Myanmar, 2001

On behalf of the

delegation of the Union of Myanmar, I wish to extend

our warmest congratulations to Mr. Han Seung-soo on

his well-deserved election to the presidency of the

fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. His

election to this high office reflects the trust and

confidence of all the Member States in his diplomatic

skills and leadership qualities and in his ability to

guide our deliberations to successful conclusions. It is

also a tribute to his country, the Republic of Korea,

which is at the forefront in our common efforts to

achieve the goals of the Organization. In the discharge

of his heavy responsibilities, may I assure him of our

full support and cooperation.

I also wish to express our deep appreciation to his

predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland, for his able

leadership and valuable contribution during the fifty-

fifth session of the General Assembly.

May I also take this opportunity to congratulate

our Secretary-General on his re-election to lead the

Organization for a second term. I also wish to pay

tribute to him for his tireless efforts and far-sighted

initiatives to strengthen the United Nations. The award

of the Nobel Peace Prize to our Secretary-General and

to the Organization is well-deserved recognition in this

regard.

The international community was greatly shocked

by the recent horrendous terrorist attacks in the United

States of America. We are profoundly saddened by the

enormous loss of lives and property. We join the

international community in extending our deep

condolences to the people of the United States in

general and the bereaved families in particular.

Wherever and by whomever committed, terrorism in

any form or under any circumstances is unjustifiable.

As a nation that has had bitter experiences with

terrorism, both on its own soil and against its aircraft

and diplomatic service abroad, Myanmar is against

terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

The challenges of combating terrorism are both

difficult and complex. Therefore, it is essential that the

international community come together under the aegis

of the United Nations to overcome the enormous

challenge.

In this regard, I commend the Secretary-General

for organizing a treaty event at United Nations

Headquarters from 10 to 16 November 2001. Myanmar

is already a party to 4 of the 12 conventions on

terrorism, and on 12 November we signed the

International Convention for the Suppression of the

Financing of Terrorism and acceded to the International

Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings.

In the aftermath of the economic crisis of 1997,

Asian countries are still striving to return to a path of

sustained growth. However, the current slowdown in

the major economies of the world is threatening to

negate whatever progress they have made. As these

economies continue with structural reforms to sustain

their economic recovery, they are confronted with an

17

international economic and trading environment that is

not very encouraging.

This situation is creating difficulties, especially

for many developing countries and economies in

transition. Commodity prices are declining due to

weakening world demand. External financing

conditions are also worsening. Factors such as

indebtedness, declining official development assistance

and low levels of domestic and foreign investment

continue to undermine the programmes of the most

vulnerable States. It is against this unfavourable

backdrop that Myanmar is striving to achieve economic

development of the country.

There are also hindrances to our efforts to

promote the well-being of our people, such as denial of

official development assistance and the application of

unilateral and coercive economic measures. However,

we are resolute in our efforts to achieve our goals by

relying on our domestic resources and internal strength

and by putting our comparative advantages to optimum

use. Our sustained national efforts for development

have resulted in 8.4 per cent average annual growth

during the last five-year plan, resulting in a substantial

increase in per capita income and in better living

standards for the people.

In their respective endeavours to bring about

economic development and social progress, the

developing countries continue to face formidable

challenges. The debt burden, the declining flow of

official development assistance, the lack of market

access and access to technology, and the decline in

foreign direct investment continue to persist. The

United Nations must play a central role in helping

those countries to help themselves.

In this regard, we recognize the important role of

United Nations funds and programmes in international

cooperation for development. However, their important

role should not be undermined by practices that are not

in conformity with the principles underpinning the

operation of those funds and programmes. Moreover,

they should not be used as a platform for exerting

pressure on a country that needs and deserves

international cooperation in its development efforts.

While acknowledging the role of various funds

and programmes, we are particularly appreciative of

the important role of the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP). In United Nations operational

activities for development, UNDP serves as the

principal instrument for capacity-building in

developing countries. Myanmar regrets, however, that

the United Nations Development Programme is not

allowed to have a country programme for Myanmar.

While UNDP continues its useful activities in

Myanmar, it is, however, prohibited from promoting

capacity-building for reasons other than those for

which UNDP was created.

In the present context of an extremely difficult

economic and trading environment, the denial of the

right of development to a country in need of

international cooperation is a matter that deserves

appropriate redress.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic poses a serious

challenge to the international community. The response

of the international community and the efforts being

made at the national, regional and international levels

to counter this global threat are very encouraging.

