Gabon, 2004

At the outset I would like to express to Member States

my deepest gratitude — that of the Government and

people of Gabon — for the great honour and the

confidence shown in Gabon and in Africa through the

election of one of its sons to the lofty post of President

of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. We

have long been familiar, Mr. President, with your

diplomatic skills and your personal dedication to the

cause of the United Nations system, and we have full

confidence that you will successfully discharge your

duties.

I wish to reiterate to your predecessor my sincere

congratulations on the work he accomplished during

his mandate.

To the Secretary-General, I wish to reaffirm my

confidence and the support of my country in the pursuit

of your action heading the United Nations.

Four years ago, we unanimously adopted the

Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2). With

renewed energy and will, we have undertaken to

achieve a number of its goals by the year 2015: in

particular, to reduce poverty and hunger, to combat

HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and to establish a

global partnership for development.

Achieving these goals will clearly require a

strong political impetus on our part. That is why I hail

the initiative of convening a United Nations summit

dedicated, inter alia, to the implementation of the

Millennium Goals, and scheduled for 2005 in New

York. The major disparities which come to light daily

between the rich and the poor countries evoke serious

concern. We cannot reconcile ourselves to the despair

which would result from failure. The African States,

for their part, reject such an inevitability; they are

becoming involved in the prevention and resolution of

the conflicts undermining their continent, are settling

into good governance and are making efforts to

implement the New Partnership for Africa’s

Development (NEPAD).

At the same time, the international community,

the Group of Eight countries and the specialized

institutions of the United Nations system, including the

Bretton Woods institutions, have a moral obligation to

translate into concrete action their commitments to

support Africa’s development. That development

naturally hinges on the maintenance of international

peace and security throughout the African continent.

Our determination in that respect is unequivocal.

Such is the case in Côte d’Ivoire, where the peace

process was relaunched at the Accra summit in July

2004. The same holds true for the decision of the

African Union to play an active role in the resolution

of the crises in Darfur, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone

and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The

support provided by the United Nations in those

countries and the role played by the Secretary-General,

Mr. Kofi Annan, must be commended.

Moreover, we welcome the prospects for a more

effective contribution by the United Nations in the

process of the reconstruction of Iraq and support for

the political transition under way there. It is indeed

vital for regional stability and for peace that Iraq once

again become a normally functioning State with stable

institutions.

In the lengthy conflict between the State of Israel

ad the Palestinian people, the restoration of lasting

peace will be possible only at the negotiating table. It

also depends on the reactivation of the road map.

In this case, as in many others, such as the war on

international terrorism, United Nations action must be

more effective. The decisions of the Security Council

will then be decisive in the settlement of such

conflicts.

Given the numerous crisis situations throughout

the world, the role of the Security Council in the

maintenance of international peace and security has

continued to grow. Its field of action, in terms of its

decisions, has gradually expanded, and the human,

material and financial resources required for their

implementation have increased.

To cope with these situations, a significant

number of States must participate in its action. That

requires an expansion of the membership of the

Security Council, in both categories — permanent and

non-permanent.

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Need I recall that in 1977, from this very rostrum,

I drew the Organization’s attention to the need to

provide a seat for Africa in the Security Council. It is

indeed paradoxical that Africa is still not counted

among the permanent members, even though the bulk

of the Council’s decisions directly involve Africa. We

therefore must adapt the Security Council to the

changing realities of our world. Its reform must be

given high priority at this session.

Beyond that, our efforts at reform must have as

their ultimate objective the strengthening of the action

of the entire United Nations system in the areas

identified during the Millennium Summit in 2000.

Striving to achieve these shared goals, Africa is

increasingly shouldering its share of responsibility.

Shared and intensive solidarity on the part of countries

with greater resources is more than ever required. What

is at stake today is the survival of millions of

individuals throughout the world.

Poverty — one of the root causes of political,

economic and social instability, which are sources of

armed conflict — must be eradicated.

Therefore, we must implement, here and now, the

commitment we have undertaken to change the course

of our shared history. Let us together nurture the hope

of a better destiny — the hope that we can think and

act in a different manner, in order to provide present

and future generations with genuine reasons for hope.