Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2007

Allow me to join previous speakers from this rostrum

in sincerely congratulating Mr. Kerim on his election to

the presidency of the General Assembly.

I also pay sincere tribute to Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon for his tireless and laudable efforts to

defend and promote the purposes and principles of the

Organization’s Charter. His visit to our country shortly

after he took office reassured us of his commitment

and that of the United Nations to the Congolese people

in its quest for peace, freedom and development.

The sixty-second session of the General

Assembly is taking place in an international context

marked by persistent violence throughout the world.

The United Nations task is harder than ever; by the

same token, it is more noble and inspiring than ever.

For the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this

session is unlike previous sessions. It marks our rebirth

as a State based on law. It also marks our return to

international affairs as a credible actor and partner.

Today more than in the past, my country is aware of

the evils of war and of poor governance, as well as of a

promising future of stable institutions, legitimate

authorities and peaceful coexistence among peoples.

My country is thus aware of the irreplaceable value of

the United Nations. We are an example of the

Organization’s successful work.

I should like to pay tribute to our bilateral and

multilateral partners, and in particular to the United

Nations, for their invaluable assistance. Having

received so much, we believe that it is now our turn to

contribute to peacekeeping operations. We look

forward to playing an increasingly important role; in

the meantime, we have made the modest contribution

of civilian police officers now deployed in two

Member States.

The path to the irreversible end of the multitude

of crises that have beset my country for so many years

remains strewn with obstacles. From the security

perspective, we still need to finalize the process of

disarmament, demobilization and reintegration,

complete the creation of a national republican police

force and army, and operationalize a credible justice

system. Attaining that three-fold goal is an absolute

priority for us.

Moreover, while stressing the political and

diplomatic approach, we must do all we can, resolutely

and with a heightened sense of urgency, to resolve the

remaining problems of insecurity in North Kivu.

Nothing can reasonably justify a situation in which

Congolese continue to be the daily targets of every

manner of violence and abuse from national and

foreign armed groups, and in which masses of our

people are displaced by war. Peace and security must

rapidly and at all costs be restored to that part of our

territory, and they will be.

With regard to foreign armed groups, United

Nations support is crucial to their voluntary or, if need

be, forced disarmament, repatriation and reintegration.

Despite such difficulties, we have in less than

five years successfully met the challenge of organizing

democratic elections, establishing legitimate

institutions, and relaunching economic growth. Our

current priority is reconstruction and development with

the aim of rolling back poverty, injustice and social

inequalities. It is an immense task; if we are to meet it,

the resolve of our people and its aspirations to a great

future will be critical, though not sufficient. The

unflagging and unreserved involvement of all our

diverse partners remains indispensable.

Notwithstanding certain deficiencies, the United

Nations remains the conscious of humankind. Its

present and future role must be seen in the context of

the world’s evolution and ever-changing challenges.

The future will be a time of increased competition

among nations, particularly in the areas of trade,

finance and research, as well as of the universal

enjoyment of clean air, drinking water and natural

resources vital commodities that the ever-growing

population and economies of the world are making

increasingly precious and scarce.

In the face of those challenges and of the ongoing

threats to international peace and security, the United

Nations credibility will depend on its ability to ensure

that all Member States without exception implement its

decisions and that commitments they have freely

entered into are effectively honoured.

In that respect, turning to the Middle East, the

credibility of our Organization will always be in

question so long as the Security Council fails to do all

in its power to ensure, pursuant to the provisions of our

Charter and the relevant resolutions, the effective

establishment of two States, living side by side in

peace and security.

On another subject, climate change is an

undeniable reality today, an eloquent instance of the

constantly changing face of collective security. Its

effects, unfortunately, will be more harmful in the

developing countries, particularly and unfairly in

Africa. Africa contributes the least to greenhouse gas

emissions and does not have the resources to deal with

their terrible consequences.

Making this point is a stark reminder of the need

for a responsible, equitable and unified approach to the

problems of sustainable development. I therefore

welcome the Secretary-General’s organization on

24 September of the high-level meeting on climate

change. The meeting was an opportunity for us to

devote to that crucial subject the attention it deserves

and to sensitize ourselves to the consequences of the

patterns of consumption that expose our world to the

threat of an irreversible disaster.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the

natural habitat of unparalleled biological diversity. Its

primeval forests make Central Africa the second lung

of the world. We therefore undertake to participate in

the design and implementation of an effective strategy

to preserve optimum conditions of life on Earth. In the

interests of humankind, we are prepared to make the

sacrifices required by collective responsibility. In

return, we call for fair compensation to ensure that we

do not jeopardize our own development.

In the face of changes on the world scene, our

Organization must adjust and espouse an architecture

that, while preserving universal values, makes it fit to

meet increasingly diverse and growing challenges.

Democracy, which today is universally recognized as

the best form of Government, should not only permeate

our collective action in international affairs, but should

also be reflected within our Organization.

Accordingly, the Democratic Republic of the

Congo welcomes the process of reforming the United

Nations system to create greater coherence and

effectiveness of action. We wish to stress that increased

representation within the Security Council is a

democratic requirement necessary to the harmonious

functioning of the United Nations. The continent of

Africa must be represented on a permanent basis within

that important organ.

We also draw the Assembly’s attention to the fact

that Security Council reform must not eclipse the need

to revisit other bodies of this Organization. Their

working methods should be as efficient as possible and

their future interaction better defined. As to the

General Assembly, its authority must be further

reinforced so as to enable its President to play a

pre-eminent role in the search for solutions to

international problems.

With regard to the new threats and challenges

looming on the horizon, I have recalled the respective

commitments made by Member States under the United

Nations Charter, and I have reaffirmed the commitment

of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to that

founding text of our Organization. I have also drawn

the Assembly’s attention to the various scourges that

characterize the international context and to the threats

relating to climate change. I have thereby stressed the

need for us to combine our efforts if we wish to enable

our peoples to live in a world that enjoys the best

possible living conditions, social progress and

international peace and security.

Our political resolve to eradicate those scourges

and our decisive, concerted action to do so will be the

proof of how genuine our commitment really is to

improving the state of the world. That is the only way

to bolster the confidence of our peoples in our

Organization. It is the only way, and nothing less will

do, to safeguard the legitimacy of the United Nations

and to consolidate the effectiveness of its action. Let us

meet that challenge together.