A/66/PV.32 General Assembly

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote. The positions of delegations regarding the recommendation of the Fifth Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records. May I remind members that, under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the General Assembly agreed that when the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, either in the Committee or in the plenary meeting, unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee. May I also remind delegations that, also in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes. Before we take action on the recommendation contained in the report, I should like to inform representatives that we are going to proceed to take a decision in the same manner as in the Fifth Committee. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. The Committee adopted the draft resolution, entitled “Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations: requests under Article 19 of the Charter”, without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 138.

I have the privilege to address the General Assembly on behalf of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Since this is the first time for ASEAN as a group to deliver its statement in the plenary at this session, I wish to offer on ASEAN’s behalf our congratulations through you, Sir, to Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his assumption of the presidency of the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. We are committed to supporting and cooperating with the presidency during this session in order to ensure its successful conclusion. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive reports under agenda items 63 (A/66/202 and A/66/214) and 13 (A/66/169). Striking events and important changes have taken place all over the world in the last few years. Africa is one of the places where we have witnessed positive shifts, but at the same time difficult humanitarian situations. Although domestic leadership is a key to Africa’s development, the international community plays an important role in supporting their efforts. ASEAN affirms its commitment to continue building synergies and friendship with Africa through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership adopted by all leaders of Asian and African countries in 2005. In conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the adoption of NEPAD, we need to think afresh how resources and creative energies could be better channelled. Let us explore opportunities to build on the progress made in implementing NEPAD projects. More importantly, since people are a country’s most important asset, we should also focus on capacity- building and human resource development in Africa. As emphasized in the Secretary-General’s report, the tenth anniversary of NEPAD should be viewed as a turning point from business as usual towards policy actions and results. Action is vital, considering that one of the distressing facts coinciding with NEPAD’s tenth anniversary is uneven progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), where Africa lags far behind other regions. More can be done to support implementation of the eight MDGs. On trade, although there has been virtually no progress on the conclusion of the Doha Round, ASEAN and NEPAD have a common interest in upholding the primacy of the multilateral trading system. We should continue to renew our commitment to finding solutions for common interests and concerns in this negotiation process. ASEAN views the African Peer Review Mechanism as an innovative instrument for strengthening Africa’s position for advancing good governance and socio-economic development. We are pleased to hear that 30 countries have joined the Mechanism, and we would like to encourage more African countries to join. ASEAN therefore urges strategic partners to lend their support to this process. Our discussion this year is taking place against the backdrop of the devastating impact of climate change, especially in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. It is therefore important that our work in the plenary here contribute to the larger goal of reaching a successful outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban and of the preparation for the Conference on Sustainable Development next year. Climate change also has an impact on health in Africa. The 2001 Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed that with even a small rise in temperature the risk of malaria transmission would be greatly increased. While progress has been made towards meeting the goal of malaria control, and the recorded cases and deaths due to malaria in African countries have fallen by 50 per cent, malaria continues to affect the more vulnerable, and it remains a leading killer of children under five years old. ASEAN and Africa share the same concern on the need to combat malaria. ASEAN urges all countries and development partners to show their political will in fighting this infectious disease. Furthermore, ASEAN supports the recommendations in the global plan for artemisinin resistance containment, not only to increase people’s awareness of this risk but also to preserve artemisinin-based combination therapies as an effective treatment for falciparum malaria. There is also an urgent need to build a human network for infectious disease control through promoting human resources and capacity-building ASEAN believes that in order to achieve stability and security and spur legitimate economic activity it is absolutely vital that the parties concerned take effective and sustained measures against the many challenges they face, including maritime security, drug trafficking, organized crime, youth unemployment and extreme poverty, which are all often mutually reinforcing. ASEAN emphasizes the importance of post- conflict peacebuilding strategies when dealing with countries emerging from conflict in the region. To that end, ASEAN reaffirms its commitment to the role and work of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). In ASEAN’S view, the promotion of the peacebuilding agenda in those countries will contribute not only to the creation of environments conducive to the attainment of durable peace but also to sustainable development in Africa. ASEAN supports all initiatives focusing on enhancing youth employment, as many young people engage in illicit activities because of poverty and unemployment. We believe that the PBC can assist countries to encourage and support home-grown programmes, including on youth employment, vocational training for youth and education. ASEAN also commends the role and work of regional and subregional organizations, such as the African Union, NEPAD and the Economic Community of West African States, in assisting countries in the region, in particular those under the PBC agenda. Finally, ASEAN countries stress the importance for the United Nations, development partners and the international community to continue to strengthen their work and focus on assisting African countries. While we believe inclusiveness is important, we also recognize the need for effective, timely decision- making and implementable results.

On behalf of the African States, I wish to express our gratitude to the Secretary- General for his reports on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), including on progress in implementation and international support (A/66/202) and on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/66/214), and his report on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (A/66/169). We also thank both traditional and new development partners for their support for the NEPAD programmes and projects. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of NEPAD this year, we are all reminded of the need to strengthen governance structures and institutions, deepen the democratic ethos, and reform our investment climate and make it business-friendly in order to increase our collective competitiveness. Enhancing the quality of educational institutions, particularly for higher education, and making them practical is also of the utmost importance. The African Group expects that our development partners will renew their political commitment to ensure meaningful support to programmes and projects to meet Africa’s development needs. The Group is of the opinion that an enabling international environment is indispensable. Our priorities are many, but the most urgent ones include industrialization, infrastructure development, agricultural transformation and the building of human capital, as well as, of course, the fundamental aspects related to trade, which include market access and the development of a modern service infrastructure. Partnerships with both traditional and new development partners should therefore seek to integrate Africa into the global economy through industrialization, diversification, infrastructure and human capital development. Furthermore, a development reorientation from the export of primary products to manufactured or processed goods is urgent and must be pursued. NEPAD recognizes the critical role of the private sector, both domestic and foreign- owned, as the continent’s engine of economic growth. Africa continues to be plagued by long-term and, in some cases, interrelated crises, including violent conflicts that have caused immense human suffering. In the light of the serious implications of conflict for several aspects of the development of Africa, initiatives from peacebuilding to post-conflict reconstruction and development have been launched throughout the continent. A central theme in the African Union/NEPAD agenda is bringing together the issues of peace and security, governance and constitutionalism, economic development, and international partnerships — and the way those partnerships drive governance and economic development. African countries will continue to pay special attention to those matters. Trade is an important tool for economic growth and development. However, Africa’s share of global trade remains negligible. Africa accounts for only 3 per cent of world trade, while its share in global manufactured exports is close to zero. The African Group has put in place measures aimed at increasing the volume of intraregional trade throughout the continent through regional blocs. On the same note, Africa wants to improve its external trade with all its partners. However, the faltering process in concluding the Doha Round is impeding Africa’s market access to trade. We call on all parties to show flexibility and conclude the trade talks as a matter of urgency. Aid for trade should be further emphasized to improve our supply-side constraints and enhance our participation in international trade. Foreign direct investment flows to Africa should also target labour-intensive