However, the real challenge for us is the high level of

resources needed to combat this disease effectively. It

is therefore most welcome that a global AIDS and

health fund has been established. With the

determination and will that has been demonstrated in

current efforts, and strengthened with adequate

resources, we are convinced that we will eventually

win this war on HIV/AIDS. Myanmar fully recognizes

the nature and gravity of the HIV/AIDS problem, is

taking the necessary actions at the national level and is

enhancing our cooperation at the regional and

international levels.

Let me take this opportunity to apprise the

Assembly of the political situation in our country. As

the Assembly is aware, Myanmar is in the process of

establishing a multiparty democracy with a sound

economy. All of the measures that we have taken are

directed towards that end in a focused manner. This is

the course of action which we will pursue steadfastly to

its logical end - that is, until democracy is firmly

established. We have learned from bitter experience, as

well as from the lessons of other countries with similar

experiences, and we are taking great care to ensure that

the transition to a new system is peaceful, smooth and

effective and that the foundations we are striving to lay

are placed on firm ground.

We have also been taking effective measures for

national reconciliation. We have reached arrangements

with 17 out of 18 armed groups, who are now joining

hands with the Government in national development

18

endeavours. In the same vein, we are also making

national reconciliation efforts with the political parties.

Here, let me stress what the Secretary-General has so

rightly outlined in his report. Our national

reconciliation efforts are home-grown, and our goal of

building a peaceful and democratic society can be

successfully achieved only by the people of Myanmar.

Myanmar continues to make relentless efforts to

combat the scourge of narcotic drugs. We have made

considerable headway in the suppression of opium and

heroin. The latest figures show that opium production

has declined by 38 per cent. To achieve this, we tackled

the problem in a holistic manner. We have strengthened

our legislation; we have enhanced our enforcement

capacity; and we have combined these measures with a

development programme to find alternative livelihoods

for people in remote areas, so that they do not have to

resort to growing opium.

While we are taking effective measures against

the cultivation, production and trafficking of the opium

poppy, we are also taking action against the danger of

amphetamine-type stimulants, which are relatively new

but equally dangerous narcotic drugs. Due to their

availability and affordable price, the widespread use of

these stimulants among young people has led to an

alarming situation in our subregion. This situation calls

for renewed efforts at the national level and for

stepped-up cooperation at the subregional level.

To enhance cooperation at the regional level,

ministers from Myanmar, China, Thailand and Laos

met in Beijing in August and agreed to cooperate

closely to fight the problem. Our efforts have achieved

tangible results: the seizure of drugs and the arrest of

the traffickers involved.

Myanmar fully understands how important and

urgent it is to combat this scourge afflicting mankind.

We have made a firm commitment at the highest

political level and are determined to translate these

commitments into practical and effective measures

within the set time-frame.

I wish to inform the Assembly that we have also

enhanced our cooperation with the United Nations

system. We continue our cooperation with Mr. Razali

Ismail, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, who

completed his fifth visit to the country in August.

Another visit towards the end of this year has also been

agreed to. Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Special

Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights,

visited the country twice earlier this year.

Determined to resolve the issue of forced labour,

Myanmar is fully cooperating with the International

Labour Organization (ILO). In September 2001, an

ILO high-level team paid a three-week visit to

Myanmar to objectively assess the practical

implementation and actual impact of the legislative,

executive and administrative measures adopted by the

Government to eliminate the practice of forced labour.

The Government extended its full cooperation to the

team in arranging its meetings in Myanmar and its fact-

finding trips to various parts of the country identified

by it. What was most important, we gave the team

unfettered freedom and unlimited access to carry out its

mandate successfully.

Let me now make a few observations concerning

the work of the Organization. Last year, our heads of

State and Government and leaders gathered in the

General Assembly Hall and charted a road-map to

guide our future actions. All our work and energy must

be directed towards effectively using that road-map to

achieve a peaceful and developed world. Peace and the

development of nations are the twin objectives of our

Organization. While globalization has, to a

considerable degree, reduced our planet to the village

level, the issues we face in achieving peace and

development are global in scale and complexity. As we

are acutely aware, no one country is capable of

resolving those issues on its own. It is only through

concerted efforts and genuine partnerships that we will

be able to address those issues of a global scale.

We believe that as the only universal forum with

the most comprehensive mandate, the United Nations

must play a central role and coordinate our actions in

those efforts. At the same time, the United Nations

must be further strengthened and vitalized to be able to

carry out its global mission effectively and

expeditiously. That will require the further

strengthening of its organs and institutions. For our

part, we must provide the Organization with the

resources and the level of support needed to implement

its mandate. It is also vitally important to give real

effect to our pledges through concrete actions if our

Organization is to be successful in building a world of

peace and development.