A/57/PV.34 General Assembly

I wish to thank the Secretary-General for the reports he prepared on the agenda items on Africa before us today. As we said during the three-day debate on the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), we found his report on that item (A/57/156 and Corr.1) to be very useful and informative. That report has been very important in shaping the draft resolution that was adopted only this morning in the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly, which is bringing the UN-NADAF era to a close and replacing it with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as the new policy framework for Africa, around which the international community, including the United Nations, should concentrate its efforts for Africa’s development. The report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/57/172) contains a very insightful analysis and diagnosis of the challenges facing Africa, with most useful proposals and comments. The updated matrix on the implementation of the Secretary-General’s original recommendations gives a clear picture of progress that has been made, as well as continuing constraints while proposing remedial action. This is an excellent planning tool for future action. Before I comment further on the reports before us, allow me to make some observations about today’s debate. This is quite a momentous day, not only because of the importance of the items under discussion, but because Africa is, in a way, leading the way in the United Nations reform process. We constantly hear calls for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations, including the General Assembly. Today there is an example of what can be done. We have recognized the linkages between the three items on African development on the General Assembly agenda and, in the spirit of a comprehensive and holistic approach to issues, these items have been combined into one debate. This allows us to address all these issues and thereby avoid potential duplication in the debates of the General Assembly. This, in my delegation’s view, is a good example of improving the work programme of the General Assembly. My delegation also has other reasons for believing that it is appropriate for these items to be considered together. The Secretary-General’s report of 1998 stressed the link between peace and development, while presenting a comprehensive and holistic approach to conflict prevention, poverty eradication and sustainable development in Africa. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) that will in future replace the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa (UN-NADAF) item on the General Assembly’s agenda, also clearly recognized that linkage, when it acknowledged that peace and security, among other things, are conditions for sustainable development. As we have said in recent weeks we had numerous occasions to reflect on the Secretary- General’s report on the UN-NADAF review and appraisal, therefore allow me to today focus my comments on the report on the “Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa”. My delegation commends the role of the Secretary-General over the last months in assisting with the prevention and resolution of conflicts, not only in Africa but all over the world. We have witnessed the rewards of his determined vision for peace in Sierra Leone with the successful holding of democratic elections in that country, and the progress registered in nurturing peace in the subregion. We also welcome the Secretary-General’s unrelenting efforts to bring about peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region. In July 2002, at the inaugural Summit of the African Union, African leaders, inspired by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), took the historic decision to alter and enhance the mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in Africa. An important element of this decision was the acknowledgement that African countries, collectively, should enhance their peacekeeping capacities in order to intervene in conflicts with a view to their resolution. This recognition stems from the reality that there remains a significant gap in some quarters of the international community when the requirement is to act on African conflicts. There is no doubt about the complexity of the task at hand; in order for any efforts to be successful, a range of partnerships between African countries and the rest of the international community will be required. The focus of these partnerships, however, needs to move beyond the mere training of peacekeepers, to look seriously at what the real needs are in order to ensure effective peacekeeping by African countries. An important aspect in this regard is the provision of logistical support and other key resources that are critical for the success of any peacekeeping operation. It is my delegation’s view that the United Nations is suitably placed to play a leading role in facilitating and establishing these partnerships. My delegation will be working with others in the next few months to explore the possible areas where the United Nations could make a contribution to African efforts in conflict resolution. In Africa, we are beginning to make great progress in our efforts to achieve peace. However, the mere resolution of conflict and the establishment of peace are not sufficient for creating a stable and prosperous continent. Post-conflict reconstruction and development are important to the delivery of an early peace dividend and essential for launching sustainable development, thereby minimizing the destitution and marginalization which could form the seedbeds in which the next conflict could germinate. My delegation is thus particularly encouraged by the recent decision by the Economic and Social Council to establish an Ad hoc Advisory Group on African countries emerging from conflict. We also welcome the decision to respond positively to the request by Guinea-Bissau for such an Advisory Group, and my delegation looks forward to contributing as much as possible to the success of the Group. We are also convinced that it could make a real contribution to the sustainable development and rebuilding of that fellow African country and that the people of Guinea- Bissau deserve no less from this Organization. The issues highlighted in the Secretary-General’s report as being important for building durable peace and encouraging sustainable development in Africa coincide fully with the thinking in NEPAD. The promotion of good governance, capacity-building, human resource development, public health services, the role of women, international aid, debt relief, market access, and regional cooperation and integration, mentioned in the report, are very much in line with the priorities contained in this initiative. We fully subscribe to the idea that all these issues, while by no means suggested as exhaustive, are important when trying to address the way to ensure durable peace and sustainable development on the continent. My delegation also fully supports the proposals in the report on the full funding of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on the untying of aid to all African countries in order to improve aid effectiveness and on the need to fully address the external debt situation of all heavily indebted African countries. While Africa has taken control of its own development agenda in NEPAD, it has also recognized the critical role of international support in true partnership. This includes the need to provide increased resources to the continent. We thus support the proposal made in the report that the Secretary- General urge the donor community to double official flows to Africa, in line with the recommendations made at the March 2002 meeting of the High Level Committee on Programmes of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination. We are all excited by the fact that Africa has taken charge of its own future through NEPAD. This is also an invitation to the international community to forge new partnerships through which we can together strive towards achieving the Millennium and other development goals. Let us not be found wanting. In this respect, my delegation is particularly pleased that the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Final Review and Appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s this morning adopted the resolution on UN-NADAF and NEPAD. We believe that it provides a very good framework for developing international support for NEPAD. We also appreciate the balanced manner in which it approached the issue by addressing the roles of all stakeholders. It also recognized the primacy of African countries in the development and implementation of NEPAD. It is important, in our deliberations on NEPAD, to remember that these deliberations are not abstract, but are focused on how we deliver NEPAD, because lying behind the question of how to take NEPAD forward are questions such as how to take our macroeconomic gains down to the farmers in our rural villages and to the shopkeepers and hawkers in our cities, and how to ensure that mothers can raise healthy children who can take advantage of well-run schools. Over the past two years, we have seen a number of international summits and conferences, such as the Millennium Summit, the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the International Conference on Financing for Development and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, all of which embraced the notion of partnership. This has been elaborated to address the serious challenges in the international financial architecture, poverty reduction and development facing the global community and Africa in particular. African finance ministers and their deputies are meeting at this moment in Johannesburg to consider and construct their end of the partnership, not because anybody says they must, but to show leadership in identifying and resolving the serious challenges confronting us.