infrastructure development projects. They should include transfer of knowledge and technology and should build up the service sector, such as banking, insurance and medicine, and the industrial sector, such as aeronautical and automotive components, information and communications technology, off-shore food processing, et cetera. We urge development partners to take urgent collective actions to fulfil all their aid commitments to Africa, as official development assistance contributes to economic growth in important ways. The continent urges partners to fulfil their commitments to double official development assistance to Africa to support Africa’s development. I also wish to point out that emphasis should shift from aid effectiveness to development effectiveness, to better measure the impact of the resources that have been contributed to Africa. With regard to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Africa has made significant progress. However, the continent remains off-track on the way to achieving some of the MDGs by 2015. Concerns remain with regard to quality education, infant and maternal health, malnutrition, safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Social protection programmes and job creation are required to reduce poverty and contribute to the achievement of the MDGs as well. The role of the NEPAD Agency as a planning unit is to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of regional and continental programmes and the mobilization of resources for the implementation of Africa’s priority programmes and projects. It remains central to the collective manner in which the African Union and Africa will be doing business collectively. The role of the NEPAD Agency in conducting and coordinating research and in knowledge management will create an enabling environment to help Africa achieve the food security, agricultural development and infrastructure expansion — all, we hope, in the next 5 to 10 years. In that regard, the African Group looks forward to constructive engagements during the forthcoming informal consultations on the need to establish a monitoring mechanism to follow up on all commitments related to Africa’s development needs. With the mechanism in place, the Group hopes that commitments by both African Governments and their development partners will be reviewed and enhanced, possibly by the beginning of the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Malaria infects over 170 million Africans each year, crippling economic growth and undermining the growth of gross domestic product (GDP), to the tune of a 2 per cent loss in growth every year. In the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) heads of State and Government are determined to remove that debilitating impediment to progress once and for all. As members of the African Union and of ALMA, heads of State and Government pledged to end the scourge of malaria. Those efforts have the potential to bear fruit and save at least $12 billion per annum in direct costs, freeing up much needed resources for implementation, service delivery and acceleration of development. It is encouraging to know that in high-burden African countries that have achieved high rates in providing their populations with insecticide-treated nets and treatment programmes, recorded cases and deaths due to malaria have fallen by 50 per cent. This has greatly supported the achievement of MDG 6 and has helped to reverse the incidence of malaria throughout the continent. In addition, the findings that the lives of more than 750 million children across 34 malaria-endemic African countries have been saved through vector control have been very encouraging. In conclusion, I wish to state that the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development — the Rio+20 Summit — to be held in June next year in Brazil constitutes an important opportunity to reaffirm and renew political commitment to implement previous decisions and undertakings in accordance with the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and all of the relevant outcomes of the major conferences and summits on sustainable development. The Conference must therefore aim to achieve substantive progress on its objectives and themes. In that regard, the African Group is committed to working with all partners and stakeholders to take forward the needed action to ensure the success of the Conference. Accordingly, the continent is already holding consultative meetings in line with the Malabo Declaration adopted by the heads of State and Government of the African Union in June. We will work towards the formulation of a common position during the forthcoming Africa regional preparatory conference on Rio+20, scheduled to take place at the African Union headquarters in October. The African Group wishes to reiterate that the objectives and themes of the Conference are mutually supportive and must be pursued in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

In today’s debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), I have the honour, on behalf of the member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to renew our solidarity and partnership in the cause of Africa’s progress. I wish to begin by paying tribute on behalf of our Community to the life and memory of a distinguished daughter of Africa: the noted environmentalist, women’s activist and Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai of Kenya, whose passing is a loss not only to her native home, but to Africa and to the world. Ms. Wangari served the cause of peace and sustainable development as a champion for the downtrodden. CARICOM also extends sincere congratulations to the three joint recipients of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, two of them from Africa: Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia, her compatriot Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. They have distinguished themselves as a potent force for change in the face of towering odds. We hope that women everywhere will take courage and inspiration from that development. In this tenth anniversary year of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, CARICOM reaffirms its strong support for NEPAD. The New Partnership represents Africa’s blueprint for socio-economic advancement for the benefit of the more than one billion people who call the continent home. CARICOM’s support for NEPAD is based on fundamental respect for Africa’s ownership and leadership of its own development process. The success of NEPAD will contribute to enabling Africans to fulfil the promise of their potential and Africa to assume its rightful place in the global economy. Much has changed on the continent since our last debate on these issues, during the sixty-fifth session (see A/65/PV.30 and A/65/PV.31). We have witnessed momentous developments in North Africa and the Middle East as people have sought to give renewed expression to their quest for higher standards of life in larger freedom. Those developments have doubtless begun to change the face of Africa. The role of youth in that context will be instructive for future policy in Africa, where on average some 60 per cent of the population is under the age of 25. The Secretary- General has therefore rightly called attention to issues pertaining to youth, education and employment on the continent. The past year has also seen the birth of a new African State, the Republic of South Sudan. CARICOM countries welcome the Republic of South Sudan into the community of independent States and offer our support to the South Sudanese people and Government as they embark on building the new Republic. The actions taken so far by the international community in support of that country also enjoy the appreciation of our Community. At the same time, we recognize that several issues remain to be resolved between South Sudan and the Republic of the Sudan. We urge that they be settled peacefully through negotiations. On another front, CARICOM has been deeply troubled by the havoc being wreaked on human life as a result of the devastating famine that has struck the Horn of Africa. A number of our member States have made tangible contributions to the humanitarian response effort. We urge the international community to ensure that life-giving support is extended to all affected populations throughout the region. As the Secretary-General’s report attests, recent developments in Africa point to the promise and the pitfalls that lie ahead for the region. The continent has recorded positive economic growth and an improvement in socio-economic and development indicators. At the same time, the number of people living in extreme poverty has increased. Africa faces the greatest risk in all the developing world of falling short in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and will therefore necessarily remain a key focus for development efforts over the next five years. United Nations efforts in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding also remain critical to Africa’s quest for durable peace and sustainable development. We welcome the focus in this regard on preventive diplomacy. CARICOM supports continued active engagement in these areas so that the spectre of conflict and division will yield to a new paradigm where the vast resources of its many great people will be deployed in service of their welfare and to lay the foundations for enduring progress. The successes recorded in recent years in United Nations peacekeeping in Africa and the emergence of more African countries from conflict are encouraging signs, although recovery in some instances is fragile and the risk of relapse is still very present. These facts underscore the importance of United Nations peacebuilding efforts and the imperative of creating the necessary conditions both inside and outside the continent for those efforts to prosper. In many ways, therefore, Africa represents a beacon of opportunity for international cooperation and partnership. The international community has to stay the course, create a favourable economic environment, honour its commitments and expand opportunities Africa’s trade. Developed countries must fulfil their commitments to Africa. At the same time, South-South cooperation and partnerships are an integral part of the international response and are fundamentally altering the continent’s economic relationships with the rest of the world. The Caribbean Community stands ready as a partner with Africa to advance our mutual objectives in the political, economic, social, environmental and cultural domains. Our two regions face a number of challenges in common, not least in the area of health. The scourge of HIV/AIDS continues to seriously affect our respective populations. This unwelcome reality is nevertheless an opportunity for collaboration and the exchange of experience