Namibia, 1997

I congratulate you, Sir, on

your election as President of the General Assembly at its

fifty-second session. We have no doubt that your

diplomatic tact will steer the deliberations of this

important session to a fruitful conclusion. My delegation

will lend you its full cooperation as you embark on the

difficult task ahead of you.

Let me now pay tribute to His Excellency Mr. Razali

Ismail, your predecessor, who conducted our work during

the fifty-first session in a highly remarkable manner.

Our tribute goes also to the former Secretary-

General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his distinguished

leadership during his tenure. We are most grateful to him

for his tireless efforts in upholding the objectives of the

Organization.

The present Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan,

hails from a country that paved the road towards freedom

and national independence in our part of the world. The

first leader of his country, Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, was a

main catalyst in Africa’s fight against colonial

domination. We have no doubt that all these attributes,

together with his long-standing experience in the affairs

of the United Nations, will contribute to the revitalization

and democratization of the Organization. We congratulate

him on his election as Secretary-General, and we assure

him of our full support and cooperation.

At the fiftieth session of the General Assembly,

world leaders recaptured the vision of the founding

fathers of our Organization. They did so in recognition of

the need to map out the institutional framework and

operational parameters necessary to forge the

effectiveness and continued relevance of the United

Nations in this ever-changing international arena. It is that

momentum that must be the driving force in our quest for

a reformed, revitalized and democratized United Nations.

Reform is a process. As long as the United Nations

exists and the world continues to change, reform will be

necessary. Namibia therefore welcomes the Secretary-

General’s report of 16 July 1997 on the reform of the

United Nations. Let me place on record that Namibia

welcomes and supports reform which enhances the

capacity of the United Nations to effectively address the

critical development concerns of developing countries. In

4

this context, let me emphasize that we attach utmost

importance to the operational activities of the United

Nations, for they complement our development efforts. Any

reform in this area must strengthen their scope of

excellence. As the Secretary-General rightly puts it in his

report on the work of the Organization, “times of

transformation can be times of confusion” [A/52/1, para.

20]. Managerial issues, therefore, must not and cannot be

confused with policy matters. We have long recognized that

it is the General Assembly that is best equipped by the

Charter to provide the necessary representative leadership.

And this authority of the General Assembly my delegation

shall seek to uphold.

Reform must not be retrogressive. It must continue to

enhance and build on those gains we have made over the

years. And, therefore, savings to be realized from reform

measures should be channelled — and rightly so — to

“the Organization’s highest priority, alleviating

poverty and enhancing the prospects of developing

countries”. [A/51/950, letter of transmittal]

The recent reform proposals by the Secretary-General are,

in our view, part of an ongoing process. We must not resist

change; nor should we lose sight of the long-term

implications of our actions of today. We need to do it now,

but we must do it right.

In his address to the General Assembly, the current

Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU),

President Robert Mugabe, reiterated the position of the

OAU on the reform and democratization of the Security

Council. Let me supplement his remarks by emphasizing

that Namibia is opposed to categories of permanent

membership of the Security Council. As we continue to

seek ways and means to reform the Security Council, we

must not replace a speedy process with haste. Hence, the

Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable

Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the

Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security

Council should be the forum to search for and reach a

consensus on the matter.

What besets the United Nations today is not merely an

unmanageable structure. The Organization is subjected to

financial limitations. Reform cannot supplant the Charter

obligation of Member States to honour their financial

obligations. Voluntary contributions, therefore, must not be

seen as a means to pave the way towards resolving the

current financial crisis. My Government welcomes the idea

of the establishment of a revolving credit fund, capitalized

at a level of up to $1 billion through voluntary

contributions or through other appropriate means which

may be agreed. However, our Organization can execute

its mandate to the fullest only when all Member States

equip it to do so. We all must honour our assessed

contributions in line with international agreements, not in

line with unilateral decisions.