The delegation of Colombia is pleased to participate in this debate of the General Assembly dedicated, in essence, to the special needs of the economic development of Africa, the achievement of lasting peace in the continent and the ways in which the United Nations should respond to these objectives. In particular, we are tasked with the final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), which, for 10 years, was the framework of the efforts of our Organization in favour of African development. It is an endeavour made possible today thanks to the informative documents prepared by the Secretariat and, especially, to the independent assessment of the implementation of UN-NADAF conducted by the group of eminent personalities led by Mr. Kwesi Botchwey. Let me thank him and his collaborators for the high quality of the document submitted and their valuable conclusions and recommendations. My delegation also wishes to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes that throughout these 10 years have carried out the African programmes. Thanks to them, the States Members of the United Nations have been in a position to share in the solidarity and efforts for economic and social development of the African peoples and their longing for peace. We count on this decade-long experience to renew the work of the Organization for the years to come. The delegation of Colombia shares the view widely expressed in this debate and by the heads of State and ministers of foreign affairs who spoke during the high-level meeting on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) on 16 September, to the effect that the goals of NEPAD must be our anchor in designing the future relationship of the United Nations with the countries of Africa. It is a relationship to be based on deepening the goals of NEPAD in three different spheres: first, the African countries themselves, as they incorporate the NEPAD vision into their own strategic planning; secondly, the United Nations, as the reality of NEPAD runs through the several strata of the Organization; and thirdly, the partner countries of African development, in particular the more advanced economies in the world. We remain fully convinced that the goals of the NEPAD vision — peace, security, democracy and good governance, as well as the social and economic development and regional cooperation and integration of Africa — can be consolidated by and benefit from the help of the strengths of the United Nations. Our Organization is in a position to offer information and analysis, as well as technical assistance; to act as a forum to advocate and articulate the interests of African peoples; and also, by bringing the international community together, to undertake actions in favour of peace and international development. We need, of course, to adjust these strengths to the particular needs of Africa. In that respect, the independent appraisers of UN-NADAF recommend to us two basic measures: first, providing the United Nations with sufficient means to carry out this mission; and secondly, bringing harmony into its universe of programmes. They also put before us a set of practical measures already reflected in the draft resolution whose negotiation is being ably conducted by the delegation of Brazil. For instance, there is a need to concentrate in one office of the Secretariat the preparation of all the reports on the development of Africa and to manage the implementation of the new African programme at the appropriate executive level. In addition, our delegation believes that the annual deliberation on African issues by the General Assembly could be combined into one single debate. We are mindful that the long-term purpose of the African peoples is, as stated in the NEPAD action plan, “to extricate themselves and the continent from the malaise of underdevelopment and exclusion in a globalizing world”. That is a goal that a developing country such as Colombia can fully appreciate and share. We have therefore found it worthwhile to work with other countries of Latin America on plans for regional and subregional economic integration. In addition, our efforts to integrate ourselves into today’s globalized economy have given rise to as-yet unmet expectations that could nevertheless serve as points of reference for African countries. A report by the United Nations Development Programme looking into Latin America’s experience with globalization, singled out, among other things, the region’s difficulty in protecting its peoples from the negative effects of globalization, a concentration of knowledge and wealth at the level of the elite, rising environmental degradation and the phenomenon of economic growth in the absence of growth in employment. These findings should signal to African countries that they should not expect too much from globalization. Finally, given that we have participated in the Security Council for almost two years, the delegation of Colombia is particularly keen to comment on the issue of how peace and security are linked to Africa’s development. The Secretary-General’s 1998 report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of development had already clearly illustrated that negative correlation. In fact, one of the major conclusions of the assessment team that evaluated the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s put it very succinctly: conflict and development are mortal enemies. That fact is confirmed annually by the Human Development Report, which also points out that countries at the bottom of the human development index are either going through conflicts or emerging from them. In the Security Council we have supported the efforts made by the United Nations to strengthen African countries’ successful initiatives. We very much welcome the current peace negotiations taking place in Kenya with regard to the Sudan and Somalia. We also welcome the return of peace to Sierra Leone and Angola this year, and look with optimism to the progress being made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Looking to the future, we would like to single out three healthy trends within the Organization regarding peacekeeping and security in Africa. The first of those trends is the deepening relationship between the United Nations and the African Union and various regional and subregional organizations in the areas of conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations and post-conflict peace-building. In that vein, for example, the Council this week has expressed its support for the observation force that the Economic Community of Central African States will deploy on the border between Chad and the Central African Republic. The second trend is the growing tendency of the Organization to focus on the regional character of conflicts and, in so doing, to name special representatives for the relevant regions. At the moment, such representatives have been named for the Great Lakes region and for West Africa, the latter of which was the subject of a debate during Colombia’s presidency of the Council in August 2001. The third trend is reflected in the excellent work being carried out by the Security Council Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on the Causes of Conflict and Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, which is being led in an exemplary manner by the Ambassador of Mauritius. One of the Group’s accomplishments has been to bring together the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council to focus on their respective management functions relating to strengthening peace in countries emerging from conflict. The experiences I have mentioned serve to encourage my delegation’s belief that cooperation between the United Nations as a whole and African countries can indeed be fruitful. Such cooperation should also occur in every area of concern to the continent. That is the conviction that brings us to this debate — a belief on whose behalf he delegation of Colombia is prepared to make its best effort.

The popular image of Africa in the outside world, in both electronic and print media, is one of incessant conflict and political instability. Yet it need not be so, because in reality Africa is a richly endowed continent, beautiful and hospitable. Conflicts within and between African countries are neither innate nor necessarily inevitable. Given the right attitude and approach, they could be prevented or minimized, if not totally eradicated. In that regard, Nigeria welcomes the continuing efforts of the United Nations, and especially the personal commitment of the Secretary-General, to solving conflicts and laying the foundation for durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. Taking into account the Secretary-General’s comprehensive report (A/52/871) on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, the world community can no longer feign ignorance of the causes and effects of conflict in Africa. The landmark report, for which we thank the Secretary-General, not only identified the root causes of the conflicts on the continent, it also spelled out the roles that African leaders and the international community, including the United Nations system, can play in solving them. Furthermore, the report underscores the need for collective effort in the search for durable peace, stability, post-conflict reconstruction, reconciliation and rehabilitation. Indeed, different studies and sources attest to the fact that Africa’s conflicts reflect the continent’s diversity, historical evolution and experience, as well as its engagement with the outside world. They are located in the history of Africa, its colonial past and the challenges of building virile and sustainable modern State structures. Those challenges have been compounded by the dynamics of internal politics, often interpreted and seen as the spoils of office. Access to political power brings with it benefits, privileges and a sense of security; while the lack of access creates insecurity, rivalry and outright hostility. Economic motivations, often dictated by profit and greed, are also known to be responsible for conflict in Africa. It is pertinent to note that the traffic in arms, blood diamonds, oil and other commodities would be less intense were there no gains for the traffickers. However, many conflicts have become intractable due to the gains derived while they lasted. We also cannot take for granted the contribution of peculiarity and circumstance in fuelling conflict in Africa. The struggle for land, control of natural resources, access to amenities, ethnicity, religious beliefs and other incipient factors are known to have caused countless conflicts in Africa. As could be expected, the cost of those conflicts to Africa is incalculable in both human and material terms. It was against the background of that heavy toll that the Secretary-General drew the conclusion that the consequences of those conflicts have seriously undermined Africa’s efforts to ensure long-term stability, prosperity and peace for its peoples. More importantly, he admitted that preventing war — and, by implication, conflict — in Africa was no longer a matter of defending States but one of defending humanity itself. The need for peace and stability in Africa is therefore as urgent today as it was in 1998, when the Secretary-General released his report on the sources of conflict on the continent. Now as then, Africa is mired in different conflicts of varied nature and intensity. We note the positive reaction of the international community to the Secretary-General’s report and the practical measures that have been taken to date in the quest for durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The latest report (A/57/172) indicates that progress has been made in responding to conflict situations through peacemaking, peacekeeping, preventive diplomacy and post-conflict peace-building. We call on the United Nations to sustain the momentum in promoting peace and development in Africa as a matter of the utmost priority. As we engage in this joint debate on the twin agenda issues of the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa and the final review and appraisal of UN-NADAF, we cannot but agree with the Secretary-General that good governance is a prerequisite for durable peace and sustainable development. As is aptly put in the report of the expert panel on the evaluation and review of UN-NADAF, conflict and development are mortal enemies. For us in Nigeria, this statement resonates because it captures our experience as a country grappling with the challenges of nation-building, socio- economic development and the preservation and promotion of peace in Africa. The military in Nigeria handed over power to a democratically elected Government only three and a half years ago, after 15 years in power. The restoration of civil rule has necessitated a fresh start in the process of democratization. Consequently, the challenges of meeting heightened expectations after many years of deprivation, ensuring participation and inclusiveness in the process of governance, and striking a balance between national unity and stability have combined to test our skills and capacities. Notwithstanding the competing demands for our lean resources, we have continued to be active participants in peacekeeping operations within and outside Africa. In West Africa alone, Nigeria spent over $10 billion on peacekeeping operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Internally, our efforts at development have yielded mixed results due to many factors. Instilling a culture of democracy, accountability, transparency and good governance has not been an easy task. Nonetheless, we affirm that democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for fundamental freedoms are essential for human intellect and human potential, which abound in our country, to flourish. In an environment riddled with developmental problems such as poverty, disease, ignorance and unemployment, the Government has had to make deliberate choices in its programmes. Other inhibiting factors include our excruciating external debt burden, dwindling commodity