PROGRESS IN RESOLVING CONFLICTS COULD BE SHORT-LIVED WITHOUT CONTINUED INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT IN PEACE, DEVELOPMENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Plenary

18^th Meeting (AM)

PROGRESS IN RESOLVING CONFLICTS COULD BE SHORT-LIVED WITHOUT CONTINUED

INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT IN PEACE, DEVELOPMENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD

As the General Assembly met this morning to continue its annual general debate, speakers cautioned that recent progress in resolving  some persistent conflicts could be short-lived, unless the international community remained fully engaged in the promotion of peace and sustainable development.

Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of Sierra Leone, said he was filled with joy as he stood before the Assembly, because the rebel war in his country was finally over.  Most heartening of all, leaders had been chosen at the ballot box four months ago, sending a message to the entire world that it was still possible to hold free and fair elections in Africa.  Throughout the war, he said, the government’s objective had been to defend Sierra Leone’s people; now its objective was to win the peace. 

Yet, he added, the success of peace in Sierra Leone could be jeopardized by regional instability.  Just as further investment in material and human resources was necessary to prevent the country from slipping back into armed conflict, the conflict in Liberia needed to be addressed, as it presented the most serious threat to Sierra Leone’s current stability. 

Similarly, Eritrea’s representative highlighted the progress made regarding his country’s conflict with Ethiopia.  On 13 April, he said, the Boundary Commission made a ruling on the entire 1,000 kilometer border between the two countries.  The Commission was currently in the process of physically demarcating the lines on the ground, which was expected to be completed in the next few months.  Now that the conflict was legally put to rest, the people of Eritrea wanted to leave that awful experience behind and move on with life.

Yet, he said, despite the promises of globalization and in spite of the many initiatives launched to help the continent at different times, Africa’s economic growth was still lagging far behind.  The success of development in Africa would still depend on the political will of the rich countries to financially help, on the one hand, and full ownership and effective execution of national development programmes by the African countries themselves, on the other.

Baboucarr-Blaise Ismaila Jagne, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Gambia, said that, as there was no meaningful development without peace and stability, his country supported United Nations peacekeeping.  In that context, the provision of adequate resources for the maintenance of each mission and

funding aimed at bridging the gap between peacekeeping and national reconstruction must be ensured.  Ending hostilities was one thing; getting States on the right path to the social and economic development necessary to eliminate the causes of conflict quite another.

Additionally, Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, President of Ecuador, said more action and financial resources were needed for development.  The widely publicized equity in the terms of trade was only apparent in statements.  A new global ethic was needed that repudiated terrorism and fostered, with action, the efforts of developing countries to eradicate poverty.  A new world order to fight poverty was also needed and it was time to resolve definitively the problem of indebtedness of the poorest countries.  It was time to build a world of solidarity.

At the outset of this morning’s meeting, Assembly President Jan Kavan (Czech Republic) announced that in keeping with General Assembly resolution 55/282, the International Day of Peace would be observed every year on 21 September and that this day was declared a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, which all nations and peoples were invited to commemorate by honouring a 24-hour cessation of hostilities and through, among others, education and public awareness.

The President of Kyrgyzstan, the Prime Minister of Swaziland, the Foreign Ministers of Estonia and the United Arab Emirates, and the representatives of the Republic of Moldova and Antigua and Barbuda also spoke this morning.

The Assembly will meet at 3 p.m. to conclude its general debate.

Background

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate.

Statements

GUSTAVO NOBOA BEJARANO, President of Ecuador, placed emphasis on the urgent need for the international community to move towards action, as well as to inject more financial resources, for development.  Nations, together, must try to find solutions to common problems.  Developing countries were asked to be financially stringent, respect free trade and market rules, and cooperate in the fight against the scourges that affected humanity. 

However, he continued, when they tried to gain access to major markets, the door was shut in their faces.  Subsidies were placed in their way.  While they were asked to participate in the struggle against drug trafficking, they were not given the resources to implement relevant programmes.  The developed countries still did not understand that the people of developing countries were deeply perceptive.  Those in the developing world could not understand a globalization process that never knocked at their door.  

