Uganda, 2011

Uganda joins other

delegations in congratulating Mr. Al-Nasser on his

election to the presidency of this body. My delegation

has confidence in his ability to steer our deliberations

to a successful conclusion. I wish to pay tribute to

Mr. Joseph Deiss for his effective stewardship of the

work of the General Assembly during the past session.

Uganda takes this opportunity to congratulate the

Government and the people of South Sudan on

attaining statehood and becoming the 193rd Member of

the United Nations. Uganda also congratulates Mr. Ban

Ki-moon on his reappointment as Secretary-General.

The theme of this session’s general debate, “The

role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by

peaceful means”, is most appropriate in the light of the

conflict situations in various parts of the world,

including Africa. When actualized, the peaceful

settlement of disputes saves lives and property that

would otherwise be lost if force were used. Strategic

interventions, such as mediation, are necessary to

mitigate conflict situations and avert crises that

threaten the stability not only of nations, but also of

entire regions, with adverse effects on development

and people’s livelihoods. Mediation is a necessary and

essential tool for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, as

it is aims to support disputing parties in the process of

negotiating a mutual understanding or agreement.

Uganda has consistently advocated an enhanced

role for subregional and regional organizations in

conflict prevention and resolution. When those

organizations are involved in mediating disputes, they

play a critical role in bringing about sustainable peace

and security. It was against this background that

Uganda supported and sponsored resolution 65/283 on

mediation as a tool for the peaceful settlement of

disputes. The resolution provides a basis for

consolidating normative mediation efforts, reinforcing

mediation support activities and enhancing the role of

Member States.

Uganda has been involved in various initiatives to

bring peace to the Great Lakes region, the Horn of

Africa and the African continent as a whole. Our

involvement included participation in the Burundi

peace process and in the negotiations, led by the

Intergovernmental Authority on Development, on the

Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which

culminated in the birth of a new nation, South Sudan,

which is now participating as an equal partner in the

community of nations.

In the case of Somalia, in addition to our

contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia

(AMISOM), Uganda continues to support the

engagement of the Somali Transitional Federal

Government with other actors so as to promote

dialogue in the context of the Djibouti Agreement and

the Kampala Accord. In order to consolidate the gains

realized on the ground, the United Nations and the rest

of the international community must urgently

strengthen support to Somalia by means of capacity-

building for the Somali Transitional Federal

Institutions; the deployment of the additional

authorized 3,000 troops; the approval of a reliable and

predictable funding mechanism and of the required

aviation assets to AMISOM; and the provision of

urgent humanitarian relief and assistance to meet the

basic needs of the people through quick-impact

projects in such areas as health care, water and

sanitation.

Our experience in conflict prevention and

resolution in Africa is that if such efforts are to succeed

and be sustainable, a number of factors come into play.

First, peace initiatives should be led by the region, with

strong support from regional organizations, the United

Nations and other relevant actors. Secondly, it is

sometimes important to initially give priority to peace

before justice in order to strengthen confidence-

building between parties. Thirdly, peace and

reconciliation mechanisms, including transitional all-

inclusive administrations, need to be established to

heal the wounds of conflict. Fourthly, post-conflict

recovery and reconstruction programmes or projects

should be instituted simultaneously so as to

demonstrate the benefits of peace dividends.

Mediation is a worthwhile investment. It costs

much less than other undertakings, such as

peacekeeping or peace enforcement. In terms of

benefits, effective mediation can avert unnecessary

wars and their attendant consequences, such as the loss

of life and property, and contribute to building capacity

for home-grown solutions to address conflict. The

mutual confidence that normally results from

mediation between parties can also be instrumental in

achieving inclusive political and other arrangements

following the conclusion of peace agreements. Once

19 11-51384

achieved, such arrangements have a positive impact on

the consolidation of peace and security, as well as on

sustainable post-conflict reconstruction, recovery and

development.

Uganda believes that potential differences

between and within countries are better addressed

using home-grown solutions. External influences or

interventions do not necessarily offer sustainable

solutions to conflict. On the contrary, the latter tend at

times to contribute to a cycle of destabilizing

tendencies.

It is therefore important that the involvement of

the United Nations, the international community and

other actors take full account of the interests and

concerns of all parties. Hence, there is a need for close

coordination, consultation and information-sharing

with the parties concerned. The support of the

international community should target areas mutually

agreed upon with the parties concerned. It is also

important to underscore the fact that, where potential

conflict situations arise and external support becomes

necessary, the international community should provide

a timely, adequate and robust response.

It is equally necessary to build and strengthen the

mediation capacities of subregional and regional

organizations. Specifically, in the case of conflicts in

Africa, our preferred solution is peaceful settlement

through mediation, not military intervention. In the

case of the Libyan crisis, the African Union (AU) has

called upon the National Transitional Council to

establish an all-inclusive transitional Government, as

proposed in the AU road map for the peaceful

resolution of the Libyan conflict.

Uganda would like to make a strong case to this

Assembly that Africa should be given the chance to

resolve its conflicts. Africa has strong political will to

handle them, and any interventions should be aimed at

supporting African initiatives to find peaceful

solutions. It is therefore imperative that our partners

recognize the existing dispute resolution mechanisms

of the regional bodies in Africa. I also call upon the

United Nations to fully support Africa in that regard.

Besides, the role of women in mediation must be

appreciated and enhanced. Experience has shown that

women can contribute a lot to efforts aimed at peaceful

settlement of disputes and at conflict prevention and

resolution. It is therefore vital that women become

increasingly involved in mediation efforts and

processes.

On the Israeli-Palestinian question, Uganda has

consistently called upon the Israeli and the Palestinian

parties to muster the necessary courage to negotiate

and reach a peaceful settlement based on a two-State

solution, that is, Israel and the State of Palestine living

side by side peacefully and within secure borders. We

urge both parties to urgently resume negotiations in

order to reach a two-State solution that will guarantee

durable peace.

The outcome of this debate should include

practical and pragmatic actions to address some of the

challenges relating to mediation. These include, but are

not limited to, issues involved in the adequacy and

predictability of the requisite resources, capacity-

building at the national, subregional and regional

levels, the involvement of women, and the

strengthening of coordination and collaboration in

mediation efforts and processes.