Malawi, 2000

At the outset, allow me to

join other speakers in congratulating Mr. Harri Holkeri

on his election to preside over the Millennium

Assembly. I am confident that under his able

stewardship we the peoples, and particularly those of

us from the developing countries, can look forward

with optimism to a highly proactive session of the

General Assembly. His election to the presidency is a

clear reflection of the confidence which the

international community has in his great country,

Finland. He can count on the continued support and

cooperation of the Malawi delegation in this

momentous task.

Let me also pay tribute to his predecessor,

Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of

the Republic of Namibia, for his highly successful

presidency of the fifty-fourth session.

Less than a fortnight ago, our leaders gathered at

this very venue to map out the way forward in this

millennium. The enthusiasm with which the

deliberations were conducted culminated in a highly

inspiring outcome document, which gives a clear

outline of what needs to be done.

Malawi welcomes the outcome of the Millennium

Summit. At the same time, we recognize that the

strategic partnership required for the implementation of

the outcome document calls for the political

commitment of the international community. It is

therefore our hope that the enthusiasm with which the

world leaders approached the Millennium Summit will

translate into genuine political will in the

implementation of the measures that were adopted.

Let us all build on the consensus that emerged

from the Millennium Summit. Recognition by world

leaders of the urgent need to address issues bedevilling

humanity today is the first step towards building a

prosperous and better tomorrow.

A multiplicity of factors are constraining the

efforts of the developing countries towards achieving

economic development. There is therefore a need for a

multidimensional approach in order to address the

plight of these countries. Such efforts must, of

necessity, be pursued at both the national and

international levels.

Not long ago, Malawi joined other members of

the international community in welcoming the process

of globalization. We joined the chorus in

acknowledging the inevitability of the march towards a

global village. In our enthusiasm, we looked forward to

meeting the challenges and taking advantage of the

opportunities that globalization was envisaged to offer.

Today, the experience has proved daunting. A number

of constraints dog our march towards the global

village.

Along with other sub-Saharan African countries,

Malawi has yet to meaningfully enjoy the benefits of

modern information technology. We all know that the

process of globalization is centred on the swift and

accurate flow of information. The interconnectedness

which information technology brings about offers the

benefits of choice. Those who possess the

technological capacity are, hence, ahead of the rest in

the march towards the global village.

Malawi therefore calls upon the donor community

to level the playing field by assisting those who lack

the capacity to meaningfully take advantage of a

modern global information network. There is need to

close the existing digital divide.

International trade is critical if the economies of

most developing countries are to thrive. Malawi's

export-oriented economy is, in this regard, no

exception. With no mineral wealth of significance, our

economy depends almost solely on the export of

primary agricultural products and the importation of

manufactured goods. The steadily deteriorating barter

terms of trade for the primary products has long been a

source of concern to us. As if this were not daunting

enough, the situation is compounded by the imposition

of protectionist measures by countries that offer

markets for our exports. A range of non-tariff barriers

is being subtly put in place, rendering it difficult for

our products to reach those markets. These

protectionist measures run counter to the spirit of free

trade which we all profess and which we all believe to

be necessary for the growing interdependence among

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countries. As long as barriers to free trade among

countries are erected, global integration will face a

serious setback.

Malawi therefore calls upon the development

partners to open up their markets to products from the

developing countries. Increased market access is one

way in which a country like Malawi could be

empowered to meaningfully participate in the

globalization process.

Time and again, we in the developing countries

have expressed serious concern over the existing

problem of external debt. Debt servicing has compelled

our Governments to divert meagre resources from

development programmes. As a result, basic social

services and investment in other infrastructure

programmes suffer.

We welcome initiatives adopted by the

development partners to address the problem of debt.

The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt

Initiative is, among other measures, notable. We all

looked forward with hope to the recent G-8 Summit

held in Okinawa, Japan. However, the lack of

commitment to deal with the problem of debt

decisively means that the burden still remains virtually

intact.

Malawi therefore believes that the only way in

which the problem of external debt can meaningfully

be addressed is through outright cancellation. We invite

our development partners to exercise the political will

for debt cancellation. We need to free resources for

investment in basic infrastructural services.