Hypocrisy, inequity, injustice and increased poverty were main causes for the lack of peace, he said.  The developed world had found new and discriminatory methods to describe developing countries -– financially, socially and ethically.  Developing countries were criticized for lack of transparency and lack of respect for the rule of law.  Their emigrants were discriminated against.  It was time to break paradigms.

When the North looked to the South, it saw it with paternalistic and patronizing eyes, he said.  The widely publicized equity in the terms of trade was only apparent in statements.  What was needed was a new global ethic that repudiated terrorism and fostered, with action, the efforts of developing countries to eradicate poverty.  A new world order to fight poverty was also needed.  The international community must make the new century one of respect for all nations.  It was time to resolve definitively the problem of indebtedness of the poorest countries.  It was time to build a world of solidarity.

Ecuador, he added, would continue to make every effort to allow its people to arrive at a place where they could develop and flourish.  He wanted to see the voice of reason hold in every global forum.  Ecuador wanted to create a more just society and wanted to be the bridge that united North and South.

ALHAJI AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH, President of Sierra Leone, said that, as he stood before the General Assembly, he was filled with joy because the rebel war in Sierra Leone was finally over.  All the combatants had been disarmed and demobilized and reintegration programs -- ranging from formal education and vocational skills training to small-scale trade, agriculture and community development -- were proceeding apace.  The Government had also set up a National Commission for Social Action, engaged in developing programs to benefit all the categories of victims of the brutal war.  Most heartening of all, the people of Sierra Leone had reaffirmed their constitutional right to choose their leaders at the ballot box four months ago, sending a message to the entire world that it was still possible to hold free and fair elections in Africa.

Throughout the war, the government’s objective had been to defend the lives of Sierra Leone’s people, he said.  Now, its objective was to win the peace.  There could be no peace without justice, in which regard continued support for the establishment of the Special Court was necessary.  However, national reconciliation was also needed to achieve lasting peace.  Thus, making the Truth and Reconciliation Commission fully operational was one of the primary objectives of his Government.  The role of the United Nations and the international community in supporting Sierra Leone’s prolonged struggle meant that all members of the partnership for peace shared the victory.

Yet, the success of peace in Sierra Leone could be jeopardized by regional instability, he said.  Just as further investment in material and human resources was necessary to prevent the country from slipping back into armed conflict, the conflict in Liberia needed to be addressed, as it presented the most serious threat to Sierra Leone’s current stability.  Additionally, the phased and measured plan for downsizing the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone would avoid provoking a new sense of insecurity in an already-traumatized people.

Urging that multilateral cooperation be strengthened, he expressed concern about impediments to economic and social development, threats to international peace and security, including the nuclear arms race and terrorism, and the rights of vulnerable population groups, such as children and the disabled.  While the commitments to support Africa’s special needs made in the Millennium Declaration should be kept, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) showed that the African states had recognized their own, primary, responsibility for promoting development on the continent.

ASKAR AKAEV, President of Kyrgzstan, spoke of the problems facing his country as it went through the transition from authoritarianism to democracy.  The first difficulty he referred to was the need for the development of mountainous areas, which was embodied in the declaration of 2002 as the International Year of Mountains. At the end of October, the Global Mountain Summit would be held in Bishkek, Kyrgzstan’s capital, to assess achievements for the year.

The most critical issues for his country, however, were problems linked to the development of democracy and the maintenance of human rights and freedoms, he said.  The remnants of the Soviet authoritarian heritage still existed in the consciousness of the people, especially the older ones.  To counteract that, he had declared the new national idea “Kyrgystan -– country of human rights”.  It would be some time before democracy took firm root.

The eradication of poverty was another problem to be addressed, he continued.  Under present conditions, poverty had worsened.  He acknowledged, with gratitude, the efforts of the United Nations system organizations and donor countries to help poor countries.  But those efforts were not enough.  The worlds community should not flag in its effort to eradicate poverty.  As a country that has been subjected to invasion by international terrorist groups in recent years, the problem of terrorism was also a matter of concern.  Last December, an international conference, under the auspices  of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), had been held in Bishkek to fight international terrorism. That conference had provided a strong basis for actions at the global level.

