The Gambia, 1996

I should like first of all to

congratulate Mr. Razali Ismail wholeheartedly on his

assumption of the presidency of this session. His close

association with the United Nations during these years as

his country’s representative makes him not only highly

qualified for the office but also fully cognizant of the

activities, including the needs and challenges, of this, our

great Organization. I would assure him of my delegation’s

support at all times.

In the same vein, I should like to extend appreciation

to his predecessor, Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral, who

worked tirelessly to ensure that the work of the Assembly

was both effective and successful. My delegation’s thanks

and gratitude also go to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, for the successful holding of this session in

the face of serious financial and other constraints, and for

the selfless service he is rendering to our Organization. The

quality of his work, as well as his untiring efforts to

revitalize our 50-year-old Organization, deserve our full and

collective support and encouragement. The Gambia remains

committed to the Organization of African Unity’s (OAU)

declaration of support for His Excellency Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali to continue in office as Secretary-General for

a second term.

Last year, when the delegation of the Gambia

addressed the Assembly, we dwelt at length on the twin

democratization and development processes in the Gambia.

It is fitting today to report on the progress made so far and

the successes achieved. Concerning the democratization

process, I am pleased to inform this gathering that we

successfully conducted a referendum on 8 August 1996 to

adopt a new Constitution, and we elected a new President

on 26 September 1996. These two activities have been

characterized by a high sense of political maturity and civic

interest and a high level of voter turnout.

The Constitution was adopted by a vote of 270,093 in

favour against 113,744 opposed, with a total turnout of 86.9

per cent for the referendum. Not only is this new

Constitution the best we have ever had, but it also embraces

the people’s political expectations for the advent of a true

sense of justice and fair play as well as their deep love of

freedom, respect for human rights, and a strong nationalistic

feeling predicated on a desire to associate with the rest of

the world on a free and equitable basis. Furthermore, the

new Constitution ensures that the Second Republic will

progress and flourish under the universally respected

principles of transparency, accountability and probity —

a sine qua non for any honest and well-meaning

Government. The presidential election, the penultimate

phase of our two-year transitional programme, was held

on 26 September 1996. Four political parties presented

candidates, and His Excellency Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh,

leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and

Construction (APRC), emerged as the winner. The

President-elect polled 220,011 votes, or about 56 per cent

of the total votes cast. This resounding victory indicates

a strong endorsement by the Gambian people of the

policies of the now-dissolved Armed Forces Provisional

Ruling Council (AFPRC). The distribution of the results

and the actual percentages of the votes captured by the

respective candidates depict an election that was free and

fair — free from the obvious abuses of the position of

incumbency.

In keeping with the APRC’s philosophy of national

unity, the President-elect has extended a message of peace

and reconciliation to all Gambians. In his address to the

nation on 27 September 1996, following the presidential

election, he said:

“In democratic elections no voters lose, since the

outcome is the collective will of all.”

He invited all Gambians, irrespective of political

conviction or affiliation, to come together and work for

the development of the country. In concluding the

democratization process, the Gambia will hold its

National Assembly elections on 11 December 1996. Both

the Government and the Provisional Independent Electoral

Commission attach a great deal of importance to these

elections and have therefore been encouraging interested

parties and individuals to contest for seats in the National

Assembly. We have no doubt that the peace and

orderliness that characterized the referendum and

presidential election will prevail in the forthcoming

elections.

It is noteworthy that the electoral process in the

Gambia has been complemented by the Government’s

priority development projects. During the last two years,

the Government demonstrated to the whole world that an

important ingredient of national development is the

commitment and honesty of a Government in

implementing realistic programmes for the benefit of its

people. In the education sector, several primary, junior

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and secondary schools were built and a university extension

programme launched. In the area of communication, the

country’s first-ever television station was commissioned,

and the international airport was expanded and modernized.

Generally, there has been significant improvement and

expansion of the country’s road network to ease the chronic

transportation problems. In the health sector, the

Government has built a third referral hospital, and more

doctors and nurses have been recruited from inside and

outside the country. As regards the agricultural sector,

mechanization has received greater attention as a step

towards achieving food self-sufficiency. In short, more has

been achieved in all sectors of the economy during the two

years of AFPRC rule than during the 30 years of the

previous regime.

The resilience of the Gambian economy during the last

two years — in spite of the unjustified sanctions imposed

on the Gambia by our development partners for purely

political reasons, and in the face of other powerful external

shocks deriving mainly from trends in the global economy

and in world trade — has been reassuring. The

Government’s macroeconomic policies and development

efforts have helped to create an enabling environment for

private investment, including foreign direct investment. In

effect, the country’s economic and financial performance

during the 1995-96 year showed real gross domestic

product growing by 3 per cent. The projections for 1996-97

are for it to grow by 3.5 per cent, with inflation limited to

5 per cent.