Official development assistance and foreign

direct investment are necessary if developing

economies like Malawi's are to develop. It is largely in

recognition of this reality that the United Nations set

the target of 0.7 per cent of the gross national product

of developed countries for official development

assistance. The general decline in official development

assistance flows to the developing countries therefore

runs counter to the internationally recognized target.

We therefore pay tribute to those development partners

who have either met or exceeded the 0.7 per cent

target. At the same time, we call upon those falling

short of it to live up to the expectations of the

international community.

Malawi welcomes the trend towards a rise in

foreign direct investment over the past few years.

However, we observe that, in spite of the steady rise,

the distribution itself has been uneven, with sub-

Saharan Africa making no meaningful gains. We hope

that efforts will be made to address the disparity.

Just over 10 years ago, the Berlin Wall came

tumbling down in a highly symbolic move marking the

demise of the cold war. All peace-loving people in the

world who wanted humankind to live in dignity

welcomed that momentous development. The concept

of “peace dividend” gained currency as the

international community welcomed the opportunity to

turn swords into plowshares.

Today's reality has not borne out our

expectations. Trouble spots, both long-standing and

emerging ones, dot the globe. During the cold war, we

blamed conflicts on super-Power rivalry. Yet conflicts

today have assumed different dimensions, and they

continue to divert meagre national resources away from

development programmes.

The protracted civil war in Angola, civil strife in

Sierra Leone, the Great Lakes region of Africa, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo and

Central Asia, among other areas, perhaps reveal causal

factors that we glossed over during the cold war. Greed

among politicians and the ruthless pursuit of profit by

multinational corporations have, in a number of cases,

coalesced to prolong conflict. We have all noted the

role that a precious mineral like diamonds can play in

unleashing human tragedy.

Malawi welcomes the recent adoption by the

United Nations Security Council of a resolution that

aims at regulating the trade in diamonds, especially

those acquired illegally. The international community

can count on our unflinching cooperation in the

implementation of the resolution.

We have also noted the untiring efforts of the

United Nations in the maintenance of international

peace and security. However, the lessons of the United

Nations peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone, and

indeed elsewhere, clearly point to the need for a serious

review of the mandate of such missions. The

embarrassment that the peacemakers were subjected to

is something that, we believe, must not be allowed to

happen again. In this regard, my delegation welcomes

the recommendations made in the Brahimi Report.

We, at the same time, join the international

community in condemning the recent murder of three

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United Nations relief workers in West Timor. We call

on those responsible to desist from further interfering

with the safety and freedom of refugees and

humanitarian workers in the region.

Malawi recognizes that the United Nations alone

cannot provide miracle solutions to conflicts that rage

in the various regions. It is largely incumbent upon the

primary players to exercise political maturity and

restrain their passions.

We note that in most conflict areas, there exist

negotiated frameworks for resolution of the

differences. And yet, the sheer lack of political

commitment has led the parties to wantonly renege on

agreements that they so painstakingly negotiated. We

therefore call upon all warring parties to respect

existing peace agreements and pool their efforts

towards nation-building.

The Government of Malawi welcomes efforts by

the United Nations to rid the globe of weapons of mass

destruction. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

(NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty

(CTBT) represent some of the notable efforts by the

international community to bring about lasting global

peace and security. Malawi would like to express its

readiness to join the international community in the

adoption of measures that seek to advance the cause of

international peace and security.

We waste meagre resources to keep conflict

going, while in the process sacrificing the welfare of

our people. His Excellency Dr. Bakili Muluzi,

President of the Republic of Malawi, time and again

decried this, saying that we, especially in sub-Saharan

Africa, are too poor to divert meagre resources to

sustain conflict.

The above factors present a front which impedes

economic development in the developing countries,

especially the least developed among them. Investment

in basic infrastructure suffers as a result of, directly or

otherwise, an interplay of these forces.

As long as the international community holds

back the political will needed for decisive action, the

playing field will remain uneven. As such, the

developing countries will continue to be marginalized

in the march towards the global village.

My delegation does not intend to heap all blame

on international factors alone. At the national level, we

in the developing countries have to take stock of our

domestic policies. Malawi, for one, is doing its part in

this regard. The democratic governance which the

ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) ushered in the

country in June 1994 is well on course. The people's

confidence in the UDF-led government was manifested

when they re-elected it in the June 1999 general

elections. In the seven years of its existence, the

Government has put in place institutional mechanisms

aimed at promoting human rights and other freedoms

that form the core of good governance.

