The Gambia, 1995

Let me begin by congratulating

you, Sir, on your unanimous election as President of the

General Assembly at its fiftieth session. Our confidence in

your stewardship is further strengthened by your

distinguished career at home and, indeed, your

understanding of international affairs. I should therefore like

to assure you of my delegation’s full support and

cooperation as you carry out your important mandate.

I should also like to pay tribute to your illustrious

predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy, for a job well

done. Indeed, he has honoured his country and, by

extension, the entire African continent by succeeding in

giving the presidency of the General Assembly a new

image.

As for the Secretary-General of the Organization,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, we can hardly thank him

enough for his work, including the excellent arrangements

made for this session, which takes on particular importance

this year. The Secretary-General deserves commendation for

all his commitment to development, social justice and

international peace and security — objectives on the basis

of which this Organization was founded.

Having said that, I should like to take this opportunity

to welcome the one-hundred-eighty-fifth Member of the

United Nations. Palau’s recent admission is a true reflection

of the universality of the Organization.

It is regrettable, though, that it has not been possible

to discuss the readmission of the Republic of China on

Taiwan on the basis of the same principle. Considering its

population of 21 million and the fact that it is one of the

world’s leading economies, my delegation sincerely

believes that the Republic of China on Taiwan, readmitted

as a full Member, would make significant contributions to

the work of the United Nations. It is hoped that such a

move would also facilitate the process of reunification.

About the same time last year we informed this

Assembly of the establishment of an Armed Forces

Provisional Ruling Council and a new Government in the

Gambia, under the chairmanship of His Excellency

Captain Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh, following the military

takeover on 22 July 1994. The factors that compelled the

Army to take over the reins of power have already been

explained in sufficient detail. Prominent among the

reasons was rampant corruption.

In this regard, let me inform the Assembly that the

various commissions of inquiry established to probe the

activities of the former regime have so far made shocking

revelations about the degree of corruption and

mismanagement that was the order of the day in the

Gambia during the last 30 years. The most devastating

revelation of all has been made by the Crude Oil

Commission, which uncovered the embezzlement of

millions of dollars meant to finance development projects

in the country.

Equally breathtaking are the findings of the

Commission concerning Government Departments and

line Ministries. The work of the Public Assets and

Properties Recovery Commission, also chaired by a

Superior Court Judge, is progressing steadily. Here again

what has been unfolding leaves no reasonable doubt that

there was widespread abuse of public office under the

previous regime.

Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry into Land

Administration is currently examining the evidence that it

has been gathering since its creation, and it will submit its

report soon. By all accounts, the findings so far of the

Commission of Inquiry into the Financial Activities of

Public Corporations are also earth-moving.

Strenuous efforts are being made to recover

everything stolen. But the important thing is the lesson

drawn from all these Commissions, which, basically, is

that public office is essentially for the service of one’s

country, and not to be used as a vehicle for self-

enrichment. Even members of the general public are now

more responsive to their tax obligations, as evidenced by

the record tax collections since the setting up of the

Commissions to which I have referred. More important,

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Fiftieth session 13 October 1995

the principles of accountability, transparency and probity in

public life are gradually taking root in Gambian society.

All these facts speak for themselves, and we now

understand why the Gambia is poorer today than it was at

the time of independence. The country’s meagre resources,

which should have been utilized for development purposes,

were grossly mismanaged — to say the least. This is why

not a single hospital or high school had been built after 30

years of independence. It was deliberate policy to keep our

people ignorant and, therefore, no serious attempt was made

to build a television station or, at least, to improve the

national radio station so that it could be heard all over the

country.

Can this, in all honesty, be called democracy? And, to

perpetuate themselves in power, the authorities of the

former regime brought in truck-loads of foreigners to vote

for them during elections. In the absence of an independent

electoral commission it was easy for them to indulge in

such malpractice.

The Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council

Government has since adopted a Programme of

Rectification and Timetable for Transition to Democratic

Constitutional Rule by July 1996. Mindful, however, of the

fact that democracy and development are inextricably

linked, we have also drawn up a development agenda

focusing mainly on the social sectors. The two programmes,

contained in one document, were formally submitted to our

traditional partners-in-development for assistance. To our

great surprise, however, and despite all the hullabaloo over

the need to speed up the democratization process, very little

or no assistance at all was forthcoming to complement our

national efforts.

Despite the fact that the Timetable was reduced from

four years to two years after nationwide consultation, the

European Union and its allies still maintain sanctions

against the Government. None of the efforts made to

implement the various activities in the transition

Programme have been acknowledged by them. I am

referring to the Constitutional Review Commission, the

Civic Education Programme, and the Electoral Law Review

Committee. Our traditional partners in development all

reneged on their promises. This unfounded scepticism has

not deterred us from forging ahead with our plans to build

a new society. That is why we have decided to finance the

operations of some of these activities to demonstrate our

commitment to the transition Programme.