and best practices. CARICOM is grateful for the support extended by African countries to the CARICOM initiative on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, which resulted in the adoption a Political Declaration (resolution 66/2) at the High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. The Declaration provides a framework for concerted action by the international community on this issue. CARICOM also strongly supports efforts to roll back malaria on the continent and thereby enhance the lives and livelihoods of over 170 million Africans. CARICOM takes note of the progress recorded under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme in the priority areas of agriculture and food security, as well as of the actions taken in respect of the development of infrastructure, transport and energy. The growth of agriculture is critical to Africa’s development prospects. CARICOM strongly supports and encourages the work currently under way to promote an African green revolution with a view to ensuring that Africa will be self-sufficient in food by 2015. We urge the international community to continue and strengthen its support for Africa’s efforts to realize these objectives. The challenge posed by climate change is a test of our common future. Africa will host the seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in November and December. An ambitious and comprehensive global response to the threat posed by climate change is especially urgent for the many countries in Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific and elsewhere that are on the frontlines of this looming catastrophe. We call for an urgent scaling-up of international action to ensure the delivery of credible results when the Conference meets in Durban, South Africa. CARICOM is ever mindful of the complex interrelationships between governance, peace and development. The Caribbean Community promotes and encourages the adherence to democratic principles, good governance, the rule of law and the protection of human rights. We support the ongoing efforts of African countries to improve economic and political governance and to strengthen mechanisms for the participation, inclusion and empowerment of all segments of African society. The instrumental role of the African Peer Review Mechanism in these efforts is worthy of note, as is the support of the Mechanism as reflected by the 30 African countries that have so far subscribed to it. CARICOM also believes that focused efforts must continue to be made to eliminate the combination of internal and external factors that engender conflict and stymie development. The African continent, which served as a cradle of ancient civilization and the birthplace of the Arab Spring, now beckons as a new frontier of human progress. As Africa charts its way forward, the continued support of the international community remains vital to its success. But that success will not be Africa’s alone; the fruits of progress on the continent will inevitably contribute to progress in other parts of the world. CARICOM will continue to stand as a willing partner in the cause of Africa’s progress.

It gives me great pleasure to attend today’s joint debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the promotion of peace and development in Africa, including in its efforts to fight malaria. In the immortal words of India’s first Prime Minister, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, Africa is our sister continent. India’s links with Africa are civilizational; they are anchored in centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean, in the shared struggle against the yoke of colonialism, in our endeavour of post-colonial nation-building, and in our common quest to unshackle our people from the bondage of poverty, disease, hunger, illiteracy and apartheid. We also owe a debt of gratitude to that great continent for being the political birthplace of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who first tested his central precepts of non- violence and peaceful resistance in South Africa. After the adoption of NEPAD, it is befitting to recognize the noteworthy progress made so far in pursuing sectoral priorities in agriculture, infrastructure, health, education, science, information technology and the environment. Nevertheless, this decadal milestone also offers an opportunity for sober reflection on the unfinished tasks ahead in fulfilling the vision of socio-economic growth and sustainable development that was envisaged when the framework was first conceived. Particularly relevant to this discussion is the pivotal contribution of international cooperation to Africa’s development, especially in its efforts to make progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and in surmounting the difficult challenges confronting post-conflict and transitional societies in Africa. As rightly emphasized by the Secretary-General in his report (A/66/202), the international community needs to step up its efforts and bridge the gap between promise and delivery. The shortfall of $18 billion in meeting official development assistance commitments to Africa is a cause for concern. In these times of political uncertainty and fragile transitions in many African countries, it is more crucial than ever for the continent’s development partners to stay the course and help African countries to achieve their development goals. On India’s part, we have together with our African partners, transformed our age-old and special engagement into an enduring and multidimensional relationship. Having been carefully nurtured over successive years, our partnership with Africa today is aligned with the priorities integral to the development goals of Africa and is built on the foundations of mutual equality and common benefit. Sectoral areas of cooperation that have been accorded high priority include infrastructure development, capacity-building, agriculture, health, food security and technical cooperation. Earlier this year, we reaffirmed our abiding commitment to working with our African partners at the Second India-Africa Forum Summit, held in Addis Ababa in May. At the Summit, India announced fresh lines of credit worth $5 billion over the next three years for Africa and an additional $700 million in grant assistance for human resource development, technology transfer and the creation of new institutions and training programmes, in consultation with the African Union, the regional economic communities and our African partners. In keeping with NEPAD’s emphasis on infrastructure development, we have also decided to support the development of the new Ethio-Djibouti Railway in the amount of $300 million. We are also discussing with the African Union how to increase capacity in the development of regional railway structures. Building on the success of the Pan African e-Network project, which shares with all African countries our expertise in the fields of health care, education through satellite, fibre optics and wireless links, we are looking at setting up an India-Africa virtual university. The proposed university will set aside 10,000 new scholarships for African students. In addition, we are going to significantly raise the number of African beneficiaries of our scholarships and training slots, including under our flagship technical and economic assistance initiative, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme. We have committed ourselves to offering more than 22,000 scholarships to African students over the next three years. With a view to encouraging trade and investment flows, there is also a proposal to establish an India- Africa business council. India is already unilaterally making available duty-free and quota-free market access for goods from 34 of the least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa, which covers 94 per cent of India’s total tariff lines and provides preferential market access on tariff lines that comprise 92.5 per cent of the global exports of all the LDCs. India’s private sector has played an increasingly important role in recent years in supporting trade and investment flows. Indian companies have made large investments in African industry, agriculture, services, human resource development and infrastructure. The Indian conglomerate Tata has emerged as the second largest investor in sub-Saharan Africa. New initiatives to establish an India-Africa food processing cluster, an India-Africa integrated textiles cluster, an India-Africa civil aviation academy, an India-Africa centre for medium-range weather forecasting, and an India-Africa institute for agriculture and rural development are all on the anvil. India has also contributed actively in efforts to maintain peace and security on the African continent through our six-decade involvement in United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Our most substantial presence remains in Africa, including in the latest peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Further, India will contribute $2 million to the African Union Mission in Somalia, in line with our consistent support to the development of African capacities in the maintenance of peace and security. We have consistently held the position that the international community must further encourage regional and subregional organizations in Africa to play a more important role both in peacekeeping and in peacebuilding issues within Africa. Before concluding, I would like to speak on the global anti-malaria campaign, particularly in Africa, dealt with in the World Health Organization report transmitted by the Secretary-General (A/66/169). The report emphasizes the need to intensify efforts to reach recently revised and more ambitious targets by 2015. The analysis presented in the report draws on empirical evidence to suggest a strong link between the injection of significant funding and the rise in the number of lives saved as a result of anti-malaria efforts. The fact that funding has stagnated in the past two years is therefore particularly worrisome. We would urge all donors to step up efforts at this critical juncture. India’s own cooperation agenda with Africa includes capacity-building programmes for medical and health specialists to tackle such pandemics as malaria, filariasis, polio, HIV and tuberculosis. India’s private sector has been investing in establishing pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in African countries. We are willing to do more. In conclusion, India’s vision of the twenty-first century sees a great and dynamic role for Africa as an emerging growth pole of the world. We will offer our fullest cooperation to translate this vision into reality. We will take our partnership, founded on mutual solidarity and kinship, from pillar to pillar, to harness the great potential of the more than 2.1 billion Indians and Africans.

