Namibia, 2002

I convey warm

congratulations to Mr. Jan Kavan on his unanimous

election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the

General Assembly. I am confident that, given his vast

experience and diplomatic skills, he will be able to

steer this session to a successful conclusion. In the

same vein, our congratulations and sincere appreciation

go to his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, for the

outstanding manner in which he conducted the work of

the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I wish

also to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the

illustrious son of Africa at the helm of the

Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has taken the

United Nations to greater heights.

We join other members of our family of nations

in welcoming the Swiss Confederation as the one

hundred and ninetieth Member of the United Nations.

We are confident that its membership will not only

formalize that resourceful country's long involvement

with the United Nations but contribute greatly to the

work of the Organization.

After a long and bitter liberation struggle, the

people of East Timor have finally realized their right to

self-determination and independence. We look forward

to welcoming the Democratic Republic of East Timor

as the one hundred and ninety first Member of the

United Nations. Just as the international community

stood by the people of East Timor in their darkest hour

of need, the United Nations must now assist them in

their efforts to rebuild their country.

The opening of this session of the General

Assembly coincided with the first anniversary of the 11

September terrorist attack on the United States of

America. That horrific attack met with vigorous

international condemnation and led to a concerted

campaign by countries throughout the world to eradicate

terrorism as a global scourge. All around the world,

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countries, including my own, are continuing to take

domestic measures to combat international terrorism.

Last week the general debate in this hall was

overshadowed by an ominous and terrifying cloud —

the threat of war in Iraq. Indeed, most of us have been

filled with grave concern about that looming danger.

That concern has, however, been somewhat eased. The

focus now seems to have moved away from the

temptation to take unilateral military action towards the

multilateralism that is so vital for the maintenance of

world peace and security. In this regard, Namibia

welcomes the decision by Iraq to cooperate with the

Security Council.

Namibia is deeply concerned about the constantly

escalating violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The continuous wanton destruction of Palestinian

towns, the demolition of homes and institutions and,

above all, the unabating loss of life are all

manifestations of the tragic plight of the Palestinian

people. While rejecting all acts of violence against

innocent civilians, we recognize the urgent need for the

international community to address the root cause of

violence, namely, the continued occupation of

Palestinian territory by Israeli troops.

It is imperative for the international community

to act decisively and with a renewed sense of urgency

to stop the ongoing carnage and destruction in the

Middle East. We support the immediate establishment

of an independent Palestinian State, existing side by

side with Israel in peace and mutual security.

One of the factors which have militated against

development and progress in Africa has been the armed

conflicts in a number of countries on that continent.

Such conflicts have been responsible for the

aggravation of poverty and the spread of disease.

It is pleasing to note, however, that peace and

security in Africa have been increasing over the past

year or so. Developments in Angola since February this

year have filled us with hope and a sense of relief.

After more than two decades of destructive war,

Angola is firmly and irreversibly on the road to peace.

Concerted efforts by the international community are,

however, required to address the urgent and burning

humanitarian needs and to help Angola to maintain and

consolidate its hard-won peace.

There have been similar positive developments in

the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ceasefire

there has been holding. However, the aggressor

countries have still not withdrawn their troops from

that country in line with the Lusaka Ceasefire

Agreement, the Pretoria Agreement and the relevant

Security Council resolutions.

The United Nations has confirmed, through

various reports, that there continue to be large-scale

violations of human rights in the eastern part of that

country. This is unacceptable and should not be

allowed to continue with impunity. Similarly, the

plundering of the natural resources of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo should no longer be condoned.

Furthermore, in Sierra Leone the machine guns,

with their staccato sound, have fallen silent, thanks to

the intervention of the international community in the

conflict in that country. Successful elections were held

there this year, and the people of that country are now

busy with peace-building and the reconstruction of

their country. We call on the international community

to assist them in this regard.

In 1992, the General Assembly decided in favour

of a referendum in Western Sahara. Ten years later, the

people of Western Sahara continue to endure suffering,

waiting and hoping for the implementation of the

United Nations plan for the independence of their

country. The only hope they have is our Organization.

We, the Members of the United Nations, therefore have

a responsibility towards the people of Western Sahara

in their quest for self-determination. It is not a question

of our doing them a favour. Rather, we have an

obligation under the Charter of our Organization.

It is high time that the people of Western Sahara

exercise their right to self-determination and

independence through a free and fair referendum under

the supervision of the United Nations. The Secretary-

General should therefore continue to seek the

implementation of the United Nations independence

plan for Western Sahara.

