Liberia, 2007

I congratulate the

delegation, Government and the people of the Republic

of Macedonia on Mr. Srgjan Kerim’s election as

President of the sixty-second session of the United

Nations General Assembly. On behalf of my

Government, I acknowledge the astute diplomatic

skills and wisdom that he brings to this important

assignment. May he rest assured of my delegation’s

support in his endeavours.

Similarly, it gives me great pleasure to

congratulate our new Secretary-General, Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, of the Republic of Korea, on his election as

Secretary-General of this Organization. It is the belief

of my Government that the United Nations will greatly

benefit from his wealth of experience as a seasoned

diplomat and statesman.

Nearly two years ago, Liberia held its first post-

conflict elections, following more than 14 years of

civil war. We were strongly supported by the United

Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community

of West African States (ECOWAS) and members of the

international community, including the United States,

the European Union, the People’s Republic of China

and Japan. We commend you for your continued

support toward our national reconstruction

programmes.

My Government welcomes and highly appreciates

the recent decision of the Security Council to lift the

sanctions which it saw fit to impose on the timber and

diamond sectors in Liberia. We pledge our fullest

cooperation with the United Nations as it partners our

country’s reform, which undoubtedly will strengthen

the good governance procedures. Although the

imposition of sanctions was considered by many as

punitive, I am gratified to inform you that the Liberian

people viewed the sanctions as prudent and corrective.

The sanctions helped to accelerate the adoption of new

laws and the institutionalization of appropriate

mechanisms to ensure that we would never again allow

conditions such as those that gave rise to their

imposition.

We also thank the international community for its

continued support to peacebuilding and the

strengthening of instruments of security and stability in

Liberia. In spite of the gains of peace, Liberia remains

fragile. The recent decision by the Security Council to

extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in

Liberia (UNMIL) is timely and relevant. Liberia

remains grateful for that and other decisions aimed at

sustaining peace and stability in the country.

Democracy is on an irreversible course in Africa.

The values of democratic governance and the rule of

law are also on an upward march. My Government

notes with great delight the successful holding of

relatively peaceful, free, fair and democratic elections

in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mauritania and Mali. From

our experience in Liberia, we know that democratic

elections in themselves do not provide quick answers

to the monumental problems and challenges that face a

new and emerging post-conflict nation. They do,

however, create the environment, and potentially

unleash opportunities, for freedom and individual

enterprise to thrive and prosper. Because such

democracies are in their infancy, they need the support

of bilateral and multilateral partners. We therefore call

on the United Nations, the African Union and bilateral

and multilateral partners to support all new

democracies and to help us meet the multifaceted needs

of our people.

Liberia reaffirms its belief in the United Nations

as the best institution for the promotion and protection

of international peace and security and the resolution

of crises around our world. Our faith in the United

Nations is rooted in our conviction that it represents

mankind’s best hope and vehicle for the advancement

of the common purpose of humanity.

Our generation must avoid the temptation to use

the instruments of our common Organization for

narrow agendas that undermine its Charter. In this new

millennium, the United Nations must continue to renew

its resolve to promote, protect and sustain the universal

virtues of liberty, equality, solidarity, tolerance and

non-violence, while simultaneously respecting and

protecting our environment, pursuant to the mandate of

the Millennium Summit. Liberia commits itself to

being a strong partner and advocate for the promotion

of these shared values of our common humanity. But as

the United Nations pursues those objectives, we must

recognize that it cannot expect to succeed using

frameworks that are nearly three quarters of a century

old. The United Nations needs to be, and must be,

reformed.

Liberia and other Member States have advanced

practical suggestions for the reform agenda. Liberia

offers the following proposals: first, a timely review

and reconfiguration of the Security Council, including

the current decision-making machinery and processes

of the Organization, should be conducted to make it

more relevant and representative of the world

community; secondly, mechanisms should be put in

place to ensure that the Charter remains inviolate; and,

thirdly, careful consideration should be given to due

process in dealing with Member States.

Pursuant to our call for reform of the United

Nations, we today call on Member States to give

meaning and expression to gender equality. We propose

that the United Nations recommit itself to ensuring an

equitable partnership of women and men in the

leadership of the Organization. Reforming the United

Nations also means reforming our attitude towards

women and other minority groups worldwide. There is

no doubt in our mind that women will significantly

contribute to the process of change in this

Organization.

Fully cognizant of the evidence that the dividends

of peace and security are always greater than the

debilitating effects of conflict, Liberia continues to

work within the regional framework of the Mano River

Union, the Economic Community of West African

States (ECOWAS), and the African Union to ensure the

realization and advancement of peace in the subregion

and on the African continent. It is said in my country

that there is no capitalism without capital. Peace is

sustained only with the economic empowerment of all

people.