As we forge ahead, we in the Gambia are proud of our

Government and its laudable achievements since it took

over the reins of power on 22 July 1994. We have learned

the true meaning of democracy: an amicable partnership

between people and Government. It is through such a

partnership that the Civic Education Programme was

successful and that Vision 2020 — a national strategy for

socio-economic development, aimed at raising the standard

of living of the Gambian population — was launched.

I should like at this stage to express the sincere

gratitude of the Government and people of the Gambia for

the support and assistance received from some members of

the international community during the critical period of the

transition programme. We fervently hope that this support

from our friends and well-wishers will continue to enable

us successfully to conduct the National Assembly Elections

on 11 December 1996. With the successful end of the two-

year transition programme and the peaceful return of our

country to democratic civilian rule, we also expect that the

international community will now join us in our pursuit

to achieve sustainable development.

The recently concluded United Nations Conference

on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul will go

down in history as one of the most successful

international conferences organized by the United Nations.

The Habitat Agenda, adopted by the Conference, reflects

generally the acute shortage of shelter and the growing

international concern for more and better shelter.

Adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlement

development in an urbanizing world remain basic human

needs and a universal concern. In fact, the statement by

the Secretary-General of Habitat II, Mr. Wally N’Dow,

that

“Istanbul will be the gateway to development into

the next century”,

will hold true well into the twenty-first century. The

commitment of the Government of the Gambia to the

implementation of the Habitat Agenda — including the

Global Plan of Action and, in particular, the forging of

sustainable partnerships with all actors in the field of

human settlements — remains high.

The mid-term review of the United Nations New

Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s in

September 1996 provided an opportunity to review

progress in Africa’s development. The review reaffirmed

the New Agenda as a fundamental and achievable

programme for the socio-economic development of

Africa, if both Africa and its development partners adhere

to the programme’s stated responsibilities and

commitments. The review revealed the gradual but

encouraging growth of the African economy, with an

increased gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.3 per cent

in 1995, as compared to 2.1 per cent in 1994. The

implementation of the New Agenda, however, continues

to be constrained by failure to achieve the United Nations

target of devoting 0.7 per cent of the GDP of developed

countries, including 0.15 per cent of their GNP, for

overseas development assistance to the least developed

countries.

Africa’s huge external debt burden, which grew at an

average annual rate of 1.5 per cent between 1990 and

1995, remains the single most serious constraint to

Africa’s consistent economic recovery and sustainable

development. Major donors, creditors and the international

community should collectively devise a multilateral debt-

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relief programme aimed at completely writing off the debt

of developing countries by the turn of the century. The

implementation of the United Nations System-wide Special

Initiative for Africa alongside the New Agenda, and in

collaboration with the Bretton Woods institutions and other

agencies, will constitute a new and dynamic global

approach of working with Africa to accelerate its

development. The attainment of the objectives of the

Special Initiative within a decade will depend to a large

extent on the availability of new and additional funds,

rather than on the reprioritizing of programmes and

remarshalling of funds identified under the New Agenda.

Only in this way can the international community realize —

as the President of the World Bank, Mr. Wolfensohn, said

in connection with the launching of the Special Initiative —

that

“there is a need for us to give the push, that help, the

assistance which can keep the momentum”.

Globalization continues to hold much attraction, but its

benefits continue to elude the majority of developing

countries. The impact of globalization and liberalization on

employment and sustainable socio-economic development

in general has been negative. The recent Ninth Meeting of

the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

(UNCTAD) in South Africa, while reaffirming the

international community’s commitment to partnership for

development, recognized the disparities among nations as

well as the need to help developing countries reap the

benefits of globalization and development and to ensure

their full and effective participation in the world economy

on an equitable basis.

The case of the least developed countries has always

received the attention and support of the international

community, particularly through the adoption of the Paris

Declaration and the Programme of Action for the Least

Developed Countries for the 1990s. The mid-term global

review of this Programme of Action, held in September

1995, failed to confirm the realization of the programme’s

primary objective, which is to arrest and reverse the

deterioration in the socio-economic situation in the least

developed countries and to revitalize their growth and

development. It is noted that the lack of progress in

improving the socio-economic performance of LDCs is

attributable, in the main, to the failure of the international

community to provide the necessary support and assistance

through official development assistance, debt relief and

benefits from globalization and liberalization. The success

of the Programme of Action during the second half of its

existence will depend to a large measure on the amount

of international support for the economic growth of least

developed countries.

The attainment of international peace and security

remains a vital aspect of our Organization’s work. It is

for these reasons that my delegation joins the international

community in supporting the United Nations effort to

ensure peace and the resolution of conflicts throughout

the world. In this regard, the set-back in the peace process

evidenced by the upheaval of April 1996 in Liberia was

of great concern to the international community.

