Mauritius, 2006

I would like to

express my sincere congratulations, and those of my

delegation, to you, Madam President, on your election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first

session.

My delegation wishes to commend Secretary-

General Kofi Annan for the leadership and courage he

has displayed during his tenure at the helm of the

Secretariat. Secretary-General Annan assumed office at

a time when the United Nations was facing severe

criticism and its very relevance was being questioned.

His dedication and professionalism have contributed

significantly towards enhancing the efficiency and

credibility of our Organization and its Secretariat. His

initiatives to promote the development agenda of the

United Nations have been of crucial importance, in

particular to Africa. As the Secretary-General prepares

to relinquish his office in the next few weeks, we thank

him warmly and wish him well in all his future

endeavours.

Since our last annual meeting, several ongoing

conflicts have remained unresolved and new ones have

emerged. The situation in the Middle East continues to

be a major preoccupation for the international

community. While violence is still raging in Iraq and

peace still eludes the Palestinian people, the recent

conflict involving Israel and Hizbullah has not only

cost so many innocent lives but has also resulted in the

wanton destruction of vital infrastructure within

Lebanon. Now that the guns have finally fallen silent,

we urge all concerned in this unnecessary month-long

conflict to abide fully by the provisions of Security

Council resolution 1701 (2006) and to settle their

outstanding issues through United Nations mediation.

There seems to be a unanimous view in the world

today that the Middle East remains the epicentre of

global insecurity and instability. Global peace and

prosperity will remain an elusive dream unless and

until the international community stretches all its

diplomatic sinews to create conditions for lasting peace

in the region. Mauritius strongly believes that a fair

and final peace settlement in the Israel-Palestine

conflict rests in the early implementation of the

existing road map that has been endorsed by the

international community.

We reiterate our support for an independent and

sovereign Palestinian State existing side by side with

the State of Israel.

The situation in Darfur remains a matter of

serious concern not only to us in Africa but to the

international community as a whole. We are confident

that Security Council resolution 1706 (2006) has the

capacity to lend strong support to the efforts already

deployed by the African Union to put an end to that

crisis.

Terrorism continues to be a major disruption for

peace and development. The recent adoption of

resolution 60/288 — the United Nations Global

Counter-Terrorism Strategy — sends a clear message

that terrorism is unacceptable no matter who commits

it, no matter where it takes place and no matter what

the reason. Mauritius unreservedly condemns terrorism

in all its forms and manifestations. But let us not

delude ourselves into thinking that we can address the

scourge of terrorism without addressing its root causes.

Fifteen years ago, the Assembly initiated

discussions on the reform of the Security Council.

Numerous proposals have been made since then. Each

proposal, whatever its merits, has met determined

resistance from some members defending their own

narrowly defined interests. It is unacceptable that the

African and Latin America and the Caribbean regions

are not represented in the permanent membership of

the Security Council. It is also morally and politically

unacceptable that the world’s most populous

democracy is still denied a seat as a permanent member

of the Council. It is imperative that a reformed Security

13 06-53317

Council should include India among its permanent

members.

The establishment of the Human Rights Council

constitutes a significant step in the implementation of

our common reform agenda. That new organ of the

General Assembly should perform efficiently so as to

establish itself as a credible universal institution for the

promotion and protection of human rights. My

delegation would like to thank the General Assembly

for electing Mauritius as one of the 47 members of the

Council at the elections held earlier this year. We will

do our utmost for the universal promotion and

protection of human rights in accordance with the

mandate conferred upon the Council by the Assembly.

The multilateral approach to disarmament has

been on the back burner for some time. It is

unfortunate that little progress has been achieved in

respect of strengthening the foundations of the Treaty

on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Mauritius supports the aim of the total elimination of

all nuclear weapons on the basis of a comprehensive

and non-discriminatory disarmament regime.

My delegation wishes to draw the attention of the

Assembly to the fact that, 38 years after its

independence, Mauritius has still not been able to

exercise its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago,

including Diego Garcia. The Archipelago was excised

from the territory of Mauritius by the former colonial

Power to be subsequently used for military purposes

behind our back, in total disregard of Assembly

resolutions 1514 (XV) and 2066 (XX). That exercise

also involved the shameful displacement of the

inhabitants of the Chagos from their homeland, thereby

denying them their fundamental human rights.

International law must prevail, as must respect for the

sovereignty of all countries. We therefore call once

again on the United Kingdom to pursue constructive

dialogue in earnest with my Government, with a view

to enabling Mauritius to exercise its sovereignty over

the Chagos Archipelago.

We view positively the visit jointly organized by

the Governments of Mauritius and of the United

Kingdom in April this year to enable the former

inhabitants of the Chagos to visit the Archipelago for

the first time since their displacement to pay respects at

their relatives’ graves on the Archipelago.

We hope to continue meaningful dialogue with

France on the question of sovereignty over Tromelin,

given our excellent bilateral relations. We view the

agreement reached in Paris at the expert level in

January 2006 to set up a French-Mauritian joint

commission for the co-management of the Tromelin

zone as a positive first step.

My delegation is pleased that you, Madam

President, have chosen development as the focus of

your presidency. We welcome your proposal to

dedicate this session of the General Assembly to the

issue of implementing a global partnership for

development. The biggest dilemma is how to secure the

necessary financial flows towards developing

countries. We call on the international community to

honour commitments made to developing countries

concerning official development assistance. Equally,

we hope for conditions that will allow better access to

the markets of the more affluent countries to generate

resources for development.

Our meeting today coincides with the end of the

First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of

Poverty. The progress towards achieving the

Millennium Development Goals, including halving the

proportion of people suffering extreme poverty by

2015, has been below expectations, as reflected in

human development indices. Poverty continues to

prevail from generation to generation in many parts of

the world, in particular in the sub-Saharan region. The

political, social and economic marginalization or

exclusion of poor people very often undermines the

stability and development potential of many countries.