Malawi's commitment to the consolidation of

democracy is now irreversible. In November this year,

the country will take yet another step forward with the

conduct of local government elections. We fully

recognize the contribution which good governance

makes to economic development in a country.

In this regard, I would like to pay tribute to the

United Nations and those development partners who

have contributed to our effort towards the promotion of

good governance. As the process goes on, we shall

count on your continued assistance.

We in Malawi further recognize the central role

that a vibrant private sector plays in economic

development. For long, the previous government in

Malawi neglected the private sector, opting, instead, to

boost parastatal enterprises.

The new political dispensation has opened up the

country to a competitive, free market economy.

Inefficient parastatal organizations are falling into

private ownership through a privatization programme.

Already, there are discernible benefits accruing, most

notably marked improvements in the quality of

products and services on the domestic market.

The existing political stability and the general

warmth of the friendly people of Malawi create an

inviting climate to the foreign investor. The

Government has, in addition, adopted measures which

are aimed at creating a conducive investment

environment. We, therefore, welcome entrepreneurs to

come and sample the market.

At the core of Malawi's fight against poverty is

the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) which the

UDF-led Government launched upon its assumption of

office. Within the context of the programme, the

Government later launched the Malawi Social Action

Fund (MASAF), a bottom-up framework that involves

the villager in taking decisions on development

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programmes. MASAF is making the difference in the

lives of the citizenry. The face of infrastructure in the

countryside, where nearly 80 per cent of the country's

population resides, has been considerably transformed.

We, therefore, thank the World Bank for the

support it is extending to the Malawi Social Action

Fund, which is currently in its second phase.

Among other strategies, Malawi has adopted

measures aimed at empowering vulnerable groups in

society. A systematic programme aimed at empowering

women through micro-credit and improved access to

education for girls are some of these. A few years ago,

the Government established the Ministry of State in the

President's Office Responsible for Persons with

Disabilities, whose impact is beginning to show.

Our determined efforts to rid the country of

excruciating poverty are impeded by the HIV/AIDS

pandemic. In the last decade, the extent of devastation

caused by the pandemic in Malawi has been

frightening. By targeting the productive age bracket of

the population, HIV/AIDS has clearly begun to reverse

the hard-won gains that the nation had made towards

the close of the last decade.

At the same time, we are aware of the advances

that the West has to date made in the treatment of

HIV/AIDS. The prohibitive cost of the drugs precludes

developing countries like Malawi from gaining access

to them. And yet, these are the countries that are in the

greatest need of such therapy, in view of their high

incidence of HIV/AIDS.

My delegation appreciates the effort of the United

Nations, through the Joint United Nations Programme

on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), to deal with the pandemic.

We welcome the fact that the Security Council gave

centre stage to HIV/AIDS issues early this year. We

believe that the devastation left by the scourge deserves

a high international profile. Malawi further calls on

those countries with the capacity to make the necessary

arrangements to render the drugs affordable for all

those who need them.

It is clear that if the international community is to

forge the strategic partnership needed for a smooth

march towards the global village, we need to level the

playing field. This calls for political will on the part of

all of us. We need to fulfil our shared responsibilities

for the benefit of humankind.

Malawi welcomes the recent admission of Tuvalu

as the 189th Member State of the United Nations. On

behalf of my Government and the people of Malawi, I

extend our support and best wishes to the Government

and the people of Tuvalu.

Time and again, Malawi has spoken in favour of

granting the Republic of China on Taiwan the role that

it deserves in the international community. The hard-

working and peace-loving people of Taiwan have

clearly demonstrated that they are ready to actively

contribute to the goals and ideals for which the United

Nations stands.

We therefore appeal to the Organization's

membership to look beyond narrow political

considerations and face the geopolitical realities that

obtain on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The

continued isolation of Taiwan does not bode well for

the spirit of globalization, which we all acknowledge,

has to be all-inclusive.

Finally, allow me to reaffirm the commitment of

the Government of the Republic of Malawi to live up to

the obligations enshrined in the Charter of the United

Nations. This is the only universal body that is well

placed to take us all into the millennium.