Nigeria, 2005

On behalf of the

Government and the people of Nigeria, and in my

capacity as the current Chairman of the African Union

(AU), I would like to extend my sincere

congratulations to you, Sir, and your country, Sweden,

on your election as President of the sixtieth session of

the General Assembly. I should also commend you for

the leadership you provided at the High-level Plenary

Meeting over the past three days. The theme you have

chosen for this year’s general debate — “For a stronger

and more effective United Nations: the follow-up and

implementation of the High-level Plenary Meeting in

September 2005” — is indeed most appropriate and

timely, as it encapsulates our common desire for a

renewed and invigorated Organization. I assure you of

the full support and cooperation of the Nigerian

delegation. I would also like to express appreciation to

your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping of the

Republic of Gabon, for his leadership and dedication.

I commend the Secretary-General, His

Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, for his tenacity and

leadership qualities, which sustain the role of the

United Nations and underlie the current reform process

of the United Nations system.

You, Sir, have assumed the presidency of the

sixtieth session at a time when the United Nations is

witnessing epoch-making historic events. The session

has in the last three days taken the assessment and

review of the five-year implementation of the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Besides

pursuing the reform process, launched by the report of

the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Threats,

Challenges and Change, entitled “A more secure world:

our shared responsibility” (A/59/565), and the

Secretary-General’s own report entitled “In larger

freedom” (A/59/2005), the session will also mark the

tenth year of implementation of the Declaration and

Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on

Women and the Declaration and Programme of Action

of the World Summit for Social Development, held in

Beijing and Copenhagen, respectively.

I have no doubt, Sir, that, with your vast

experience in diplomacy and statecraft, you will pilot

the session to a successful conclusion.

The United Nations continues to play a pivotal

role in the lives of all people with its vast network of

activities. In this regard, Nigeria is firmly anchored in

its belief, commitment to and support for the

strengthening of the United Nations and the protection

of its ideals, in particular, the maintenance of

international peace and security, prevention and

protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms

and promotion of international cooperation in solving

international economic, social, cultural and

humanitarian problems. There remains so much to do

in these areas that only a rejuvenated United Nations

can optimally respond to the challenges.

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Last year, the situation in the Sudan, including

the Darfur region, was a cause of serious concern to

Africa and indeed to the international community.

However, with the combined efforts of the United

Nations, the African Union and the Intergovernmental

Authority on Development (IGAD), we have managed

to usher in an era of hope in that country. A

Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been signed and

implemented on the long-drawn north-south conflict,

and the fifth round of inter-Sudanese peace talks on

Darfur resumed in Abuja in June 2005 and is currently

in progress. I take this opportunity to once again appeal

to the parties to shed their hard-line approach to

negotiation and adopt a policy of give-and-take in the

interest of posterity.

The international community has demonstrated

tremendous goodwill in facilitating the peace process

in Darfur, and this must be sustained by the parties.

Similarly, it is equally important to maintain and

sustain the current level of peace between northern and

southern Sudan. In this connection, I salute the courage

of the late Mr. John Garang in leading the southern

Sudanese people into reaching an accord with the

Government of the Sudan. We regret the death of

Mr. John Garang and extend our heartfelt sympathy to

his family and to the Government and people of the

Sudan.

The situation in Somalia continues to give hope

to the ability of the contending parties to resolve their

differences in the higher interest of their beloved

country. The African Union will continue to play an

active role in this regard, together with the IGAD and

countries in the region to help Somalis realize their

dream of a united and peaceful country.

In the West African subregion, the African Union

and the Economic Community of West African States

(ECOWAS) have continued to remain fully engaged

with efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis in

Côte d’Ivoire. In this connection, we acknowledge the

valuable support of the United Nations to the peace

process. We appreciate the efforts deployed by

President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa to mediate in

Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of the AU. In view of President

Mbeki’s report of 30 August 2005 and the recent

declaration that the elections scheduled for October

may not take place, it would be necessary for

ECOWAS, and then the AU, to revisit the situation in

Côte d’Ivoire. We will do so in full consultation with

the Secretary-General and the Security Council of the

United Nations.

We commend the evolving return to democracy,

reconciliation, security and development in Togo, and

we appreciate the efforts of the United Nations, the

European Union (EU) and other development partners

in this regard. The elections in Guinea-Bissau have

come and gone. The reconciliation process that will

precede the inauguration of the newly elected President

has begun. Both Togo and Guinea-Bissau will need

substantial support to build their economies, without

which their situations could deteriorate. We call on the

United Nations and its institutions, along with the

European Union and other development partners, to

help.

