Uganda, 1994

Permit me, Sir, on

behalf of the Uganda delegation, to congratulate you most

warmly on your well-deserved unanimous election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth

session. Your election is a recognition by our

Organization of your exemplary personal qualities. It is,

indeed, a great honour to your country, Côte d’Ivoire, with

which Uganda enjoys warm fraternal relations. I am

confident that, with your skills and experience, you will be

able to guide our deliberations to a successful conclusion.

I wish to pledge Uganda’s full support and cooperation to

you in your endeavours.

I also wish to pay special tribute to your predecessor,

His Excellency Mr. Samuel Insanally of Guyana, for the

able manner in which he steered the work of the forty-

eighth session of the General Assembly.

Our appreciation goes to the Secretary-General,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his courageous and clear-

sighted leadership of the Organization.

At the outset, let me say how warmly Uganda

welcomes the presence in our midst of a new South Africa,

born on the principles of equality, justice and democratic

governance. I wish to pay a special tribute to His

Excellency President Nelson Mandela and other leaders of

the South African liberation movements, and to

Mr. de Klerk, for their vision and statesmanship, which

enabled the United Nations to achieve one of the key long-

sought objectives of Africa.

Since the last session of the General Assembly, several

developments have taken place in the international arena;

some of these have offered hope and encouragement, while

others have led to frustration and despair. In many

countries, peace, the rule of law and democratic governance

are being consolidated. However, in some others, such as

Angola, Somalia, Liberia and Bosnia and Herzegovina,

conflicts have caused untold suffering, loss of life and

destruction of property, and have contributed to the

staggering numbers of refugees and displaced persons, with

the attendant negative consequences.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Refugees estimates the number of refugees and

displaced persons worldwide to be over 23 million and

26 million respectively. Africa is estimated to have over

32 per cent and Asia over 25 per cent of the total refugees.

Seven countries in Africa are among the top 10 countries of

origin of refugees. Most of these refugees and displaced

persons have fled as a consequence of conflicts, mainly

within nations, but to a lesser extent between nations. This

is a vivid, awesome picture for Africa in particular, and for

developing countries in general.

Uganda welcomes the increasing priority attention

being given by the United Nations to the resolution of

conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, especially the emphasis

given by the Secretary-General in “An Agenda for Peace”

to preventive diplomacy and peacemaking. We agree

with his view that security, socio-economic well-being,

environmental sustainability and the protection of human

rights are closely interdependent and interlocked in a

mutually reinforcing manner. They should therefore be

addressed in tandem in order to avert conflicts and their

attendant negative effects, such as the outflow of political

and economic refugees, capital flight and brain drain.

We welcome the establishment of the OAU

Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and

Resolution. Such a mechanism is useful for confidence-

building among rival parties and can facilitate peaceful

resolution of conflicts. Uganda is committed to making

the OAU Mechanism effective and usable. We urge the

United Nations and the international community to lend

it the requisite support.

The situation in Somalia remains tense and fragile

with serious negative implications for peace, national

reconciliation and orderly provision of humanitarian

assistance. Uganda supports the new emphasis by the

international community on seeking a political settlement

to the Somalia conflict. Uganda urges all Somali groups

and factions to put behind them fear and mistrust, and to

begin to implement all commitments they undertook in

the Nairobi Declaration on National Reconciliation in

order to pave the way for the implementation of the

Addis Ababa Agreements, including the establishment of

transitional administrative mechanisms. We commend the

United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II) for

facilitating the flow of humanitarian assistance and we

urge continued international support to Somalia.

As regards Liberia, Uganda was encouraged by steps

taken to begin the implementation of the Cotonou

Agreement, namely the establishment of the Liberia

National Transitional Government and the initiation of the

process of disarmament and demobilization of various

combatants. However, we are disappointed by the

increasingly tense military situation on the ground, both

within and between parties, which has brought the process

of disarmament and demobilization to a virtual standstill.

We urge all parties to show seriousness to the process of

peace and national reconciliation as this is vital for

continued international support and a continued presence.

