Cameroon, 2012

I speak on behalf of Mr. Paul Biya, President

of the Republic of Cameroon, who has had to remain in

Cameroon owing to painful circumstances. He asked

me to read the following statement.

“Allow me, first of all, to warmly congratulate

the President on his election to the presidency of

the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session.

The experience he brings as former head of the

diplomatic corps of his country leads me to believe

that he, like his predecessor, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz

Al-Nasser, will lead the discussions with the

requisite agility and talent. I would also like to express to Mr. Al-Nasser my country’s appreciation

for his action as President of the General Assembly

at its sixty-sixth session.

“Finally, I would like thank Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon for his devotion to serving the ideals

of the Organization.

“This has been an active year for the

Organization. We have held major meetings to

discuss the important questions of the day and

examined the most appropriate course of action to

address them. Allow me to return to two of them.

“First of all, there is Rio+20, the United

Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,

which was held in June 2012 to commemorate the

twentieth anniversary of the historic Earth Summit.

The meeting enabled us to define the future we want

to leave our children.

“I am pleased that the vision adopted at the

end of the meeting recognizes the need to further

incorporate at all levels of activities the economic,

social and environmental aspects of sustainable

development. If we want to leave a liveable world

to future generations, the green economy seems the

most effective way of ensuring that development

meets the needs of populations while at the same

time preserving the environment.

“For our part, Cameroon has already begun

actions in that respect. We intend to work further to

preserve our natural capital and to seek low-carbon

solutions, as well as to promote production and

consumption patterns that are sustainable.

“In our view, progress towards the green

economy must be gradual and enjoy the support

of the international community. In that respect,

the document adopted at the end of the Rio

Conference committed the international community

to upholding the many obligations that had been

undertaken with respect to Africa in terms of

sustainable development, while ensuring, inter alia,

appropriate technology transfer. The international

financial institutions and the United Nations

Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

are called upon to strengthen their activities to that

end. That is a significant step forward.

“The second important meeting that we should

note is the thirteenth quadrennial session held by

UNCTAD in Doha, Qatar. Less commented upon by the media than the Rio meeting, that session aimed

to curb the excesses of globalization and to refocus

it on development. Globalization, because of what it

has brought to the development of trade, economic

and technological progress and the rapprochement of

cultures, can be considered a positive phenomenon.

The fact remains, however, that because of poor

management and poor regulation, it was unable to

prevent economic crises and relegated problems of

underdevelopment to the backburner. UNCTAD,

after the Doha meeting, was reinforced in its role in

terms of trade and development, which is something

to be welcomed.

“Since 2008, we have seen a slowdown in global

economic activity. Industrialized countries, be they

European Union or the United States or Japan,

have, to varying degrees, been experiencing serious

difficulties — slower growth or even recession,

increased debt and public deficits, imbalances

in foreign trade, and so on. Emerging countries

themselves, which had seen high growth rates,

have been experiencing a slowdown as well. As to

developing countries, even if they continue to make

moderate progress, they fear the effects of a crash of

the global economy and a possible contagion.

“A few moments ago I said that globalization,

even if it does have some positive aspects, has not

achieved its main objective, that is, ensuring the

harmonious functioning of the global economy

and global finance while taking into account the

interests of all concerned parties. That relative

failure has revealed an urgent need for regulation.

Right now it is hard to see how and when that need

can be met.

“Major forums, such as the Group of 20, of

which industrialized countries make up the majority,

and the World Trade Organization have, for their

part, discussed several times the question of the

global economy and outlined solutions that could

re-establish an overall balance. But it has to be said

that, given the scale of the task, the lack of available

resources and the difficulties that major countries

themselves are having to face, the discussions have

not always been followed by action. From that

standpoint, the international community seems to

be going through a period of doubt and concern.

Every one of us is aware that urgent and large-scale

action is required, but, preoccupied with our own problems, we seem to be in a state of paralysis and

unable to take the decisions that need to be taken.

“The obvious risk is one of a return to

protectionism — a temptation that is already

evident. If we believe the signs, that could only

bring temporary respite and in time could exacerbate

the recession. African countries, and Cameroon

in particular, which have undergone a long crisis

marked by declines in gross domestic product,

the harsh discipline of structural adjustment plans

and the worsening of social hardship, are in a

good position to evaluate the consequences of

a deterioration of the economy. That is why they

place their hopes in a broad consultation with a

view to the comprehensive regulation of economic

and financial flows that would take into account the

situation of the different categories of countries and

provide opportunities for international solidarity to

play a role.

“For its part, Cameroon has drawn lessons

from the current situation. Back on its feet, thanks

to the sacrifices of its population and relieved of

the weight of their debt by external partners, the

economy of Cameroon is now focused on taking

advantage of its natural resources. Well endowed

by nature, my country intends to develop modern

agriculture in order to consolidate its food self-

sufficiency and encourage exports. Also, aware

that its industrialization requires the availability of

sufficient energy, we have set in motion a programme

to exploit our vast hydroelectric potential. Finally,

several mining projects, together with the building

of adequate road transport and port infrastructure,

are under way. We hope to make progress on the

road to development and the improvement of the

living conditions of our population.

“I would now like to express my appreciation

for the President’s choice of theme for the general

debate, namely, ‘Bringing about adjustment or

settlement of international disputes or situations by

peaceful means’. That subject follows on from last

year’s theme and enables us to revisit the Charter of

the United Nations and to remind ourselves of the

values that it promotes and that should guide our

actions.

“The theme recalls recalls the fundamental

principles of the Organization, which are, inter

alia, the maintenance of international peace and security through the adoption of effective collective

measures and the settlement by peaceful means

of disputes which could lead to a breakdown of

peace, in accordance with the principles of justice

and international law. That reminder is not without

value at the present moment, when tensions persist

in the Sahel, especially in Mali, when the Sudan and

South Sudan struggle to normalize relations, and

when Syria is ravaged by internal conflict. Those

tensions highlight the risk of force being used to

resolve differences.

“The use of force can be justified in some

cases, such as to respond to international terrorism,

violations of human rights and democracy, threats

to the security of persons or violations of the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.

However, it is clear that, before resorting to that

extreme, peaceful means must first be used to

resolve disputes, so as to avoid setting off a vicious

circle of violence and retaliation. Far be it from me

to indulge in utopianism. There are situations when

military intervention is perhaps inevitable. But it

is our responsibility to reduce to the minimum the

likelihood of military action by taking a maximum

of precautions. In any case, clearly the preferred

way to settle disputes is still through prevention and

negotiation.

“For the greater part of international public

opinion, the United Nations embodies the noblest

human values and the hope for a future in keeping

with the ideals of peace, security and development,

as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Let

us strive to keep that hope from being yet again

betrayed.”