Equatorial Guinea, 2011

I participate in this debate of the General

Assembly in our dual position as President in Office of

the African Union and President of the Republic of

Equatorial Guinea. I do so in the full conviction that

the passage of years and the experience accumulated in

the 66 years of the life of this world Organization will

inspire the international community morally and united

in social and political solidarity around universal

norms and principles in order to address any threat or

situation that may affect the planet. With this conviction in mind, I should like to

congratulate His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz

Al-Nasser, Permanent Representative of Qatar, on his

recent election as President of the General Assembly at

its sixty-sixth session. He represents an ancient culture

that has contributed much to the development of

humankind, and hails from a peaceful country that

demonstrates solidarity and contributes to the

maintenance of peace, stability and development in the

world. We are certain, that under his leadership, the

United Nations will be able to solve the serious

problems affecting our countries.

We would also like to congratulate the Secretary-

General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on his

re-election to the helm of this world Organization, in

recognition of the work that he has done over the past

five years despite the various political, economic and

social crises that our planet has faced and is continuing

to face.

On the basis of that conviction, the United

Nations, given the current trend whereby it is being

converted into a club for the powerful, must

reconfigure itself so that it can resume its place as the

most representative and equitable organization in the

world — one in which those whose problems it is

endeavouring to resolve can participate and have their

voices heard. That would ensure the democratization of

all of the organs of this universal institution.

With respect to peace and security, Africa, which

is witnessing various fratricidal conflicts caused, in

most cases, by internal and external factors and by

third parties, has firmly stated that it is in favour of the

peaceful resolution of conflicts, wherever they may be

taking place, through dialogue, mediation and

negotiation.

Africa, a continent whose countries and peoples

have been exploited for centuries by foreign Powers,

today is experiencing a new iteration of

neocolonialism, involving the intervention of forces on

the basis of humanitarian principles and democratic

freedoms. In this connection, Africa must bring to the

fore its international political personality so that the

African Union is respected, moving beyond internal

differences caused by unspoken interests.

Intervention by force, internal or external, has

never provided a lasting solution to conflicts since the

creation of the United Nations, as has been seen in the

various conflicts that have taken place in the past

50 years. Unfortunately, we can see that the United

Nations is being used dishonestly, under the pretext of

humanitarian interventions, when in fact those

interventions have served only to further violate the

human rights of the peoples affected. The use of force

in a conflict is not a unifying factor but rather one of

division and destruction.

The African Union recognizes the victory of the

National Transitional Council of Libya in its fight

against totalitarianism and recommends that its

Government undertake a programme of transition

aimed at the holding of free and transparent elections,

ensuring their legitimacy through the participation of

all of the groups that constitute the community of

Libyan people.

11-50692 36

With regard to the situation in Tunisia and Egypt,

we also call on their Governments to adopt the legal

and administrative structures necessary for democratic

processes and State institutions.

I should like to take this opportunity to

congratulate the State of South Sudan on its accession

to membership of the United Nations and to express

our wish that the peoples of the Sudan and of South

Sudan will live in peace and harmony with all of their

neighbours and with the international community.

Today’s world is suffering from an economic and

financial crisis whose consequences are unpredictable.

It is the result of the irrationality of the current

political, economic and social world order, which has

moved away from the social and humanitarian

principles of equality, justice and fairness.

In the political realm, we cannot transplant the

cultural values of a country or a group of countries to

others simply because the world, and policies

themselves, are becoming increasingly globalized.

Rather, we must promote dialogue and coexistence

among cultures and civilizations, because, if we do not

do so, the principle of the self-determination of peoples

will automatically disappear.

It is true that democracy is a noble principle and

applies to any cultural value that is practiced and

accepted by peoples. To say otherwise would be to

betray the spirit of democracy that must develop in

consonance with the cultures of respective peoples.

On the economic front, the social dimension of

peoples must manifest in the form of productive

activities that benefit humankind. In that context, we

cannot see any justification for the barriers, blockages

and discrimination that we see in current economic,

scientific and technical exchanges among nations,

which only perpetuates the impoverishment of some

and the ever-increasing enrichment of others.

Indeed, the level of participation of the African

continent in world markets is ridiculous, not even

topping 1 per cent despite its economic and human

potential, which studies have described as representing

the future salvation of humankind. Africa calls on the

developed countries to show solidarity and help us to

develop our economy so as to become an integral part

of this planet.

Africa is not asking for a handout. Africa requires

a level of economic and technological support that

would enable it to process its vast resources, which,

while contributing to accelerating its development,

would also have an effect on the economic stability of

its partners. All of this requires profound changes in

the way in which we think about the current system

and a readjustment of the methods and procedures used

in international economic trade.

The social order is determined by the political

and economic order, but the political cannot develop

properly unless the economic does as well. In that

respect, Africa is making great efforts to develop its

national democracies, and many African States have

adapted their political, legal and administrative

structures to the basic requirements of democracy.

Nevertheless, in order to translate theory into

practice, certain basic requirements must be met that

meet the material needs of humankind. Thus many

countries failed in this respect. Instead of their plans

coming to fruition, they became engulfed in fratricidal

conflicts because they did not meet such basic needs.

Moreover, the African continent is facing, in

addition to the economic crisis, the devastating effects

of climate change, natural disasters, drought, famine

and communicable diseases, which claim millions of

victims. In that respect, the African Union recently

organized a donors conference to support victims in the

Horn of Africa, with Somalia being one of the

countries most affected. The African Union has

honoured its commitment to tackle this emergency.

However, the helping hand of the international

community is still needed.

We believe that developed countries whose

industries are responsible for atmospheric warming

should meet their commitments under the Kyoto

Protocol and compensate developing countries for the

damage and harm resulting from the effects of

atmospheric warming.

The groups at greatest disadvantage in this crisis

are women, children and young people. However,

young people without physical, intellectual and moral

development cannot take up the mantle from the

current generation to ensure the future of nations.

Hence there is a need to provide the necessary moral

and material assistance to young people to ensure the

development of the continent in the future.

In that regard, the African Union Summit held in

Sipopo, Equatorial Guinea, adopted a programme for

37 11-50692

promoting the employment of women and young

people and the fight against underemployment, as well

as to provide professional and academic training. This

programme needs the support of the international

community.

In my own country, the Republic of Equatorial

Guinea, we are committed to the Millennium

Development Goals set for 2015. During the national

economic conference held in 2009 to plan for the

rational use of our oil resources and others, the

Government adopted a national economic development

programme, with the aim of ensuring that Equatorial

Guinea joins the ranks of emerging economies by

2020.

In parallel to this programme, the Government is

carrying out political, legal and administrative reforms

in order to optimize the development of democracy and

ensure control, transparency, good economic and

political management and guarantee maximum respect

for human rights.

The political environment in my country is

optimal for promoting peace, stability and

reconciliation among all political forces, who work

together in harmony with a unified set of consensual

political criteria.

Finally, Equatorial Guinea is participating in

these discussions with a good measure of optimism,

based on our belief that, contrary to the selfishness that

prevents many States from joining their efforts to

tackle the problems facing our world, what we are

seeing every day is a growing awareness and

international moral determination that the United

Nations should be a veritable centre for the unity and

cohesion of the international community.

Indeed, while Africa was isolated in the past,

today the groups of countries who trust in Africa, its

States and the contribution they can make to the global

development continue to grow. We wish the sixty-sixth

session of the General Assembly every success.