The AU stands resolutely by its policy of not

accepting to include among its members any

Government that emanates from outside a Constitution

and democratic processes. That is the situation now

with regard to Mauritania. We are of course

maintaining a constructive dialogue and recommending

an expeditious return to democracy, including national

reconciliation and the necessary reforms and

legislation to move the country forward.

We welcome the elections in Burundi and the

Government resulting from that election, which is

based on the newly agreed Constitution. We appreciate

the role played by all the friends of Burundi who

helped to make that happen. Like Togo and Guinea-

Bissau, Burundi will need special assistance to be able

to consolidate its reconciliation and democracy.

We applaud the Secretary-General’s proposal

contained in his recent report on the situation in Sierra

Leone. In particular, we welcome his intention to keep

the security, political, humanitarian and human rights

situation under close review. The AU is also pleased

about the six-month extension of the mandate of the

United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL)

and recognition of the need for a strong United Nations

presence in the country after the withdrawal of

UNAMSIL. We believe the presence of the United

Nations system will foster confidence and guarantee

stability during the critical months following its

withdrawal. We call upon the international community

to continue to extend assistance to the Government of

Sierra Leone in its efforts to develop a credible,

effective and sustainable police force, armed forces and

12

judiciary, as well as rebuild damaged infrastructure

necessary to revamp economic and social activities.

The peace process in Liberia is in its most critical

phase, and calls for the cooperation of all parties in the

country. The AU is closely monitoring developments

there. We are optimistic that the elections scheduled for

next month will lead to a successful transition. In that

connection, the use of propaganda to direct attention to

issues unrelated to the conduct of the forthcoming

presidential elections should be avoided and resisted.

It is pertinent for me to repeat here what I said

before on the issue of Charles Taylor, who was

encouraged to leave Liberia in order to avoid a

bloodbath. He was encouraged by the leaders of Africa

at the level of the Economic Community of West

African States (ECOWAS) and the AU to voluntarily

give up power and leave his country, in the interests of

Liberia, West Africa and Africa, and of world peace

and security. He was escorted to Nigeria by President

Kuffor, who was the Chairman of ECOWAS at the

time, and Presidents Mbeki and Chissano, who were,

respectively, the outgoing and incoming Chairmen of

the AU. We believe that the cause of peace in Liberia

will be served if Charles Taylor stays away, or is kept

away, from Liberia during the transition or early stages

of nation-rebuilding in that country following the

elections.

With regard to the Great Lakes region, we have

taken note of the realistic decision of the two houses of

Parliament in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to

extend, for a period of six months, the transition period

that expired on 30 June 2005, in accordance with the

provisions of the Global and All Inclusive Agreement,

signed in Pretoria in December 2002, and in line with

article 196 of the transitional Constitution. The AU is

determined to continue to work with the United

Nations to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the

conflict. In that connection, we reiterate the AU’s call

to all parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo to respect that decision. We hope that this

will ensure that the elections provided for by the

Agreement take place satisfactorily. With the

cooperation of all parties concerned and the active

support of the international community, we are hopeful

for an orderly return to normality and the restoration of

peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo.

Nigeria’s commitment to nuclear non-

proliferation has never been in doubt. We have always

supported the view that it should involve all States.

Disarmament conventions merit the support of all

States, small or large, nuclear or non-nuclear. My

delegation regrets the failure of the 2005 Review

Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We should not allow

the relative stability in our world to lure us into the

belief that the need for total disarmament no longer

exists. Nor can we separate disarmament from non-

proliferation. Through that we can achieve the goal of

the Charter of the United Nations of saving succeeding

generations from the scourge of war and destruction.

The availability and wide circulation of small

arms and light weapons poses the greatest danger to

peace and security, especially in our region. Those

weapons have helped to prolong conflicts and to

undermine stability, social peace and security. They

have also wreaked devastation on the economies of

affected States. Nigeria therefore welcomes the

agreement of June 2005 on an international instrument

that would enable States to identify and trace illicit

small arms and light weapons in a timely and reliable

manner. However, that is only a stop-gap measure.

What we need is a legally binding international

instrument that will regulate, control and monitor the

illicit trade in small arms, including their transfer to

non-State actors. By pronouncing ourselves clearly and

positively in that regard, Member States would send a

message of their resolve not to encourage or condone

the diversion of those weapons to illicit networks.

Terrorism remains a great threat to peace and

security at the local, national and international levels.