prices, lack of market access and low productive capacity. Yet we realize that development is not an option; it is a necessity. Thus, our Government has concentrated on poverty alleviation, education, health, agriculture and the provision of safe drinking water as its main priorities. UN-NADAF was intended to help Africa overcome the challenges of development. Indeed, the programme was derived from two previous international cooperation arrangements, namely Africa’s Priority Programme for Economic Recovery and the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development. The international community adopted the Programme to address the multifarious social and economic problems that confronted the continent in the mid-1980s, especially the problems of pervasive poverty, infant mortality, disease and low economic growth. We should also keep at the back of our minds the fact that the decade of UN-NADAF was also Africa’s most trying decade in recent memory. It was the decade in which the continent, saddled with commitments and obligations arising from UN-NADAF, was embroiled in numerous conflicts of catastrophic consequences. Regrettably, UN-NADAF did not deliver the much- needed benefits it was designed to yield. Instead, its performance has been judged to be very disappointing. In the absence of the necessary political will and of the fulfilment of commitments by African leaders and their development partners, the pursuit of Africa’s development has remained elusive. This final review and appraisal should therefore offer us an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from the implementation of UN-NADAF. We can also draw from those lessons in charting a new course of action as we decide on the future engagement of the United Nations with Africa. On 16 September, in this very Hall, a memorable debate took place on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The debate was later followed by that of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the Assembly on 25 and 26 September. On both occasions, a central message emerged: that NEPAD was the appropriate framework through which the international community, including the United Nations, should channel its support for Africa. The principles and objectives of NEPAD have been well articulated within the United Nations in recent times and therefore need no reiteration here. Suffice it to say that the United Nations system must lend its support to the Programme for it to succeed. Support for NEPAD must demonstrably be unconditional, qualitative and quantitative; it must be, at all levels, greater than that given to UN-NADAF. In this connection, official development assistance flows, which declined in real terms in the 1990s, should be regular and predictable. Market access should be provided in developed countries for African products. Transfer of technology on preferential and mutually agreed terms should be extended to African countries. African Governments and the African people — male and female — should bear primary responsibility for the implementation of NEPAD, as this is the only way to ensure and guarantee African ownership and leadership of the programme. But it will be necessary to allow each African country to evolve its own development strategy, based on objective socio- economic realities and on the need to protect the most vulnerable members of society. To further support NEPAD, there will also be a need to inject new ideas into the consideration of the issue of Africa’s external debt. The dismal results of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative, as shown during the review of UN-NADAF, point to the inadequacy and limitations of the programme. Out of 33 African countries eligible for HIPC, only 18 reached “decision point”, and, of that number, only six made it through to “completion point” to qualify for debt cancellation as of April 2002. The implication is that rescue programmes based on conditionalities are ineffective. Therefore, debt cancellation for all heavily indebted countries should form the basis of the support provided to African countries. More than anything, there is an urgent need for human development and capacity-building on the continent. The problem of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and of other debilitating diseases must be tackled head-on for Africa to cast off its yoke of underdevelopment. Happily, these concerns, among others, form the bedrock of NEPAD’s objectives. NEPAD is an acknowledgement of the need for Africa to take its destiny in its own hands and to assume responsibility for the eradication of poverty. Collectively and individually, African countries have pledged to resolve and prevent conflicts and to promote a culture of peace, economic growth and sustainable development. What is now required is for the international community to join hands with Africa to help in realizing the lofty objectives of NEPAD in a spirit of true partnership. The pledges of support already announced by groups and individual countries are commendable. In this respect, we sincerely hope that the ghost of UN-NADAF, commitments to which were not fulfilled, will be laid to rest. We further urge that the pledges announced be fulfilled without delay or encumbrances. Nigeria welcomes the establishment of the Security Council Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, as well as the General Assembly Ad Hoc Advisory Group on African Countries Emerging from Conflict. For these efforts to be meaningful and their effects lasting, they must be complemented with a total ban on the trade and proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Africa desperately needs peace, and the international community can help in fostering peace in the continent. We note the decision of the Secretary General to streamline and harmonize Africa-related reporting by the United Nations system. However, we expect the Secretary- General to submit a detailed proposal on how the United Nations would mobilize systemwide support as well as provide resources for the implementation of NEPAD. There should be coordination at both the regional and country levels to ensure coherence and consistency. We in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have already taken the lead in organizing this coordination, and other regions in Africa are doing the same. We welcome the adoption by the General Assembly of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as its framework policy programme for the development of Africa and as the successor to the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. NEPAD adequately addresses the present issues of concern to Africa and, if supported and effectively implemented, will finally lift the continent out of the throes of underdevelopment. Africa will thus truly claim its place in the twenty-first century.

The representative of Egypt this morning made a statement on behalf of the African Group. My delegation supports his statement. Allow me now to make a statement on the two items before us. This is the third time this session that the General Assembly has held joint debates on more than one agenda item. We thank the Secretary-General for his clear and comprehensive report (A/57/172) to the General Assembly on the implementation of the recommendations made five years ago in his report on “Causes of conflict and promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa”. We also wish to thank him for the report (A/57/156) on the detailed evaluation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) and on the obstacles that hindered its implementation. When we discussed the situation in Africa in the past, it was said that all indicators projected that by 2002, at the time of the final appraisal of UN-NADAF, we would face challenges that would surpass what we faced during its implementation. Indeed, disappointment led some to say that political and economical conditions would have deteriorated beyond all expectations. Today, however, as we review those conditions, it is quite clear that the situation is different. The Secretary-General has himself said that average economic growth in Africa reached 3.1 per cent during 2001, and that some African countries have attained a growth rate of more than 5 per cent. In the concluding observations of one of his reports, he said that “progress has been made towards restoring peace and stability in the region. The peace process in Ethiopia and Eritrea is being consolidated and the Great Lakes region is showing signs of stability ... Angola ... is moving towards peace ... Sierra Leone, had its successful elections ... restoring democracy in that country” (A/57/172, para. 43) We are happy with these positive developments and with the peace efforts that have come from African initiatives: from Sirte, Lusaka, Algiers, Pretoria and other cities. This testifies to a fact that has been widely repeated: only Africans can make a difference in Africa. It is only fair to say that the United Nations has made significant contributions solving the problems that are affecting Africa. The Secretary-General has named envoys to facilitate the settlement and management of disputes and to foster dialogue between parties in conflict. The United Nations also continues its peace efforts in the Republic of Central Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are happy that the Secretary-General has appointed a Special Representative for West Africa in support of efforts aimed at the establishment of peace and stability. African problems have received considerable attention in the General Assembly, in the Security Council and in the Economic and Social Council. We also recall the efforts of other organizations, such as the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, addressing the needs and the repatriation of women and children. We should also mention the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, which has helped in the reintegration of combatants in African countries that were afflicted by conflict. These success stories are very encouraging. However, progress in other fields has been quite limited and as the Secretary-General said in paragraph 44 of document A/57/172, the growth rate that Africa has achieved falls short of the 7 per cent necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015. The AIDS epidemic is one of the main obstacles to development and causes the death of one million people annually, mostly children. During the 1990s, the economic environment was not conducive to sustainable development. External debt and debt servicing devoured most of Africa’s already scarce resources. Official development assistance continued to fall while trade barriers and high tariffs made it difficult for African products to reach international markets, especially those of the developed countries. Africa has proved that it is strongly committed to achieving peace and sustainable development. This is attested to by the establishment of the African Union which aims to unify the continent, put an end to hotbeds of tension, combat hunger, poverty and AIDS, and remove the effects of colonialism, which drained the resources and wealth of those countries. The African Union also aims to formulate strategies that will carry the people of Africa from underdevelopment and weakness to stability and strength. We highly appreciate the efforts of the United Nations, the Secretary-General and United Nations agencies in supporting Africa in the fields of health, education, information technology. We call on the other partners to play the role required of them: those who committed themselves to Africa’s development and pledged to contribute needed medicines and vaccines at affordable prices to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Africa needs barriers to its exports removed, as well as assistance in overcoming the problem of external debt and a commitment to meet the agreed target for official development assistance. There is also a need for more investment and an increased share in international trade, as well as for active participation in decision-making in international financial and economic forums. One month ago, the Assembly adopted the significant United Nations Declaration (resolution 57/2) on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). That was another commitment by the international community to respond to the needs of the continent, in keeping with the Millennium Declaration. We are satisfied with that. However, the partnership should be real and effective, and it must respect the will, history, culture and values of the Africans and avoid imposing conditionalities or political terms that run counter to the particular characteristics of Africa. Our partners should realize that their contributions also benefit their own societies. A halt to our decrease in migration through legislative or administrative measures would encourage Africans to remain on their continent, and thus to work for their own betterment. We believe that this can be achieved through the following measures: Giving priority to basic infrastructures, such as transportation and communication; focusing on water projects so that Africans can improve their agricultural production; halting restrictions on the transfer of technology and encouraging its indigenization; taking into account the suffering of Africans in the past centuries and the depletion and pillage of their resources; and addressing the very serious problem of the brain drain that is affecting the human resources of the continent to the benefit of the developed countries. The Secretary-General has said that Africa is at a turning point. He is right, and that is why we have established the African Union. We have started on the path to development. We are trying to rid ourselves of all conflicts. This is an opportunity for the United Nations and the international community to help Africa reinforce peace and development in all its regions. Not achieving that would be a moral and political failure for the Organization, as well as for the entire international community. It is a challenge that we must all face together.