The creation of a development account is viewed by

my Government as a good idea. However, all mandated

programmes and activities should be implemented,

including reimbursement to troop contributors for United

Nations peacekeeping operations. Furthermore, any

reduction in posts must not compromise the effectiveness

of the United Nations; more important, it must be carried

out on the basis of geographical equity.

Since 1996 we have witnessed positive progress in

the field of disarmament. A Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-

Ban Treaty (CTBT) has been concluded, and the

Chemical Weapons Convention has come into force. In

addition, an agreement was reached by the parties to the

Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,

Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological)

and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction to intensify

efforts to negotiate verification provisions. However,

despite these developments, nuclear weapons and their

proliferation continue to be a cause of concern to the

international community. With the conclusion of the

CTBT, it is still our hope that serious negotiations will

begin on the elimination of nuclear weapons.

In this connection, we call upon the nuclear-weapon

States to undertake, within the shortest possible time

frame, to carry out effective nuclear disarmament

measures. The total elimination of these weapons is the

only genuine guarantee for non-nuclear-weapon States

against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

Namibia is among many countries still facing the

bitter experience of the effects of landmines, which have

claimed and continue to claim human lives, and which

pose serious obstacles to the reconstruction and

development process. Thus, we support the international

community’s move towards a total ban on the use of anti-

personnel landmines and its continuous and tireless efforts

across the globe to clear minefields.

In this connection, we welcome the treaty recently

concluded in Oslo, Norway, to ban anti-personnel

landmines. Namibia is ready to sign the treaty in Ottawa.

Let me express our profound gratitude and great

5

appreciation to those countries which are supporting

Namibia’s demining activities, thus enhancing our

development prospects.

Our world is merging into one globally encompassing

dynamo of change, or so it is perceived, characterized by

inter alia economic integration. Are developing countries to

become victims or beneficiaries of this process? Suffice it

to emphasize that globalization and liberalization are not

ends in themselves. They are means to greater efficiency,

higher growth and increased welfare. It is common

knowledge that the much talked about benefits of

globalization and liberalization of the world economy

continue to elude the majority of developing countries,

particularly those in Africa. At the same time, while the

debt burden continues to hamper many of the development

efforts of our economies, official development assistance is

on the decline. Instead, new and innovative ideas for

generating funds for globally agreed commitments and

priorities are being brought into play, some of which are

clearly shifting the overall burden of financing development

to the developing countries which already have limited

financial resources.

Namibia is strongly of the view that if the twin

process of globalization and liberalization of the world

economy is to benefit all countries, developing countries

must have free access to world markets without conditions.

It should not be a matter of the survival of the fittest. The

limitations of many of our countries to compete should be

compensated for by maintaining preferential treatment of

developing countries.

Much has been said about global development trends,

of Africa’s efforts to carve a larger slice of the world

economic cake, of our striving for economic empowerment

and competitiveness, of our movement towards regional

integration and harmonization, and of our efforts to put in

place an enabling environment for trade, investment and

capital flows on a national and regional level.

At the same time, at the recent International Monetary

Fund Economic Forum it was said that over the decade

spanning 1985 to 1995 developing countries increased their

share of world trade from 23 per cent to 29 per cent. They

also diversified their trade linkages in response to major

changes in trade and exchange regimes in the direction of

more outward-looking and open policies.

While it is stated that developing countries have more

than doubled their real per capita income over the last 30

years, in reality only Asia has made relative progress; thus,

the gap in living standards between the advanced

economies and Africa continues to widen.

The distribution of gains from increases in both trade

and foreign direct investment remains very skewed, with

a few getting the most. Africa still participates in world

trade with foreign direct investment flows of less than 4

per cent.

Therefore, as we continue to welcome the bright

projected global outlook, we should not lose sight of the

wide divergence across nations and regions. Today, for

many African nations, global optimism coexists with local

pessimism. There is a need, then, to open and expand our

economies, to increase our competitiveness, to empower

our people and to improve their well-being. To this end,

the international community should support Africa’s need

to effectively participate in multilateral trade discussions,

with a strengthened capacity for negotiations in such

forums. Full implementation of the United Nations New

Agenda for the Development of Africa is one effective

way of addressing Africa’s limited capacity to take

advantage of the global outlook.