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Uganda welcomes steps taken so far by the

Government of Mozambique and RENAMO to implement

the general peace agreement. We urge the parties to remain

committed to the peace agreement and to respect the

outcome of the elections scheduled for 27 and

28 October 1994. We commend the United Nations

Operation in Mozambique (UNOMOZ), which has helped

to engender confidence among the parties — vital for the

successful implementation of the peace agreement — and

we urge continued international assistance to Mozambique,

especially in the resettlement of refugees and displaced

persons.

The situation in Angola remains a matter of concern

to the international community despite ongoing Lusaka

negotiations between the Government of Angola and

UNITA. The people of Angola continue to suffer from

indiscriminate killings and destruction of property. My

delegation urges the parties concerned, especially UNITA,

to demonstrate flexibility, realism, political will, tolerance

and compromise, which are necessary for peace and

national reconciliation.

The civil war in southern Sudan has continued to

escalate, with an enormous loss of lives, destruction of

property and a large number of refugees and displaced

persons. Uganda alone hosts an estimated 300,000

Sudanese refugees. We urge the parties to the conflict to

set their sights on the common good and mutual

accommodation in the ongoing regional efforts — in

particular, the Inter-Governmental Authority for Drought

and Development (IGADD) initiative — which are aimed

at finding a durable political settlement.

As regards Western Sahara, Uganda is concerned at

the slow progress towards the holding of a United Nations

supervised referendum on self-determination of the people

of that territory. We appeal to the parties to overcome their

differences and enable a just and impartial referendum to be

effected.

The systematic and widespread massacres of civilians

which took place in Rwanda were tragic and deplorable.

Uganda supports the setting up by the Secretary-General, on

29 July 1994, of an impartial commission of experts to

investigate violations of international humanitarian law and

acts of genocide committed in Rwanda with a view to

identifying persons responsible for those violations and

bringing them to justice. This should contribute to the

process of national reconciliation. We are encouraged by

the declaration of the Government in Rwanda that it will be

guided by the spirit of the Arusha Peace Agreement as a

framework for peace and national reconciliation and for

its support for the regional initiatives on the problem of

Rwandese refugees. Similarly, we also appeal for

assistance to be extended to local populations in

neighbouring countries that are hosting the refugees, in

order to mitigate the adverse socio-economic and

environmental effects they are facing as a result of the

influx of refugees.

Uganda congratulates the Governments of South

Africa and Namibia for settling, through peaceful means,

their long-standing dispute over Walvis Bay and the

offshore islands.

Uganda notes the flexibility shown by the Libyan

Arab Jamahiriya with regard to implementation of

Security Council resolution 731 (1992). We hope that this

will contribute to a peaceful resolution of the problem.

Uganda welcomes the initiation of Palestine self-rule

in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. We commend Chairman

Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin for their political

steadfastness, which made this possible. We encourage

them to continue working together to resolve all

outstanding issues for the full implementation of Security

Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). We

appeal to the international community to provide

increased assistance to Palestine which is needed for

reconstruction and development.

We express our satisfaction over the signing by

Jordan and Israel of the Washington Declaration by which

the two countries mutually agreed to end the state of war

between them. This should go a long way in helping to

build confidence, facilitating the normalization of

relations, concluding a formal peace treaty between the

two countries and between Israel and other countries in

the region.

Uganda supports efforts with a view to the peaceful

resolution of the problem in the Korean peninsula and

urges all parties to work together to create an atmosphere

that will help ease the tension and that is conducive to

negotiating a durable political settlement of the Korean

problem.

Uganda welcomes the developments in Haiti directed

towards the return of President Aristide and the

restoration of a democratically elected Government in that

country.

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Uganda is deeply concerned over the continuing

genocide and "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We urge the United Nations and the international

community to act decisively and to take appropriate steps

to end hostilities in accordance with relevant resolutions of

the General Assembly and the Security Council, as well as

the peace plan of the Contact Group and to create an

environment conducive to a smooth and timely flow of

humanitarian assistance to the people affected.

Uganda is encouraged by some positive developments

that have taken place in the area of disarmament. We note

the ongoing formal negotiations on a comprehensive

nuclear-test-ban treaty (CTBT), under the auspices of the

Conference on Disarmament, and urge successful

completion of the CTBT prior to the convening of the

Review Conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be held early in 1995. As a

State Party to the NPT, and in the context of the

preparatory process and review of the Treaty, Uganda will

seek the removal of all imbalances in the NPT and the

securing of adequate technical assistance for developing

countries in the peaceful application of nuclear technology.