Finally, he drew the Assembly’s attention to the fact that in 2003 Kyrgystan would be celebrating 2,200 years of statehood.  He wanted the Secretary General and delegations to formally acknowledge that great historic event in the life of his country as an international event.  That celebration would contribute greatly to the interior political stability and consolidation of the multi-ethnic Kyrgyz nation.  

BARNABAS S. DLAMINI, Prime Minister of Swaziland, said that poverty remained his country’s number one priority.  Sixty-six per cent of its people were living below the internationally recognized poverty line.  At the same time, the country’s classification as a lower middle-income country prevented it from many of the funds and resources that were available to those in different categories.  Swaziland would be working with the United Nations to correct that situation.  Meanwhile, the Government was focusing its efforts and available resources on programmes that met the challenge of poverty in a sustainable and equitable manner. 

Overshadowing all of his country’s development challenges was the threat posed by multiple health risks, including malaria and tuberculosis, but especially that of HIV/AIDS.  AIDS continued to claim the lives of huge numbers of Swazis and there could be no family in the Kingdom that had escaped the deadly touch of that disease.  No sector of development was immune from the consequences of the very high and increasing HIV infection rates among his people, with enormous strain placed on its financial and human resources.  The country was attacking the disease on different fronts, with priority on prevention, care, counseling and treatment.   

Swaziland was encouraged by the expressions of commitment at last year’s AIDS Special Session and by the creation of the Global Fund.  With hopes high for support from the Fund, it came as a grave disappointment to his people to learn that the country’s application to the Fund earlier in the year was rejected, and that the criteria for selection of projects had become unclear.  He hoped that Swaziland’s second application might meet with approval and that international support from that resource, and from those of all who gave their commitments, might at last be forthcoming to help his country in that national disaster. 

He added that currently, Swaziland and others in southern Africa had been hit hard by food shortages, largely through the failure of rains.  The food security situation had been exacerbated by other problems, such as the lack of clean drinking water in rural areas and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and deaths, which left families with severely diminished resources to cope with their basic needs.  The Government was making every effort from its scarce resources to help its people, and had as one of its top priorities the construction of dams throughout the rural areas, where the crisis was most serious.

The review of the Kingdom’s constitution continued and the drafting stage was almost complete, he said.  The next phase would be the review of the draft document by the people, to ensure that their wishes had been met.  That would be the final stage before the document was formally adopted.  He trusted that the international community would respect the fact that the final document, the product of extensive consultation with the whole nation, would be the true expression of the wishes of the people and would serve the Kingdom well for many generations to come. 

KRISTIINA OJULAND, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Estonia, focused her attention on three issues of major concern for the globalizing world:  the struggle against terrorism; human trafficking; and sustainable development.  As part of its effort to support the international coalition against terrorism, Estonia had ratified all the relevant United Nations conventions and contributed a Search and Rescue Team to the United States-led operation “Enduring Freedom”.  Estonia’s highly-trained explosives-detection dog team was presently helping to restore order in Afghanistan.

Cooperation to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was of particular importance, she said, as sooner or later terrorists would gain access to them.  It was essential that the United Nations react effectively and decisively when confronted with real and formidable dangers.  Therefore, Iraq’s full and unconditional compliance with Security Council resolutions was necessary.  The return of weapons inspectors was a positive signal, but further acts of compliance by Iraq would have to follow.  It was important to remember the lessons of the League of Nations -- inaction was often much more disastrous than action.

Another important issue was human trafficking she said, particularly trafficking in women.  Estonia had recently acceded to three additional protocols to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, among them the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking of People, Especially Women and Children.  In addition, an informational campaign aimed at turning the general public’s attention to and initiating public discussion of the problems of prostitution and trafficking in people had been undertaken in conjunction with eight other Baltic and Nordic states.  It was important to realize the issue was related to the broader issue of women’s position in society and their participation in decision-making.