Today’s debate on progress in the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and international support for that initiative is important on three counts. It enables us to engage the international community with the celebration of the tenth anniversary of NEPAD. It also allows this universal forum to assess the multidimensional changes that have taken place in Africa since NEPAD began and the launch of its renewal programme. Finally, it is a valuable framework for assessing the contributions of the international community and to give new impetus to the global partnership in support of the dynamic being pursued towards new progress in Africa. We note first that NEPAD was born of the realization that we needed to raise Africa out of its marginalization and that Africans themselves needed to take ownership of the political, economic and social development of the continent. Africa must itself make the main effort in its process of renewal, which will requires a qualitative change in its relationship with the rest of the world, replacing traditional modes of cooperating with a genuine partnership based on reciprocal commitments. That is why, since it was launched, NEPAD has been a credible approach to fomenting change to respond consistently to the interrelated challenges of peace and security, good governance and the optimization of the human and economic potential of Africa. After 10 years of implementation of this multidimensional approach to development, we can now see significant results in three strategic areas. In the area of peace and security, undeniable progress has been made in conflict prevention, settlement and management. That willingness on the part of Africa to strengthen its leadership in the area of peace and security on the continent is opening the way for greater opportunities to solve long-standing conflicts and solve new crises. On the subject of governance, it is widely recognized that democracy is now widespread and that its further entrenchment is making good progress. Likewise, our economies are being increasingly well managed. In the area of human development, significant progress has been made through an increase in public expenditure on education and health care and reforms to improve the quality of and access to education. Particular attention has been paid to agricultural development through increased investment, research and the introduction of techniques developed to increase production of basic foodstuffs, which is vital to food security. All of those factors together have contributed to an average growth rate of 5 per cent over the past decade, for the first time exceeding the rate of population growth. Incidentally, the pace of growth could have been even higher if the international environment had been more favourable, but the global financial, economic, food and climate crises have affected the dynamics of growth and the fight to reduce poverty, compromising our ability to achieve some of the Millennium Development Goals. Allow me to underline that NEPAD has become the reference point for the activities of international partners and institutions that support African development programmes. For their part, the agencies of the United Nations system have integrated the approach and goals of NEPAD into their respective operations. That has undoubtedly contributed to improving the consistency of international cooperation. The dynamic process that Africa has undertaken and the convergence of approaches with its partners have made it possible to develop a promising partnership. We are all aware that the challenges of achieving stability and development and the fight against poverty require even further collective effort to maintain and accelerate the process of African renewal. The priority areas for a strengthened partnership in this new phase are the promotion of investment in job creation, the development of infrastructure networks at the national and regional levels, the facilitation of access to markets for African exports, the diversification of our economies, and regional integration. The excellent report of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on NEPAD (A/66/202) reflects the clear resolve of the United Nations to engage even further and in a more coordinated way in responding to the priorities and needs of Africa and to help it in its drive to spur renewed efforts. The development of Africa, so vital to its peoples, should also be seen as an opportunity for the world economy and as a contribution to the economic and social progress of all of humankind.

At the outset, I should like to extend the thanks of the Republic of Senegal to the President of the Assembly for convening this important debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). This year we celebrate the tenth anniversary of its adoption in July 2001 in Lusaka as a result of combining the Millennium Africa Recovery Plan and the Omega Plan of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. In the same vein, I would like to express my delegation’s appreciation to the Secretary-General for the excellent reports he has prepared, featuring pertinent and useful recommendations for the socio-economic renewal of the African continent. The continent-wide initiative that is NEPAD has always been founded on a concept of development from within and a will for remediation of the institutional and infrastructural disparity between North and South through a partnership of equals that circumvents the constraints of assistance. NEPAD offers a new concept of the nature and focus of the relations Africa should have with the rest of the world. NEPAD’s ambitious programme exhorts Africa to take principle responsibility for its own development, but it also posits actions on the part of the international community to assist our continent in its tireless efforts to free itself from the circumstances of underdevelopment. As the Secretary-General highlights so well in his report (A/66/202), it is clear today that, in the course of NEPAD’s first 10 years, Africa has made significant progress in many respects, especially in quelling hotbeds of tension, restoring economic growth, good governance and democracy, as well as in promoting human rights and gender equality. We must admit, however, that despite the encouraging signs pointed out by the Secretary- General, progress remains slow and difficulties continue to weigh heavily on our continent’s potential. Indeed, in many other areas we find the grim portrait of failure, made bleaker by the recent economic, food, energy and environmental crises, which have kept Africa in intractable difficulties and left it at a crossroads in its quest for development. Even more worrying and dire are the high statistics on poverty, which runs at two-fifths of the African population; on HIV, which has infected more than 20 million people; on malaria, which is rampant on our continent and kills 9 out of 10 of those infected worldwide; and on infant and maternal mortality. Clearly, Africa will have trouble finding its economic wings if we do not mitigate those overwhelming constraints. It is through pledges and funding that the international community can really help Africa’s initiatives. Today, the formulation of the NEPAD sectoral priorities has led to on the launch of several building projects, whose success will require major international support. Of the $64 billion pledged at Gleneagles, Africa has received only $46 billion. At the same time, the pledge to increase by $25 billion the total of official development assistance to Africa has yet to be honoured. That is one illustration, among many others, that show that the international partnerships have been slow in rising to the meet their stated expectations and goals. Of course, as I said earlier, the need for international assistance does not at all relieve every African State of its primary responsibility to set in motion its own development. Senegal commends the Secretary-General’s recommendations that African countries further strengthen mechanisms to ensure the participation, inclusion and involvement of all strata of society in policy and development. The tenth anniversary of NEPAD could represent a turning point in the actualization of its sectoral priorities. Resolve and leadership will be necessary to transform the vision of Africa’s development and international pledges into real results and political action. We agree with the Secretary-General that “the option of ‘business as usual’ should not be an alternative as it would lead to broken promises and further delay the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the implementation of NEPAD”. (A/66/202, p. 2) Senegal also welcomes the decision to integrate NEPAD into the institutional architecture of the African Union Commission via the creation