On behalf of the Indonesian delegation, I would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the President for his able stewardship and guidance during the course of this session. I would also like to commend the Secretary- General for the reports that frame our deliberation. Indonesia subscribes to the view that the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa are closely linked to the prevalence of poverty on that continent. While the report of the Secretary-General (A/57/172) provides updates on progress in peacemaking, peace-building and reconstruction in Africa, Indonesia is convinced that only efforts to enhance the development of Africa can bring poverty under control, thereby eliminating the key cause of conflict. Indonesia welcomes the progress achieved in addressing the causes of conflict and in promoting durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, as described in the Secretary-General’s report. In particular, Indonesia encourages the efforts by some African countries to reduce their military expenditure and supports the target of reducing expenditures on arms to less than 1.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, while attaining zero growth in military expenditures. In our view, war consumes and destroys resources already in place, and thus we believe that achieving such a target would facilitate the allocation of a larger share of national budgets to sustainable development programmes. Indonesia attaches great importance to emergency assistance from the international community for post- conflict reconstruction and development in Africa. The establishment of the United Nations Consolidated Appeals Process as a strategic planning tool for the promotion of transition from relief to development is a welcome initiative. While recognizing the important role that African countries themselves must play, we encourage the continued contribution of the international community, through the United Nations and its agencies, to the promotion of peace and development in Africa. Indonesia emphasizes the important role that peace-friendly structural adjustment programmes can play. Indonesia supports the suggestion made by the Secretary-General that in providing those programmes, the Bretton Woods institutions should consider more flexible and effective measures which include the relaxing of some of the stringent conditionalities concerning economic performance, scaling up post- conflict funding, special assistance for reconstruction and poverty reduction interventions. Indonesia also lauds the voluntary establishment by African leaders of the African Peer Review Mechanism to monitor progress in compliance with the high standards of good governance that have been set. That stands as testimony to the sincerity and commitment of African leaders in achieving peace for their people. In addition to peace and security, there are other challenges to sustainable development in Africa. Those are financial constraints, market access problems, lack of information and communication technologies, issues of developing human capital and economic diversification, as well as infrastructure development. In recognition of the link between peace and sustainable development, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which we joined in welcoming here during the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly last month, has strong potential to contribute to the realization of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. Emphasizing peace, security, democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and sound economic management as preconditions for sustainable development, NEPAD now embodies Africa’s commitment to its own peaceful development and represents the policy framework within which the international community, including the United Nations system, should focus its efforts to assist Africa’s development. It is my sincerest desire that this new initiative should meet with success, since failure would mean failure for us all in achieving the Millennium Development Goals to which we are all pledged. In the context of achieving the objectives of NEPAD, we should recall the experience of implementing the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), which was launched in 1991. As the Secretary- General’s report points out, UN-NADAF was at best a limited success. Its lack of progress was attributable to all the actors involved, both African countries and the international community. A critical impediment to success was the cookie- cutter approach to achieving development over a vastly diverse group of countries. The mantra of “liberalize and privatize” without regard to the unique circumstances that prevail in any given country proved to be a canard. Therefore, national ownership of the development process is essential for fundamental change to occur. Local institutions are best suited to satisfy local needs while maintaining local values. NEPAD clearly emphasizes national ownership of the development process; Indonesia welcomes that the international community is coming to accept that principal as critical to the success of the development process. Another impediment was the failure of the parties to live up to their commitments. African countries never completely implemented the UN-NADAF programme, while official development assistance to Africa actually declined after the programme’s launch. Little progress was made on market access for African exports or debt relief for the poorest nations. Moreover, the programme was marred by a general lack of quantifiable objectives and targets for monitoring progress and compliance, this being one of the reasons for the limited success. Indonesia recognizes the importance of monitoring implementation of NEPAD, not only at the national level but also at the international level. One area that UN-NADAF did not address was modern information and communications technologies, mainly the Internet. Since this new technology was largely unknown in 1991, this was not a failure of the UN-NADAF initiative, perhaps. But as of now, Africa is the least connected region in the world, with the lowest computer use, which results in many opportunities being squandered. We are particularly happy to learn that NEPAD has targeted information and communications technology as a priority area for development, and therefore efforts to assist Africa to bridge the digital divide for development should be encouraged. Human, physical and financial capital is in short supply in Africa, but in fact there is a considerable supply of domestic entrepreneurial talent. Sixty to 70 per cent of employment in Africa is generated by micro-, small- and medium-size enterprises. However, a shortage of finance and a lack of connectivity prevent those smaller African firms from expanding regionally and globally as have many similar firms in other regions. Internet access could help promote African industry and exports and, conversely, help open Africa as a market for exports from other regions. In evaluating UN-NADAF’s failures in order to ensure NEPAD’s success, it should be remembered that UN-NADAF failed for a variety of reasons. Peace and security are the highest goals of the United Nations and they should be so for NEPAD, as the elusive goal of development becomes ever more slippery without peace. Adequate financing is necessary to bring about development, but it is not sufficient without supporting polices from both African countries and the international community. The aftermath of the Monterrey Conference and the Johannesburg Summit has left the international community with a surplus of goodwill. Let us not repeat the failures of the past, but rather capitalize on the goodwill of the present by turning it into action for the future.