As a serious-minded Government we cannot abdicate

our responsibility, or our duty, towards our people. It is

for that reason that two high schools and three junior

secondary schools are being built. They should be ready

within the next few weeks.

Plans are also well under way to build at least a

third referral hospital. In addition to the building of

schools our national education policy is currently under

review with the aim of making education more accessible

to all, notably to girls, and tailored to suit our national

development objectives. Recently, too, we have embarked

on the building of a university. All these efforts clearly

demonstrate once more the importance attached to the

development of human resources. This, we are convinced,

will rescue our people from the darkness of ignorance,

illiteracy and deprivation.

In the area of infrastructural development, not only

are roads being built, but His Excellency the Chairman of

the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council and Head

of State recently laid the foundation-stone for the new

Banjul International Airport complex. In fact, work has

commenced on this project, which is on a turn-key basis.

As agriculture is the backbone of the economy, the

Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council Government is

giving this sector all the attention that it deserves. That is

in line with our thinking that a nation that cannot feed

itself can hardly be called independent. A hungry nation

cannot concentrate on nation-building. Besides, food is

used as a weapon.

It is said that the youth of today are the future

leaders of tomorrow. Guided by this adage and the

principle of good citizenry, the Armed Forces Provisional

Ruling Council has introduced a National Youth Service

Scheme, the basic purpose of which is to inculcate

discipline and to reorient the thinking of Gambian youth

towards nation-building while harnessing their potential

for future adult life. The first group of volunteers will be

sworn in in the new year.

It may be said without fear of contradiction that

Gambians have now become more aware of their rights

and duties and that for the first time in many years they

face the future with renewed hope and confidence. On

that fateful Friday of 22 July 1994, His Excellency the

Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling

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General Assembly 22nd plenary meeting

Fiftieth session 13 October 1995

Council, Captain Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh, woke a nation

that had been slumbering for 30 years with a new vision to

transform the Gambia into a highly developed model

country. In this way the Government will have bequeathed

to the present and future generations a legacy worthy of all

the sacrifices that are being made today.

History teaches us that once in a while at some point

in a country’s history a visionary leader will emerge with

a mission to transform that society for the better. We in the

Gambia are fortunate that in the hour of need, His

Excellency Captain Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh, a soldier with

a difference, took centre stage, and now provides the

quality of leadership commensurate with the challenges of

the times. Since the advent of the Armed Forces Provisional

Ruling Council to power under Chairman Jammeh’s

guidance we have learned within a short period of time

what effective leadership means, and have come to the

conclusion that there is no gainsaying that a leadership with

vision always has the nation’s interests at heart.

Similarly, at the international level when the world’s

leadership is characterized by statesmen with a vision, the

collective interests of mankind always have primacy over

other considerations emanating from narrow-minded

nationalism. As great minds think alike, and as a bitter

lesson had been learned from two world wars, the need was

felt to create the United Nations. It is interesting to note

that in the Preamble to the Charter we do not find the usual

phrases that appear in other international legal instruments,

such as “We the contracting parties” but instead we have

the words

“We the peoples of the United Nations”.

The concept of international solidarity and the unity of the

human race immediately come into play with the expressed

determination not only

“to save succeeding generations from the scourge of

war”

but also

“to employ international machinery for the promotion

of the economic and social advancement of all

peoples”.

It is in this spirit that my delegation views the World

Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen last

March as a significant turning-point in the international

community’s persistent efforts to improve the quality of life

of peoples all over the world. The Summit, including the

non-governmental organizations forum, facilitated a

broader exchange of views by the international

community on social development issues, with emphasis

on poverty alleviation, the generation of employment, and

health care.

The adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration on

Social Development and Programme of Action conveys

our collective concern over the world’s social ills and

indeed the commitment to a concerted effort to find

viable solutions to these problems.

Of particular relevance to my delegation are the

commitments made by the said forum concerning the

socio-economic development of Africa, and of the least-

developed countries in particular, and the provision of the

necessary financial and other resources. These

commitments should serve as the basis for Africa’s

sustained economic and social development.

The political will and resources necessary for the

effective implementation of the Programme of Action of

the World Summit for Social Development should be

demonstrated not only in the full application of the 20/20

initiative but also the channelling of substantial

technological, scientific and other resources aimed at

achieving our objectives.

The Fourth World Conference on Women held in

Beijing, which has just ended, highlighted gender equality

and gender needs, including the participation of women

in the economic and political decision-making process, the

elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence

against women, adequate recognition and support of the

contribution of women to the management of natural

resources and the safeguarding of the environment.

