Gabon, 2014

I would first of all like to extend my sincere

congratulations to Mr. Sam Kutesa on his election as

President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth

session. I assure him of the full support of my country.

The remarkable work of his predecessor, Mr. John

William Ashe, during the sixty-eighth session deserves

our recognition. The same goes for the commendable

and tireless efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

as head of the Organization.

At the previous session, we deplored and condemned

the cowardly terrorist attacks on the shopping centre in

Nairobi. Now, inevitably, the current session takes place

in an equally worrisome context, marked by serious

threats to international peace and security. First, there

is the advance of the elusive Boko Haram terrorist

network, which is extending its area of influence to

the border of the neighbouring countries of Gabon,

wreaking havoc and killing without discrimination.

Then, there is the recurrence of the epidemic of the

Ebola haemorrhagic fever, with an unprecedented

incidence of infection, which is plunging Africa into

mourning. Allow me to pay tribute to the memory of

those who have lost their lives trying to help those who

are ill. I also pay solemn tribute to the men and women

who risk their lives in their daily fight to eradicate the

pandemic.

Given that the threat of Ebola is worldwide, national

responses should be replaced by a comprehensive

mobilization at the global level. In that regard, my

country welcomes the recent steps taken by the

African Union and the United Nations, as well as the

many national initiatives that have been announced.

I welcome the United Nations decision to dispatch an

emergency medical mission to fight the Ebola epidemic

in the affected countries. My country, which prevailed

in its fight against several Ebola crises in the past,

intends to make available the International Centre for

Medical Research Centre in Franceville. The Centre’s

expertise in treating that disease has been proven.

I am pleased that this session allows us to debate a

topic that concerns all of us, namely “Delivering on and

implementing a transformative post-2015 development

agenda”. For Gabon, the report recently adopted by the

General Assembly on sustainable development goals

(A/68/970) is a solid foundation in the development

of that agenda. My country welcomes the fact that

African priorities, including the eradication of extreme

poverty, the promotion of sustainable agriculture and

industrialization, and the protection of the environment,

all figure prominently in that report.

I would like to recall here that Gabon entered the

post-2015 development agenda process when it began

to implement the Strategic Plan for an Emerging

Gabon. The plan is based on a vision, an approach that

has led us to define a bold development programme.

That programme, of course, incorporates the concerns

reflected in the Millennium Development Goals, as well

as the challenges of climate change and food security.

It gives pride of place to everything that promotes the

maximization of our youth potential. The strategy

implemented by Gabon aims to accelerate the structural

transformation of its economy by moving from a rentier

economy to an economy of industries and services with

high added-value in the near future.

In the current phase of implementing that

programme, special attention is being devoted to

competitiveness factors, such as the formation of

human capital and the construction and upgrading of

development infrastructure, including the development

of a digital economy and the strengthening of energy-

production capacities. Over the short term, we intend to

devote greater efforts to education and training in order

to improve the performance of our basic education

system. The goal here is to enhance the employability

of our workforce, provide a qualified labour force for

our labour market and accelerate the integration of

young people into the workforce. The development of

agriculture, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, as

well as food security, continues to receive sustained

attention from my Government. Those are all areas

where we thought it best to anticipate our leap in the

post-2015 development agenda.

It is common knowledge that all those efforts can

truly thrive only in a political, economic and social

environment marked by good governance. To that end,

Gabon has established various institutional instruments,

such as the National Commission for the Fight against

Illicit Enrichment, whose overall mission is to ensure

transparency and accountability in the management of

public funds. Since then, I have made the fight against

corruption a priority strategic objective. Right now,

large-scale inspection and verification missions are

under way throughout the country with substantial

results. I remain firmly convinced that, in order to

establish a solid foundation for our post-2015 agenda,

we need to tailor our economic environment, so as

to ensure that transparency guides the awarding of

public contracts and licenses, that investments produce

a good return, and that economic actors respect their

obligations vis-à-vis the State.

Gabon’s commitment to the fight against climate

change remains constant, given the seriousness of

the problem. Indeed, as has already been pointed out,

the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change draws attention to the harsh reality

of the damage caused by climate change. It would be

wrong on our part to remain insensitive in the face of

what is transpiring before our very eyes. That is why I

welcome the commitments made by the heads of State

and Government at the end of the Climate Summit held

here on 23 September.

I reiterate Gabon’s determination to bear its share

of our common duty. Gabon’s objective is to reduce,

by 2025, more than half the greenhouse gas emissions

per capita produced by every Gabonese. My country

wishes to strengthen its contribution to the efforts of

the international community aimed at the adoption of a

more binding agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

That is the purpose of the meeting that we will organize

in Libreville from 18 to 19 March 2015, our “South

Climate Initiative.” As part of that initiative, which will

take place after the important Lima Conference, we,

the countries of the South, want to make a structured

contribution for the success of the Paris Conference.