However, thanks to the ceaseless efforts of the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS),

especially through its Committee of Nine on Liberia, the

peace process is back on track, and so far there has been

satisfactory progress on its implementation. In spite of the

difficulties encountered over the past few years in the

implementation of the Abuja Agreement, it is still our

firm belief that the Agreement remains the best

framework for restoring durable peace to Liberia. With

the genuine commitment and goodwill of all parties and

the continued support of the international community,

especially the United Nations, I am confident that a

lasting solution will soon be found.

The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina gives some

hope that the brokered peace will continue to hold. The

elections of 14 September 1996 and the new federal

Government which has been created should hopefully lead

to national unity and reconciliation.

It is sad to note that the civil war in Somalia, after

simmering down for some time, has suddenly flared up

again. The renewed fighting has put a great deal of strain

on the peace process. The efforts of the Organization of

African Unity and of the international community in

general to contain hostilities and restore peace, security

and stability continue to receive our fullest support.

The dramatic deterioration of the situation in

Burundi is a major source of concern for all peace-loving

people the world over. We are indeed saddened by the

spate of ethnic killings in this country, which continue to

claim many innocent lives. It is our collective

responsibility to put an end to this sorry state of affairs

and thus avert a replay of the tragic events that occurred

in neighbouring Rwanda some two years ago. In this

regard, we continue closely to monitor the evolution of

the political situation in Burundi and hope that peace,

security and order will be permanently restored. We

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therefore strongly support the OAU peace initiatives, in

particular the Mwanza peace process and the Arusha peace

initiative, aimed at guaranteeing security and democracy for

all people in Burundi.

The peace dividend so far achieved in our search for

a lasting peace in the Middle East should not be allowed to

fade away. Rather, we should continue to pursue the peace

process in order to achieve a lasting peace in the region on

the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions.

The quest for peace is a universal concern of the

international community. At the same time, the desire for

equality and recognition continues to elude some nations.

The Republic of China on Taiwan’s quest for recognition

and readmission into the United Nations has failed to have

the necessary impact on the attitude and goodwill of the

international community. Today, the Republic of China on

Taiwan stands very high in the international arena in the

field of economic growth and social development. It is

noted not only for its economic achievements, but also for

its exemplary political reform. The direct election of its

President on 23 March 1996, an event unprecedented in

Chinese history, marked the culmination of Taiwan’s

political democratization. This accomplishment ought to be

recognized by the United Nations, in accordance also with

the principle of universality. My country believes that the

precedent of parallel United Nations membership, which

applied to the former East Germany and West Germany and

currently applies to North Korea and South Korea, should

be applied in the case of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Besides the membership factor, which is in accordance

with Article 4 of the United Nations Charter, there is a

justice factor relating to Articles 1 and 2 of the same

Charter. It is regrettable that this factor was not included in

our debate when the matter was considered at the meeting

of the General Committee of the General Assembly, held

on 18 September 1996, in connection with the item on the

draft agenda entitled “Consideration of the exceptional

situation of the inability, resulting from General Assembly

resolution 2758 (XXVI), of the 21.3 million people on

Taiwan, Republic of China, to participate in the activities

of the United Nations”. As we all know, one can quantify

numbers of signatures, but not emotions — that is,

sympathy with and an interest and belief in the justification

and rightness of the case of Taiwan. It is our conviction

that the parallel participation of the two sides of the Taiwan

strait in the United Nations and other international

organizations would be conducive to the maintenance of

peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region and in the

world in general. Let us therefore give the Republic of

China on Taiwan the opportunity to share with us their

capabilities and experience in a collective effort to realize

humankind’s hope for the equitable development of every

region of the world.

The practice of the unilateral imposition of an

economic embargo against one Member State by another

Member State should have ceased with the end of the

cold-war era. For more than three decades now, Cuba has

struggled, against all odds, to survive economically and

financially. With patience and determination, Cuba has

continued to make great strides towards socio-economic

development. Indeed, among the family of nations, it has

excelled in some activities of common benefit to

humankind, such as genetic engineering and modern

medicine. These laudable achievements and progress

made by Cuba deserve to be encouraged.

The application of the principles of international law

and the effort of the international community to propagate

peace and security should be all-embracing. In this

connection, as regards Libya’s alleged complicity in the

downing over Lockerbie, Scotland, of Pan Am flight 103,

we support the OAU resolution adopted by the sixty-

fourth session of the Council of Ministers in Yaoundé

from 1 to 5 July 1996, as a basis for overcoming the

present impasse on the issue.

