Fifty-ninth General Assembly

Plenary

33^rd & 35^th Meetings (AM & PM)

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT CRUCIAL FOR NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’S

 

DEVELOPMENT TO SUCCEED, GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD

 

As the General Assembly today began its second annual review of progress in implementing a new plan to spur development in Africa, delegations reaffirmed the continent's determination to overcome the malaise of poverty, but stressed that international support was crucial -- particularly boosting technological support and training in agriculture -- if the homegrown initiative was to succeed.

The joint debate also touched on two other major challenges to Africa’s overall sustainable development:  its struggles to resolve conflicts and maintain peace, and to overcome the ravages of infectious diseases such as malaria.  Many speakers stressed the need to come up with a comprehensive strategy which combined peacekeeping and peace-building efforts within development strategies, and pledged continued support for the United Nations Decade to Roll Back Malaria (2001-2010).

Two years ago, the Assembly adopted a Declaration unanimously supporting the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) –- an African-owned initiative established in 2001 by the then Organization of African Unity, now known as the African Union, as the primary framework for addressing the aspirations of the continent, linking the issues of peace and security with governance and development.  The New Partnership succeeded the decade-old New Agenda for the Development of Africa (UN-NADAF), which was phased out in 2002.

Today, Nigeria’s representative, speaking on behalf of the African Union, said that given the paucity of resources in Africa, there was a justifiable need for increased external support, not only to complement and strengthen the continent’s efforts to promote peace and security, but also to preserve the considerable peace dividends that had already been gained.  If Africa was to consolidate peace and pursue a path of sustainable development, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council would need to be strengthened in order to fulfil its mandate.

He urged the Assembly not to take for granted the significant gains Africans had made so far in promoting peace and security in their homeland, but added that there was still an urgent need to take matching steps to promote the socio-economic well-being of the people, so that conflicts did not feed further on the scourge of underdevelopment and poverty.  Africa had, within its grasp, a strategic blueprint that could enable it to restore peace and security, combat widespread poverty, accelerate growth and sustainable development, and reverse its marginalization.

Speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, Qatar’s representative said NEPAD was based on the dual principles of ownership and partnership, adding that Africa owned, led and managed the process.  Nonetheless, Africa’s developed partners had an important role to play, in particular, in the areas of trade, official development assistance (ODA), debt relief and public policies to support foreign direct investment (FDI) in the continent.  The absence of coherence in the areas of trade, debt and aid flow to Africa was undercutting international support, he added.

Ambassadors from a host of African nations today pledged their commitment to promoting accelerated growth and sustainable development through the eradication of widespread and severe poverty, in line with the aims of NEPAD.  Kenya’s representative said his country hoped the initiative would help increase Africa’s competitiveness in the globalization process and promote the restoration of peace, security and stability.  South Africa’s representative stressed the need to address post-conflict peace-building and development, as well as financing for the recovery effort.  It was essential that populations saw a peace dividend resulting from the termination of conflict and that the post-conflict authorities be empowered to deliver the needs of the population, he said.

Echoing the sentiments of many delegations, Uganda’s representative urged the international community to consider the total cancellation of debt, especially those of the heavily indebted poor countries, and put in place measures to address debt sustainability.  Current ODA levels were well below the $50 billion required to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  A more deliberate targeting of FDI for the neediest countries in Africa was also necessary.  Tunisia’s representative said that since Africa was hardest hit by fluctuations in global markets, it was necessary to focus efforts on restoring trade balances and dismantling tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers.

The Netherlands’ representative, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that the Union –- the largest provider of ODA and the single biggest investor in developing countries –- was fully aware that development policies would not be sustainable if developing economies were not part of the world economy.  But international and national efforts to create an enabling environment for equitable and sustainable development must go hand in hand, he said.  The primary responsibility for poverty reduction existed within the developing countries themselves.  Essential at the national level were good governance, policy reform, prioritizing social needs and prevention of conflicts. 

The United States representative said that more must be done to unlock Africa’s potential by promoting a vibrant private sector.  Botswana and South Africa had shown that removing obstacles to business entrepreneurship supported economic growth.  The recent report of the Commission on the Private Sector and Development had emphasized that private assets within developing countries dwarfed any conceivable contribution that could be made from abroad for development funding.  An estimated 40 per cent of Africa’s private wealth was held overseas.  Good policies could help mobilize that wealth to contribute to Africa’s progress.

Also speaking today were the representatives of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)), Barbados (on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)), Namibia, China, France, Egypt, India, Russian Federation, Morocco, Algeria, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Peru, Singapore, Sudan, Malaysia, Japan, Senegal, Thailand, Eritrea, Azerbaijan, Canada, Italy and Mozambique.  In addition, General Assembly President Jean Ping (Gabon) made a statement at the outset of the meeting.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 19 October, to continue its joint debate.

Background

The General Assembly met today to consider matters related to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD); causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa; and the United Nations Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa.

Among the documents the Assembly will consider is the Secretary-General’s second consolidated report on progress in implementation and international support of NEPAD (document A/59/206), which highlights the policy measures taken by African countries and organizations towards NEPAD’s implementation, as well as the response of the international community and the support provided by the United Nations system during the past year.

The Secretary-General notes much progress had been made by African countries in developing sectoral policy frameworks, in the implementation of specific programmes and projects, and in earmarking financial allocations to selected NEPAD sectoral priorities.  At the same time, a series of international actions that will potentially benefit the implementation of the Partnership were taken or proposed by the global community, while the United Nations system continues to provide support for a broad range of issues.

But the Secretary-general stresses that the international community needs to support concerted efforts by African countries to implement the joint plan for development on their continent, including more aid, debt relief, foreign investment and trade assistance.  The report shows some increase in aid in the past two years, but notes that that amount is still far below than what Africa received more than 20 years ago.  In 1990, official development assistance (ODA) to the region was no less than $26 billion.  Compared to that amount, the continent received only $22.2 billion in aid in 2002 -- an amount almost equivalent to what Africa paid in external debt servicing costs.

So far, 23 countries have received some debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, according to the report.  However, even for the 11 African countries eligible for extensive debt cancellation, there is "not much hope for debt sustainability”, the Secretary-General says.  As a result, "there is now an increasing call for a new framework for sustainability" that goes beyond HIPC.  The continent needs reforms in agricultural trade, including elimination of agricultural subsidies in developed countries, which place the continent’s exports at a "competitive disadvantage".  In the past 30 years, Africa's share of the world market has declined dramatically, says the Secretary-General, bringing estimated income loss of $70 billion a year -- almost five times what Africa receives in aid annually.

Also before the Assembly is the Secretary-General’s progress report on implementation of the recommendations on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (document A/59/285), which notes that Africa is getting better at resolving armed conflicts and promoting peace, but its outlook remains uncertain given the prevailing widespread extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS pandemic and continuing high rates of youth unemployment.

The Secretary-General says the gloomy picture of 1998 -- when 14 States endured armed conflict or civil strife and another 11 were experiencing severe political crises -- "has changed dramatically and positively over the past six years".  Now, only six nations face armed conflict and "very few others" are undergoing major political crises, the Secretary-General says, adding that "most African countries enjoy relatively stable political conditions and are governed by democratically elected regimes".

Peace agreements have been brokered or negotiations are continuing in many nations, and regional groups such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are playing a greater role in carrying out these tasks.  But the report says that the steady progress being made in those areas is being undermined by the "modest and slow" progress in such fields as ensuring the independence of the judiciary and promoting public transparency and accountability.