of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency in February 2010. We welcome full discussion of that measure, which assures the increased consistency and effectiveness of our institutional mechanisms. Senegal also welcomes the choice made by NEPAD’s new leadership, along with the African Union Commission, to promote the continent’s development through road and railway infrastructure projects. As the lead engineer of the project to link Dakar and Djibouti, Senegal pledges to ensure the completion this ambitious programme for the economic and political integration of the continent. In the context of the African renaissance, the touchstone of NEPAD, my country appeals to the international community to support initiatives whose implementation will have a more than positive impact on the future of our continent. I refer to the strengthening of the African Peer Review Mechanism, an important lever for promoting good governance, increasing public spending on agriculture to 10 per cent, in accordance with the Maputo Declaration, and protecting the environment with the Great Green Wall, which would cross the Sahel from the Atlantic to Djibouti. These African initiatives deserve the support and assistance of the international community. African development will perforce require stability and lasting peace. In this connection, we welcome the return of Côte d’Ivoire to constitutional order. After a period of great pain, that country is now demonstrating to the world its ability to overcome the past and its attachment to the cardinal principles of democracy, justice and peace that were so dear to the founder of the Ivorian nation, the late President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. My country believes in the genius of the Ivorian people and reiterates its unwavering support for that brotherly country and friend as it embarks on a sensitive phase of its march towards stability, peace and progress. We express the same hope for peace and restored stability with regard to Somalia, Darfur and Madagascar, as well as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. All those countries need the special attention of the United Nations if they are to achieve sustainable peace. Following the events collectively referred to as the Arab Spring, which brought unexpected shocks to the stability of that region of Africa, Senegal reiterates its urgent call for implementation of the reforms that would place our continent on the pedestal of lasting peace. Senegal also wants the United Nations to focus enhanced and reinvigorated attention on the new State of South Sudan, whose arrival on the international scene marked the end of decades of crisis and tension and was the object of numerous mediation efforts, the most decisive of which took place in Eldoret in Kenya. Africa is also facing the challenge of malaria, which is seriously undermining our efforts towards economic recovery. This devastating illness continues to kill thousands of Africans, especially young people, women and children. We recognize the immense sacrifices that have led to increased funding for the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The media continue to portray Africa as the continent most afflicted by economic, financial, environmental, energy and food crises. Africa is home to 32 of the world’s 48 least developed countries. Yet it is struggling and mobilizing with immeasurable determination and self-denial to emerge from the labyrinths of poverty. It faces towering obstacles, both endogenous and exogenous, and will emerge into health only in the context of just and equitable partnership based on truth and sincerity, far from the lofty promises and commitments that are rarely honoured.

My delegation is honoured to participate in today’s debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). We read very closely the report of the Secretary-General (A/66/202) on the progress made in the implementation of and international support for NEPAD. Kuwait attaches great importance to our partnership with Africa and its concerns and interests, given our close and historic ties with its countries. It has been 10 years since the adoption by African countries of NEPAD, which seeks to achieve equitable development on a large scale, to reduce poverty and to enable Africa to become economically integrated into the world economy. We hope that sustainable development, which has repeatedly been emphasized in resolutions adopted at a number of conferences held by African countries, will allow us to establish a fair partnership between developed and developing countries in order to contribute to the stability of economic relations between those nations. We also hope that it will lead to a fair and balanced world trade that will respond to Africa’s special needs. At the high-level panel to evaluate progress made in the implementation of NEPAD, Deputy Secretary- General Asha-Rose Migiro emphasized the slow pace of progress being made on the African continent towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. That reality, I believe, should spur us even further to help Africa overcome the obstacles it faces in making progress towards development. The efforts of African countries to emerge from the vicious cycle of debt and to free up funds for development are among the major challenges that the continent is facing. Some highly indebted countries have benefited from bilateral debt cancellation by donor countries, while the International Monetary Fund has launched an initiative for highly indebted poor countries. Debt cancellation is a positive step to which Kuwait contributed even before the establishment of NEPAD. We call for the alleviation of the debt burden of highly indebted poor African countries, in line with the statement made by the late Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah of Kuwait at the forty-third session of the General Assembly in 1988, in which asked countries to cancel the debt weighing heavily on the economies of developing countries and countries experiencing significant economic difficulties (see A/43/PV.8). In this respect, we stress the comment in the Secretary-General’s report that “efforts to relieve the external debt burden of African countries within the framework of the heavily indebted poor countries… debt initiative, the multilateral debt relief initiative… and at the bilateral level, the amount of debt and debt servicing has been drastically reduced since its peak in the mid-1990s” (A/66/202, para. 54). The total external debt of sub-Saharan countries used to be 73 per cent of gross national product (GNP). That rate was reduced to 25 per cent of GNP by 2010, which has freed up the funds necessary to enable those countries to spend more on initiatives to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Kuwait continues to provide development aid to developing countries, and to African countries in particular, through its public and private institutions. This ongoing policy is based on our belief that supporting the economies of African countries is important to helping them achieve the MDGs, which will ultimately benefit everyone and enable us to improve partnerships and cooperation and to strengthen the international economic and trading systems. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development helps to strengthen a number of African and international development funds, such as the African Development Fund, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and the Special Programme for sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a number of financial institutions that fund African development. Kuwait has spent approximately $500 million on such initiatives. We have also helped to support the provision of basic foodstuffs and of funds to combat HIV/AIDS. In conclusion, let me stress that African countries themselves must strengthen their own efforts in this international initiative. They must reach out to the donor countries and more emphatically raise the awareness of the international community of the need to create a NEPAD that is integrated into Africa’s structures and operations, with the help of the public and private sectors and civil society. A partnership is not a short-term thing; it is an ongoing process, and we commend the pioneering role of international institutions in mobilizing support for this initiative. African countries have made significant efforts to convince the international community that their development should be a priority and that peace and stability are essential to creating that development. It is high time that the international community made meaningful progress in honouring its commitments and began to help African countries to implement a number of specific NEPAD programmes and projects, as well as in guaranteeing the climate of peace that is so essential to development.

