Zambia, 2009

Let me join previous speakers

in congratulating you, Sir, on your assumption of the

presidency at the sixty-fourth session of the General

Assembly. I should also like to extend Zambia’s

sincere appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Miguel

d’Escoto Brockmann for his able leadership during the

sixty-third session.

The theme for this session provides us with an

opportunity to evaluate existing multilateral

approaches to address the challenges arising from

globalization. Those include threats to socio-economic

development and international peace and security.

There is a need to develop innovative approaches and

responses to those challenges, which include

HIV/AIDS and influenza A(H1N1), terrorism, climate

change, nuclear weapons and, more recently, the global

economic and financial crisis. In this globalized and

interdependent world, no country, however wealthy or

powerful it is, can resolve all those challenges single-

handedly. Common solutions are therefore required

through a strong United Nations.

This session is taking place against the backdrop

of the adverse effects of the recent global economic

and financial crisis, which has spared no one. In my

own country of Zambia and in other African countries,

the economic growth achieved from 2000 to 2007 is

now declining as a result of the global economic and

financial crisis. We are faced with serious financial

constraints, lower commodity prices and weak external

and domestic demand for our products, high inflation

and rising unemployment. Manufacturing and

construction activities have also slackened. As copper

accounts for about 70 per cent of Zambia’s exports, the

effect of the collapse of international copper prices —

from $8,985 per metric tonne in August 2008 to $2,902

at the end of 2008 — has, among other things, resulted

in greatly reduced revenue collections.

Zambia’s experience from the recent global

financial and economic crisis is a timely reminder of

the consequences of overdependence on a single

economic sector. My Government has therefore

developed a diversification plan to shift the economy

from dependence on copper. That is being done

through policy interventions in the agriculture, tourism

and manufacturing sectors, coupled with programmes

aimed at improving the business environment in

Zambia.

For those efforts to succeed, however, there must

be an expeditious conclusion to the World Trade

Organization’s Doha Round of negotiations. Zambia

considers the aid-for-trade component of the

negotiations as critical, as it will develop our country’s

capacity to overcome supply-side constraints and

encourage value addition in its commodities.

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Zambia’s response to the global economic crisis

needs the support of its international development

partners. We appreciate that our cooperating partners

have also been affected by the global economic crisis.

Nonetheless, we urge them to fulfil their pledge to

increase their contributions to official development

assistance to 0.71 per cent of gross national income.

That is necessary if the global development agenda is

to help vulnerable economies, such as Zambia’s, meet

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Zambia believes that there is a need to reform

international financial governance systems in order to

avoid future global financial crises. The changes,

which must be inclusive, should respond to the needs

and concerns of all nations, regardless of status. It is

essential that there be an increase in the voice and

power of developing countries at the World Bank and

the International Monetary Fund. The reform process

should aim to improve the predictability of aid flows

and emphasize reforms that promote faster aid delivery

and fewer conditionalities.

Zambia roundly applauds the leadership that the

United Nations provides in tackling climate change, as

was illustrated only two days ago by the hosting of the

high-level Summit on Climate Change. Our efforts to

raise the standards of living for the world’s poor people

in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals

are being frustrated by the effects of climate change.

Scientists have spoken. We have seen with our

own eyes, in just one generation, how great an effect

climate change has had on our environment. On the eve

of the Climate Change Summit, just a few days ago,

unprecedented floods hit the state of Georgia in this

country, as if to rebuke any of us who still doubt the

evidence. Let us just look around us. We do not need

science to tell us that deserts have expanded, that

forests have drastically shrunk, that rivers have dried

up and that it rains less and less in many places, and

yet so much more in others. Nature has lost its balance

and humankind has lost its footing.

In our own short lifespan, in my own country, I

remember a time when forests were within a child’s

walking distance, teeming with a profusion of animals,

birds, plants, insects and fruits. Today my

grandchildren would be lucky to name the indigenous

fruits of our country on the fingers of one hand. So

many species of our countries’ flora and fauna have

become extinct — forever lost to the world — in such

a short time.

Our children have spoken. Our citizens have

spoken. If we go to Copenhagen to question the science

yet again, or to make more speeches justifying

inaction, if we still believe that we can only act after

our competitors act, then we as leaders will have failed

our peoples and consigned the world to utter

destruction. Copenhagen is the precipice, either we

step back and let live or tip over into the abyss. We

must act, and act now.

With regard to mitigation, Zambia’s view is that

the shared vision should be based on shared

responsibilities for climate change; and that there must

be an equitable burden-sharing mechanism that requires

developed countries to commit to reducing emissions to

legally binding levels, while developing countries take

actions to ensure a substantial reduction from

environment-degrading development programmes.

As the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference

draws near, Zambia expects an agreement that will

balance climate change concerns with development.

The Copenhagen agreement must provide increased

and predictable support for the implementation of the

adaptation programme, which must be established

within a binding legal instrument under the United

Nations Framework Convention.

Speaking in my capacity as the Chairman of the

International Conference on Great Lakes Region, I am

happy to report to the Assembly that the Great Lakes

region of Africa is now more stable and peaceful than

it has ever been in the past 15 years, albeit with

challenges. The improved relations between the

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and

their joint efforts to tackle the problem of negative

forces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of

the Congo, has opened up opportunities for achieving

sustainable peace and stability in the region.