The bigger concern, however, is the failure to make major inroads in reducing poverty, despite the implementation of NEPAD.  This problem is being exacerbated by the rapid rates of urbanization across Africa and the relative lack of arable land.  The Secretary-General calls for the acceleration of NEPAD to promote economic development, voicing his particular concern at the fortune of post-conflict countries.

He says the issue of tackling poverty is especially urgent because HIV/AIDS has the potential to destabilize many States by robbing them of numerous civil servants, professionals and other productive members of the workforce.  "While proving to be a devastating obstacle to development, the pandemic is also taking a heavy toll on Africa’s women who are the main caregivers for family members living with HIV/AIDS", he states.  The report also warns that the "crisis of youth unemployment" is a potential threat to future peace and stability -- particularly in countries that have only just emerged from conflict and where disarmament and reintegration programmes have only been partially successful.

Also before the Assembly is a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the World Health Organization (WHO)’s report on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa 2001-2010 (document A/59/261), which describes the structure of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and highlights the key issues in resource mobilization and financing, including the role of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The report also examines the issue of access to effective treatment for malaria, and in doing so the problem of increasing resistance to conventional anti-malarial medicines is analysed and alternative treatments discussed.  While it notes that the WHO has recommended a major change in the treatment policy for malaria, it also makes clear that there are significant problems, mainly relating to the lack of resources that prevents the widespread use of newer, more effective treatments.  The report also updates the previous report on the value of the key tools for malaria control, that is, insecticide-treated nets and the new developments in increasing effectiveness.

The concrete activities of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership are also highlighted in the report, including the more focused look at malaria in pregnant women and children.  Capacity development and research are also key interventions covered by the report and are crucial to the sustainability of malaria control programmes.  The report concludes with a review of progress towards meeting the goals contained in the Abuja Declaration on Roll Back Malaria in Africa and suggests action that could be taken by the Assembly to help accelerate progress in meeting the goals of the Decade.

Introduction of Reports

JEAN PING (Gabon), President of the General Assembly, introduced the reports that would be the focus of today’s joint debate.  He highlighted the significant challenges facing the continent, including ongoing conflict, deepening poverty and heightening tensions in some regions.  And while home-grown initiatives, such as NEPAD, and programmes and plans supported by the wider international community were yielding many positive results, everyone must realize that, nonetheless, sustainable development and concrete socio-economic progress throughout the continent would require intensified efforts and additional financial resources.  Africa, which had given so much to the world, now needed the world’s dedicated assistance.

Turning to the report on the “Roll Back Malaria Decade”, he stressed the need for international cooperation to address the effects of the disease, particularly because combating it absorbed significant financial resources.  When the Decade had been dedicated, the Assembly had asked the international community to continue to support those organizations that were participating in combating the disease, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which were vital sources of assistance in malaria-endemic countries.  It had also urged the pharmaceutical industry to be more aware of the needs of Africa and the developing world, and to establish new alliances and partnerships to ensure that the medications reached the populations in need.

Statements

ADEREMI O. ESAN (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the African Union, said the fact that leaders remained seized with the issue of promoting peace and security in the continent was quite understandable, since it was generally accepted that the greatest challenge still facing Africa was that of containing and resolving conflicts.  He hoped the decrease in the number of conflicts would be sustained, to enable focus on the challenges of development.  That was why the African Union condemned the foiled mercenary plot to destabilize the Government of Equatorial Guinea.  He hoped the Assembly would fully support the resolution that the African Group intended to introduce on the question of the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries.

Given the paucity of resources in Africa, there was a justifiable need for increased external support not only to complement and strengthen the continent’s efforts to promote peace and security, but also to preserve the considerable peace dividends that had already been gained.  If Africa were to consolidate peace and pursue a path of sustainable development, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union would need to be strengthened in order to fulfil its mandate.  That would require substantial support from the United Nations and institutional coherence between the Security Council and the African Union on issues of conflict in Africa.  He urged the Assembly to take that into account in its review of the cooperation agreement between the United Nations and the African Union during the current session.  He also welcomed the Secretary-General’s intention to instruct relevant agencies, departments and offices to look into new ways of collaboration between the United Nations and the African Union.

The significant gains made so far in promoting peace and security in Africa, he continued, must not be taken for granted.  There was still the urgent need to take corresponding steps to promote the economic and social well-being of the people, so that conflicts did not feed further on the scourge of underdevelopment and poverty.  Africa had, within its grasp, a strategic blueprint that could enable it to restore peace and security, combat widespread poverty, accelerate growth and sustainable development, and reverse its marginalization in a globalized world.  The level of resources quoted in the Secretary-General’s report pointed to the need for the United Nations system to substantially step up its support, particularly in the area of capacity-building in which African countries and regional economic communities suffered serious constraints.

He called on the international community to support Africa’s initiatives by making available increased and predictable resources for financing and upgrading Africa’s health system.  He urged that there be substantial support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.  There was also clearly a need for the international community to demonstrate much greater support for NEPAD.  The African Union would also like to see more coherence and consistency in global policies, particularly in the areas of trade and finance, as they affected Africa.

DIRK JAN VAN DEN BERG (Netherlands), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that Africa was at the heart of the Union’s development policy.  The Union –- the largest provider of ODA and the single biggest investor in developing countries –- was fully aware that development policies would not be sustainable if developing economies were not part of the world economy.  The Union would continue to make constructive efforts to ensure the implementation of the Doha Development Agenda, and had already abolished all export subsidies and tariffs, as well as undertaken a fundamental reform of its cotton subsidies, eliminating the most trade-distorting support.

International and national efforts to create an enabling environment for equitable and sustainable development must go hand in hand.  The European Union also realized that economic growth, although a prerequisite for poverty reduction, was not enough in itself.  The primary responsibility for poverty reduction existed within the developing countries themselves.  Essential elements at the national level were good governance, policy reform, prioritizing social needs and prevention of conflicts.  In the spirit of the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, eradication of extreme poverty would be impossible, unless it was coupled with a stronger commitment to building and strengthening democratic institutions, respect and promotion of human rights and the rule of law, and effective and equitable delivery of public services.

The European Union, he said, wanted to advocate a stronger involvement of civil society in the African Peer Review Mechanism process.  Participation of the private sector was also crucial to make NEPAD a success.  The Union was ready to assist with its commitment to ODA and debt relief.  It was very much on track in increasing its ODA to 0.39 per cent of GNI (gross national income) in 2006 as part of longer-term efforts to raise ODA contributions to 0.7 per cent.  The European Union and its memberStates were already providing almost half of all current development assistance to Africa.  The international community, he added, needed to increase efforts to tackle infectious diseases.

The Union welcomed the clear demonstration of African leadership and ownership in terms of peacemaking and peacekeeping efforts.  He reiterated the European Union’s readiness to support the African Union in its efforts to stabilize the security situation in Darfur and act as a mediator in the Abuja talks.  The international community must find ways of ensuring that funding for peace-building activities reached post-conflict situations earlier and more predictably.  In that regard, the balance of assessed and voluntary contributions should be examined.  Finally, he said that Africa’s problems were also the problems of the international community, and that ensuring Africa’s inclusion in world advancement was a key priority.

NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER (Qatar), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said he was pleased to learn that African countries had made progress in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, the environment, tourism, and education, among others, which were important for growth and sustainable development.  In particular, African nations had demonstrated determination to advance the implementation of NEPAD by promoting specific programmes and projects, and by establishing targets for expenditure on selected priorities.  He also applauded progress in the development of the African Peer Review Mechanism. Step by step, he said, the institutional arrangements of the Mechanism had been put into place.

