Equatorial Guinea, 2009

At the outset, allow me to congratulate

Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, Minister of African Union

Affairs of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, on his

unanimous election as President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. We are convinced

that, guided by his Government’s adherence to the

principles of national independence and sovereignty,

the primacy of the values of the human individual, the

maintenance of international peace and security, and

the economic development of all countries, and with

his well-known diplomatic skills, he will contribute to

the good management of the Assembly and to ensuring

that the United Nations achieves the universal

objectives of peace, stability and global development.

We also express our thanks to Mr. Miguel

d’Escoto Brockmann, Minister for Foreign Affairs of

the Republic of Nicaragua, for his outstanding work at

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the sixty-third session, at a time when the world was

shaken by an acute financial and economic crisis the

consequences of which have fomented instability and

threatened peace in various regions of the world.

Mr. Singh Puri (India), Vice-President, took the

Chair.

Amid this climate of insecurity, the food and

global energy crises, natural disasters and climate

change that threaten the sustainability of the global

ecology, the work of the Secretary-General, as the

coordinator of the activities of our Organization, has

been far from easy. We therefore commend Mr. Ban

Ki-moon for his efforts to address those issues and

offer him our full support and cooperation so that his

actions can be implemented without delay.

In taking the floor to address this international

forum, I wish first and foremost to express our

gratitude for this renewed opportunity to share our

thoughts, experience and common concerns for the

modern world. It is timely indeed that the Secretary-

General has dedicated the sixty-fourth session of the

General Assembly to the topic of effective responses to

the current global economic and financial crisis in

order to analyse its causes and adopt policies and

strategies that will enable States to mitigate the

negative consequences of the crisis, which are having

an increasingly debilitating impact on economically

weak countries in particular.

Following the end of the cold war and the

disappearance of the bipolar and antagonistic world

that emerged from the Second World War, it became

clear that a more globalized, united and integrated era

had dawned among nations that would result in greater

justice, solidarity and integration in international

exchanges and relations. Mutual respect for cultural

specificities remains the fundamental basis for

international cooperation, an association of shared

responsibilities, mutual respect and equitable mutual

benefit. That has been the guiding ideal of the United

Nations since its inception. Its efforts to create a world

of peace, development and well-being for humankind

have followed this aim for the sixty-plus years of its

history.

Yet the gap between developed and developing

countries has only widened, in spite of the numerous

resolutions, decisions and recommendations that have

been adopted to promote the equality of political,

economic, social and cultural rights; the global

development of humanity; the replacement of the old

economic order with a new, more just and equitable

system; the provision of financial assistance to the

most vulnerable countries; the liberalization of global

trade; and in spite of the many other measures adopted

at special summits.

Yet, despite all this, global achievement of the

United Nations Millennium Development Goals has

fallen short by 20 per cent. We can see that,

unfortunately, egoism and the desire to dominate

remain the driving force in international relations.

Inevitably, without a multilateralism that respects the

criterion of partnership based on mutual respect for

shared responsibilities and reciprocal and equitable

interests, the global political, economic and social

balance is undermined. Inevitably, unless this

partnership is based on respect for the cultural values

of every nation, a new cold or hot war is bound to

break out between poor countries and rich countries.

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea welcomes the

timeliness of this debate, since in the middle of this

unprecedented global crisis we can all redefine our

positions on the subject of global development. Here,

in New York in 2009, we must resolve these problems

so that the current causes of a misery and

conflictiveness driven by the wealthy countries to the

detriment of the poor or economically fragile countries

no longer justify this new and absurd bipolarization —

when, despite everything, humankind has assimilated

the supremacy of the values that make up the human

individual.

What kind of morality is it when some States

enjoy economic abundance, while others suffer in

misery, marginalization and desolation?

Accordingly, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea

calls for new global approaches that will enhance the

capacity of developing countries to contribute

politically and economically and will allow a

coexistence that safeguards the political and economic

interests of all countries.

We can no longer continue on the path that we are

on. We can no longer continue on this irrational and

irresponsible path. We must consider matters calmly in

order to adopt positive attitudes that effectively support

the original philosophy of the United Nations, a

philosophy that conceived of a united world where

human beings, regardless of race, culture or level of

29 09-52228

civilization, are recognized as human beings, in both

the North and the South.

Thus, there can be no justification for theories of

globalization of policies unless they respect the

cultural plurality that characterizes the peoples of the

world. There can be no discrimination or exclusion.

Intercultural dialogue must strengthen this community

of nations with a view to achieving a coexistence that

is conducive to learning from one another for the

mutual benefit of us all.

Equatorial Guinea conceives of its development

as the outcome of coordinated action between national

effort and international cooperation. We rule out

discrimination of any kind for reasons of political,

economic or cultural system in the case of any country

or international organization, provided that the latter

respects our country’s independence, national

sovereignty and territorial integrity, the peace and free

exercise of the sovereignty of the people, the right to

the free utilization of our natural resources, the

maintenance of friendly relations and cooperation for

reciprocal benefit, and respect for the cultural values of

the people.

Through its application of these principles,

Equatorial Guinea enjoys excellent ties of friendship,

cooperation and good neighbourliness with all

countries in Central Africa. We accept economic

cooperation with countries of all ideological beliefs,

from the East to the West and from the North to the

South. This is part of our contribution to global peace

and balance.

As a result, our oil and other resources contribute

not only to the development of our European partners,

but also to that of Africa, America and Asia. This being

said, we are constantly amazed by the conflictiveness,

suspicion and envy that these oil resources arouse in a

number of countries, these same resources that we have

made freely available to the international community.

We witnessed this first-hand when Equatorial Guinea

was the victim of mercenary-led invasions, terrorist

attacks and plans for political destabilization, whose

clear aim was to gain illegal access to resources which

belong solely to the people of Equatorial Guinea.

We wish to emphasize that Equatorial Guinea is a

peaceful country without ambitions to acquire territory

or engage in political hegemony and without policies

designed to jeopardize peace or stability in other States

and nations. We reaffirm our commitment to the

principles of the United Nations Charter and the

Charter of the African Union with regard to the

maintenance of peaceful relations, the rejection of

violence and the peaceful resolution of disputes

through dialogue, mediation and, where necessary,

recourse to international tribunals.

Global peace is the universal right of all and an

indispensable prerequisite for the survival of

humankind. It is non-negotiable, not to be traded with

any public or private interest, and is so fragile that it

can be shattered when injustices affecting a State or a

community of States are committed. Therefore, we are

addressing the situation caused by the global economic

crisis, which, without a doubt, has had repercussions in

individual States of the international community, each

at different levels and each with the potential to affect

global peace. We have witnessed examples of such

consequences in the recent conflicts that have engulfed

various States in the world today. Yet, this noble world

Organization was created for peace.

It is for the sake of maintaining peace and world

stability that we all meet here every year. It is also for

the sake of peace and stability that we must be careful

not to the let the attitudes of some countries or groups

of countries foster, out of whatever ambitions or

selfishness they have, continuing injustices that have

created the crisis in international relations.

With best wishes for a world abundant in peace

and happiness, I wish every success to this sixty-fourth

session of the General Assembly.