Also of crucial importance was development cooperation and sustainable development, she said.  Countries in development needed to have clear national goals and a road map for achieving them.  Estonia was in the process of drafting such a plan, which included the cooperation of both civil society and the private sector.  The problem of environmental degradation as a factor in sustainable development needed to be recognized, as did the need for access to information and communication technologies, in which regard Estonia had established an e-governance academy.

RASHID ABDULLAH AL-NAOMI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, began by discussing the instability and imbalance that characterized world relations -- notably conflicts, terrorism, diseases and drug trafficking. Globalization had made the world a small village.  Thus, the problems and sufferings of other peoples could not be ignored because of geographic distance or cultural differences.  The world’s problems reached across geographical borders and establishing peace was a joint responsibility.

The United Arab Emirates was well aware that security in the Gulf region could not be separated from international peace and security.  He called on Iran to resolve the problem of the three islands, Great Tanb, Lesser Tanb and Abu Moussa, over which the United Arab Emirates had sovereignty, through bilateral negotiations or the use of the International Court of Justice.  He noted Iraq’s decision for the return of United Nations nuclear inspectors, a decision which would spare Iraq and the region from devastation.  In view of that development, the international community should insist that the approach to the resolution of that problem should be through peaceful means.

He condemned the aggression of Israel against the people of Palestine, who should enjoy the right to self-determination.  Israel should cease its violations of Security Council resolutions and it should rid itself of nuclear weapons.  He called on India and Pakistan to resolve their differences peacefully, as well.

His country denounced all forms of terrorism, whatever the reasons.  Because underdevelopment and deprivation produced conditions for terrorism, his country fully supported the policies and programmes on sustainable development, including those enunciated in Johannesburg.  In addition, developed countries needed to continue to provide poor countries with official development aid.    

BABOUCARR-BLAISE ISMAILA JAGNE, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Gambia, said that the international community had recommitted itself to spreading and deepening democracy, protecting human rights and the rule of law, fighting hunger, poverty and disease, protecting the weak and vulnerable and protecting the environment within the last year.  Yet, halfway through the United Nations decade for the eradication of poverty, the gap between the rich and poor was widening.  Through obstacles erected and promises not kept by Africa’s development partners, another opportunity for the multilateral system to work towards poverty eradication and social and economic development had been missed.  The international community needed to renew its commitment to supporting the development of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

For its part, he said, his country’s fight against poverty rested on five pillars:  the creation of an enabling environment for economic growth and development; enhancing the productive capacity and social protection of the poor; improving coverage of basic services; political empowerment of civil society; and strengthened partnerships with development stakeholders.  Committed to wholeheartedly pursuing those goals, the Gambia counted on international support to achieve them.

Yet, it must be recognized, he said, that there was no meaningful development without peace and stability, for which reason he supported United Nations peacekeeping.  In this context, the provision of adequate resources for the maintenance of each mission and funding aimed at bridging the gap between peacekeeping and national reconstruction needed to be ensured.  Ending hostilities was one thing; getting States on the right path to the social and economic development necessary to eliminate the causes of conflict quite another.  In those countries, it was necessary to go beyond the immediacy of political requirements for consolidating peace to address governance in its broadest sense, including its economic and financial aspects.

Turning to sanctions, he said that it was time to review the procedures used to impose them on countries and individuals.  The permanent members of the Security Council did not usually provide enough evidence to justify their decisions; in many cases the decision seemed to be based on speculation or conjecture.  More transparency was needed before countries acquiesced in their nationals being punished.  In like manner, the multifaceted sanctions imposed on Cuba should finally be set aside.  Additionally, the credibility and relevance of the Security Council depended on its reformation -- Africa needed a minimum of two permanent seats.

AHMED TAHIR BADURI (Eritrea) said that despite the declaration by the 1999 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Summit in Algiers, that the year 2000 would be the year to end conflicts and start a new peace momentum in Africa, conflicts continued taking their heavy toll on the African people.  The Horn of Africa was a subregion where conflicts and wars had been a way of life for many decades.  Reoccurring conflicts over the past decades had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced a staggering number of people and sent millions out of their countries to live as refugees in foreign lands.  He also drew attention to the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Somalia. 