We in the Southern African Development

Community (SADC) have long recognized that the path

to globalization is regional integration. To equalize power

relationships in the global setting, regional integration is

a strategic imperative. To this end, all the members of

SADC have embarked upon a common strategy to

promote the region as an attractive trading and investment

partner, and they are actively working towards: deeper

economic cooperation and integration on the basis of

balance, equity and mutual respect, providing for cross-

border investment, trade and movement of production

factors and services; common economic, political and

social value systems, enhancing entrepreneurship,

competitiveness, democracy, good governance, rule of

law, human rights and the eradication of poverty; and

strengthened regional solidarity, peace and security.

While admittedly our region has not yet attracted a

high share of foreign direct investment, political and

economic risks have greatly reduced over the past years,

and increasing trade and investment flows are being

witnessed.

Namibia, as a member of SADC, believes in the

region’s potential, the opportunities for joint development

and the power of collective advocacy. This will enhance

efforts towards the ideals and objectives of the African

Economic Community. Together we can strengthen our

6

productivity and competitiveness in the global economy. By

pooling our resources and skills, we can create a far greater

market for all of us than any of our nations has.

For the accelerated development process of developing

countries to take place, a strong industrial base is

indispensable. In this regard, we continue to underscore the

role of the United Nations Industrial Development

Organization (UNIDO), which is an agency with a clear,

vital and indispensable mission. UNIDO has successfully

carried out its reform, and this should be recognized and

supported. At this juncture, let me express Namibia’s great

appreciation to the Government of the United Kingdom for

its decision to rejoin UNIDO. We have no doubt that this

exemplary decision will be rightly emulated by other

Member States.

This year during the month of June major events were

witnessed here at the United Nations. The adoption of the

Agenda for Development and the review and appraisal of

the implementation of Agenda 21 are cases in point. We

view the outcome of these two events as complementary.

Neither replaces the other. The commitments we made in

Rio remain valid and need full — not selective —

implementation.

The United Nations has a major role to play in

promoting international cooperation. It took the Ad Hoc

Open-ended Working Group of the General Assembly on an

Agenda for Development four years to reach consensus.

Mobilization of resources for its implementation is of the

utmost importance, for those who are to benefit from it

cannot wait another four years. Development must be one

of the centrepieces of United Nations activities. In this

context, we welcome the proposal to appoint a Deputy

Secretary-General. In our view the Deputy Secretary-

General should concentrate on United Nations development

activities.

Namibia is one of those countries seriously affected by

desertification and drought. In a few days, the first

Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention

to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing

Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in

Africa, will take place in Rome. We underscore the utmost

importance of establishing an independent financial

mechanism to make arrangements conducive to the

implementation of this Convention. To this end, we look

forward with great expectation to the outcome of the first

Conference of the Parties.

Namibia supports the establishment of an

international criminal court, with its jurisdiction being

limited to “hard-core crimes”: crimes of genocide, serious

violations of the laws and customs applicable in armed

conflict and crimes against humanity. The principle of

complementarity should be clearly spelled out in the

statute. The international criminal court must complement

and not supplant national criminal jurisdictions. A balance

between the international criminal court and the national

jurisdictions will therefore have to be struck in order to

make the international criminal court fully functional.

We are two years from the end of this century and

the beginning of a new millennium. We have the

opportunity to reflect on how we have fared in elevating

the human race to greater heights. In this context, my

Government would like to congratulate both Mrs. Mary

Robinson, the new High Commissioner for Human

Rights, and Mr. Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-General’s

Special Representative to study the impact of armed

conflict on children. Both of them have challenging

responsibilities to assist Member States in very important

but difficult tasks.

In 1998 we will commemorate the fiftieth

anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights. The Government and people of Namibia have

embraced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

inasmuch as our Constitution embodies those principles

and values that we were denied for so long and that we

will cherish and pass on to new generations to come.