It is inimical to the rule of law, human rights,

democracy and freedom. It impedes sustainable

development through the destabilization of States,

particularly emerging democracies and nations in

transition. Nigeria reaffirms its conviction that

terrorism cannot be justified under any circumstance,

and should therefore be combated in all its forms and

manifestations. To that end, my country welcomes the

adoption, on 13 April 2005, of the International

Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear

Terrorism, and commits itself to work with others to

mobilize the political will necessary to ensure the early

entry into force of a comprehensive convention on

terrorism. We also welcome the Security Council

13

resolution against the incitement of terrorism and

terrorist acts.

As we embark upon a review of the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs), the challenges of hunger,

poverty and disease continue to override our

conscience as well as the conscience of the

international community. It was our concern regarding

those challenges that compelled African leaders to

commit themselves to the ideals of the New

Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), whose

principal objective was to encourage good governance,

democracy, the rule of law, security, stability and

macro-economic reforms, among other things. Four

years on, NEPAD has made some modest progress that

reflects our determination to make Africa work for

Africans in an interdependent world and towards the

achievement of sustainable development.

However, notwithstanding our efforts, poverty

remains endemic in Africa. The dangerous correlation

between grinding poverty and alienation from

government as a veritable source of political instability

on the continent leaves much to be desired. We are,

however, grateful for the renewed commitment of our

development partners to redeem their ODA pledges,

increase foreign direct investment, remodel trading

architecture and provide better and effective technical

and structural support to our efforts. We have also

begun to emphasize well-managed and development-

focused tourism as a veritable source of wealth and job

creation and an effective contributor to several of the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

We remain committed to providing the necessary

conducive environment that will encourage investment

and generate wealth and liberate our peoples from

poverty. Our agricultural policies and practices are

tailored to expansion capable of feeding our people,

exporting some of the produce and providing raw

materials for our industries.

The pivotal role of trade as a veritable engine for

economic growth cannot be overstated. Access to

markets of developed countries, withdrawal of

agricultural subsidies as well as elimination of

distorting tariffs are measures that should be addressed

decisively by our industrialized development partners

to enhance the ability of developing countries to

benefit from trade. The successful completion of the

Doha multilateral trade negotiations would be a litmus

test of our resolve.

I wish to recognize the statesmanship displayed

by members of the Paris Club, which recently granted

African countries, among others, debt cancellation and

debt relief. We urge the international community to

adopt an effective, comprehensive, durable and

development-oriented solution to the debt problem of

developing countries, which has become for them a cog

in the wheel of development, growth and progress.

Since 1986, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has rapidly

grown into a monster all over the world. In tackling the

scourge, many African countries, including Nigeria,

have adopted the multisectoral response strategy

recommended by the United Nations.

Nigeria has followed with great interest and

participated actively in the various proposals on the

reform of our Organization, the United Nations. We

strongly support the proposal for the establishment of a

Peacebuilding Commission, since this will go a long

way in filling a yawning gap in the consolidation of

sustainable peace and security in post-conflict

countries, particularly in Africa.

We also support the proposed Human Rights

Council. However, we do not believe that the mere

exchange of the Commission on Human Rights for the

proposed Council would address perceived deficiencies

in the promotion and protection of human rights and

fundamental freedoms, unless the proposed Council

adopts a new culture of treating all cases of violation

with a standard yardstick capable of attracting wide

support and generating confidence.

As far as the proposal for the expansion of the

Security Council is concerned, Nigeria has consistently

supported, and as a member of the African Union

Follow-up Mechanism remains faithful to, the

implementation of the Ezulwini Consensus. We have

done so without any second thought or national

colourations with the sole aim of achieving the best for

Africa in the obligatory negotiations with other regions

and Members of the United Nations, whose support

Africa must necessarily attract to achieve its

fundamental requirement of increasing the number and

quality of its membership on the Security Council.

Finally, as Chairman of the African Union for the

past year, I have had the privilege of working closely

with brother African heads of State or Government in

transforming the African Union into a truly potent and

effective organization for the development of African

peoples. Through our collective efforts, we have

14

brought hope and confidence to Africa. We do not,

under any circumstances, intend to waver in this

renewed commitment of repositioning Africa for peace,

security, stability, growth, sustainable development and

enduring democracy. I am optimistic that with the

invaluable cooperation of the United Nations, our

development partners and the international community

with respect to the MDGs and other NEPAD initiatives,

the African Union will successfully pursue the noble

objectives enshrined in its Constitutive Act.