Indeed, as ably stated by the Secretary-General of the

United Nations:

“The empowerment of women is the empowerment

of all humanity!” (Press Release SG/SM/5732)

The Platform for Action, which focuses on the role

of women in development, should provide important

guidelines for realizing the goals that we have set. In the

Gambia, women have been playing an indispensable role

in national development. Today 4 out of 14 Ministers are

women, responsible for important sectors such as health

and social welfare, education, youth and sports, and

tourism and culture. Our participation in the World

Conference with our First Lady as Head of Delegation

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General Assembly 22nd plenary meeting

Fiftieth session 13 October 1995

was inspired by the Government’s commitment to women’s

issues, including gender equality and the encouragement of

women to participate in national development.

It goes without saying that women and children

constitute the most vulnerable group in society, and we will

not be doing justice to our children if we do not renew the

commitments made during the World Summit for Children

and acknowledge the preponderant role played by the

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in mapping out

strategies for the greater welfare of children all over the

world. We in the Gambia have made considerable progress

in the implementation of the mid-term decade goals,

notably in the area of the Expanded Programme on

Immunization.

At this juncture, my delegation would like to pay

tribute to the memory of the late James P. Grant, the

former Executive Director of UNICEF, for his outstanding

performance in increasing international public awareness of

the plight of children and his total dedication to the cause

of children the world over. It is our fervent hope that the

new Executive Director will build on the achievements of

her predecessor.

An issue related to the question of women and

children is population and development. It will be recalled

that at the International Conference on Population and

Development, held in Cairo in September 1994, far-

reaching decisions were taken, as outlined in the

Programme of Action that was adopted. What is important

here is that what should be done at the national level should

be complemented by a concerted international effort, as

agreed in Cairo.

The interrelationship between population and the

environment cannot be overemphasized. In fact, in the

Programme of Action adopted at the International

Conference on Population and Development, it is stated that

“Pressure on the environment may result from

rapid population growth, distribution and migration,

especially in ecologically vulnerable ecosystems.

Urbanization and policies that do not recognize the

need for rural development also create environmental

problems.” (A/CONF.171/13/Rev.1, annex, chapter III,

section C, para. 3.26)

In this regard, it is gratifying to note that following the

United Nations Conference on Environment and

Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, it has

been possible, under Agenda 21, to successfully conclude

the Convention to Combat Desertification in those

Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or

Desertification, Particularly in Africa.

In the same vein, we are mindful of the needs of our

peoples for better living standards and improvement of

the rural and urban environment through the provision of

adequate shelter and sustainable human settlements. My

delegation therefore anxiously looks forward to the

Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements

(Habitat II), to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in June next

year.

All these world conferences on various issues of

concern to the international community should be seen as

our collective endeavour to give concrete expression to

the pledge enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations

“to promote social progress and better standards of

life in larger freedom”.

In pursuit of these objectives, we should also be

strengthened in our resolve, as also stated in the Charter,

“to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in

the dignity and worth of the human person, in the

equal rights of men and women and of nations large

and small”.

This leads me to recall the World Conference on

Human Rights, held in Vienna a few years ago. We in the

Gambia have always maintained that human rights should

not be viewed only from the narrow perspective of civil

and political rights, but also from the perspective of the

right to development. In the Gambia, over the last 30

years, we have had the experience of elections being held

at regular intervals, but we all know that it was only a

facade.

There is no point in overemphasizing civil and

political rights in a developing country at the expense of

more pressing needs in other areas, such as health,

education and agriculture. Before people can think of

casting a vote they first of all want to make sure that they

have enough food to eat, can send their children to school

and have access to health care. In any case, let there be

no illusion about this, for democracy cannot flourish

under conditions of abject poverty.

The greatest threat to international peace and

security today is the ever widening gap between rich and

poor. And since we live in a world of interdependence,

14

General Assembly 22nd plenary meeting

Fiftieth session 13 October 1995

the North-South dialogue that has been dormant for so long

needs to be revived urgently to put the emphasis on the

economic development of third world countries.

It is true that the world economic situation has

registered notable improvements in the economies both of

industrialized and of some developing countries. It is to be

noted, however, that the various growth rates in different

developing countries reflect their limitations and lack of

adequate incentives and resources.

The conclusion of the Uruguay Round is expected to

generate an increase in merchandise trade of 12 per cent by

the year 2005. As far as developing countries are

concerned, however, any benefits to be derived from this

agreement would depend largely on their accessibility to

markets through the removal, of course, of tariff as well as

non-tariff barriers.

It is feared, though, that in the case of sub-Saharan

Africa any gains from the Uruguay Round will be seriously

limited by the low proportion of manufactured goods in its

exports. The case is even more serious for least developed

countries.