I thank the President for convening this debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa. As we mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of NEPAD, and draw closer to the deadlines we have set ourselves for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is essential that we take stock of these issues. I will briefly address each in turn. Australia itself has rapidly expanded its engagement with the countries and institutions of Africa in recent years. We needed to, and we have done so because we recognize Africa’s growing global role and leadership, and the opportunities and dynamism that the continent offers. Our relationship with the African Union and our development cooperation are important parts of this. We have tripled development cooperation with Africa since 2007. We expect it to double again by 2015, in an overall development assistance budget that will also have doubled by then, to around $10 billion. Our development cooperation is focused on supporting African priorities, including those expressed, importantly, through NEPAD, in order to achieve the MDGs. We seek to make a practical contribution in areas where we have expertise and experience: agriculture and food security, maternal and child health, water and sanitation, mining governance and human resource capacity-building. NEPAD helps us, as a growing donor, by setting priorities and helping us coordinate with regional and national initiatives. We welcome the integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union. NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, as an example, has helped Australia focus our food security assistance, coordinating with others and avoiding duplication. I would also like to commend the work of the African Peer Review Mechanism, a product of NEPAD, which is providing Member States with frank analysis of their progress on governance. We should all recognize NEPAD’s achievements; we know that. However, we must also note a few significant challenges as we look forward. These include the dangerous global economic outlook and the stalling of the Doha Round of trade negotiations. Australia will continue to press for an ambitious, comprehensive outcome of Doha that liberalizes trade, including, importantly, agricultural trade. Agricultural trade liberalization, combined with effective aid-for- trade activities in the region, will help Africa trade its way out of poverty. NEPAD can continue to play a useful role in supporting improved intraregional trade, which, although increasing, remains too low. This could include supporting regional integration efforts, such as the rationalization of regional trade agreements. NEPAD could also play an enhanced role in helping attract private sector investment in support of much- needed and essential infrastructure development. When it comes to Africa’s development, it is important that donor countries do what they say they will do, and that they honour their commitments — that we honour our commitments. This is what Australia seeks to do. In this spirit, we look forward to working on the process, to be facilitated by Kenya and Sweden, for establishing a monitoring mechanism to follow up on commitments related to Africa’s development. I now turn briefly to the issue of malaria. I would like to thank the Secretary-General and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the report on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria (A/66/169). Australia acknowledges the impressive global gains made in malaria control. These include saving the lives of almost three-quarters of a million children across 34 malaria-endemic African countries, representing 98 per cent of the at-risk population in Africa. However, much more needs to be done to ensure that MDG 6 and its targets are achieved by 2015. As we have heard, malaria continues to have a serious human and economic impact worldwide, and the vast majority of cases and deaths still, of course, occur in Africa. As the representative of Kenya has just noted, more than 170 million Africans are affected each year. Young children and pregnant women are particularly afflicted. Australia’s own commitment to malaria prevention and control in Africa and other affected regions is demonstrated by our three-year, $210-million commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and our multi-year commitment through the WHO. We also support national malaria programmes in our own immediate region, the Asia-Pacific. Since 2003, for example, Australia has helped reduce malaria cases by 80 per cent in Vanuatu and by more than half in the Solomon Islands. These results show that targeted action by national Governments and their development partners, working very closely together, can achieve significant progress. But, of course, problems remain in this region. We are particularly concerned about the threat posed by the emergence of drug-resistant malaria in the Mekong region in Asia. The cost in terms of lives and economic impact could be significant, particularly if drug-resistant malaria spreads to Africa and the Pacific. Australia, in partnership with the WHO, the Global Fund and others, is commissioning research to inform a multi-donor strategy to address drug-resistant malaria in the Mekong region. The results, of course, will apply beyond. In concluding, I should say that Australia remains very firmly committed to achieving the targets for MDG 6 by 2015, and, ultimately, to contributing to saving the lives of millions by bringing an end to the malaria epidemic worldwide. To do that, we must accelerate global efforts, including through effective partnerships, innovative research and increased financial investment. We are committed to doing so but it is, of course, a collective responsibility.

As the blueprint for development designed by African countries themselves and the programme for economic and social development established by the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) embodies the strong desire of African countries to make joint efforts for common development. With the support of the international community, in recent years NEPAD has gained more substance, improved its mechanisms and set priority areas, such as agriculture and infrastructure, thus playing a positive role in promoting the development and revitalization of Africa. However, owing to factors such as the volatility of the international financial market, the political instability of some areas, frequent natural disasters, rising food prices and the energy shortage, Africa still lags behind other regions of the world in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). On the occasion of NEPAD’s tenth anniversary, the international community should use that opportunity to take stock and to sum up experience. On that basis, it should increase support to Africa to help it make greater strides in implementation so as to promote the stability and prosperity of the continent. First, aid commitments should be effectively honoured. Although the total volume of official development assistance has shown some increase in recent years, it still falls far short of the committed goals and Africa’s actual needs. The 2010 High-level Meeting on the MDGs called on the international community to implement its aid commitments to Africa (see resolution 65/1). The Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries adopted the Istanbul Programme of Action, giving new impetus to efforts for the accelerated attainment of the MDGs in Africa. The international community, in particular developed countries, should effectively honour the commitments made, increase assistance and support to Africa, work to help Africa build capacity for self- development, and make active efforts to create favourable international economic, trade and financial conditions for Africa. Secondly, the ownership of African countries should be respected. In providing help to African countries, the international community should have faith in the wisdom of the Government and people of African countries; respect the ownership and leadership of the recipient countries; respect the development path chosen by African countries themselves based on their national conditions; support them in addressing African affairs by themselves; help Africa maintain and consolidate peace and stability; and provide safeguards for its development. Thirdly, active efforts are needed to tackle the challenge of climate change. Confronted with the multiple challenges posed by climate change, such as frequent floods and droughts, desertification, poor harvests and the degradation of the ecological environment, African countries urgently need to enhance their capacity for adaptation. The international community should understand and support the legitimate concerns and claims of African countries, help them cope with climate change as an integral part of the effort to enhance their capacity for sustainable development, and promote the full and balanced development of Africa in a comprehensive and integrated way. Fourthly, South-South cooperation should be strengthened. Recent years have seen vibrant trade and investment activities among countries of the South and the establishment of new mechanisms and initiatives among developing countries. That has injected new vitality into South-South cooperation and vigorously promoted the economic and social development of Africa. That kind of cooperation should be further strengthened. At the same time, I wish to emphasize that South- South cooperation is a form of mutually beneficial cooperation among developing countries. It is different from North-South cooperation and can only be a supplement to, and not a substitute, for the latter. Fifthly, efforts should be made to achieve durable peace. Recently, Africa has made good progress in conflict prevention, management and settlement and in post-conflict reconstruction. The United Nations system, Member States and regional and subregional organizations should work in coordination and cooperation, focus on the elimination of the causes of conflict in Africa, and strengthen efforts in conflict prevention and peace consolidation. The United Nations should strengthen cooperation with the African Union in peace, security, political and humanitarian areas, and support it and other regional organizations in enhancing their peacekeeping capability. The Peacebuilding Commission should reinforce its partnership with the countries concerned, respect national ownership and address their special needs in terms of reconstruction and social integration in a coordinated way, thus laying a solid foundation for durable peace and sustainable development. China is the largest developing country in the world. Its development remains an arduous and long- term task. In that context, China provides assistance to Africa within the framework of South-South cooperation as part of mutual assistance between developing countries. China’s assistance to Africa dates back to 1956. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, established in 2000, is an important contemporary platform for dialogue between China and African countries and an effective mechanism for pragmatic cooperation. As of the end of 2009, there were 51 African countries that had received assistance from China on a regular basis. In providing assistance to Africa, we have adhered to the principles of equality and mutual benefit, stressing practical results and keeping pace with the times, without attaching any political conditions, with a view to helping African countries build up capacity for self-development. We have thus created a unique form of South-South cooperation. China has always attached importance to and supported NEPAD. The priority areas of China-Africa cooperation are largely consistent with NEPAD’s priority areas of agriculture, infrastructure, construction and human resources development. China- Africa cooperation has made and will continue to make positive contributions to the implementation of NEPAD. As an active response to the call to roll back malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, China undertook effective cooperation with African countries in combating malaria. Over the past three years, China has built 30 malaria prevention and treatment centres in African countries and provided artemisinin anti-malaria medicines worth ¥190 million, or about $30 million, contributing in no small measure to the implementation of the Global Malaria Action Plan. There is a saying in Chinese that just as distance will test a horse’s strength, so will time reveal a person’s heart. Going forward, whatever the future vicissitudes in the world situation may be, the friendship of the Chinese people for the African people will remain the same, and our determination to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with Africa and achieve common development will endure. China will as always support the implementation of NEPAD to help Africa realize its tremendous potential and enable the African people to truly benefit from global economic and social development.

Sierra Leone fully associates itself with the statements made by the representatives of Kenya and Argentina on behalf of the African Group and the Group of 77 and China, respectively. We join other delegations in thanking the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and forward- looking reports. My delegation further expresses its appreciation to the Special Adviser on Africa, Under- Secretary-General Cheick Sidi Diarra, and his dedicated team for their advisory and advocacy work in promoting Africa’s development agenda. We are reviewing reports on the progress of implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (A/66/202), 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/66/214) and Decade to Roll Back Malaria (A/66/169), at a very crucial and challenging moment in global peace and security as well as the global economic architecture. The tenth anniversary of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) provides an opportunity for deeper reflection on the success and challenges in actualizing Africa’s transformation agenda and how to leverage the various opportunities to advance sustainable development in Africa. Clearly, the entire global community is grappling with the deepening effect of an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, which undoubtedly is having a much graver impact on the developing world. In particular, the least developed countries, most of which are in Africa, remain challenged by the task of attaining internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by the target date of 2015. Despite the gloom, there are visible prospects on the horizon. With the support of the international community, significant progress has been made in fostering the objectives of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. With accelerated growth over the past decade, improvement in governance, the spectre of conflict receding and improvement in leadership, it is clear that Africa is at a critical turning point. Steady progress has also been recorded in malaria control and prevention mechanisms, with many households sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets. As a further commitment, some African Heads of State, including the President of Sierra Leone, have committed to achieving the Secretary-General’s goal of ensuring universal access to malaria control interventions and launched the African Leaders Malaria Alliance with the goal of ending preventable malaria deaths by 2015. The integration of NEPAD into the African Union is a milestone in advancing the socio-economic transformation agenda of the continent. It provides a window for strategic partnership to explore areas of cooperation to address such global challenges as the debt issue, climate change, trade and regional integration and sustainable development. We are encouraged by the ongoing implementation of NEPAD projects ranging from the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, infrastructure, the environment, gender mainstreaming, education and training in information and communication technologies. At the level of governance, advances in the implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism have demonstrated the continent’s resolve and commitment in promoting democracy, good governance, peace and stability in the continent. Worthy of note and commendation is its system of early warning of impending threats to peace and stability in Africa. In order to build on these gains and further strengthen our development strides, it is in the best interest of the African countries to increase domestic savings and lessen dependence on foreign aid. In that regard, foreign direct investment aimed at creating public-private partnerships and a vibrant private sector remains a viable option in addressing unemployment and underemployment, as well as in promoting socio-economic development. Among the key strategic issues, it is important to support continental resource mobilization and public-private partnerships to finance the implementation of NEPAD. African Governments and national and regional institutions, including the regional economic communities, need strengthened development roles to support the promotion of intra-Africa trade and other key objectives. In that regard, my delegation calls upon the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency to focus the next decade on implementation aimed at improving Africa’s global standing and on improving the linkages with the continent’s regional economic communities. The decision taken at the fourteenth African Union Assembly in February 2010 to integrate NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union added further impetus to the role of NEPAD as the continent’s flagship development programme. The establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency as both a technical body of the African Union to replace the NEPAD secretariat and as the main institutional vehicle to deliver NEPAD’s vision and agenda was also a significant milestone. On our part as a country, despite the present food and economic crises, Sierra Leone has made tremendous progress in implementing its agenda for change which is aligned with the Joint Vision of the United Nations Family for Sierra Leone. That development and the peacebuilding framework have set clear priorities targeting the drivers of growth and necessary conditions for human development in key areas such as energy, agriculture, infrastructure, health, youth unemployment and education. The strategies for delivering those priorities include, among other things, improving public service capacities and enhancing public and private sector partnerships and our domestic financial system. In that regard, we are intensifying our cooperation in the context of triangular and South- South cooperation. There is an increasing awareness that the responsibility for peace and security in Africa, including the capacity to address the root causes of conflict and to resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner, lies primarily with African countries themselves. The African Union and the subregional organizations have undertaken to strengthen their capacity in conflict prevention and resolution. They are also taking the lead in peacekeeping operations on the continent. The peaceful independence referendum in Southern Sudan, the adoption of a new Constitution in Kenya, the transition of Guinea and Niger from military to civilian rule, resolving the post-elections crisis in Ivory Coast, responding to the humanitarian situation caused by drought in the Horn of Africa, actively seeking a peaceful resolution to the uprisings in some parts of North Africa, and the peacekeeping efforts in Darfur and Somalia are clear indications of the continent’s preparedness to rise to the occasion, with the much-needed support of the international community and the United Nations. While these efforts are ongoing, we are also witnessing a new wave of challenges involving violent protests and uprisings, transnational organized crime and narcotic drug trafficking, piracy and issues of governance, human rights and corruption. Furthermore, while the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger remains the main development challenge, most African countries are also grappling with the problems of the youth bulge and unemployment, climate change and inadequate productive capacity. Those challenges frustrate efforts by African countries to achieve the MDGs. Coordinated partnerships must therefore be forged to strengthen capacities to respond to crises and security threats associated with the above challenges, particularly in conflict and post-conflict countries, for such partnerships remain vital in ensuring durable peace. In this connection my delegation commends the comprehensive review, requested in 2010, of the implementation of the 1998 recommendations of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, in the light of new and emerging issues affecting human security in Africa. My delegation notes the policy proposals and recommendations in that report of the Secretary- General (A/66/214). The Doha Round remains stalled. Various international commitments, including those made at Monterrey and Gleneagles, are yet to be fulfilled. Slower progress is recorded in addressing poverty reduction, unemployment, environmental sustainability and most health-related goals. Moreover, factors such as the additional burden imposed by the adverse impact of the global financial, food and energy crises, climate change and weak employment growth on the continent have constrained achievement of the MDGs. We therefore call upon our partners to intensify their efforts. First, distorting trade barriers must be eliminated by promoting and facilitating market access to developing countries, especially the least developed countries. Secondly, we ask them to deliver on their commitment to achieve the official development assistance target of between 0.15 and 0.7 per cent for the developing and least developed countries, respectively. Thirdly, the unsustainable debt burden of heavily indebted poor countries must be addressed. In conclusion, allow me to reiterate Sierra Leone’s commitment to furthering the objectives of NEPAD: the promotion of good governance, sustainable peace and development on the continent.