The NEPAD was based on the dual principles of ownership and partnership, he said, adding that Africa owned, led and managed the process.  Nonetheless, African leaders recognized the importance of international support for NEPAD.  Africa’s developed-country partners had an important role to play, in particular, in the areas of trade, ODA, debt relief and public policies to support foreign direct investment (FDI) in the continent.  The absence of coherence in the areas of trade, debt and aid flow to Africa was undercutting international support.  He endorsed the recommendation that Africa’s development partners increase coherence in actions related to Africa and to undertake concrete measures to accelerate the implementation of NEPAD by committing resources to priority areas.

He appreciated the support from some members who had extended support to Africa through a variety of South-South cooperation programmes, which was consistent with the consensus resolutions that the General Assembly had adopted in the past two years.  Turning to the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development, he noted that there was progress being made in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report.  However, progress was more steady in some areas than in others.  As a result of the implementation of recommendations, Africa was afflicted by fewer conflicts today than it had been at the time of the publication of the Secretary-General’s initial report in 1998, when 14 States were engaged in armed conflict and 11 experienced deep political turmoil.  Still, progress in poverty reduction had been modest and slow, despite great efforts to create an environment for economic growth.

ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the partnership between Asia and Africa was long-standing, beginning with the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955.  Today, there were different challenges to overcome, including combating the malaise of poverty that manifested itself in most of Africa and in some nations in Asia.  There were also common struggles such as better integrating into the globalized economy; achieving a sustainable path to development through the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation; and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.  Asia and Africa had strengthened their resolve through the optimal use of the Non-Aligned Movement Centre for South-South Cooperation and several programmes under the framework of technical cooperation among developing countries.

The Association had been reaching out to other subregional organizations, he said, including in East Asia, where it had been building closer interaction with China, Japan and South Korea through the ASEAN + 3 process.  In addition, it had been actively promoting dialogue with Latin American nations through FEALAC (Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation), and with Europe though the Asia-Europe Meetings.  The Association now wished to promote dialogue with Africa in order to chart the course for further action.  During the 2002 ASEAN summit in Cambodia, the President of South Africa, in his capacity as the then chair of the African Union, called on leaders of the Association to cooperate with Africa on NEPAD and on matters of common interest.  In response, the President of Indonesia proposed to co-host the first Asian-African Subregional Organizations Conference.

That Conference, held in Durban, South Africa, in 2004, agreed that the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) would be launched by the leaders of the two continents during the Asian-African Summit in the next six months.  The NAASP was envisioned as a vehicle to enable the nations of the two regions to cooperate for their mutual benefit, and was intended to promote peace, prosperity and progress.  He concluded by saying that ASEAN and NEPAD shared a common aspiration, which was to purse a path to development that rested on the principles of peace, security, stability and prosperity.

CHRISTOPHER HACKETT (Barbados), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said he had been heartened by the leadership that African countries had shown, both in laying the foundations for long-term development and in creating conditions for durable peace and security on the continent.  Those efforts deserved the unstinting support of the international community.  He also welcomed Africa’s sense of ownership and its willingness to implement the objectives of NEPAD.  He had been encouraged by the efforts being made to develop policy frameworks, implement specific programmes and projects and establish targets for expenditure on selected priorities.  The CARICOM also welcomed the launch of specific initiatives in areas such as infrastructure, health, education, environment, tourism, science and technology, industrialization and, particularly, agriculture, considered the centrepiece of the NEPAD agenda.

He said that it was particularly noteworthy that African governments had been strengthening their agricultural research and development initiatives, as well as their agricultural technology systems, to which they had decided to allocate 10 per cent of their national budgetary resources.  That showed deepening commitment, as well as recognition, of agriculture’s critical role in Africa’s sustainable development.  He went on to applaud NEPAD’s Peer Review Mechanism, which would help African countries identify the Partnership’s institutional, policy and capacity strengths and weaknesses, and serve as a tool for enhancing its implementation.

Notwithstanding encouraging achievements thus far, he noted that many challenges and constrains remained towards the full attainment of the Partnership’s objectives.  The international community’s support remained crucial in that regard, he said, particularly since African countries bore heavy debt burdens, lacked domestic resources, remained marginalized from the international marketplace and were unable to attract foreign investors.  While several countries had granted various forms of debt relief, including outright debt cancellation for some African countries, crushing debt remained a significant challenge for many countries as they struggled to attain sustainable development.  The CARICOM supported the extension of the HIPC Debt Initiative until December 2006 to provide the necessary financing for its completion, and thereby greater relief for some current beneficiaries, as well as those countries that had yet to reach the decision point.

The CARICOM also joined the call for a new framework for debt sustainability that aimed for greater flexibility in dealing with the external debt crisis, and greater willingness to reduce the debt of countries that were at risk or displayed signs of insolvency.  It was also clear that much more was required in terms of ODA and foreign direct investments, as well as reformed trade policies.  He urged the international community to increase its support for NEPAD.  Turning to peace and security on the continent, he was encouraged by indications that armed conflicts had abated in many regions.  Political crises had also decreased.  The CARICOM welcomed the recent establishment of the African Peace and Security Council, which would play a pivotal role in conflict resolution and the promotion of durable peace.

MARTIN ANDJABA (Namibia) stressed the importance of the Southern African Power Pool Project to his region and the continent.  The power supply situation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region would reach crisis levels by 2007, if no concrete steps were taken to increase the region’s power supply capacity.  That could have devastating effects on development.  He expressed appreciation for the funds provided by the African Development Bank to NEPAD, and called on the international community to augment the Bank’s capacity to assist with African development efforts in that critical area.  While the United Nations was at the centre of mobilizing international support for NEPAD, he added, the Organization could only continue to do so if Member States provided it with financial support.

He said it was encouraging to note that only six African countries were considered to be in situations of armed conflict, as opposed to 16 in 1998.  African countries and regional organizations had made serious efforts to deal with the scourge of war by promoting peace negotiations and brokering peace agreements.  The African Union had also created a Peace and Security Council and was in the process of establishing the African Standby Force to enable the continent to undertake effective peacekeeping and enhance collective security.  But as laudable as the efforts in peacemaking and peacekeeping were, progress had been modest and the implementation of most of the Secretary-General’s recommendations had been slow.  Also, while some long-standing conflicts had been resolved, there were new challenges that threatened peace and stability such as the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Malaria continued to be a major health problem in Namibia, he said, and warranted special attention in terms of monitoring trends, and formulating control strategies and prevention at all levels of the health-care system and community.  The National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme was to formulate and update policies and guidelines on malaria control and prevention.  The aim was to prevent death and reduce illness, as well as socio-economic losses, due to malaria and other vector-borne diseases through progressive improvement and strengthening of local and national capabilities.  Resistance to anti-malaria treatment, along with inaccessibility to combination therapies, was aggravating the situation.  “We need to focus on treatment that is non-resistant, widely available and at the same time affordable”, he said.  He called on the international community to contribute generously to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

ZHANG YISHAN (China), who acknowledged the many constraints facing efforts to genuinely implement NEPAD’s objectives, said it was critical for the international community to strive to establish an external economic environment favourable for Africa’s development.  Faced with myriad obstacles, including lack of financial resources, heavy debts, lagging technologies and poor investment, the continent could not reach sustainability on its own and required international assistance.  Without an open, fair, democratic and transparent international economic order, it would be very difficult for Africa to attain development.