We also note the progress that is being made to strengthen

the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,

Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological)

and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction through

measures such as mandatory data exchanges and periodic

on-site visits. These measures are useful in engendering

confidence in compliance and in helping minimize

violations of the Convention. We are also encouraged by

the possibility of the entry into force in mid-1995 of the

1993 chemical weapons Convention.

The treaty on an African nuclear-free zone will be yet

another important landmark for peace in Africa. Uganda

urges its timely and successful conclusion.

It is imperative to consolidate achievements so far

recorded in the area of nuclear testing and non-proliferation

in order to lay firm ground on which to make progress in

other new and more challenging areas of disarmament.

Uganda is committed to the full respect and universal

enjoyment of human rights. We reaffirm our support for

the Declaration and Programme of Action on human rights,

and welcome the appointment of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights. For its part, Uganda has

established a human rights national focal point within the

Justice Department aimed at enhancing public awareness

and developing national capacity in the observance and

promotion of human rights in the country. My delegation

wishes to pay special tribute to all countries that have

extended support to Uganda in this vital area of our

development, and we appeal for continued support.

Uganda is committed to democracy, good

governance and the rule of law. A democratization

process in the country is well under way. The

Constituent Assembly was successfully elected on

28 March 1994. The Assembly is currently debating a

draft constitution, which is expected to be finalized and

promulgated by the end of 1994. That will be followed

by nationwide presidential and legislative elections in

early 1995.

Uganda is concerned about the current trends in the

global economy which continue to weigh unfavourably on

many developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan

Africa. Excruciating external indebtedness remains a

major impediment to our development. Many of our

countries are spending large proportions of meagre export

earnings on debt-servicing alone. For instance, as of

30 June 1994 Uganda had a total external public sector

debt of $2.99 billion — over 80 per cent of estimated

gross domestic product for the 1993-1994 financial year.

Contractual debt-servicing was $185 million — almost

76 per cent of export earnings; while arrears to be cleared

were $222 million — or 91 per cent of export earnings.

The situation is compounded by the fact that 77 per cent

of the total stock of debt, which is the portion owed to

multilateral and bilateral institutions, is currently ineligible

for restructuring or reduction.

The problem of external indebtedness is further

aggravated by unfavourable terms of trade, especially the

collapse of our export commodity prices, severely

contracted resource inflows and limited access to

technology. In addition to these unfavourable conditions,

most of our countries are implementing stringent

economic reforms, with their attendant adverse

socio-economic implications for our people. This

notwithstanding, some countries, including Uganda, are

registering positive economic growth and controlling

inflation.

For economic reforms to succeed in our countries,

all creditors, including multilateral institutions, should

adopt enhanced measures that go beyond

debt-rescheduling in order to bring about a substantial

reduction in our total stock of debt. Such measures

should include substantial debt cancellation or conversion

into grants and/or other innovative schemes such as the

use of reserves, a new issue of special drawing rights and

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debt swaps. In this regard Uganda endorses the conclusion

of the recent Jakarta Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial

Meeting on “Debt and Development: Sharing of

Experiences” and also endorses the recent proposal by the

British Chancellor of the Exchequer on measures to resolve

the debt problem of the poorest countries.

Equally, there is a need significantly to increase

resource in-flows to our countries — for example, through

increased levels of official development assistance; foreign

direct investment in areas such as manufacturing,

agricultural processing and tourism; and the provision of

remunerative commodity prices. Uganda, in the context of

the preparatory process and next year’s mid-term global

review of the Programme of Action for the Least

Developed Countries, will also seek the adoption of similar

measures in favour of the least developed countries.

As regards the Uruguay Round, Uganda urges that in

the implementation of the provisions of the Final Act

special offsetting measures be adopted to obviate adverse

effects that are likely to arise from the erosion of special

preferences currently enjoyed by some developing countries

under arrangements such as the Programme of Action for

the Least Developed Countries and Lomé IV. Further, the

way should be eased for more developing countries to gain

increased access to international markets for their products,

in order to augment their export earnings. We also urge

that the necessary assistance be provided to enhance our

capacity to produce value-added goods and services for

international markets.