In that regard, since its inauguration our

Government has engaged in active subregional

initiatives to improve and strengthen ties of friendship

and economic cooperation with our immediate

neighbours in the Mano River Basin and the ECOWAS

Community. As a result of our efforts, the instruments

of peace and security and the potential of trade

rationalization in our subregion are stronger today than

they ever were a few years ago. Under the

chairmanship of Her Excellency President Ellen

Johnson-Sirleaf, the Mano River Union has assumed a

new vibrancy and renewed sense of cohesion and

common purpose. Citizens of the Mano River Union

countries are exchanging more frequent visits, and

undertaking programmes aimed at enhancing

integration and peace. That is why we were happy to

host President Ernest Bai Koroma a few days following

his inauguration as President of Sierra Leone.

As events in the Middle East continue to claim

our attention in the world community, we must not lose

sight of similarly grave situations in Africa. I refer to

the continuous humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur in

the Sudan, and crises in Somalia, Guinea-Bissau, Côte

d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Burundi, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African

Republic and Uganda, among others. My Government

therefore welcomes Security Council resolution 1769

(2007) and the consensus reached for the deployment

of a hybrid African Union-United Nations force in

Darfur following months of painstaking negotiations.

We further urge countries that have pledged logistical

and other support to fulfil their promises to ensure the

timely deployment of the peacekeeping force in Darfur.

We applaud the progress made in the resolution of the

crisis in our sisterly Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. My

delegation calls for strong support of the Ouagadougou

agreement, which provides the best possible framework

for peace, security and stability in that country. Peace

and security in Cote d’Ivoire means peace and security

in Liberia, and indeed, in the Mano River Basin and

the Economic Community of West African States.

The world has witnessed and continues to witness

phenomenal advances in science and technology

leading to the transformation of industrialization and

the improvement of the human condition. We must

work to save our planet, because, when we save our

common Earth, we assure the survival of all of its

inhabitants.

Liberia supports the efforts of the Commission on

Sustainable Development, the Kyoto Protocol, the

decision reached on Agenda 21 at the 1992 Rio

Conference and the recent high-profile conference

hosted here on climate change, intended to raise

international awareness of the degradation of the

environment and the need for collaborative efforts to

reverse negative trends. There could be no theme more

appropriate and timely for this year’s general debate

than the theme “Responding to Climate Change”.

This debate will, we are confident, accentuate the

issues of environment and stimulate increased

international action. Liberia is concerned about the

rapid degradation of the climate. We hope that this

session will produce a consensus on how to save

succeeding generations from the impact of

deteriorating climate.

In our world today, there is a correlation between

war, civil conflict and the spread of HIV/AIDS. The

HIV/AIDS pandemic targets and destroys our human

capital, the backbone of our socio-economic

development. The records of the United Nations and

other organizations show that the prevalence of

HIV/AIDS increases in countries affected by war and

civil conflicts, owing to the mass movement of

populations. Post-conflict countries therefore need

special attention if the scourge of HIV/AIDS is to be

overcome. The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS,

malaria and other diseases has contributed significantly

in retarding the progress of the developing nations.

African nations must develop the political will to

combat the health crisis on our continent. To this end,

we call upon our partners in the developed world to

treat the issue of antiretroviral drugs as a purely social

and humanitarian matter of an emergency nature,

outside of politics. Liberia recently set up its National

AIDS Commission to advance practical strategies that

will help to halt the spread of this deadly disease. We

are hopeful that prudent action, including a change of

life styles coupled with antiviral drugs, will help

address this emerging catastrophe.

Liberia continues to be burdened by huge debts

owed to bilateral and multilateral creditors. Servicing

these debts remains a major priority of the Government

of Liberia. However, our capacity to make payment is

constrained owing to the severe resource challenges

arising out of a 14-year civil war. There is a traditional

parable in my country which says that you cannot dig a

hole to fill a hole. We renew our Government’s plea for

international empathy and favourable consideration of

our debt cancellation request.

We reassure all of our bilateral and multilateral

creditors of our commitment to continue to work with

them to develop the necessary framework toward the

actualization of Liberia’s debt relief initiatives.

We also thank all our partners, especially the

United States, Great Britain, China and Germany

among others, for active steps taken toward debt relief

for Liberia.

I assure you that after learning a costly lesson in

violence, the people of Liberia are determined to settle

their differences through peaceful means. With your

support, we have found a better way to resolve our

differences. We have resolved to forgive one another,

pick up our dignity and pride and move forward in

unity and oneness of purpose with strong determination

to work for a better and brighter future. Our unity in

fostering the faith of our founding fathers to build a

nation dedicated to freedom, liberty and justice for all

remains undaunted.

We are confident that our international partners

want to see a success story in Liberia. Let me assure

this Assembly that nobody wants that more than

Liberians themselves! May the Almighty God bless us,

protect our sovereignties, unify us, preserve our

dignities and keep us safe.