In addition, ODA to African countries needed to be increased.  And even though the reports before the Assembly pointed out that such assistance for Africa had increased by some 3.9 per cent in 2003, that had still been far below the necessary levels that had been identified at the Monterrey International Conference on Financing for Development, and in the Brussels Programme of Action on least developed countries.  The international community, especially the most developed donor countries, should fulfil their commitments, and dramatically increase ODA to African and least developed countries, he said, adding that Africa’s decisions about how its development assistance should be allocated should be respected.

South-South cooperation between African countries should be strengthened to promote continent-wide development, he continued.  China agreed that such cooperation had become critical to the full implementation of NEPAD, but also called on developed countries to promote the Global System of Trade Preferences among developing countries.  Further, conflict prevention and resolution were important guarantees for Africa’s development, and the United Nations should play a greater role in such efforts, as well as in peace-building, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction.  Cooperation and coordination with African regional organizations and groups should also be enhanced.

Supporting Africa’s development was an important facet of China’s foreign policy, he added.  As a major step in South-South cooperation, China had joined in creating the China-Africa Cooperation Forum.  Also, the Government had signed debt cancellation agreements with 31 African countries, and had cancelled more than
60 per cent of the debt it was owed.  China had also decided to awarded duty-free status to some imported goods from least developed countries and Africa.

LAZARUS OMBAI AMAYO (Kenya) said his country was committed to promoting accelerated growth and sustainable development through the eradication of widespread and severe poverty; increasing Africa’s competitiveness in the globalization process; and restoring of peace, security and stability.  His Government had incorporated NEPAD in the economic planning process, and the implementation of the NEPAD’s agenda was central to the realization of Kenya’s aspiration espoused in the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation.  Kenya had established a national steering committee to coordinate participation in the NEPAD initiative and to promote a genuine partnership between the Government, the private sector and civil society.

One of the key issues in the implementation of NEPAD, he said, was the African Peer Review Mechanism, which indicated the seriousness with which the African continent would engage in the real issues of governance that stood in the way of development.  The Mechanism continued to draw participation and acceptance by a wide spectrum of stakeholders in Kenya.

Turning to diseases, he said that malaria caused more deaths than any other communicable disease and remained the number one killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as accounted for the deaths of about 1 million children per year.  Mortality rates for adults were lower, but frequent debilitating attacks reduced the quality of life for chronic sufferers.  His Government intended to reduce mortality by 30 per cent among the country’s population by 2006, and to sustain improved levels of control through 2010.

DUMISANI KUMALO (South Africa) said that while the Secretary-General’s report highlighted what had been done by the international community to support NEPAD, it also concluded that it was not enough.  The report specifically referred to the challenge of coherence of policy actions and correctly stated that the intention would be to lead to increased and effective aid, reformed trade policies and debt relief by developed countries towards Africa.  He believed that the challenge of policy coherence could only be tackled with clear political will and a determined commitment to assist and contribute to the well-being of African people.  In that regard, South Africa appreciated the establishment of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Panel on International Support for NEPAD and looked forward to its eventual assessment of the scope and adequacy of international support, and its recommendations on actions to be taken by the international community to enhance support.

He said the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa correctly highlighted progress made in addressing conflicts and civil strife since 1998.  That document also acknowledged that the African Union was playing an effective role in the management and resolution of conflicts on the continent through the creation of structures with the Union and through subregional organizations.  A challenge that remained, however, was to clarify the relationship between the African structures and their efforts and the support of the international community.  Another very important challenge was the need to address post-conflict peace-building and development, as well as financing for the recovery effort.  It was essential that populations saw a peace dividend resulting from the termination of conflict and that the post-conflict authorities be empowered to deliver the needs of the population.

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIÈRE (France) said the past year had been full of initiatives and concrete activities, and that Africa was, more than ever before, at the heart of France’s development policy.  France placed Africa in the forefront of its international priorities.  Visible progress had been made in the area of peace and security, and the institutional architecture was being built up.  The African Union was playing a decisive role in that regard, along with member States and the regional organizations concerned.

The international community, he said, should provide itself with a tool to assist countries to emerge from crisis and to cover expenses that were incurred in the fragile period between conflict and post-conflict situations.  The needs of several African countries were substantial, such as in the area of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, and France welcomed thinking that was taking place on the improvement of ad hoc situations.  The Peer Review Mechanism was gradually becoming a reality, and he welcomed the commitment of African countries, as well as the instrument for partnership between NEPAD and its donor countries.  The work to be done in terms of economic and social development was substantial, and certain priorities supported and defined by NEPAD were crucial for success in that area.  Those included the prevention of AIDS and major diseases, education, employment, agriculture, water, sanitation, and environmental protection.

The financing of development was indispensable for the success of NEPAD, he added.  France’s ODA commitment would be upheld and might be attained ahead of schedule.  Debt relief efforts must also be continued, as should efforts to release fresh resources.  Whatever progress was made would be insufficient, however, and the time had come to look at new resources for development, which were stable and predictable.  France was working with Brazil, Chile and Spain on the identification of feasible economic options, to enable the release of substantial funds for the fight against hunger and poverty.  Finally, he said that support for NEPAD must continue and must be long term.  States must mobilize and remain determined for the benefit of all those who were suffering.

AMR ABOUL ATTA (Egypt) said he was encouraged by increased African ownership in identifying and supporting all the urgent NEPAD priorities that needed to be addressed in order for the continent to attain sustainable development.  And while there had been marked progress in some of those areas, it was clear form the reports before the Assembly that the agricultural and health sectors were among those which needed increased attention.  Indeed, the agricultural sector faced myriad challenges, from lagging technology transfer and training, to lack of resources and crippling international tariffs on African goods.

He urged the United Nations to apply its expertise to help address some of the more pressing agricultural concerns, which were at the heart of the NEPAD agenda.  He reiterated that the lack of additional resources to finance agricultural enhancements was a major challenge, and that additional steps needed to be taken by donor countries in that regard, particularly since African States had taken significant steps to meet agricultural targets and other NEPAD priorities.  He applauded Africa’s ownership in peace and security matters, and highlighted the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, which was setting up a rapid reaction force to further stem conflicts and lessen tensions.  He called for logistical support and training in the area of peace-building, and for a coherent, system-wide implementation strategy for translating political commitments into realities.

He also called for a common vision within the United Nations system for supporting and integrating the work of regional mechanisms in African peacekeeping and peace-building initiatives.  Turning to malaria, he said the reach of that scourge went beyond medical and health concerns and was an “economic, social and political disease”.  Africa, which was most affected by the disease, spent almost 40 per cent of its health-care funds to combat its effects.  It was also estimated that malaria was responsible for the largest number of deaths in the developing world.  The international community must not turn away from its responsibilities in that area.  Combating malaria was not difficult, he said, but implementing viable, coherent strategies was the real challenge.

SAMIK LAHIRI (India) said India had consistently held that Africa knew its own problems best, as well as the solutions to those problems.  The African countries had demonstrated their commitment to advancing the implementation of the New Partnership by earmarking financial resources to selected sectoral priorities.  Africa needed support for the solutions that it had identified, and significant additional outlays were called for.  India, which had been trading with Africa for centuries, remained committed to work together with African countries as partners for the progress and prosperity of the peoples of the continent, as well as for strengthening the forces of democracy and stability.