The Secretary-General’s “Agenda for Development”,

which has been submitted to this session of the General

Assembly, provides a useful framework for political

dialogue between the North and the South on practical

measures to make operational the international policies,

programmes and actions on development which have so far

been adopted by the international community. My

delegation supports this initiative. As we elaborate on the

Agenda, we should be guided by the overall objective of

effecting a substantial, rapid improvement in the quality of

life in developing countries, through the eradication of

poverty and the provision of basic needs, namely, nutrition,

shelter, health and education. Equally, we endorse the

proposal made by Brazil for the convening of a United

Nations conference on development some time in 1996.

Uganda welcomed the fact that the General Assembly,

in its resolution 48/214 on the United Nations New Agenda

for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, agreed to

address the full range of issues related to the diversification

of African economies, with particular attention to be

given to the issue of the establishment of a diversification

fund for African commodities. Uganda attaches great

importance to the establishment of such a fund. We

appeal to our developed partners to be understanding and

flexible in the negotiations in order to enable the facility

to be put in place as soon as possible.

The international economic system dictates that we

enlarge our economic horizons beyond national

boundaries in order to widen our markets. Uganda

welcomes the coming into force, of the Organization of

African Unity (OAU) Abuja Treaty establishing the

African Economic Community, which provides a useful

framework for coordination of African development

efforts at the continental level. In order to succeed,

efforts to be pursued at subregional levels should be well

coordinated and rationalized. Uganda is committed to full

implementation of the Treaty for the Common Market for

Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Arusha

Treaty on revived East African cooperation. We appeal

to the international community to provide requisite

assistance to support our regional integration efforts in

order to strengthen or create infrastructures that facilitate

the movement of goods and services.

Uganda reaffirms its support for Agenda 21 and

other agreements on sustainable development adopted in

Rio de Janeiro. However, it is necessary that the Rio

political momentum be translated into practical measures

to implement all commitments agreed upon, especially

with regard to the provision of financial resources and the

transfer of technology to developing countries. For its

part, Uganda is committed to addressing all causes and

effects of environmental degradation, particularly poverty.

For instance, we are sparing no efforts in seeking ways

and means to exploit our enormous potential in

hydroelectric power and solar energy, which are

environmentally sound and are economic alternatives to

wood fuels. This will help stem the current widespread

forest depletion. We appeal to the international

community to support our efforts in the area of

sustainable development.

The most important outcome of the Cairo

Conference on population was the endorsement of the

view that the problem of population is not just a question

of numbers; rather, the critical issue is that of human

development and welfare. In this regard, the challenge is

to improve people's standard of living in such areas as the

provision of education and health, housing, transportation,

clean water and sanitation, and to eradicate poverty. In

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developing countries especially, population problems that

arise from irresponsible parenthood are ultimately a result

of socio-economic despair and ignorance, and these demand

our foremost attention.

As a follow-up to the 1990 Programme of Action on

children, Uganda has established the National Council for

Children to oversee national activities aimed at their

protection, promotion and development.

We support the convening of the Copenhagen World

Summit for Social Development in March 1995 to address

issues of poverty- eradication, productive employment and

social integration, which we hope will lead to the

improvement of standards of living, especially in the most

impoverished countries. We also support the convening of

the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995

to devise measures for the enhancement of gender equality

and the empowerment of women. Uganda will continue to

participate actively in the preparatory processes of both

meetings.

The reform of the Security Council, in our view,

should aim at achieving greater transparency in its methods

of work, making it more democratic in decision-making and

reflective of the increased United Nations membership in its

composition. We therefore support the proposal to expand

its membership. However, in our view, its expansion

should increase the number of seats for developing

countries on an equitable regional basis, to reflect the

increased membership of developing countries in the United

Nations and the fact that the agenda of the Security Council

is increasingly dominated by issues of concern and interest

to developing countries, such as conflict-resolution and

humanitarian emergencies. As regards the Council's

decision-making procedures, our view is that a

proportionate number of developing countries, including

African countries, should be accorded rights and

responsibilities similar to those currently exercised by

permanent members of the Security Council.

Our legacy to future generations is to put in place a

firm institutional framework that can adequately and

equitably respond to the interests and concerns of all

mankind, rich and poor alike. This is the challenge that

faces our Organization as we enter the fiftieth anniversary

year of the United Nations.