of its

people, in a context of repeated international economic

and financial crises, which have disturbing effects on

the national programmes of States.

In economic terms, my country has had since

2009 a real moral compass for national players, both

public and private, and for our external partners: the

Growth and Employment Strategy document. The

document is part of a comprehensive shared vision of

development for Cameroon up to 2035, called Vision

2035. It emphasises seeking increased growth, job

creation, poverty reduction and a tangible improvement

in the living conditions of our people. The strategy will

be implemented by, in particular, large-scale, labour-

intensive building projects throughout the country, with

particular emphasis on the energy sectors, mining and

the creation of human capital.

In political terms, and with regard to elections,

our independent electoral institution — Elections

Cameroon (ELECAM) — set up in 2006 and made

responsible for the entire electoral process, from the

electoral register to the organization of the ballot, the

oversight of elections and referendums, has become

fully operational, and has a number of local offices.

Giving the right to vote to Cameroonians living

abroad is part of the law that was promulgated this

year. The electoral register has been updated by

ELECAM, and incentives, such as free national

identity cards, were given to encourage a large turn-out

at the elections. Furthermore, legal provisions have

been established to ensure the transparency, freedom,

honesty and credibility of the elections in a context of

consensual democracy.

In that regard, there is a deadline of importance to

the Cameroonian people in the short term. On

9 October they will have the right to elect their leader

and determine their future, as is the case in all

democracies. I am referring to the presidential election.

With all of the provisions that I have just mentioned,

made with the technical assistance of United Nations

specialized agencies, we believe that the conditions

now exist to ensure that the election takes place

peacefully. Independent national and foreign observers

will be authorized to monitor the presidential election.

I wish to highlight with pride the political

maturity demonstrated by the people of Cameroon.

They have always been able to make the best choice in

order to ensure that we preserve national achievements,

17 11-51378

particularly with regard to peace and national unity,

and the people have been able to work together in a

spirit of patriotism, and with a high sense of a citizen’s

responsibilities when required to meet the various

challenges, both external and internal, that they

encounter and have encountered throughout their

history.

I reiterate Cameroon’s commitment to peace

through mediation, as well as its commitment to

democracy and good governance, both internally and

internationally.

I close by emphasizing my country’s commitment

to the ideals of the Charter, and to those set out in the

Constitutive Act of the African Union. My country

wishes to see enhanced cooperation between those two

international institutions, as they deal with issues

affecting African countries, in line with the spirit and

letter of those two international instruments.

This has been, on behalf of the President of the

Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Mr. Paul Biya,

Head of State and head of Cameroonian diplomacy, our

contribution to the general debate at the sixty-sixth

session of the General Assembly of the United Nations,

which is our common international Organization with

global competence.