India had proposed a “connectivity mission” among African nations, namely, electronic connectivity and knowledge connectivity, enabling economic connectivity of the region.  A programme to connect all the 53 nations of the African Union by a satellite and fibre optic network was envisaged, which would be in position within the next three years.  He was concerned about the slow progress in poverty reduction, despite the great efforts made by African countries to implement NEPAD and create an enabling environment for economic growth and sustainable development. The worsening conditions for young people, owing to high unemployment were a potential threat to peace and stability, and those challenges needed to be faced urgently to consolidate the gains achieved in the immediate post-conflict period.  He added that allocation of sufficient resources was imperative in the context of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

NIKOLAY V. CHULKOV (Russian Federation) said that strengthening stability on the African continent was an integral part of the international community’s efforts to build, under the auspices of the United Nations, a global system to counteract new threats and challenges.  He supported new approaches in United Nations peacekeeping, such as close interactions between peacekeeping missions working in neighbouring African States.  It was important to ensure coordination in that work.  At the same time, such missions should achieve coherence in their activities while respecting the sovereignty of neighbouring States, and not go beyond the mandates defined for specific missions.

He welcomed proposals on reinforcing the national borders of African States.  His delegation had pointed out on numerous occasions that specific measures should be taken at national borders to counter such dangerous phenomena as trans-border spillover of conflicts; movement of illegal armed formations, mercenaries and child soldiers; illicit arms trafficking; and the illegal export of natural resources.  As a member of the Group of Eight, Russia was making its tangible contribution to the implementation of the decisions taken by the Group at its recent summits in support of NEPAD, and the measures designed to overcome the most urgent problems of the developing countries, particularly those in Africa.  It intended to continue its effective participation in joint efforts to promote the development of African States.

ABDELLAH BENMELLOUK (Morocco) said that African countries had shown the political will to continue implementing NEPAD.  Major efforts had been undertaken to consolidate democracy in Africa, and similar efforts must be made to invest in human resources and meet the most elementary needs of people.  Despite sustained efforts to create a national environment that was conducive to investment and sustainable growth, Africa continued to suffer from major setbacks, which could jeopardize the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.  Whereas all regions of the world were on track to attain those Goals, poverty had worsened in Africa.  The region suffered from an enormous backwardness in terms of basic infrastructure, and was threatened by the most serious types of infectious diseases.  The greatest difficulty was a lack of financial resources.  The mobilization of national resources and international support remained crucial to the success of NEPAD.

Steps had to be taken, he continued, to achieve the targets set for ODA, resolve the problem of external debt, promote and facilitate investment, and attain the Millennium Goals.  He reiterated support for the efforts of various development partners to mobilize additional financial resources, and, in that regard, welcomed Brazil’s initiative with France, Chile and Spain.  Presently, poverty remained one of the major threats to Africa’s stability.  Despite the efforts made, the continent remained divided by conflict and political tension, and almost all subregions were, or could be, affected by conflict.  Progress made in the area of restoring peace tested the effectiveness of the approach taken by the United Nations, though steps taken by the Organization had produced results and should be supported.

Clearly, he added, efforts for peace-building could not be fully carried out without the parties concerned and without substantial international assistance at every stage.  Morocco would spare no effort to advance the cause of peace in Africa.  Thus, it had participated in various United Nations peacekeeping operations and political mediation initiatives, and was also committed to promoting regional and subregional cooperation.

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria) said that a close look at the exhaustive reports before the Assembly revealed that the inadequacy of resources, the spread of disease, and ongoing conflicts were among the major hindrances to development in Africa.  Algeria welcomed the efforts made by AfricanStates and regional groups, along with those of the wider international community, towards resolving many of the more protected conflicts in recent years.  Those efforts should continue and even be strengthened, particularly in support of the very important work of the African Union.  The recommendations in the Secretary-General’s report on maintaining durable peace and security in Africa should help point the way forward.  He added that the wide support for the Algiers Declaration was also promoting efforts to ensure the pursuit of good governance and democratic openness.

He was encouraged by the progress made in some of the NEPAD priority areas, as well as the early support for the Peer Review Mechanism.  Also encouraging was the increased role of women.  Nevertheless, stronger support by the international community was essential to cement the gains that had been made.  Without such enhanced support, neither NEPAD’s objectives nor the Millennium Development Goals would be reached, particularly in sub-Saharan countries.  As the Secretary-General pointed out, much remained to be done to support African endeavours in terms of increasing ODA, addressing the thorny question of debt, and liberalizing trade.  The establishment of an international environment that was conducive to growth would lead to true partnerships between the developed and developing worlds.

Since shortcomings in one area could lead to problems in another, he said that greater efforts must be made to spur FDI, which would give true impetus to growth, job creation and, subsequently, poverty eradication.  On the Roll Back Malaria Decade, he said attainment of the relevant goals required a stronger, more assertive commitment on the part of the international community.  Finally, he said the development of Africa was a long-term endeavour, dependent on the active and cooperative involvement of the wider international community.  He hoped that next year’s high-level review of the Millennium Summit would prove a good opportunity to take firmer steps for Africa.

ADAM THOMSON (United Kingdom) said that two lessons stood out from the experience of the past half century.  First, there was no single blueprint for African development.  As each country had different needs, African nations should lead in the setting of their development paths.  Second, donors must be aware of the burden they placed on African countries.  For those countries, dealing with a myriad of different and sometimes conflicting funding and reporting requirements could often make the acquisition of development assistance more trouble than it was worth.  “Africa must lead African development.  And donors must follow”, he said, adding that his country had made the continent a priority.  During its presidency of the Group of Eight, the United Kingdom would build on the work of past chairs to mobilize international action to support Africa.  Prime Minister Tony Blair had joined African leaders in a Commission for Africa that would report next spring on how best to accelerate implementation of Africa’s own plans.

He went on to say that the two biggest threats to progress in Africa were disease and conflict.  Ninety per cent of all malaria cases occurred in Africa, where it was the leading cause of death for children under five.  Also, 25 million Africans had HIV, while 2.2 million died of AIDS in 2003.  The right support for a country’s own poverty reduction strategy could have a tremendous impact, he said.  If everybody in Africa had access to health services, 60 to 70 per cent of the child mortality goals could be achieved along with 70 to 80 per cent of the maternal mortality goals.  There could also be a significant impact on infectious diseases.  “So we should support the whole system, not just parts of it”, he urged.

The United Kingdom would spend $2.7 billion over the next three years to tackle HIV/AIDS, and it also wanted to strengthen the role of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as the key body to support governments in coordinating donor efforts.  “We must ensure that in our urgency to help, we do not overwhelm already stretched government health services”, he cautioned.  He went on to say that tackling conflict and its causes required that the international community support Africa’s own solutions.  His country was helping to develop the African Union’s Force and would help to train nearly 20,000 African troops in the next five years.  The United Kingdom’s Africa Conflict Prevention Fund had supported numerous African-led peacekeeping operations, as well as peacekeeping training centres.

SICHAN SIV (United States) said his country was committed to peace and prosperity in Africa.  Among other things, it was providing nearly $428 million in logistical assistance to the African Union’s Monitoring Mission in the Sudan.  Overall, in 2004, the United States would have provided $2 billion in assistance to sub-Saharan Africa.  Its Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) would focus additional resources on countries that governed justly, invested in their people and encouraged economic freedom.  In 2004, eight African countries made up half of those eligible for $1 billion in MCA assistance.  The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) had opened United States markets to African products, and total trade between his country and sub-Saharan Africa had increased 37 per cent in the first half of 2004.  Thousands of new jobs were being created in many African countries as the Act spurred investments in new enterprises. 