Furthermore, 1998 will mark the fifth anniversary of the

World Conference on Human Rights. This will be a time

to reflect and to rededicate ourselves to our collective

responsibility to save successive generations from the

scourge of massive and grave human rights violations.

It is also our responsibility to redouble our efforts

towards the implementation of the Declaration on the

Right to Development as well as to pay equal attention to

the implementation of economic, social and cultural

rights.

No country has been spared the onslaught of drug

trafficking and the alarming geographical spread of

organized crime in its various forms. This undermines our

development process and threatens human rights and

fundamental freedoms, and thus causes regression in the

quality of our lives. In this context, my Government

supports the convening of the special session of the

General Assembly on the question of drugs next year.

This will provide the international community with an

7

ample opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to combat

this global problem.

Time and again we have all affirmed the link between

peace and development. In this context, we are pleased that

the United Nations has decided to discuss the concept of

the “culture of peace” during this session of the General

Assembly. We support the current efforts before the United

Nations for a comprehensive strategy to be adopted towards

this end.

My delegation remains deeply perturbed by the

situation in Angola. In this regard, we feel strongly that the

phasing out of a United Nations presence in Angola must

hinge on the situation on the ground. The United Nations

Observer Mission in Angola was established to keep the

peace in that country. It should not break the fragile peace

through premature withdrawal. In this respect, the

commitment of the parties to the full and unconditional

implementation of the Lusaka Protocol is paramount.

UNITA must therefore rise above the present impasse to

contribute to a final and lasting solution to the problem in

Angola.

We commend the Secretary-General’s efforts in the

Republic of Congo, and we are keeping our hopes alive for

a speedy resolution to that problem.

We welcome the new Government in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, and we call upon the international

community to render all necessary assistance to the

Government and people of that country as they embark on

the road to national reconciliation and reconstruction.

After seven years of tragic civil war in Liberia, my

delegation hails the peace which has finally dawned in that

country. It is our hope that it will be a lasting peace. We

salute the people of Liberia for their good sense. Peace

cannot sustain itself. It is therefore incumbent upon the

international community to support the Government and

people of Liberia in their national reconciliation and

reconstruction efforts to keep and consolidate peace and

stability.

Our hearts bleed when we consider the situation that

has unfolded in Sierra Leone, which has been responsible

for the regression of the reconstruction efforts in that

country. The Government of the Republic of Namibia

condemned the coup d’état in Sierra Leone then and does

so now. Namibia calls for the continued isolation of the

military regime in that country. We therefore welcome the

appointment of the Special Representative of the

Secretary-General.

We note with satisfaction the progress made during

the recent negotiations between the parties on Western

Sahara. We encourage them to continue to search for a

final solution to that problem. We reiterate our call for

the early exercise by the Sahraoui people of their right to

self-determination on the basis of a free, fair and

transparent referendum in Western Sahara, under the joint

supervision and control of the United Nations and the

Organization of African Unity (OAU).

We reiterate the concern of the OAU about the

conflict between Libya and the United States of America

and the United Kingdom over the Lockerbie tragedy.

While we regret the loss of life as a result of this tragedy,

other innocent people continue to suffer as a result of the

subsequent sanctions imposed on Libya. We call for an

urgent solution to this problem.

The Government of Namibia has reiterated on many

occasions that the United States of America and the

Republic of Cuba should start to walk the distance of 90

miles towards reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. We

hoped to see our aspirations come about. However, these

aspirations are being shattered by the new escalation in

the economic, commercial and financial embargo against

Cuba through the application of the Helms-Burton Act.

Notwithstanding this, we shall keep our hopes alive.

The construction of new settlements in the occupied

territories of Palestine is not conducive to peace in the

Middle East. We therefore call on the Government

authorities in Israel to desist from such acts. Peace in the

Middle East is in the interest of all parties concerned. We

call on the parties to resume negotiations.

Let me conclude by stating the obvious: Peace is

cheaper than war. Let us all unite our efforts to make the

world a haven of peace.