The scale of climatic upheavals caused by global

warming shows that climate change is a vital, even

existential question. Given the extreme seriousness of

the danger confronting us, we must unite. We need to

work hand in hand towards the same goal, namely, to

save the planet in Paris in December 2015.

In just one year, our Organization will celebrate its

seventieth anniversary. That maturity should enable it

to better respond to the multifaceted challenges that it

faces. The effective implementation of the post-2015

development agenda must also be tackled. That is why

we must continue our efforts to resolve crises and

hotbeds of tension in various parts of the world.

Regarding the Central African Republic, Gabon

continues to actively participate in the efforts of the

Economic Community of Central African States, the

African Union, the United Nations and the rest of the

international community in seeking to stabilize the

political, security, economic and humanitarian situation

on the ground.

In that connection, I want to pay tribute to the

Brazzaville Forum for National Reconciliation in the

Central African Republic, which concluded with the

signing of a ceasefire agreement. Moreover, Gabon

welcomes the effective establishment of the United

Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization

Mission in the Central African Republic, which took

over from the African-led International Support

Mission to the Central African Republic. Regarding

Mali, Gabon supports the peace process that has been

launched and supports the mediation efforts by Burkina

Faso, Algeria and Morocco aimed at achieving a lasting

peace. In South Sudan, Gabon supports the efforts

of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development

and the African Union in the search for a negotiated

political solution between the two parties.

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I

welcome the signing, under Egyptian mediation, of a

ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. My

hope is that that truce lasts and promotes the resumption

of direct negotiations to achieve the widely shared

vision of creating a viable Palestinian State existing in

harmony alongside Israel in peace and security, within

secure and internationally recognized borders.

Regarding Western Sahara, Gabon welcomes the

efforts based on dialogue and negotiations agreed to

by our Organization. My country wants to reiterate its

support for the Moroccan initiative, which we consider

to be a courageous and realistic proposal that could lead

to a lasting settlement. Finally, in terms of the embargo

against Cuba, Gabon reiterates its position in favour of

lifting it, because of its negative impact on the welfare

of the population.

Never has the terrorist threat been as strong

as in recent times, jeopardizing the survival of the

institutions of the countries affected by that terrible

phenomenon. In Africa, Boko Haram’s activism pushes

entire populations to live far from their homes and in

terror, poverty and despair.

In the Middle East, the so-called Islamic State

has extended its gruesome reign from eastern Syria

to northern Iraq. Its establishment there has been

accompanied by a lengthy sequence of rape, summary

executions, decapitations and punishments of all types

inflicted upon all those who, in the eyes of the extremists,

symbolize the rejection of their radicalization.

As no nation is now spared the murderous folly

of those negative entities, the fight against terrorism

needs to be more concerted and organized. My country

reiterates its support for international efforts undertaken

to that end and reaffirms its firm condemnation of

terrorist acts in all their forms and manifestations. In

seeking to meet the security challenge of terrorism,

we need to strengthen the operational capacities of

our defence and security forces in conformity with the

spirit of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism

Strategy.

Our concerns for peace and security are

compounded by other cross-cutting threats, notably the

poaching of and illicit trafficking in protected species.

That growing phenomenon, especially in Central

Africa, constitutes a threat at three levels: ecological,

economic and security. My country therefore remains

wedded to the London initiative of February 2014. We

reaffirm our commitment to opposing poaching and

to implementing a moratorium on the ivory trade. To

that end, Gabon and Germany will organize tomorrow,

26 September, a side event on the issue.

My country is more determined than ever to

cooperate further with other States in formulating

a development tool that would take into account the

global concerns of our populations. That will involve,

inter alia, achieving progress in the reform of the United

Nations system. It is from that perspective that Gabon,

like other States Members of the United Nations,

adheres to the “Delivering as one” initiative. Currently

at the very core of United Nations reform, that approach

aims at improving the coherence of the United Nations

system’s operational development activities.

Respect for human dignity and for fundamental

freedoms remains at the heart of my Government’s

concerns. That factor underpins our chairmanship

of the Human Rights Council, which we are holding

in a very difficult international context marked by

numerous human rights violations. Despite all those

challenges, the Council has been able to react and to

respond with solutions to emergency situations caused

by such violations. Gabon’s leadership has allowed

constructive debate and has in particular prevented

a lapse into politicized and polarized discussions. I

should like to reiterate my gratitude to those countries

that have lent us their support to ensure the success of

our mandate.

From this rostrum, I encourage the inclusion of the

human rights dimension in the current consideration of

the post-2015 agenda. Gabon urges such inclusion, and

suggests that particular emphasis be placed on the link

between human rights and sustainable development.

Given all this, Gabon remains committed to engaging,

alongside other States, in seeking collective solutions

adapted to current challenges in preparation for a better

world.