Overcoming HIV/AIDS was a top priority, he said, adding that President George W. Bush’s $15 billion, five-year Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief was the largest international health initiative ever to target a single disease.  In addition, the United States made the first contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and remained the largest contributor having pledged nearly $2 billion to that Fund.  In 2003, his country had committed over $170 million towards the treatment of maternal and child health problems in sub-Saharan Africa.  Famine was a preventable tragedy and work was under way to raise agricultural productivity and promote rural development in Africa.  “We seek to break the cycle of famine in the Horn of Africa and to turn African agriculture into an engine of growth”, he said.

He also said that more must be done to unlock Africa’s potential by promoting a vibrant private sector.  Botswana and South Africa had shown that removing obstacles to business entrepreneurship supported economic growth.  The report of the Commission on the Private Sector and Development, “Unleashing Entrepreneurship”, emphasized that private assets within developing countries dwarfed any conceivable contribution that could be made from abroad for development funding.  An estimated 40 per cent of Africa’s private wealth was held overseas.  Good policies could help mobilize that wealth to contribute to Africa’s progress.

JOHAN L. LØVALD (Norway) said that, throughout the last few decades, there had been the building of a more sound and stable basis for development and poverty eradication in many African nations.  Only six or seven years ago, 14 African countries were experiencing armed conflict and 11 nations were going through serious political crises.  The present state of affairs in Africa represented a major achievement.  Noting that many African leaders were improving governance, he hailed the progress made in operationalizing the African Peer Review Mechanism.  Good governance provided the foundation for combating poverty and was essential if Africa was to meet the Millennium Goals.  Increased international support was also crucial.

Today, Africa was not much closer to achieving those Goals than it was five years ago, he said.  Increased and more effective development assistance was required, as was debt reduction, and improvements in trade and investment.  He emphasized the need for immediate peace dividends in the post-conflict recovery phase.  His nation’s separate budget chapter for transitional assistance was established for just that purpose.

He welcomed the lead taken by the African Union and African subregional organizations in conflict prevention and crisis management.  The African Mission in Burundi had been crucial in stabilizing the country and preparing the ground for the current peacekeeping force.  He also commended the African Union’s efforts in Darfur and supported the call by the Security Council to expand the Union mission, in particular, by increasing the number of police and monitors.  His nation would honour its pledge to increase ODA to 1 per cent of GNI.  It would also continue to fight poverty and to support the achievement of the other Millennium Goals.  In addition, it would step up its support to the African Union and subregional organizations and their efforts to build peace and security and foster regional cooperation in Africa.

USCHI EID (Germany) said the most visible evidence of Africa’s transformation was undoubtedly found in the establishment of the African Union.  New principles -- such as the possibility of humanitarian intervention and the abandonment of the dogma of non-intervention -- and new institutions, such as the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament, prepared the way for that new political momentum.  The NEPAD had played an important part in that, and with the initiative, African had displayed its will to implement political reforms, recognizing that that was the only possible path to development and prosperity.  The Partnership was the key reform strategy for Africa’s development.  At the heart of NEPAD was the African Peer Review Mechanism, which represented an affirmation of the desire to turn words into deeds.  He was confident that the governments would act on the findings of those reviews in a constructive way and that peer reviews would ultimately go hand-in-hand with peer learning.

Since its adoption, NEPAD had “breathed the spirit of reform” into debates on all manner of issues.  His Government had supported that “wind of change” from the outset, which led to the elaboration of the G-8 Africa Action Plan, in consultation with the NEPAD, and its adoption in 2002.  In that Plan, the G-8 had resolved to support those States forging ahead with reform.  There could be no development without peace and security, he said, adding that the forces of reform in Africa had recognized that ownership and their own efforts to achieve peace and security would be the springboard for the continent’s development.  In political terms, Africa had grown in strength, and that political momentum must now be followed by economic momentum.  The political and economic environment was crucial to the sustainable development of the African continent.

OSWALDO DE RIVERO (Peru) said there were historic ties of kinship and culture that linked Peru to Africa.  For many Peruvians, it could be said that Africa was their motherland, and that ancestral tie to Africa had led Peru in the 1960s and 1970s to support the struggle waived by Africa for self-determination and against apartheid.  Today, it meant that Peru backed all development efforts in Africa and was involved in peacekeeping operations.  Globalization, he said, was marked by a paradox, because, on the one hand, it brought nations together through economic flows and digital telecommunications but, on the other, it broke them up because of poverty, the exclusion of people from society and armed conflicts.  Following the emergence of independent African States, the first disadvantage many of them felt was that they had barely more than a single product to export, which impoverished them and forced them to take on enormous debt.  A second disadvantage facing the new African States was the way their borders were drawn, because they did not take into account existing ethnic cultures.

Today, he noted, social well-being was indispensable for peace and stability.  In the case of Africa, peace and security involved not only political and strategic factors, but, in essence, social and economic ones.  The stability and development of Africa were vital to achieving globalization with a human face.  In the decade ahead, Africa would be attaining 1 billion inhabitants in population, and what became of that would have a decisive impact on global peace and security.  Peru supported steps taken by the African Peace and Security Council, which demonstrated that Africans had tackled their own problems.  He believed that stability could be obtained only by fighting against social marginalization, and Member States must see to it that sub-Saharan Africa attained the Millennium Goals.  To integrate itself in the global economy, Africa needed, most of all, favourable treatment for its debt and good prices for its exports.

VANU GOPALA MENON (Singapore) said that Africa still faced many big problems, but he found it heartening that African leaders had decided that, rather than let those problems weigh them down, they would tackle them head-on.  The NEPAD testified to that, and through that initiative, Africa was telling the rest of the world that it was committed to resolving its problems and that it took responsibility for creating the right political conditions for development in the continent.  As much as NEPAD was a regional initiative, it also acknowledged the important role of the international community in helping Africa get out of its current difficulties.

All Member States, he continued, had an obligation to help Africa within their means and in their own respective ways.  Unless all States did so, there was the real danger that Africa would continue to lag behind the rest of the world, despite the best efforts of its leaders and peoples.  If that happened, it would not only be Africa that would suffer.  If the sense of injustice and unfairness became too great, the problems of Africa would become those of the rest of the world.

Economic globalization, he said, had also globalized the problems of poverty, terrorism and disease.  There was no choice but to work together to make sure that Africa and NEPAD succeeded.  Singapore had worked closely with other countries, such as Japan, to provide training and development to several African countries.  It was important for Africa to stay the course that it had decided to embark upon, and to continue with policies that would engender confidence in, and ensure cooperation from, its development partners.

FRANCIS K. BUTAGIRA (Uganda) said that what was needed now was international support to meet the challenges identified under NEPAD.  Among other things, the international community should consider the total cancellation of debt, especially of the heavily indebted poor countries, and put in place measures to address debt sustainability.  Current ODA levels were well below the $50 billion required to achieve the Millennium Goals by 2015, and development partners needed to reach the 0.7 per cent target.  A more deliberate targeting of FDI for the neediest countries in Africa was also necessary.  Improving the quality and effectiveness of aid was critical, as well. Also, the implementation of the Doha trade agenda -- by addressing issues of particular concern to Africa –- would facilitate the continent’s full integration in the world economy by granting market access for African products, as well as enable Africa to reap other benefits from globalization.

He called on the international community to continue to support the efforts of the United Nations to mobilize international support for NEPAD by providing additional resources to those agencies that implemented the Partnership’s programmes.  Africa also needed the support of the international community to address the underlying causes of conflicts.  The proliferation of illicit arms, hand-in-hand with the illegal exploitation of natural resources, was a source of continued instability in Africa, just as poverty and unemployment could be a major cause of disaffection.  And while African countries were primarily responsible for addressing pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, they were not in a position to adequately meet the necessary financial requirements.  The strong link between poverty and the burden of disease called for international cooperation to mobilize adequate resources for prevention, treatment and control of pandemics.  There was also a need for capacity-building and research and development to ensure the provision of affordable and more effective drugs to combat those diseases.