Concerning the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, we

would like to urge the international community not to

relent in its efforts to find a just and peaceful settlement

to the dispute in accordance with the relevant resolutions

of the Security Council. The Gambia reaffirms its

commitment to the international community’s resolve to

combat naked aggression, particularly between States, and

international terrorism from whatever quarter. Pursuant to

the relevant Security Council and Organization of the

Islamic Conference (OIC) resolutions, we support the

efforts of Kuwait to preserve and defend its territorial

integrity while seeking a just and speedy redress to the

consequences of the Iraqi invasion.

Last year we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of

the United Nations. The occasion afforded us the

opportunity to review the operations and mandate of the

Organization. The ongoing exercise of strengthening the

United Nations system is complementing this review and

the rededication to the ideals of the United Nations. In

particular, we should give our full support to the

revitalization of the work of the General Assembly and

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the Economic and Social Council, and to the reform of the

Security Council — including the question of equitable

representation of all geographical regions on this important

organ of the United Nations. The proposals for the reform

of the Security Council made by the African Group and

Italy, among others, should also be given due consideration.

The reform of the Security Council should ensure that the

hegemonistic interests of a few will not be promoted to the

detriment of the majority.

The reforms of the United Nations put in sharp focus

the present financial crisis of the Organization and the

gallant efforts of the Secretary-General to improve its

financial situation. The serious consideration the General

Assembly has given this matter since 1994, leading to its

setting up a High-level Open-ended Working Group on the

Financial Situation of the United Nations, once more

demonstrates Member States’ commitment to the

preservation and continued operations of the Organization.

The cumulative effect of the financial reforms, including

the huge staff reductions, should, as much as possible,

neither compromise the efficiency and productivity of the

Organization nor deflect it from its traditional operations

and renewed mandate. The Organization’s precarious

financial situation is our collective concern, and we should

therefore resolutely strive to ensure that it is promptly

addressed. This of course requires that all Member States

have the clear political will to pay their contributions

punctually. Member countries should desist from

withholding their contributions for purely political

considerations, as this would paralyse the functioning of the

United Nations.

It is fitting at this juncture to refer to the work of this

body in pursuing the objectives of the Agenda for Peace

and the Agenda for Development. The search for a common

basis for international cooperation on conflict resolution,

relief operations and development remains an active agenda

of the United Nations. The success of any international

cooperation on these issues would require greater focus on

the effective implementation of the development priorities

of developing countries. The link between peace and

development is not only essential but forms part of the

United Nations Charter. The two serve as twin pillars of the

international community’s effort to achieve universal peace

and security based on the promotion of the social and

economic development of all peoples. We remain fully

committed to their effective realization.

The manifold problems of illicit drug trafficking and

abuse are becoming increasingly universal. In many

respects, both producer and non-producer nations are

rapidly falling victim to the pernicious effects of illicit

drugs. Today countries that once were drug free are either

gradually becoming infested with the sale and use of

illicit drugs or are being made transit posts in the illicit

trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances. For

many years now, the United Nations has led a steady, all-

embracing fight against the global drug menace,

especially through its International Drug Control

Programme and Global Programme of Action, and,

recently, by making drugs the subject of the 1996 high-

level segment of the Economic and Social Council

session. The effort of the United Nations in combating the

trafficking and sale of illicit drugs cannot succeed unless

the international community lends it its full support

through improved and effective international cooperation

in drug control. The Gambia will continue to participate

in any international effort to combat and defuse the global

drug menace. At the national level, appropriate organs

and control measures have been put in place to discourage

the use of the Gambia as a transit post in the illicit global

drug trade and to save Gambians from falling victim to its

harmful effects.

In the area of nuclear disarmament, it is gratifying

to note that the General Assembly recently adopted the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. That

endorsement by the international community should not,

however, overlook the legitimate concerns and

reservations expressed by India.

The convening of the World Food Summit next

month in Rome to address hunger and food security

provides the opportunity to renew the international

community’s commitment to the eradication of hunger

and malnutrition and the attainment of food security for

all.

The linkage between the problem of food security

and poverty cannot be overemphasized. The Gambia,

within the framework of the United Nations Development

Programme and in observance of the International Year

for the Eradication of Poverty (1996), has been

participating effectively in the fight against poverty.

National programmes have been designed and put in place

to achieve poverty eradication.

The last decade of the twentieth century has

witnessed some landmark activities in international

cooperation. The series of United Nations global

conferences signifies the international community’s

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preoccupation with the preservation of international peace

and security, the promotion and preservation of human

rights and fundamental freedoms, the propagation of

development techniques and the attainment of sustainable

development, the provision of adequate shelter for our

rapidly growing population and, indeed, the attempt to

ensure the social and economic well-being of all peoples all

over the world.

The Gambia is proud to be associated with this

international crusade for a secure and better life for every

human being.