The United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) will come to a formal conclusion during the current session of the General Assembly. From now on, support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) will be the main item on the agenda. In that context, I should like to state once again that Japan welcomes NEPAD as an expression of Africa’s ownership. We also welcome the joint debate being held today under agenda item 33, on causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, and under agenda item 41 (a), on final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). Such an exercise can help to streamline agendas and possibly contribute to reform of the General Assembly. Ownership and partnership — the very heart of NEPAD — are principles that my Government has stressed through the process of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. Japan firmly believes that ownership by African countries plays a critical role in their development. Accordingly, Japan will continue to provide support to NEPAD, and we will host the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development next October. We also welcome the recognition by African countries that conflict prevention, management and resolution; peace enforcement and peacekeeping; post- conflict reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction; and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) are preconditions for development. In that connection, I should like to take this opportunity to discuss the issue of conflict resolution and peace-building. Despite tremendous efforts on the part of African countries themselves, with cooperation from the international community, they continue to be confronted with problems that threaten peace and stability in their own countries as well as in the region. That is especially true in countries that are emerging from conflict, since, in many cases, the underlying causes of conflict — such as poverty — remain after the conflict itself has been settled. Countries in that situation all too often fall into a vicious cycle of recurring conflict and fail to achieve significant development progress. In addressing conflict resolution and peace- building in Africa, Japan has repeatedly stressed the importance of taking a comprehensive approach that integrates political, economic, social and humanitarian measures to achieve lasting peace and sustainable development. Needless to say, ensuring cooperation and coordination among various actors is essential to the success of such a comprehensive approach. Such an approach should be followed at all stages, from conflict prevention to post-conflict peace-building. Thanks to the efforts of African countries — as well as to those of African regional and subregional organizations, of the United Nations and of other international partners — progress has been achieved in the peace processes in Angola, in Ethiopia and Eritrea and in Sierra Leone. However, durable peace and sustainable development in a post-conflict situation can be achieved only through measures undertaken in the context of a comprehensive approach. Being of that view, Japan has responded to conflicts in Africa by extending assistance to encourage the peace process, to promote DDR and to achieve a seamless transition from conflict resolution to post-conflict reconstruction and socio-economic development. We remain committed to such efforts. In conclusion, I should like to stress our wholehearted commitment to Africa as a partner. Japan will engage actively and continuously in the NEPAD process, and we will support the efforts of African nations.

We believe that Africa must move forward and look ahead towards the future. In that context, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a manifestation of the strong determination of African countries to better the lot of their peoples. That worthy desire has stemmed from the innate wisdom of Africa’s leaders. It is an expression of its people’s wish to cast aside civil and regional conflicts and bloody power struggles that bring only misery and destruction; and above all, it demonstrates the ultimate supremacy of the people in shaping their destinies. We warmly congratulate the people of Africa and their leaders on the bold decisions being taken. In their pursuit of the objectives of NEPAD, African countries need and must receive the full and unstinting cooperation of the international community. That is more so because the moral commitment of the developed countries, the Bretton Woods institutions and the rest of international community is in fact already there and has been explicitly given. As has been reiterated by many speakers in this Assembly, the beginning of the new millennium was crowned by the far-sighted and overarching decisions of our leaders at the Millennium Summit. Thereafter, implementation of international decisions acquired prominence and was highlighted by the Secretary- General. That was done at the Monterrey, Doha and Johannesburg Conferences, among other forums. The NEPAD initiative is a focused framework in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals for one of the most marginalized areas of the world. It is pertinent to note that out of the 49 least developed countries, 34 are in Africa. Our experience in international cooperation, especially when it comes to socio-economic development, has raised the question of who decides what is to be done in a country or a region. Again, who are the owners of the process? While discussions and dialogue are essential between donors and recipients, and while expatriate advisers and consultants have their important roles to play, the ownership of development projects and programmes should lie with the Governments and the people that they are expected to benefit. That approach is important if development programmes are to have a lasting impact in recipient countries. That is an integral principle of NEPAD, and we must respect it. When it comes to the least developed countries, my delegation has consistently pointed out that official development assistance has to continue to play an important role. That is especially so with regard to building transportation and communications infrastructure, as well as basic health and educational services. Loans become a viable option only when they are an input into income-generating programmes and projects that enable repayment, or when the country concerned is in a position to pay them back from other sources of income. If that consideration is ignored, then the result will be indebtedness. Foreign direct investment is an important element in financing development for the advancement of private enterprise, the acquisition of technology and the expansion of trade, as well as for increasing employment and income levels. But the definitive problem for developing countries, and especially for the least developed countries, is how to attract foreign direct investment. As is well known, private investment moves to countries where profitability can be maximized. Unfortunately, circumstances in the least developed countries do not always attract private investment, despite their best efforts. Infrastructure and communications facilities, an educated and technically trained manpower and peace and stability are important requirements. To develop and establish those conditions, least developed countries need official development assistance to supplement domestic resources. For the financing of development, we must move with greater haste and purpose to fulfil the commitments made at Monterrey. The spirit of Monterrey needs to be fired to meet the goals of the Millennium Summit. Financing has to be available to implement decisions of the international community. This is what the New Partnership for Africa’s Development now needs. We hope that, this time, the international community will meet the challenge.

My delegation welcomes the Secretary-General’s progress report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/57/172). We also welcome his reports on the independent evaluation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (NEPAD) (A/57/156) and on the review and implementation of the programme for Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (A/57/175). The deliberation of all three of those reports today underscores the importance that this body is continuing to attach to the development and well- being of Africa. We all agree that Africa faces myriad and complex issues, which must be dealt with in a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated manner. Africa’s numerous wars have not only resulted in widespread destruction and loss of life, but have also contributed to creating millions of internally displaced persons and over nine million refugees. Malaysia therefore views with trepidation the ongoing military rebellion that has now enveloped Côte d’Ivoire, a country considered by many to be a bastion of stability and prosperity in West Africa. It is our hope that the conflict that began on 19 September will not be prolonged to the detriment of its populace, in particular, and the whole West African region, in general. We are, however, heartened by recent peacemaking efforts in both the Sudan and Somalia. We hope those efforts will be successful. We applaud Africa’s own efforts at establishing the appropriate mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts at both the regional and subregional levels. Regional and subregional organizations have an important role to play in preventive diplomacy and in the peaceful settlement of disputes, especially in the context of the ongoing conflicts in Africa. In that connection, due recognition must be given to the important roles being played by the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, among others. We have noted that, in his latest report, the Secretary-General has continued to stress the important linkage between peace and development. In the absence of political stability, which is essential for attracting foreign investment and capital, the countries of Africa will find it difficult to embark on any serious development programmes. Where stability has been restored in conflict areas, the processes of peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict peace- building have engendered sustainable economic development and economic growth. However, the continent still lags behind the target of 6 per cent growth in gross national product per annum, as set by the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. Although 15 African countries achieved growth rates of over 5 per cent, that still falls short of the 7 per cent annual growth rate necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by the year 2015. International cooperation and assistance are imperative if Africa is to recover and set its course on the path towards development. More needs to be done by developed countries in providing financial resources, better market access and reducing trade barriers to African exports. The continent accounts for just 1 per cent of world trade, although it is home to 10 per cent of the world’s population and 30 per cent of its natural resources. No less important is the crippling external debt still faced by many African countries, servicing of which accounts for a third of those countries’ export earnings. All that debt will impede public investment in physical infrastructure and human resource development. We welcome the efforts at comprehensive debt relief currently being implemented, including through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative (HIPC), whereby poor countries with unsustainable debt burdens are provided with coordinated debt relief. It is encouraging to note that 23 African countries are currently receiving relief from HIPC. African Governments must give due consideration to reducing their defence budgets, in particular as they relate to arms purchases. In that regard, we applaud the effort of ECOWAS to renew the Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons in West Africa. Additional concerted efforts are also needed to encourage more African countries to participate in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. The substantial amounts spent annually on arms purchases could be better utilized for more productive purposes, such as investing in education and health and promoting economic growth, which are essential factors in poverty reduction. At the same time, the importance of ongoing democratization processes, good governance and sustainable development cannot be underestimated as prerequisites for durable peace and the promotion of economic growth. We welcome the initiative of African countries to establish an African Peer Review Mechanism to track the progress made in financial transparency, accountability, protecting the integrity of monetary systems and strengthening banking and financial standards so as to improve governance and the economic management of African countries. As we have declared in this body, Malaysia views NEPAD as a bold undertaking to halt the marginalization of Africa from the process of globalization and to assist its integration into the world economy. African countries must be the stakeholders in their development programmes, in partnership with international agencies. We believe that NEPAD is a reflection of the commitment of African leaders to build a strong and enduring culture of democracy, respect for human rights and sustained economic growth on the continent. But Africa cannot do it alone. Africa needs concrete support from the international community if it is to meet the Millennium Declaration Goals of sustainable development and poverty reduction. While the international community, in general, and the Plan of Action for Africa adopted by the Group of Eight industrialized countries in June 2002, in particular, have expressed support for NEPAD, donors’ financial resources and attention could be diverted in the light of the growing possibility of United States military action against Iraq. That possibility and the weakening global economy are factors that could impede the realization of NEPAD. As for Malaysia, I wish to reiterate that we value our traditional close and friendly ties with Africa. We are especially proud of our long-standing bonds of friendship and cooperation with many African countries, and we look forward to further consolidating that cooperation and solidarity in more concrete ways. Malaysia, with its limited resources, will continue to play its modest role in enhancing cooperation with African countries through its training programmes. It is in that regard that Malaysia, in the spirit of South-South cooperation, extended the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme in 1981 to cover African countries. To date, more than 4,000 participants, including participants from Africa, have undergone various short- and medium-term training courses in public administration and technical fields in various Malaysian institutions. We will also continue to exchange views and to engage with our African partners in finding ways and means to enhance our cooperation and partnership programmes, including through the Langkawi International Dialogue. In our relationship with Africa, we have made efforts to enhance the level of cooperation through the concept of “smart partnerships” - that is, partnerships between Governments and private sectors with the goal of promoting better and sustainable economic activities to ensure a win-win relationship. Malaysia is ever mindful of the humanitarian needs of our African friends, and we have assisted them in whatever way we can. In that regard, Malaysia will be contributing $100,000 to alleviate the grave food shortage situation in Southern Africa.