On a positive note, he highlighted the progress made regarding the border conflict between his country and Ethiopia.  On 13 April, the Boundary Commission made a ruling on the entire 1,000 kilometer border between the two countries.  The Commission had drawn the new border and was currently in the process of physically demarcating the lines on the ground.  Completion of the demarcation was expected in the next few months.  Now that the conflict was legally put to rest, the people of Eritrea wanted to leave that awful experience behind and move on with life.

Despite the promises of globalization, and in spite of the many initiatives launched to help the continent at different times, Africa’s economic growth was still lagging far behind, he said.  The success of development in Africa would still depend on the political will of the rich countries to financially help on the one hand, and full ownership and effective execution of national development programmes by the African countries themselves, on the other. 

He then reiterated the five core principles underlying Eritrea’s development strategy.  They were:  developing the capabilities of his people as the principal asset and driving force of the country’s development endeavour; establishing strong public-private sector partnership; striving for self-reliance and avoiding chronic and debilitating dependency; protecting the environment from the adverse effects of development programmes; and establishing effective development partnerships with multilateral and bilateral development agencies, governments and non-governmental organizations.

ION BOTNARU (Republic of Moldova) expressed his country's commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms.  It was close to concluding the process of accession to the 12 main international instruments on terrorism.  It was also involved in the work of regional and subregional organizations that had anti-terrorism programmes.  All Members States should renew their efforts to conclude the text of the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism.

He commended the anti-terrorism coalition for the work it had done in Afghanistan.  The stabilization process was a test case for the international community and the United Nations.  The work of the Quartet, based on the relevant United Nations resolutions, to bring peace to the Middle East should be supported. He shared the concerns expressed about Iraq and called on the country to comply fully and promptly with all Security Council resolutions.

As a country in transition, Moldova attached great importance to the United Nations agenda for development and in particular the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, and those decisions taken in Monterrey and Johannesburg. Foreign debt, lack of resources, a weak financial and banking system and natural disasters had made it difficult for Moldova to progress.  His country was also troubled by the separatist regime in Transnistria, which oppressed the local

population and had at its disposal a huge quantity of unregistered arms, a lot of which were delivered to terrorist and criminal groups overseas.  He also issued an appeal for the expansion of the Security Council to allow more States to contribute to its work.

PATRICK ALBERT LEWIS (Antigua and Barbuda) said that in Monterrey there was a constant repetition by both developed and developing countries on the fact that half of the world’s population lived on less than $2 a day.  But, to any objective observer, it was never clear whether the pronouncements of the dominant countries could best help by significantly increasing foreign aid, or by more concretely targeting their assistance to make it more effective.  Many of the developing countries kept signaling that both measures were necessary and should be undertaken. 

In reality, not only aid, but a complete overhauling of the present one-dimensional focus of globalization should have come out of Monterrey, he said.  The goals –- halving those living in poverty by 2015, accelerating access to clean water, gender equity, among others -– could not be adequately dealt with by simply stating that aid from the developed world would increase from $50 billion to $100 billion.  Also, only one-third of the $50 billion was spent in poor countries and the level and conditionalities attached to aid made it difficult to spend the rest effectively.  The stringent conditions set by donors additionally impacted on the sovereignty of developing nations.  Hence, jumping from $50 to $100 billion without revamping existing measures of dispersal and implementation would not have the desired impact.

Clearly, he stated, globalization led to the reduction of the sovereignty of States, with the weakest and smallest being the biggest losers.  Sadly lacking in the arguments for globalization was the need to give consideration to the pace, direction and content of economic liberalization, due to different levels of development and the need to build up national capabilities.  Further, those supporting globalization insisted on free trade for the developing world, and the exemption of the same for the industrialized countries.  Protective devices were built in for farmers in the dominant economies, including subsidies, guaranteed markets and payments not to produce beyond a certain level to maintain means of processing.  All of that was done under the most stringent of guidelines.

On the other hand, he added, when former colonial countries provided preferences to their previous colonies of exploitation, challenges were mounted through the World Trade Organization (WTO) by multinational enterprises.  All that was done with the knowledge that in modern times there had never been free trade.

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