NASRELDIN AHMED WALI (Sudan) said there could be no doubt that Africa was on the road to reversing the poverty and underdevelopment that had been bequeathed to it so many centuries ago.  Africa was now in a period of rebuilding and reconstruction, with NEPAD pointing the way forward.  Nevertheless, it was incumbent upon donors to boost bilateral and multilateral aid, and step up “untied” aid and trade reform to benefit Africa, so that it could fulfil the NEPAD’s objectives.

He said South-South cooperation was also a major part of NEPAD, and such cooperation was opening the door to partnerships and initiatives aimed at translating the NEPAD commitments into reality.  The Sudan would continue to support the Partnership, and all other efforts that would hasten and maintain sustainable development in Africa, as well as speed up the continent’s sustainable integration into the globalized world.

ALI HACHANI (Tunisia) said the reports before the Assembly reflected the realization that Africa needed true partnerships to secure its sustainable development.  In spite of the determination of African countries to overcome myriad obstacles, making sustainable socio-economic growth and development a reality meant harmonizing national and international efforts and development assistance tools in line with the objectives set out in the Millennium Declaration.

He stressed that, in many cases, African economies continued to slide backwards, largely because of a hostile trade environment, lagging aid and lack of foreign direct investment.  It was, therefore, necessary to focus international efforts on raising the level of ODA, restoring trade balances, dismantling tariff and non-tariff barriers and, once and for all, addressing the issue of debt relief.  Africa was the region hardest hit by the fluctuations in the current international system.  With that in mind, he said the Millennium Development Goals were in danger continent-wide, as overall human development faced serious challenges.

Such a bleak picture must prompt the international community, international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society to step up their coordinated efforts to help Africa recover, adapt and speed up its integration into the world economy.  The global development goals set for 2015 were ambitious, but were, nonetheless, attainable if the international community truly followed up on the commitments made during the 1990s, as well as at Monterrey and at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable development.  He praised the work of Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa, and hoped he would continue to receive requisite funds for the important work of his Office.

RADZI RAHMAN (Malaysia) said it was gratifying to know that progress had been achieved, although not evenly spread across all countries in Africa.  Malaysia supported the current programmes and projects that focused on the key areas of infrastructure development, health, education, environment and tourism, agriculture, science, technology and industrialization.  From the perspective of Malaysia’s own development experience, those were among the sectors that were essential to launch a country towards greater progress and development.  There was no doubt that the African countries that had registered progress through NEPAD had proven that development and progress were achievable in Africa, and that achievement would certainly serve as an encouragement for other African States to emulate.  The international community, particularly development partners and the United Nations system, should continue to provide the necessary assistance to sustain the current positive momentum for change under NEPAD.

Malaysia shared the concern of African countries that more needed to be done to address the important question of their debt sustainability to ensure a long-term solution to the debt problem faced by developing countries, especially the least developed countries, the majority of which were in Africa.  He urged the development partners, particularly the creditor countries of the North, to look beyond the HIPC Debt Initiative for ways and means to ease and assist affected countries to acquire firmer and sustainable national financial standing.  He also believed that trade would be one of the practical and effective means to assist African countries, since the majority of them were agricultural, as well as commodity-producing and exporting countries.

KAZUO SUNAGA (Japan) said the reports before the Assembly had made it clear that Africa had made substantive progress in terms of promoting peace and sustainable development.  He particularly welcomed the establishment of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, which could be a meaningful instrument for promoting peace, just as the NEPAD’s Peer Review Mechanism could be a tool for ensuring sustainable development.  The Mechanism was an emerging indication of Africa’s ownership of the process of eliminating corruption and securing human rights continent-wide.

All those positive developments, however, could not hide the fact that there were still enormous challenges and difficulties that remained.  Japan shared the view that the capacity of African regional organizations, including the African Union, needed to be enhanced if they were to be more effective at conflict management and resolution.  The international community should support Africa’s efforts.  Otherwise, the precious momentum created would have been for naught.

For its part, Japan had been intensifying its support for African countries since the inception of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in 1993.  The Japanese Government had joined with a host of multilateral organizations and civil society groups to implement humanitarian assistance, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, and reconstruction and development assistance.  Japan also supported African regional groups such as ECOWAS, as well as the African Union.  In response to the international humanitarian appeal for the Sudan last month, Japan had released some $15 million to help alleviate the deteriorating situation there.  And following its belief in the principles of human security, human-centred development and the empowerment of peoples through education and adequate health care, Japan would mobilize some $2 billion for education in African countries.  It also pledged to continue to help African countries combat HIV/AIDS.

PAUL BADJI (Senegal) said the Secretary-General’s report on NEPAD gave a full picture of the activities of those involved in the “contract of hearts and minds”.  African countries had begun to make a reality of common visions, and had established partnerships to address issues such as energy, hygiene and good governance.  Support had been given by the United Nations and the international community.  But although the overall results were positive, he agreed with the Secretary-General’s summation that a lot still remained to be done.  Africans must now go beyond conceptual advances and fully invest in priority projects they themselves identified.

As for Africa’s partners, he said urgent steps were required regarding ODA, trade and debt.  The Secretary-General’s arguments for increasing ODA levels were convincing.  In light of that, he stressed that donor countries that had not already done so should commit themselves to achieving the ODA target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) by 2015.  Turning to trade, he said the Doha Round had still not given any evidence of having been a development round.  On debt, he recommended that African countries be authorized to pay temporary subsidies or the survival of some industries would be threatened.  Further, the total cancellation of the debt of poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa was not only an acute need but a moral requirement.  It would also be good for international partners to accept the suspension of debt payments and not add any extra interest during that suspension period.

He said the conditions he had outlined were required for NEPAD to move forward.  But they needed to be supplemented by others, particularly in the area of agriculture, since only a green revolution could transform conditions in sub-Saharan Africa.  He added that globalization was generating a trend which excluded Africa, and ran the risk of his region becoming a hotbed of greed and violence.

KHUNYING LAXANACHANTORN LAOHAPHAN (Thailand) said she joined the international community in supporting the achievement of the Millennium Goals in Africa.  In the area of self-help and sustainable initiatives, Thailand would share its own experiences on those issues with African countries during a Ministerial International Conference on Development, which would be held in Bangkok next month.  While Thailand was strengthening its individual ties with countries in Africa, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was also establishing links to promote partnerships for development with NEPAD, which she believed would serve as a showcase for African development.

In partnership with donor countries and international organizations, her country was expanding its technical cooperation with African countries.  That effort was aimed at developing human resources and adding value to low-income earnings, while helping to diversify Africa’s economies.  Thailand was now working with African countries on a technical cooperation programme for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment by supplying essential medical equipment, drugs and necessary facilities; granting scholarships to African medical staff for their training in Thailand; dispatching a technical team to Africa for training courses and seminars; and campaigning for public awareness of HIV/AIDS.  It was now looking forward to sharing its experience and extending its continued support to efforts to bring the malaria crisis in Africa under control.