Does that imply that conventional solutions have

failed because they do not really address the root

causes of persistent poverty? Or is it because instead of

taking a bottom-up approach we have adopted a top-

down approach, relying too much on the trickle-down

effect? The fight against poverty is becoming more and

more complex. Only a holistic and comprehensive

approach will allow us to push back the frontier of the

misery, conflict and hardship that afflict such a

sizeable proportion of humankind.

In our own subregion, we have initiated measures

to address the issue of poverty in earnest. At the recent

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

summit, held in Lesotho in August, we debated the

issue of poverty alleviation. An extraordinary SADC

summit on regional integration, scheduled for next

month, will discuss a road map on poverty and

development.

06-53317 14

There is an almost symbiotic relationship

between poverty and ill health, with disease often

further impoverishing the poor and impacting

negatively on the stock of scarce human capital in poor

countries. Apart from malaria, HIV/AIDS and

tuberculosis — and now avian flu — which are getting

a lot of attention, other vector-borne diseases have

manifested themselves, and are growing in an

exponential manner.

The alarming rate with which the HIV/AIDS

pandemic is ravaging our populations has far-reaching

implications for our socio-economic development. It

impedes our global efforts to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals. We appreciate the political

commitment of the international community to combat

this scourge so as to bring solace to those already

afflicted and to prevent the further spread of the

disease. Mauritius promptly and spontaneously joined

the innovative financing mechanism initiated by France

and Brazil to introduce a solidarity levy on air tickets

to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The

launching this week of UNITAID — the International

Drug Purchase Facility — has aroused new hopes.

Climate change is yet another serious threat. For

too long, some of us have conveniently decided to

ignore it. In fact, well-known institutions and eminent

scientists have reached the conclusion that climate

change may be one of the biggest threats to

humankind. Of particular concern is the impact of

global warming on certain vectors of disease, leading

to their proliferation. It is estimated that in Africa, for

example, we may witness many more millions of cases

of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases as a

result of climate change.

Mauritius is fully committed to the successful

conclusion of the Doha Development Round. We look

forward to a multilateral trading system that will be

fair and equitable and that provides for the specific

situations and needs of small and vulnerable

economies. The recommendations of the World Trade

Organization Aid for Trade Task Force, submitted in

July 2006, should be implemented urgently to enable

countries, particularly those with small and vulnerable

economies, to access resources to undertake adjustment

and restructuring programmes and to enhance their

trade infrastructure and supply capacities.

Globalization does not seem to be living up to its

promises. We should not allow it to be a process that

unleashes the potential of the few while suppressing

the aspirations of the many. It will have to be tamed

into a development process that will provide an

opportunity to every single citizen of the world to

achieve his or her full potential.

Mauritius, like so many small island economies

with meagre resource bases, has had to adjust to the

realities and challenges of increasing liberalization and

global economic competition — especially the erosion

of trade preferences, which have so far helped in

addressing our inherent disadvantages. My

Government has embarked upon a programme of bold

and wide-ranging economic reforms to adapt to the

new realities of the international economy.

At the end of the day, what is the ultimate role

that each of us here has as heads of State and heads of

Government? We have been entrusted with the destiny

of our people and of our countries. We are but

temporary custodians of the welfare of our people and

that of humankind. If we really want to build better

societies and a better world for future generations, we

must indeed make a significant dent on the issue of

poverty. We must channel significant resources and

energy towards reaching the Millennium Development

Goals. And we must ensure that we create stable and

sustainable societies.

To achieve that, we can no longer afford to

simply keep talking about noble intentions. We must

walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Each one of us

here has the responsibility to implement national

policies that provide opportunities for those who have

always been deprived of their human dignity as a result

of living perpetually on the margins of the socio-

economic mainstream.

My Government is guided by the notion of

citizenship with dignity as a moral compass for action.

We believe that socio-economic justice is a

fundamental pillar of human dignity. We are therefore

determined to provide concrete opportunities to the

economically disenfranchised, in order to lift them out

of the vortex of unjust economic inequalities. I have

always upheld the ideals of social justice. I have

therefore ensured that my Government dedicates no

less than 12 per cent of our last national budget to an

ambitious empowerment programme. That programme

is funded by State and non-State actors, thereby

heralding a new partnership for development in my

country. It will provide tangible avenues for the poor

15 06-53317

and unskilled to equip themselves with the tools

necessary for them to join the economic mainstream. It

also seeks to create a new and flourishing class of

entrepreneurs. That is one of the effective and concrete

ways by which we can truly ensure that we widen the

circle of opportunities.

(spoke in French)

Resolving the problems to which I have referred

to a large extent requires openness, responsiveness,

dialogue and solidarity. We in Mauritius have the good

fortune of being situated in a major crossroads as far as

philosophies and religions are concerned. The history

of the settlement of our islands has made that the case.

We are the children of several traditions. Our identity

has been shaped by various influences, from the East,

West, North and South. Numerous ethnic groups,

cultures, religions and languages have been evolving in

our territory, and we are endeavouring to ensure that

they enrich each other. We seek the commingling of

cultures, which provides us Mauritians with a complex

and dynamic identity. We believe that that is the best

way to build a nation and to assert ourselves. As one

can imagine, that situation requires ongoing vigilance

on the part of political, religious and media leaders as

well as rigorous and transparent application of the

principles of justice.

We would like to believe that the experience of

Mauritius can be applied at the international level. We

also hope that dialogue between peoples and

communities and communication between heads of

State and Government will bring about the end of the

disagreements that are today undermining our world,

which is the only one we have.