First of all, I should like to congratulate the Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on his report (A/57/172), which describes specific follow-up measures undertaken with regard to the implementation of the recommendations contained in his very important report of 1998 (A/52/871) on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The Moroccan delegation welcomes the positive assessment made by the Secretary-General in that report, which highlights new progress achieved in an array of activities, and it is the report’s positive aspects that I shall address first. First, with regard to Angola, we were all pleased to see that brotherly country find peace and stability, after years and decades of conflict, which will enable it to devote itself to economic and social development. That is also the case with the fratricidal conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which has been stabilized thanks to the decision of the Boundary Commission, accepted by both parties, to definitively determine the border. And it is finally the case — although there is still progress to be made — with the conflict that unfortunately is taking place in the countries of the Mano River region, which we hope will move further towards the restoration of confidence and of a civil peace among them. The history of conflicts shows us that every time the ethnic factor has been used by one or several actors, it can generate conflict, but also that, if it allows for cross-border cooperation, it can guide the countries in question towards stability and lasting cooperation. That is why, in conflicts — whether internal or internationalized — there is an interaction between respect for fundamental human rights and minority rights and the restoration of regional peace and development. We should bear that approach in mind. It has proved useful in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe after the end of the cold war. The Kingdom of Morocco remains convinced that the development of regional and subregional cooperation is the principal factor in preventing the worsening of rivalry and ethnic conflict and that it is the most effective means of transcending potential or real conflict situations. That clearly applies to Africa first and foremost, because, as everyone knows, Africa has inherited the aftermath of colonialism, most often with artificial borders that were drawn arbitrarily. That is why my delegation shares the view of the Secretary- General that subregional and regional cooperation and economic integration in Africa can strengthen confidence among neighbouring countries and, as a result, should allow us to establish solid bases for durable peace and sustainable development. The Kingdom of Morocco, anxious to respect and to enhance good-neighbourly relations, is resolved to continue to commit itself to any action that promotes the well-being of the peoples of the Maghreb region. We hope that their stability and prosperity will benefit the entire African continent, because we are the crossroads of Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. The progress achieved thus far towards the restoration of peace in certain regions of Africa — even if its effects have not yet been felt — demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach taken by the United Nations. The Secretary-General’s appointment of special mediators and the creation of special Commissions charged with examining the sources of disputes are measures that deserve support. Similarly, the past year has seen the success of two African initiatives that we strongly supported in due course: the establishment of a Regional Office for West Africa, which is now up and running; and the Economic and Social Council’s adoption of a resolution providing for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Advisory Group for African countries emerging from conflict. Again, we supported that initiative in due course. The establishment of the Regional Office, as I said, will certainly enable us to foster peace in the Mano River region and in West Africa. In addition, the Ad Hoc Advisory Groups — the first of which was established for Guinea-Bissau — will help the countries concerned to heal their wounds and to emerge from the horrors of the conflicts that they have endured. We have heard several times here that the countries that have experienced so much suffering and are so backward cannot make progress themselves; they need substantial international assistance, and that is the Organization’s role — to give them that assistance. Such assistance consists of peace-building, of course, but also of addressing the return of refugees and displaced persons. The Kingdom of Morocco will continue its solidarity with all of its African brothers, and it will spare no effort to advance the cause of peace on the African continent, and particularly in a region that is simply the extension of Morocco — West Africa — where we hope to be as active as possible for the restoration of lasting peace. We hope in particular that, by the end of October or the beginning of November, a second summit of the Mano river countries will be held at Rabat under the auspices of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU). The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia — and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, as well as the European Free Trade Association countries of the European Economic Area Iceland and Norway, align themselves with this statement. Africa has been given high priority on the agenda of this year’s General Assembly session, and rightly so. The birth of the African Union (AU), the consolidation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the recent positive prospects of ending some of Africa’s protracted conflicts — in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sierra Leone and the Sudan — are notable political developments that could augur well for the future of the African continent and its peoples. Here at the United Nations, we have already been able to engage in substantive discussions of the challenges and opportunities facing Africa. The high- level plenary meeting on 16 September on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the ensuing review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) clearly underlined the magnitude of the development challenges facing Africa. They also reaffirmed the need for a concerted effort by the international community to lend its full support to assisting African efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Let me begin by commenting briefly on the recently concluded review of UN-NADAF. The European Union is pleased with the outcome of the negotiations in the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole. We have drawn lessons from UN-NADAF that will be applied to the implementation of NEPAD and the organization of future support by the United Nations system for NEPAD. First of all, we firmly established NEPAD as the future framework around which the international community, including the United Nations system, should concentrate its efforts for Africa’s development. Secondly, we called upon the United Nations system to ensure a coherent response in support of the implementation of NEPAD at country level. Finally, we agreed to include a single comprehensive item on the development of Africa on the annual agenda of the General Assembly. I would now like to turn to the progress report of the Secretary-General (A/57/172) on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The European Union is committed to working with African partners in strengthening regional and local capacities for conflict prevention, management and resolution. Currently, the EU is looking at ways to further reinforce and broaden support for the development of African capacity in the area of conflict prevention and resolution. And the EU is committed to help strengthen and consolidate United Nations peace support operations and assist in post-conflict reconstruction efforts. That cooperation is rooted in the fundamental principle of ownership, meaning that the primary responsibility lies with Africa itself. In this regard, we welcome the peace and security initiative of NEPAD, including the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which is based on this principle and which will reshape the framework for strengthening the African security architecture. In this respect, we also acknowledge the vital role to be played by the African subregional organizations in contributing to the resolution of conflicts. They are important building blocks for African political and economic integration, and they have the potential to contribute to securing peace and prosperity in Africa. The report rightly points to the ways in which the proliferation of arms, small arms and light weapons in particular, is fuelling conflict. The European Union is actively engaged in trying to prevent the excessive accumulation of arms in Africa. But for any effort to be sustainable, there clearly is a need to develop — with the African Union and, in particular, with the subregional organizations — far more effective mechanisms for arms control. The fight for control over natural resources is yet another very apparent source of conflict in Africa. In that regard, the European Union encourages the continuation of the Kimberley Process, which plays an important role in the prevention of conflicts in Africa. Finally, we commend the United Nations for having decided to scale up its response to situations of conflict and its peace-building in Africa. We consider the United Nations to be a very important global actor in that respect. The establishment of the Security Council’s Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa and the recent establishment of an Economic and Social Council Ad Hoc Advisory Group on African countries emerging from conflict may provide opportunities to enhance coordination between those two Councils. We need to recognize and act upon integrated and complementary approaches to conflict resolution, peace-building and development in Africa, as called for by the Secretary- General.