However, the region is still faced with the threat

posed by the continued presence of illegal armed

groups and negative forces, namely, the Forces

démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR)/

ex-Forces armées rwandaises/Interahamwe, the Lord’s

Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic

Forces. Although the recent joint military operations

between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and

Rwanda succeeded in dislodging FDLR elements from

most of their strongholds, the continued atrocities

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committed by the remnants of that group against

civilians remains a great source of concern.

We applaud the role of the international

community through the United Nations Organization

Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in

providing support for the Government of that country

in its efforts to build military capacity to neutralize the

negative forces in the eastern part of its territory. The

international community needs to exert more sustained

pressure on the leadership of those negative forces

living within and outside the region, so that they are

brought to justice.

The Lord’s Resistance Army, which fled to the

north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the

Congo and the Central African Republic after the Juba

talks failed, continues to commit atrocities against the

innocent civilian population. The Great Lakes

mechanisms allowed for a joint military operation

against the LRA, which, challenges notwithstanding,

achieved some progress in dislodging rebel forces.

There is a need for sustained military and

diplomatic pressure to bring Joseph Kony back to the

negotiating table. There is also a need for more

logistical support from the international community to

protect the civilian population and, at the same time,

put an end to the atrocities and brutality committed

with impunity by the LRA.

The Great Lakes region is organizing a round

table conference in Bujumbura, Burundi, to be held

from 5 to 6 November 2009, at which we expect

renewed support from the Group of Friends and other

partners to finance the Pact on Security, Stability and

Development in the Great Lakes Region.

Prior to the global economic downturn, Zambia’s

economic growth was on course to meet all but one of

the Millennium Development Goals, namely, ensuring

environmental sustainability. However, the effect of the

global financial and economic crisis, coupled with the

effects of climate change, threaten the prospects of

meeting the MDGs on poverty, agriculture and

environmental sustainability.

The United Nations remains the central principal

organ for coordinating international cooperation in

socio-economic development, peace, security, human

rights and the rule of law. There is a need to reform the

United Nations in order to make it more effective and

efficient. Zambia believes that the reform of the United

Nations will not be complete without meaningful

reform of the Security Council. Making the Council

more representative, democratic and accountable to all

Member States, irrespective of status, is essential if its

decisions are to be acceptable to the entire

international community. The Security Council must

adapt to the realities of the new geopolitical situation

that characterize the world.

Given that Africa constitutes the second largest

bloc of United Nations membership, proposals to

reform the Security Council should heed Africa’s call

for two permanent seats with veto power and two

additional non-permanent seats. That would address the

historical injustice against Africa while responding to

the need to democratize the Security Council. Equally

important in that regard is the need to reform the

working methods of that important United Nations

body.

Human rights issues are an important component

in the maintenance of peace and stability in any

country. I wish to inform the Assembly that, since

Zambia was elected a member of the Human Rights

Council, in 2006, it has continued to advocate for the

promotion and protection of human rights. In May

2008, Zambia extended an open invitation to all

mandate holders on special areas of focus relating to

issues of human rights to visit and evaluate the extent

to which Zambia observes its obligations under the

various United Nations conventions. We urge other

countries to follow suit.

Even in the post-cold-war era, nuclear arms pose

a threat to international peace and security and the very

existence of humankind. It is for that reason that

Zambia stands for general and complete disarmament

in a time-bound manner, to include biological,

chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons. The

demand of the time is that we compete for peace, not

war, for development and not armaments.

There is no doubt that the United Nations

continues to be the only multilateral institution capable

of addressing the challenges of our one world. This

session’s theme attests to that fact. The world looks up

to this body to encourage dialogue among civilizations

on all global challenges in an inclusive manner as the

only practical way to ensure meaningful and effective

international cooperation.

Allow me to conclude by quoting Jonathan Rauch

in the January 2001 issue of The Atlantic magazine, in

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his article entitled “The New Old Economy: Oil,

Computers and the Reinvention of the Earth”, as

quoted by R. A. Bisson and Jay Lehr in the preface to

their book entitled Modern Groundwater Exploration.

In the article, which looked at future oil supply,

Mr. Rauch predicted that demand for oil will peter out

well before supply runs out because, he argued,

something cheaper and cleaner would come along. He

concluded by stating that “knowledge, not petroleum,

is becoming the critical resource in the oil business”

and that, although the supply of oil is fixed, the supply

of knowledge is boundless.

Thus human ingenuity holds the secret to

resolving problems confronting humankind. So it is

with all the issues facing us and this United Nations of

ours today. The resolution of our problems of climate

change, the economic and financial crisis, peace and

security and human rights and democracy depends

upon human ingenuity. The United Nations must

therefore first — and most important — work to create

an environment where ingenuity can indeed flourish,

that is, a peaceful world where all feel they belong and

are treated with dignity.

Before I conclude my remarks, let me just say a

word or two about the embargo that has been imposed

on the people and Government of Cuba since 1959 by

the United States of America. Those unfair and

unjustified sanctions have greatly hurt the people of

Cuba. The time has come for those sanctions to be

lifted. I join those who are calling for the lifting of

sanctions.