AMARE TEKLE (Eritrea) said NEPAD had scored some modest achievements during the first three years of its existence.  While that augured well for Africa, it must not lead Member States to believe that NEPAD was not beset by obstacles and challenges or that it did not face dangers.  A major source of worry was the absence of peace in many parts of the continent.  Africa was the only continent that was being ravaged by a multiplicity of inter-State and internal conflicts, and States would be deluding themselves if they believed that there would be development without peace or South-South cooperation between African countries in conflict.  Good governance could not be imported or imposed by external forces, as African experience with the Bretton Woods institutions adequately demonstrated.  The evidence was clear, he said, that the African Union, as it existed and conducted itself now, did not have either the necessary capacity or the collective political will and resolve to prevent or settle conflicts.

Another obstacle was funding, he said, noting that the enormous challenges of food security, safe and clean water, health and education could not be met by internal African sources only and that the success of NEPAD must rely heavily on foreign assistance.  The NEPAD must have access to financing if it was to succeed.  Ideally, the funds would be raised essentially by African States.  However, that did not seem likely now or in the immediate future in the absence of a truly vibrant private sector, an efficient taxation system, and a credible fund-raising capacity.  There seemed to be no meeting of minds on the issue between the major sources of assistance, the G-8, and African States, in spite of the cheers and applause that had accompanied NEPAD.  It had been said that Africa’s development would contribute to great economic growth in the world, but African governments must be realistic and, above all, they must put their houses in order.

YASHAR ALIYEV (Azerbaijan) said the United Nations, in accordance with the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter, should continue to promote peace and security in Africa through the prevention of conflict and its escalation, as well as just and lasting settlements.  The consideration of human rights aspects during the settlement of armed conflict was vital.  Therefore, he welcomed the work of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in elaborating a respective policy framework.  He also welcomed the role of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in coordinating international development efforts in African countries emerging from conflicts.  The dialogue on financing recovery between ECOSOC and the Bretton Woods institutions, developed in the cases of Burundi and Guinea-Bissau, could be extended to other ad hoc advisory groups on affected countries.  He called for enhancing the dialogue between the Security Council and ECOSOC in the field of promoting long-term development programmes, taking into account the mandate and comparative advantage of the latter.

He fully agreed that further external support should be provided to Africa.  Areas of capacity building, infrastructure development, and wider development and application of science and technology were crucial for attaining sustainable development goals.  Sharing similar development concerns, including poverty, deforestation, desertification, and especially conflict, his Government was confident that for success in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a lot still depended on increasing Africa’s share in international trade, parallelled with an increase in ODA, promoting access to technology, and bridging the digital divide.  Azerbaijan stood ready to provide its institutional capacities for the benefit of the New Partnership, particularly in education and training.

ALLAN ROCK (Canada) said NEPAD mattered to the future of Africa, and the international community had a role to play in ensuring its success.  Viewed in terms of its broader impact on Africa, the results of that initiative were already significant.  Among other things, it provided an African-led policy framework around which the Organization and the international community were organizing their support for Africa’s development; reversed the decline in support for Africa on the part of the development partners; and introduced peer review and mutual accountability as important elements of the decision-making process.

Canada and its G-8 partners had worked hard, through a network of Personal Representatives for Africa and, more recently, within the context of the expanded Africa Partnership Forum, to ensure strong support for NEPAD.  Canada had also taken additional steps in supporting the Partnership, including increasing its funds in the 2004 budget, and providing an additional 8 per cent increase in 2005-2006.  His nation had provided $540 million in debt relief to African nations under the HIPC programme, and it had extended tariff-free access to east developed countries.  To begin, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal and the United Republic of Tanzania had received full debt cancellation.  In addition, Canada was the first development partner to announce a contribution to the African Peer Review process.

The protection of civilians in armed conflict, he said, was a foreign policy priority for his country.  Also, it was morally imperative to do everything possible to make medical treatment accessible to the millions suffering from deadly infectious diseases in Africa and elsewhere.  As such, Canada adopted the Jean Chrétien Pledge to Africa Act.  In May, Canada had committed Can$ 100 million to the WHO’s “3 by 5” initiative, which aimed to provide access to anti-retroviral therapy to 3 million HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries.  Canada was also a strong supporter of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and had committed and disbursed $100 million in the past four years.  In 2002, his Government also funded the WHO for a Can$ 10 million, five-year project to support the Roll Back Malaria in Africa programme.  That money was directed to the implementation of the regional strategy for promoting the role of traditional medicine in health care systems.

ALBERTO MICHELINI, Personal Representative for Africa of the Prime Minister of Italy, said his country was linked to Africa by deep and long-standing bonds.  He shared the clear assessment provided by the Secretary-General in his two reports:  African countries had made tremendous efforts to implement the principles and policies of NEPAD.  Important progress had been achieved, particularly in the areas of peace and security and regional integration, for which the African leaders and people could proudly take credit.  The international community had to back up those efforts through sustained assistance.

More than 70 per cent of Italy’s bilateral aid in 2003 was directed to Africa, he said.  Also, Italy had already cancelled almost $2 billion of the debt of African countries and led the international community by unilaterally cancelling 100 per cent of all pre- and post-cut-off date aid loans and commercial credits.  He invited all creditor countries to do the same.  Several initiatives had also been launched to promote a larger flow of private investment from Italy to Africa, and to increase Italian entrepreneurs’ awareness of the potential and opportunities represented by Africa.  Italy had also established partnerships with a number of African countries, particularly in the sector of e-government, and had provided specialized training for a first group of 70 African officers in the areas of peacekeeping and peacemaking.

Together with its G-8 partners, Italy was committed to implementing the Africa Action Plan, which provided the guidelines for its domestic and foreign policies in support of NEPAD.  He underlined that Member States must continue to look at Africa as a continent that shouldered its responsibilities and was capable of achieving renewed regional and global success, together with its partners of good will.  He was convinced that African countries had the potential, resources, particularly human resources, skills and will to overcome present difficulties and achieve the Millennium Goals within the set time frame.

FILIPE CHIDUMO (Mozambique) said the fact that African countries had agreed to share the costs of putting together the Peer Review Mechanism was to be commended, as it constituted yet another indication of the seriousness of Africans to tackle the challenges of democratic governance, transparency and accountability, as well as ensuring uniformity and common standards.  There was now high enthusiasm and great expectation that NEPAD, despite its infancy, would solve all the continent’s problems.  Thus, caution must be exercised, and the expectations about the Partnership’s results must be realistic and commensurate with the available resources, the time for implementation and the legacies African countries had inherited in the long journey towards political and economic emancipation.  “What is important is that NEPAD is a programmatic vision that will evolve -– and is rapidly evolving –- across the continent at a different pace and impact”, he said. 

But although encouraging developments had been registered in a relatively short period, challenges still persisted that required international assistance, he said.  For example, malaria was preventable, treatable and curable.  The issue was one of resources, estimated at around $2 billion per annum, which Africa needed to combat the deadly disease.  “This is where the assistance of the international community is fundamental if we are to see meaningful progress in tackling these challenges”, he said.  In addition to funds pledged by African countries, implementation of NEPAD required robust financial engagement by the continent’s development partners.  The international community must embrace NEPAD in a partnership based on a win-win approach.  In that partnership, Africa’s development partners should provide resolute and comprehensive support to NEPAD as a whole, rather than a selective and targeted focus in some areas, such as the Peer Review Mechanism, peacekeeping and governance.

Today, conflicts were still one of the major challenges faced by the world in general, and Africa, in particular.  But Africans were making steady progress in conflict prevention, management and resolution, and much had been achieved through collective regional efforts with assistance from the international community in addressing not only the conflicts themselves, but also their root causes, as well.  He stressed, however, that countries emerging from conflict needed the continued attention and assistance of the international community if they were to succeed in the painful transition to post-conflict peace-building.

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