Togo, 2005

At the

outset, allow me, on behalf of the people and

Government of Togo and on my own behalf, to extend

our warmest congratulations to you, Sir, on your

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

its sixtieth session. I also assure you of the support and

cooperation of the Togolese delegation, confident as I

am that your experience and outstanding qualities will

prove to be a major asset in ensuring that our work at

this session will be commensurate with the great stakes

and global challenges that we must meet together.

I also convey to your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping,

our deep appreciation for the immense work he

undertook with marvellous enthusiasm throughout his

mandate. With commitment and insight, the qualities of

a seasoned diplomat in service to his country, Gabon,

and to Africa, he effectively guided the work of the

preceding session, including the debates held in recent

days on the Millennium Development Goals.

I also take this opportunity to pay vibrant tribute

to the Secretary-General, our brother Kofi Annan,

whose commitment to the United Nations and to the

great causes and noble ideals it embodies has allowed

us to register critical progress in improving the quality

and effectiveness of the United Nations operations. I

pledge him my country's full support in the ongoing

mission we have entrusted to him, which he has carried

out with competence, serenity, resolve and humanism.

The United Nations is now at a crossroads. The

challenges that continue to face the world - in

particular the ongoing conflicts that are ravaging many

countries and regions around the world; the pandemics,

floods and natural disasters; the terrible dangers that

threaten the environment and the ecosystem; famine in

various places, particularly in Africa, caused by

drought and climate change; and the growing gulf

between the wealthy countries and those afflicted by

underdevelopment - require greater solidarity, the

urgent reform of our Organization, and the adaptation

of its bodies and operations to the new international

context.

My country, Togo, will therefore firmly support

the United Nations reform process, as outlined in the

report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges

and Change, entitled "A more secure world: our shared

responsibility" (A/59/565). Indeed, we absolutely must

reaffirm certain fundamental principles and ideals that

guided the founding fathers of the United Nations. We

must devise strategies and working methods that are

bolder and better adapted to the scope and seriousness

of problems that cannot be effectively resolved except

in the framework of this Organization, a symbol of

solidarity and brotherhood among States and peoples.

We need to pursue and step up our fight against

poverty and hunger, the lack of education, gender

inequality, child mortality, disease, environmental

degradation, and devastating and lethal conflicts.

I take this opportunity, on behalf of the

Government and people of Togo, to convey our deep

gratitude and thanks to the community of States

represented here for its many expressions of support

and sympathy for our country after the unexpected

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demise of President Gnassingbé Eyadema and in the

context of Togo's difficulties in the wake of his death.

Very fortunately, Togo has emerged from that

period of unrest and instability. Calm and serenity now

reign and promise a new era of hope for our country. In

fact, in spite of the tension and violence that marked

the electoral process, Togo has continued since then to

make tangible progress in peacefully reorganizing its

social and political life. The representatives of all

political persuasions and civil society have together

established a Government of national unity. Moreover,

in accordance with our desire for openness and

dialogue, we have launched consultations with the

Togolese political class and civil society in order to

reach a broad consensus and mobilization in managing

the process of national reconciliation and in efforts to

ensure the return and reintegration of refugees. The

consultations also mark the onset of a political

dialogue that will allow us, through joint effort, to

agree on electoral reform, the reorganization of

regulatory bodies and institutions, and the stages and

schedule of legislative elections.

Safeguarding human rights and fundamental

freedoms, enshrining the values and practices of

democracy, and strengthening the rule of law and good

governance are at the heart of the 22 commitments that

my country approved on 14 April 2004 with the

European Union. They are also at the very core of our

action and of the demands and expectations of my

fellow citizens. Immediately following the

establishment of the Government, we therefore adopted

bold measures and initiatives in various sectors.

A special independent national commission of

inquiry was created to investigate the violence and

vandalism committed during the electoral process.

Similarly, Togolese authorities at all levels have fully

cooperated with the United Nations fact-find mission

mandated to look into the violence and allegations of

human rights violations committed between 5 February

and 5 May 2005. The mission's conclusions and

recommendations, which I believe will be useful and

promising, will be considered in a spirit of open-

mindedness and with a view to correcting potential

areas of weakness so that we may never again

experience acts of violence in future elections in Togo.

In an effort to restore calm and reduce tension, all

persons detained for their suspected involvement and

responsibility in acts of violence, atrocities, pillaging

of property and ransacking of buildings during the

elections have been released. Also, with a view to

strengthening citizens' confidence in the Republic's

institutions, we have just launched a wide-ranging

programme to reform the justice system.

Today, we reaffirm that democracy spurs the

harmonious and sustainable socio-economic

development of Togo. In that respect, effectiveness and

transparency in the management of the affairs of the

capital and respect for human rights are important

responsibilities of the Government of Togo.

However, it is clear that the young democracy of

Togo needs the international community's support in

order to help democracy to take firm root and to

strengthen peace and stability in West Africa. I take

this opportunity to express once again the gratitude of

the people of Togo to the African Union and the

Economic Community of West African States for their

assistance to Togo during such a crucial period.

Building a State where the rule of law prevails is

a long-term effort; it is achieved gradually and requires

consolidation at each step. That is true for all great

democracies. I therefore call on all our development

partners to support Togo in its steadfast and

irreversible march towards a democratic, law-based

State in which all Togolese can fully exercise their

fundamental rights and can act, think and create in

complete freedom.

In conclusion, I would like to underline once

again the merits of international solidarity, in particular

between the prosperous countries and the developing

countries. In fact, we live in an increasingly

interdependent world that faces multiple threats and

challenges. Those threats spare no State, large or small,

and make it imperative that we take coordinated and

united action, in particular in those situations that

jeopardize international peace and security.

Africa, in particular, remains a zone of conflicts

and instability, and this exacerbates the feelings of

helplessness and distress among our peoples. We

welcome the engagement and the support of the

international community, in particular in Cote d'Ivoire,

the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region.

We welcome encouraging signs in the peace

process in Burundi. However, we call on the United

Nations and the international community to remain

vigilant and active in helping the brotherly people of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose country

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is moving towards stability and the completion of its

electoral process.

Cote d'Ivoire must quickly return to the path of

peace and harmony in order to pursue a leading role in

the efforts for political and economic integration in

West Africa.

But we believe that it would be wise to take

timely action to address the causes of those conflicts,

rather than intervene at a later date to deal with the

often devastating consequences. We should therefore

reflect together on how to address the root causes of

those situations.

That leads me to make two suggestions for the

Assembly to ponder.

First, regarding institutions, Africa must put in

place democratic institutions of a new kind, founded on

the value of dialogue and the ongoing search for

compromise and consensus, closer to our tradition of

discussion than to the imposition of the majority

decision.

Second, we need to strengthen the management

capabilities of States whose administration is still weak

in order to improve the quality and the effectiveness of

the public and administrative services, thus putting the

State at the service of its citizens.

I hope that our Organization will strengthen its

action to make national administrations more effective

and more accessible for citizens. By doing so, the

United Nations would further realize its vocation as an

irreplaceable forum for dialogue and solidarity in the

service of humanity, the well-being of peoples and the

maintenance of international peace and security.