Cape Verde, 2001

Allow me to

join the delegations that preceded me in congratulating

Mr. Han Seung-soo on his election to preside over the

proceedings of the fifty-sixth session of the General

Assembly, being held at an especially complicated

moment in international life. His long and brilliant

career as an eminent diplomat and distinguished

statesman in his country assures us that his term as

President of the Assembly will be a productive one, as

has been clearly evident since this session was

convened. I assure him that he can count on the full

cooperation of the delegation of Cape Verde.

To his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland,

I wish to express our recognition of the skill and

efficiency with which he managed the major global

issues that came before this lofty forum during the

previous session, particularly during the Millennium

Summit.

My delegation is also pleased with the re-election

of Mr. Kofi Annan as Secretary-General of the United

Nations. The unanimity of his re-election reflects the

tremendous prestige he has gained in the international

community because of his vision, as well as the trust

placed in him to pursue the reforms under way and to

consolidate the prestige of the United Nations.

Like the delegations that preceded me, I also wish

to take this opportunity to reiterate my congratulations

to the United Nations and its Secretary-General as joint

recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, an award that

reinforces their moral authority, so necessary in these

turbulent times. This distinction, both well-deserved

and heartening, helps emphasize the importance of the

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work of our Organization, under the enlightened

guidance of Mr. Annan, in fostering an international

atmosphere conducive to a more just, tolerant and

mutually supportive world.

This is a gigantic and complex task, undertaken

in the midst of enormous difficulties and risks and

continually posing new challenges to our collective

mind as we search for solutions to large and ever-

growing problems that humanity must solve.

Now, when international peace and security are

seriously threatened, that recent honour not only

constitutes well-deserved recognition of a high degree

of dedication to the cause of peace and the prevention

and resolution of conflicts; it also bears a message of

hope that the shining ideals of justice, democracy,

human rights and development for all will shape the

entire world to the benefit of future generations.

We in our country understand and properly

appreciate the role and the importance of the United

Nations. It was partly due to the persistent and

unconditional support of the United Nations that our

struggle for national liberation culminated in success,

with the proclamation of our independence. It was

certainly due to the support of the United Nations and

its specialized agencies that Cape Verde has been able

to take important steps on the road to development and

show encouraging signs of progress, year after year, as

documented in the Human Development Reports of the

United Nations Development Programme.

The tragedy that recently struck the homeland of

the United States of America, causing the loss of

thousands of innocent lives and destroying one of the

most prestigious landmarks in this city, can only be the

object of our most vehement and total condemnation.

The United States is home to the largest overseas

Cape Verdean community. That part of our diaspora has

also felt violated by the barbarous attacks of 11

September, and along with them, my country and,

indeed, all Cape Verdeans share in the mourning and

the distress experienced by the American people and

families of so many other nationalities.

Cape Verde has stood ready from the outset to

support actions intended to combat terrorism, in the

context of a broad international coalition under the

auspices of the United Nations. Therefore, my

Government is committed to implementing Security

Council resolution 1373 (2001) to combat this scourge.

Important steps have already been taken, particularly

regarding the endorsement of international anti-

terrorism instruments.

We believe that all States have a moral and

collective obligation to fight the perversion of the

human spirit represented by this phenomenon. The

seriousness and the scope of the 11 September terrorist

acts show that, from now on, terrorism must be

confronted resolutely, with appropriate responses and

preventive action, in order to stem the criminal

violence that masquerades as being prompted by

political or religious motivations.

No country is safe from similar attacks or from

attempts to use its own territory for the perpetration of

terrorist acts. Therefore, any strategy designed to

permanently eliminate this dangerous threat to

international peace and stability must be a common

one, with broad participation, in which the United

Nations plays a crucial role.

In participating in the global effort to eliminate

terrorism, the developing countries are, once again, at a

serious disadvantage. On the one hand, their scarcity of

resources and their lack of sophisticated means of

detection and prevention make them more vulnerable

to infiltration by terrorist organizations and to actions

launched within their own borders. On the other hand,

when they attempt to respond to demands from the

international community, they are forced to mobilize

resources that would otherwise be dedicated to their

economic and social development and to meeting the

basic needs of their peoples.

Added to this is the fact that, as was emphasized

some days ago by the Secretary-General, the poorer

economies are the ones that will pay most dearly for

the direct consequences of the terrorist attacks on the

world economy. My own country, which depends

heavily on tourism revenues, is already feeling the

repercussions of the worldwide crisis in the

transportation and hospitality industries.

There is therefore a critical need for the

international community to effectively help the

developing countries, particularly the least developed

among them, to bear the added burden that the battle

against terrorism is placing on their economies. The

industrialized countries must display increased

solidarity and generosity in assisting developing

countries, since the effort that developing countries

have agreed to make and the sacrifices imposed on

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their populations will also benefit the industrialized

nations.

A little more than a year ago, the Millennium

Summit was held in this Hall. It drew approximately

150 heads of State or Government. The dialogue was

active and innovative to an extent unprecedented in the

history of the Organization. A tremendous variety of

sectors of civil society participated directly. Not only

did the Summit provide a succinct overview of the

activities of the United Nations since its founding, it

also constituted a unique opportunity to present an

integrated picture of the strategic objectives for the

twenty-first century, thereby opening new avenues for

addressing the challenges of globalization.

The conclusions of the Summit rekindled the

flame of hope among the peoples of the world, in

particular among those who believe that it is possible

to find effective ways of giving all countries real

opportunities for development by improving their

institutional and productive infrastructure and by

creating an international atmosphere conducive to

providing them with access to the means, both public

and private, to fund their development. The drafting of

the road map towards the implementation of the United

Nations Millennium Declaration (A/56/326) gives the

international community a powerful tool for joining

forces in the implementation of the major policy lines

adopted at the Summit.