The Economic and Social Council’s high-level meeting

on the development of Africa within the context of the

review of the United Nations New Agenda for the

Development of Africa in the l990s, held from 4 to 6 July

1995 in Geneva, was indeed very timely. None the less, the

mapping out of all these strategies for development will

have little meaning unless they are matched by the

necessary resources to achieve the desired results, especially

when the resources generated through structural adjustment

are paradoxically diverted to service our debts. And we

know that it is indeed an excruciating burden.

All these issues have been adequately addressed in the

United Nations Agenda for Development. In the Agenda for

Peace, however, there is still the need for greater efforts to

find solutions to the various protracted conflicts around the

world. There have been a lot of criticisms and reservations

pertaining to peace-keeping operations — notably with

regard to the huge costs involved — but peace is priceless.

What has happened to the peace dividend, anyway,

which was talked about so much during previous sessions

of the General Assembly? The head of the Australian

delegation made some interesting proposals regarding the

financing of peace-keeping operations. There is a lot of

sense and merit to what he said, and we should be doing

justice to ourselves if these proposals were considered

seriously. We must never relent in our collective

endeavour to find lasting solutions to all the conflicts

besetting the international community, whether in

Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi or Afghanistan, to name a

few.

In our subregion, we welcome the signing of the

Peace Agreement by all the warring factions in the

Liberian civil war and the establishment of Council of

State to oversee the transition to a democratic, freely

elected civilian Government. It is our fervent hope that

the cease-fire will hold so that the people of Liberia will

once again live in the environment of peace and stability

that has been denied them for so long. Let me take this

opportunity to commend the Economic Community of

West African States (ECOWAS) for its timely initiative

and persistent endeavour to finally put together this

important peace package. This clearly demonstrates that

regional arrangements, as stipulated in Chapter VIII of the

Charter of the United Nations, could play a preponderant

role in conflict resolution.

We have been following with great attention the

progress made in the Middle East peace process, and my

delegation would like to take this opportunity to

congratulate both Israel and the Palestine Liberation

Organization (PLO) on these achievements and to

encourage them to maintain the same commitment in the

quest for a just and lasting peace.

With regard to the situation in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, my delegation notes with cautious optimism

the recent peace deal between the parties concerned. It

would not have been possible, however to bring the Serb

aggressors to the negotiating table without the limited use

of force against them.

The situation in Jammu and Kashmir has also been

of concern to my delegation. We therefore urge all the

parties to the conflict to try to resolve this long-running

dispute through dialogue.

We in the Gambia have always maintained that we

will never condone the use of force by a bigger Power to

impose its will on a smaller country. I am referring to the

lingering problems resulting from the Iraqi invasion of

Kuwait, such as the question of prisoners of war, payment

of reparations and, indeed, the return to Kuwait of all

properties taken away during the invasion. In short, Iraq

should comply with all Security Council resolutions.

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Fiftieth session 13 October 1995

Meanwhile, though, ways and means should be found to

ease the suffering of the innocent Iraqi civilian populations.

Fifty years is a relatively short period in the life of an

international organization such as the United Nations, but

it has been a period full of important and eventful activities,

with successes and setbacks.

For 50 years now the United Nations has been

working for global development and the maintenance of

international peace and security. Its Charter has become the

legal and moral foundation of international relations.

Through the United Nations we have witnessed the

proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, the enactment of the Convention on the Law of the

Sea, the holding of global conferences on the environment,

development, population, children, women, and soon, on

human settlements.

The United Nations should be commended primarily

for the broader role it played during the cold-war period

and for championing the concerns and interests of

developing countries. It has always provided a platform

where big and small nations meet and discuss issues of

common concern.

At this juncture, when we are celebrating the golden

jubilee of the United Nations, my delegation believes that

the time could not be more propitious to lift the economic

blockade against Cuba. This dynamic island nation has

made remarkable progress in the area of medicine and

genetic engineering, achievements that Cuba would share

with the rest of the international community.

As a small developing country confronted with unique

challenges, the Gambia is keen to ensure that the ongoing

reforms aimed at restructuring and revitalizing the United

Nations remain on course. The strengthening of the role of

the General Assembly and the office of its President as well

as the improvement in the performance of the Secretariat

should be commended. Any reform of the United Nations

system should emphasize the need for more coordination

between agencies and the development of new procedures

for the accelerated implementation of programmes and

activities.

The challenges facing the United Nations today will

continue well into the twenty-first century. In this

connection it is imperative to restructure the composition of

the Security Council as soon as possible to reflect the

realities of today and in that restructuring Africa’s interest

must be taken into account. In other words, Africa must

be represented permanently on the Security Council.

Let me conclude by renewing the Gambia’s

commitment to the ideals of the United Nations. The

Organization is far from being perfect, but, at the same

time, we do recognize that it is indispensable, for it is the

repository of the hopes and aspirations of mankind.