The unilateral economic blockade against Cuba is

continuing to cause immense suffering to the people of

Cuba, who suffered with us and shared with us

selflessly, extending solidarity to our people during our

difficult struggle for independence. We reiterate our

call for the lifting of this embargo.

Just as the people of Africa have begun, in

earnest, to address the problem of armed conflict that

has hindered Africa's development and socio-economic

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progress in the past, the continent must now grapple

with yet another menace that is ravaging its population,

namely, the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Its devastating

impact is now undermining economic growth and

development in sub-Saharan Africa, with millions

already infected and dying. Indeed, sub-Saharan Africa

is now facing a human crisis of monumental

proportions. Millions of AIDS orphans are screaming

out for help as a result of this rampaging disease.

We appeal for increased and generous

contributions to the Global Health Fund to enable us to

fight the scourge. In that connection, we would like to

emphasize that the allocation of the available funds

should be determined by the magnitude of the problem

in each country.

As part of our ongoing effort to fight the scourge

of HIV/AIDS, Namibia will be hosting the Second

Regional Conference on Orphans and Vulnerable

Children from 25 to 29 November, 2002. It is our

sincere hope that the Conference will further highlight

the fate of those children and galvanize the world's

further support to ease their truly difficult plight. We

are quite confident that the support of the international

community will enable us, indeed, humanity, and

Africa in particular, to conquer this ravaging pandemic.

The drought situation in Southern Africa places

more than 12 million people at risk of hunger and

destitution. We welcome the efforts of the Secretary-

General in that respect. We also welcome the efforts of

the donor community in mobilizing resources for relief.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation also go to all the

humanitarian agencies providing support. We

encourage them to continue to mobilize and to render

further support.

The fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly

has special significance for Africa, in the sense that

considerable attention is being paid to the continent's

problems. In the first instance, there is the tabling by the

Secretary-General of the report on the final review and

appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations

New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s.

This session also marks the end of the United Nations

Programme for the Second Industrial Development

Decade for Africa. The conclusions of the review are

sobering in the sense that both the New Agenda for the

Development of Africa in the 1990s and the

Programme for the Second Industrial Development

Decade for Africa have come to an end, but Africa

remains marginalized in the global economy.

Also significant for Africa at this session is the

fact that notwithstanding the continent's rather minimal

development performance during the periods just

referred to, Africa has come to the fifty-seventh session

of the General Assembly more determined then ever to

launch itself on a new path of economic growth and

development.

It was in the light of this determination that on

Monday, 16 September 2002 the General Assembly

devoted the whole day to exploring ways in which the

international community can support the African

Union's New Partnership for Africa's Development

(NEPAD), designed to rebuild and rejuvenate our

continent. What emerged from the Monday meeting on

Africa was a clear sense of purpose and direction such

that, while hoping for greater support from the

international community to implement its new

development initiative, Africa is seriously seeking to

lift itself up by its own bootstraps.

Indeed, the African leaders have reaffirmed their

commitment to the development goals of the United

Nations Millennium Summit Declaration for the

continent to achieve economic growth of 7 per cent by

the year 2015 and thus to be able to halve poverty on

the continent by that same year.

And while NEPAD is an African initiative, owned

and managed by the African Union, the continent still

needs unfettered market access for its goods, increased

foreign investment, the elimination of external debts

and, yes, more Official Development Assistance, as

well as a large infusion of technology and skills into its

production processes.

In conclusion, I would like to state Namibia's

position on the International Criminal Court (ICC). A

few individuals who commit heinous crimes against

humanity undermine international peace and security.

When those who commit serious crimes go unpunished,

murder and torture carry no risk. Rather, they

encourage even more crimes. The entry into force of

the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

on 1 July 2002 represents a historic day for

international justice.

As a State Party to the ICC, Namibia has noted

with great concern the adoption of Security Council

resolution 1422 (2002) under chapter VII of the United

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Nations Charter, as if the ICC were a threat to peace or an

act of aggression. In this context, we call upon those

States that are not Parties to the Statute to become so now.

In the face of a growing tendency towards

unilateralism, the revitalization of the General

Assembly, which is the collective decision-making

body, is becoming even more important. In the same

vein, Namibia reaffirms its position on the need to

reform and democratize the United Nations Security

Council in order to ensure that the Council remains

responsible for the peace and security of all countries

in all regions.

From this very rostrum, it has been said time and

again that if the United Nations did not exist, it would

have to be created. Those are not empty words. Rather,

they express the deep aspirations and commitment of

humanity to the Organization, which has stood the test

of time and proven indispensable to the conduct of

relations among States. Let us not allow

multilateralism to be eroded.