Important events have taken place since the

Millennium Summit. Of particular interest were the

Third United Nations Conference on the Least

Developed Countries, the special session of the

General Assembly on HIV/AIDS and the Durban

World Conference Against Racism, Racial

Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

Now, we are preparing to hold, in the near future, the

International Conference on Financing for

Development, a special Assembly session on children,

and the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable

Development.

The specific manner in which those issues affect

the African continent, which is home to the great

majority of the least developed countries, has certainly

helped accelerate the decision-making processes with

regard to regional integration, leading to important

steps that may open the way to a more promising

future, despite the clouds hanging over the

international scene.

As we know, a complicated combination of

endogenous and exogenous phenomena has left the

African continent feeling increasingly marginalized.

The pace of economic growth has not been able to

reduce poverty significantly. Diseases such as malaria

and AIDS continue to cut lives short at a frightening

rate. Several countries are the scene of instability;

many of them are engaged in armed conflicts and are

experiencing terrorist activities that kill thousands of

innocents, systematically destroy property, disrupt the

operations of Governments and displace population

groups. The scanty positive results from the many

plans and initiatives conceived and implemented to

deal with the serious problems Africa has faced over

the years have resulted in well known and widespread

dissatisfaction, both in the international community

and among African leaders.

Yet, despite the rather discouraging international

climate, Africa has taken important steps that may open

the way to a more promising future. With a view to

creating the instruments and mobilizing the will to face

up to an increasingly complex global situation, African

leaders proclaimed the African Union with a new

vision for our continent. Moreover, they adopted the

New Initiative for Africa, recently designated as the

New Partnership for the Development of Africa, under

which Africans assume full responsibility for

eradicating poverty and putting their countries on the

path of economic growth and development at the same

time as they offer a partnership that is mutually

beneficial to the international community in meeting

the challenges of the new millennium.

The adoption of those two instruments and the

firm commitment to promote transparent stewardship

will surely open up new prospects for the establishment

of peace, stability, democracy and development that

can lead the continent to occupy the prominent place in

the global economy that is justified by its immense

potential.

Doubtless, there is a long road to travel before we

achieve political integration based on democratic

institutions and grounded in popular participation,

good governance and action aimed at the promotion of

sustainable development on the economic, social and

cultural levels. But we believe that, with the emergence

of new leadership dedicated to economic rebirth, with

the consolidation of democracy and good governance

and with the anticipated support of the international

31

community, conditions will be present for a

fundamental and historic turnaround in Africa.

Two of the most critical problems faced by the

Organization and by the African continent, whose

solution cannot be postponed, now loom larger because

of their interconnection and because of their bottleneck

effect. I refer to poverty and armed conflicts. All

available data reinforce our apprehensions about the

success of the battle against poverty in the world. This

makes it necessary to adopt a strategy to win that war,

since attaining the objective of a 50 per cent reduction

in the number of persons living in extreme poverty by

2015 appears ever more problematic. Without measures

that can effectively reverse the process of socio-

economic degradation and, especially, without political

will on the part of the international community as a

whole, that goal of the Millennium Summit cannot be

achieved.

It is an undisputed fact that, as a rule, conflicts

occur in countries that are marked by poverty. This

cause-and-effect relationship has become a vicious

circle that cannot be terminated without efficient

coordination between the preventive diplomacy and

social action of the United Nations on the one hand and

more effective engagement by the industrialized

countries on the other.

Despite the efforts of the international

community, the United Nations and the Secretary-

General towards peace and stabilization in international

relations and towards democracy and human rights,

certain regions of the world continue to be the scene of

armed conflicts that threaten to spread and endanger

peace and stability in those regions.

The terrorist acts of 11 September have added a

new measure of instability, provoking an anti-terrorist

military intervention in Afghanistan whose duration

and consequences are difficult to assess.

The impasse in the search for a lasting solution to

the Palestine question, which is primarily a result of

the intransigence of Israel and the cycle of violence

that has been set in motion, has created one of the most

dangerous focal points of tension and a threat to world

peace. The implementation of the Oslo Agreement

must be resumed. Violence must be brought to an end

and the internationally recognized rights of the

Palestinians must be respected, including their right to

their own State, while guaranteeing the Israeli people

the right to live in peace in their country within

internationally recognized borders.

Africa, today the scene of the greatest number of

armed conflicts, has taken some positive steps in the

direction of peace, with the active involvement of the

United Nations, the Organization of African Unity,

many friendly countries and a number of multilateral

actors, non-governmental organizations and elements

of civil society. However the persistence of acts of

violence, namely the perpetration of criminal acts

against civilian targets, bears evidence that the road to

political and social stabilization leading in turn to the

restoration of peace is still long and difficult.

In Angola, for example, we have seen fresh

outbreaks of armed action by UNITA, which continues

to spread death and destruction. The Security Council

once again strongly condemned the actions of the rebel

movement, while maintaining its sanctions against that

organization. But it is vital that all countries cooperate

without reservation by denying UNITA the means to

carry out its criminal actions, so that it can be

persuaded to lay down its weapons and fully abide by

the Lusaka Agreement.

Cape Verde is pleased at the success represented

by the transition of East Timor towards independence,

a process that constitutes a remarkable and exemplary

success achieved by our Organization and particularly

by the United Nations Transitional Administration in

East Timor. From the very outset and in the most

difficult moments, the Cape Verdean Government and

people have always been on the side of the people of

East Timor in their struggle for independence. We will

celebrate this occasion together on 20 May 2002, when

East Timor takes its destiny into its own hands and

joins our great family here in the United Nations.

I conclude by expressing the hope that the

outcome of this session may make an effective

contribution to a better world, a more just and mutually

supportive world of peace and cooperation and,

especially, a world of tolerance and concord.