The past year has been seminal in many ways for the African continent and for its relations with the international community. Not only have a number of major conflicts come that much closer to resolution, but the continent itself has taken dramatic steps to assert control over its own destiny for the benefit of its 700 million inhabitants. In the realm of conflict resolution, this year has seen great strides made in restoring peace and security in Angola, Sierra Leone and on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Further, a number of other positive developments, specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Mano river basin and in the Sudan, will undoubtedly contribute even more to the atmosphere of peace and stability when they reach fruition. Even more important in Israel’s eyes are the political developments at the regional level, which will serve to cement the progress made in the fields of conflict resolution and conflict prevention. Indeed, it has often been said that development - and especially sustainable development - is the best insurance against conflict, and that peace and security are the best backdrop against which to pursue active development policies. The most obvious of those are, without a doubt, the birth of the African Union on the one hand, and the launch of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) on the other hand. Israel cannot agree more with the approach, outlined in the progress report of the Secretary- General, of moving from a culture of reaction to conflict to one of prevention. That change embodies the highest ideals of this Organization, as enshrined in the Charter. Prevention drastically reduces the economic and social costs of conflict and, most important of all, the human costs. That is the ideal upon which this Organization was founded — to save mankind from the scourge of war — and Israel shares the belief that there is no better way to protect our children from the wars of tomorrow than by preventing conflicts today. Similarly, the efforts made in building durable peace and promoting sustainable development are noteworthy. We find it meaningful that the World Summit on Sustainable Development took place on the African continent, thus not only underscoring Africa’s commitment to the principles of sustainable development, but also highlighting the world’s recognition of Africa as an appropriate venue for discussions on that crucial matter. Israel has always considered its relations with Africa to be of highest priority. Since the late 1950s, Israel has sought to build development partnerships with the newly independent States of sub-Saharan Africa. While still a developing nation itself, Israel was determined to share some of the hard-learned lessons of nation-building with others. Grateful for the guidance we had received in our earliest days, we felt that the knowledge and the experience gained were not solely ours, but, rather, were a trust held by Israel to be passed along, as needed. Thus was born Israel’s Centre for International Cooperation (MASHAV), one of the first examples of cooperation between developing nations themselves. Now, almost 50 years later, that cooperation has become a tradition and a commitment rather than a mere experiment. As a result of those beginnings, MASHAV’s activities were always based on the premise that we cannot presume to instruct others on subjects of development; we can only build capacity, especially human capacity, to enable developing countries to apply their understanding to their challenges in a local context. There can be no one right answer for all given situations in every country, be it the empowerment of women, coping with natural disaster or the improvement of food security. The best that can be done is to try to share an approach to problem solving that can then be applied in one or a number of specific contexts. That is the MASHAV philosophy, one that has been working for close to half a century. It is for precisely those reasons that Israel greets the initiative embodied by NEPAD. The NEPAD approach of cooperation at the regional level to maximize the optimal and efficient distribution of limited resources is laudable and, in our opinion, is a great step forward. Furthermore, the expansion of the development process to include stakeholders formerly overlooked or marginalized is paramount. Israel stands ready to take up the challenge presented by Africa in the form of NEPAD; indeed, if that will lead to more effective exploitation of our cooperative efforts, so much the better. We therefore look forward to the fruitful continuation of our longstanding partnership. Israel would like to thank the Secretary-General for the effort invested in the reports, while at the same time congratulating the leaders of Africa on the important steps of self-empowerment taken in the past year. In the Middle East, we consider optimism to be a survival skill; however, I cannot but believe that for all the challenges posed — be they man-made or natural — there is indeed hope if we continue on the path of mutual respect, mutual support and mutual achievement. In this interdependent global village, there can be no artificial distinctions, and so we say: Africa’s future is our future; its successes, as well as its failures, are the successes and failures of the entire international community.

My delegation would first of all like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. Despite their great potential and human resources, African countries continue to face many of the world’s greatest challenges. Development efforts have lagged behind in Africa more than they have in any other region in the world. Conflict, disease, debt, poverty and underdevelopment remain the characteristics of today’s Africa. However, in this age of globalization and interdependence, Africa should have its fair share of the benefits of globalization. My delegation is of the view that the global community should pay serious attention to Africa and should nurture stronger partnership with the region. International focus on Africa is not a new phenomenon. One of the significant initiatives introduced by the United Nations was the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 46/151 of 18 December 1991. It was a package of mutual commitments by African countries and the international community to accelerate the transformation, integration and diversification of African economies, to reduce their vulnerability to external shocks and to enhance their self-reliance. My delegation would like to express its deep appreciation for the work of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Final Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of UN-NADAF and for the report submitted by the Secretary-General on that matter, as well as for the recommendations and proposals for future engagement with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Nonetheless, the result of the final review, according to the Ad Hoc Committee, is far from satisfactory and is less encouraging. Peace and stability are prerequisites for sustainable development in every region of the world. However, Africa’s recent history has not been totally free of civil strife and conflicts. Nevertheless, we are heartened to learn that progress has been made towards restoring peace and stability in some regions of Africa. In that regard, my delegation would like to commend the tireless efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations which have contributed to that progress. We are encouraged by the initiative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), put forward by African leaders at their summit meeting in July 2001. It is a home-grown initiative that will guarantee the future development of Africa. Peace, security, democracy and good governance, improved economic and corporate governance and regional cooperation and integration, affirmed by NEPAD, will surely pave the way for future development in Africa. The reorganization of the Organization of African Unity as the African Union also provides a new dynamism for cooperation among African nations, emphasizing economic integration as a means to achieve greater political unity among African countries. In this respect, my delegation also welcomes the United Nations Declaration on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (resolution 57/2), adopted at the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on 16 September 2002. Africa has many daunting challenges to overcome in order to achieve sustainable development. This has to be done through a comprehensive and multifaceted approach. The major challenges for Africa are the reduction of poverty and hunger and the treatment of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Reducing by half the number of Africans living in poverty by the year 2015, as stipulated by the Millennium Development Goals, requires an average annual rate of economic growth of at least 7 per cent in Africa. However, the performance of African countries during the last decade was far below that target, with an average of only approximately 3 per cent. Africa must spur its economic growth to alleviate poverty and to overcome hunger, which requires considerable resources. However, domestic saving is very low in Africa, and most of the resource requirements rely on external sources such as borrowing, official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment. The recent G-8 meeting in Kananaskis created the hope that the developed countries would provide more ODA to Africa to implement the NEPAD initiative. While it should be welcomed that the industrialized countries have pledged to increase their ODA to $12 billion by the year 2006, half of which will be channelled to Africa, the industrialized countries should also strive to increase their ODA to the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product. Africa, for its part, should make every effort to attract more foreign direct investment by creating a climate conducive to such investments. The issue of debt relief for Africa deserves serious consideration in order to enable the continent to free up resources for economic development and social spending. We welcome the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative of the World Bank for the reduction of African debt. We are also encouraged by the fact that there will be $19 billion in debt reduction for 22 African countries demonstrating sound economic policies and good governance. We call for faster and deeper debt relief to Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, with fewer imposed conditions. My delegation agrees with the assertion that debt relief alone, no matter how generous, cannot guarantee long- term debt sustainability. A durable solution must be based on sound policies, good governance, prudent new borrowing and sound debt management by HIPC, as well as responsible financing by creditors. One of the greatest challenges confronting Africa today is the threat of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Seventy per cent of the cases of HIV infection occur in Africa, and the disease has taken a toll of 2.2 million lives there in 2001 alone. This has not only seriously affected labour productivity and life expectancy but also had enormous economic and social consequences. My delegation is heartened to know that all key organizations of the United Nations system are now mainstreaming the issue of HIV/AIDS into their projects and programmes in Africa and that the World Bank has recently allocated $1 billion for multi- country HIV/AIDS programmes for Africa, especially for sub-Saharan Africa. The Secretary-General’s creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS is also a laudable initiative. Raising the Fund to the target level of $7 billion to $10 billion per year would greatly help combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, especially in the sub- Saharan region. The future direction of development in Africa has been clearly outlined in NEPAD, which is an initiative led, owned and managed by Africans. Although the primary responsibility for the implementation of NEPAD lies with the African countries concerned, its success depends on the fostering of a concerted and coherent response to the initiative by the global community, including international and regional organizations, civil society and the private sector. In conclusion, my delegation would like to express its full support for Africa’s effort to establish greater peace and stability and to bring about sustainable growth and development through their own initiative.

