My delegation is very pleased, Sir, that you are presiding over this important meeting today. It is indeed proper that under your presidency we are considering the situation in Africa.
The United Nations Charter determines that collectively we must save succeeding generations from the scourge of wa…
On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, we would like to concur with the Secretary-General’s decision to nominate Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka as Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN- Habitat) for another term of four years.
Since her appointment as Executive Director…
We are pleased, Sir, that you are presiding over this important meeting, and we thank you for convening it at this critical time for the Middle East. My delegation particularly appreciates that the Security Council has finally decided to address the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. The si…
The Secretary- General’s report on Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) makes many important observations and recommendations. My delegation has taken note of the report and believes that this report is useful, because it can only lead to stronger cooper…
In South Africa, volunteerism has a long history. It was through the spirit of volunteerism that South Africa achieved its democracy and in the spirit of what we call ubuntu that we have turned volunteerism into an instrument of action. South African citizens from across the country, from the public…
In our statement on this issue last year, my delegation hailed the Secretary- General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa as a landmark in the way it showed the link between peace and development. This link was again echoed in m…
We are today once again addressing item 34, “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. We are here to reaffirm our conviction in a better world for all — a world in which nations can peacefully coexist and the internatio…
When looking at the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, we should not be totally blinded by the apparent lack of success as demonstrated by the deterioration in the economic and social development of the African continent and its increased marginalization over the l…
We would like to express our gratitude to the President’s predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri, whose unwavering commitment to the work of the Working Group was exemplary. We thank him, the Vice-Chairmen and the Bureau for making every effort to ensure that the Working Group remains true to its mandate.
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We thank Ambassador Ryan of Ireland, in his capacity as President of the Security Council, for introducing the report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. Once again, it is clear that the task of the Security Council continues to grow in both volume and complexity. Increasingly, the chal…
The decision by the General Assembly to convene this important meeting in the aftermath of the recent horrific events in the United States of America is testimony to our collective determination to bring an immediate end to terrorism.
On behalf of the South African Government and people, I wish to …
We have before us the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization. It covers areas of work that have been accomplished, and it identifies some of the obstacles encountered and challenges that we still face. My delegation expresses our gratitude to the Secretary- General for his c…
Once again we are gathered to consider how to deal with the question of facilitating the integration of developing countries into the world economy. It is a theme that is increasingly prominent on the agenda of many of our meetings, and I am sure that it will be high on the agenda of forthcoming mee…
Forgive me for coming in now. I am actually speaking in support of this issue being considered in plenary. However, I just want to point out that in the light of the fact that we have been advised that we cannot bring our high-level officials into the city at this stage because of the tragedy affect…
On behalf of the African Group, it is my honour, Sir, to congratulate you on your election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Clearly, this is neither the day nor the time for any celebration. I hope there will be another appropriate time for us to welcome you once more…
Thank you, Mr. President, for convening today’s debate on the report of the Secretary-General on the prevention of armed conflicts (A/55/985). At the same time my delegation also wishes to commend the Secretary- General for preparing an excellent report to guide our debate here today.
More than 50 …
I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May. We would also like to commend the Security Council, under your presidency, for the important initiative it took in dispatching a mission to the Great Lakes region and f…
May I begin by congratulating Singapore on assuming the presidency of the Security Council. I also extend my delegation’s congratulations to the other new members of the Council.
My delegation also wishes to commend you, Mr. President, for preparing an excellent discussion paper, which certainly hi…
I will be very, very brief. I am taking the floor to thank the members of the Assembly for having supported this resolution. I know that several delegations had great difficulty with certain sections of the resolution, but this is the beginning of the process, and I hope they will stay engaged with …
I have the honour to introduce draft resolution A/55/L.52, entitled “The role of diamonds in fuelling conflict: breaking the link between the illicit transaction of rough diamonds and armed conflict as a contribution to prevention and settlement of conflicts."
Ordinarily, diamonds are a very precio…