The joint consideration of these two items enables us to evaluate from a global perspective the results of the international community’s assistance to Africa so that the continent can achieve sustainable socio-economic growth and development and alleviate the impact that internal and international conflicts have had on countries in trying to achieve those goals. The priority goals of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) were to promote the comprehensive transformation, diversification and accelerated growth of African economies in order to strengthen them and to integrate them into the world economy, as well as to promote human development and to increase productive employment. The programme reflected the commitments and responsibilities of both Africa and the international community, based on the recognition that the development of Africa is the fundamental responsibility of Africans themselves. In order to achieve those objectives, the international community committed itself to providing total and tangible support during the implementation decade and noted that the continent’s gross domestic product required an annual growth rate of at least 6 per cent to attain sustainable economic growth. Nevertheless, as is pointed out in the report on the independent evaluation of the programme, during a large part of the decade the growth rate was only 3 per cent — in other words, far lower than the rate needed to achieve its objective of poverty alleviation. This insufficient growth can be explained by the failure to materialize of the promised international assistance; increased dependency on basic commodities; the low level of trade between African countries; declining participation of exports in global trade; inability to take advantage of market-access concessions in any significant way; and a growing dependency on assistance and on debt financing as a result of the steady drop in export income. Despite these hard facts, Africa reaffirmed its confidence in the international community. Last September the General Assembly held a plenary high- level session to consider how the United Nations system could assist the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). In order for NEPAD to reach its objectives and to achieve better results than did prior initiatives, it needs the support and backup of the international community as a whole — not just through words or mere expressions of solidarity, but rather by entering into a partnership with Africa in order that it might realize its development objectives. African leaders designed NEPAD on the basis of a common vision and of the very sound and shared conviction that it is their urgent duty to eradicate poverty and lead their countries, both individually and collectively, towards sustainable growth and development and to participate actively in the global economy and in the global political decision-making process. This vision of a strong and united Africa acknowledges the need to build a partnership between Governments and all segments of civil society, including women, young people and the private sector, with a view to promoting solidarity and cohesion. This reflects the determination of Africans to free themselves and the continent from socio-economic underdevelopment and exclusion in the context of globalization. This is to be achieved through democracy, good governance and respect for human rights, with peace, security and stability seen as prerequisites for achieving its development and integration in the global economy. The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the International Conference on Financing for Development at Monterrey last March, proposed the creation of an international humanitarian fund. Recently, during the celebration of World Food Day, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, he reiterated the need for such a fund, which would be financed by 10 per cent of the external debt of the developing world; 10 percent of military expenditures; a percentage of the resources confiscated from drug traffickers and international organized crime; and by resources stemming from a tax on international speculative capital movements. The resources provided by such a fund could save many human lives and help many people in Africa emerge from poverty. From this rostrum, and on behalf of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, we reiterate the need to create such an international humanitarian fund. Such an instrument would contribute to putting an end to the causes of conflict as well as to promoting durable peace and sustainable development in Africa and in the other regions of the world that are in such need of it.

It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this important discussion under the stewardship of President Jan Kavan. Let me thank the Secretary-General for his report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, as well as his report on the final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s and that on the implementation of the Programme for the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa. Africa is a vast and varied continent. The sources of conflict in Africa reflect this diversity and complexity. The causes range from historical legacies and internal power struggles to economic motives. Similarly, Africa remains among the poorest regions in the world. Its poverty is further exacerbated by the unsustainable levels of its external debt burden, the deteriorating terms of trade, declining official development assistance, falling commodity prices, increasing protectionism in developed countries, and the negative effects of structural adjustment programmes. Many initiatives have been taken by the United Nations to address the issues of peace and security as well as the various dimensions of economic and social development in Africa. Some success has been achieved, but the overall situation of the African continent has not improved over the last two decades. Poverty, disease, famine, lack of human- resource development, the external debt burden, and conflict and strife remain the major obstacles to the development of Africa. Africa faces enormous challenges. Africa alone — in fact, no region or nation alone— can face such challenges. The international community must therefore lend its full support to regional and national efforts to achieve the twin goals of peace and development in the African region. Africa needs to be supported in the process of addressing the root causes of conflicts. This requires a concerted international effort at two levels. In the first instance, there is a need to focus on the underlying political and security aspects of the instability prevailing in that continent. In parallel, the economic and social problems afflicting parts of Africa need to be tackled through a comprehensive assistance programme with adequate resources. Conflict prevention is important, but is not a sufficient condition for the establishment of durable peace. Mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter, should be activated to address the root causes of conflicts, including the resolution of festering disputes. Development assistance to Africa is a prerequisite for the success of any development effort there. But assistance loses its value if it is motivated by conditionalities or political returns. Neither peace nor development should be held to ransom. Without enhanced official development assistance, increased investment, a durable solution to the external debt burden, market access for products and services from the African region and integration of the African countries into the global economy, efforts to achieve the goals of durable peace and sustainable development are not likely to make any headway. In order to achieve international development goals in Africa, the economic and social development indicators of African countries have to be improved. Cognizant of their own responsibilities, the African countries have developed an integrated and comprehensive framework for Africa’ s development. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) offers hope. It sets out a broad vision of Africa’ s future, outlines a strategy for achieving that vision and spells out a Programme of Action focused on a number of key priority areas. Many elements of NEPAD, such as those relating to peace and security, poverty alleviation, socio- economic development, governance and infrastructure development, directly correspond to the elements of ongoing United Nations programmes in African countries. We are glad that the Members of the United Nations have pledged their full support to NEPAD. We hope that the United Nations will also play a tangible role in support of NEPAD. My delegation would like to emphasize that the international community’s commitment to NEPAD and the promotion of peace and prosperity in Africa will be judged by its success in translating rhetoric into reality. We should not be found wanting in generating the necessary political will to turn words into deeds. In the high-level debate held on 16 September, Pakistan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs pledged our full support to NEPAD. My delegation would like to reiterate our support, not only to NEPAD, but also to other similar initiatives aimed at restoring peace and development in Africa. We believe, however, that the international community needs to complement those African initiatives, first of all by ensuring enhanced and guaranteed access by African countries to the markets of developed countries. Secondly, there should be accelerated and increased debt relief to the poor African countries, including outright debt cancellation. The conversion of all remaining official debt of the poorest African countries into grants needs to be given serious consideration. Thirdly, Africa’s agricultural performance and food security should be improved. Africa should be provided with the requisite technologies and resources to ensure its development. Fourthly, investment should be increased in Africa’s human resources. Finally, financial resources should be effectively mobilized. Africa will require an additional $20 billion to $30 billion a year to effectively reduce the problem of poverty. The goals of NEPAD cannot be achieved unless we ensure sufficient resource flows to Africa. For its part, Pakistan has consistently supported the political and economic aspirations of Africa. We are proud of our participation in several United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa. Our military and civilian personnel have been part of United Nations operations in Somalia, Namibia, Liberia, Western Sahara and, recently, Sierra Leone. Pakistan will continue to lend moral and material support to African countries. Our technical assistance programme for Africa is an ongoing process of training young professionals in diverse fields.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on items 33 and 41. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda items 33 and 41. The meeting rose at 5.35 p.m.