At the outset, I wish to express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his reports on the progress achieved in the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) (A/66/202), on the implementation of the recommendations in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/66/214), and on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (A/66/169). I wish to align myself with the statement made earlier by the representative of Kenya on behalf of the African Group. The adoption of NEPAD, 10 years ago, embodied Africa’s common resolve to address the dual scourges of poverty and marginalization that have characterized our continent for decades, and to do so through an African-owned common vision and action plan that was rightly based on our needs and priorities. That vision was based on accountability and regional complementarity. As a founding member of the NEPAD initiative, Egypt is proud of the major strides the African countries have made over the past decade in the main thematic areas of the NEPAD agenda, particularly in agriculture and food security, regional integration, infrastructure, human development, information and communication technology, the empowerment of women and capacity-building. By the same token, the establishment and operationalization of the African Peer Review Mechanism — which includes 30 countries and represents more than 75 per cent of the total African population — is another manifestation of Africa’s commitment to promote good governance and respect for human rights and democratic values, which go hand in hand with other achievements in the developmental fields. Our commemoration of the tenth anniversary of NEPAD provides an important opportunity to reflect not only on the achievements of NEPAD but also on the challenges facing us and how to address them. In this regard, Egypt believes that in order to consolidate the progress made towards achieving NEPAD’s main objectives — reducing poverty, putting Africa on a sustainable development path, increasing Africa’s integration into the world economy and empowering women — African Governments and their development partners must step up their efforts in a way that leads to stronger partnerships and continued economic growth in the interest of all sectors of society. Achieving NEPAD objectives undoubtedly requires fairer trade terms for Africa, alleviating the debt burden, increasing foreign direct investment inflows to Africa and addressing the marginalization of the continent in international economic decision- making processes. Africa’s development partners must also fully meet the official development assistance and other aid commitments they have made in various forums, including the Group of Eight Gleneagles Summit, the General Assembly in the political declaration on Africa’s development needs (resolution 63/1), the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, and the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries — the majority of which are African countries. In this context, we look forward to the consultations on the establishment of a review mechanism to follow up on all commitments related to the development of Africa in order to make such a mechanism operational by the end of the Assembly’s sixty-sixth session, as agreed in resolution 65/284. In the same vein, Egypt attaches great importance to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and stresses that its outcome should fully take into consideration the enormous developmental challenges faced by Africa. Over the past months, Africa has experienced profound changes that we believe are evidence that we are on the right path towards freedom, democracy and social justice. The democratic change in Côte d’Ivoire, the changes moving towards freedom and respect for human rights in North Africa, the transition in Guinea and Niger, and most recently the peaceful transfer of power in Zambia are manifestations of our continent’s commitment to fulfil its obligations regardless of the many challenges it faces. However, if our continent is to continue on this path with resolve and persistence, more concerted national, regional and global efforts must be directed towards addressing the multiple and interlinked challenges that still exist in Africa. These include intra-State conflicts, social exclusion, unconstitutional changes of Governments, election-related violence, illegal exploitation of natural resources, terrorism, piracy, food security, climate change, and illicit trafficking in small arms, light weapons and drugs. As the interlinkage between security, development and respect for human rights has become the fundamental basis for the work of the United Nations, Egypt concurs with the Secretary-General that there is a need to refocus existing development strategies in order to establish stronger institutional frameworks that can better tackle the interconnected challenges of peace and development. In particular, more attention must be given to the problems faced by the youth, who are the leading force of social dynamism and development in our continent. Egypt underlines the need for all stakeholders to adopt a comprehensive approach that focuses all their existing tools in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding on addressing the causes of conflicts, including the socio-economic engines of those conflicts. In this context, Egypt commends the increasing partnership between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, which has proven to be of significant importance in addressing many challenges to peace and security in Africa, particularly in Somalia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Niger. Egypt believes that the establishment of the United Nations Office to the African Union will positively impact AU-United Nations cooperation in all areas of peace, security and development. The international community took considerable steps during the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa, that resulted in the successful elimination of the disease in nearly half of malaria-infected countries. In addition, tangible reductions in the infection rate were achieved in a number of other countries as a result of the programmes implemented in cooperation with the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector. As a result of the increase in available funding for such programmes in Africa, access to prevention and treatment was improved for nearly two thirds of Africans. However, the continuing proliferation of the disease in many countries reaffirms the need to continue support and to ensure the sustainability of funding so that the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved by 2015, especially Millennium Development Goal 6 and especially in Africa, where the risk of infection is the highest in the world. The eradication of malaria requires a comprehensive approach in which the implementation of national prevention and treatment programmes is complemented with successful, sustainable development efforts. This is particularly true with regard to revamping the infrastructure of the economic, educational and health sectors of African countries. This would lead to early detection of and treatment for diseases. We must spread awareness and prepare trained personnel, and that cannot be financed by the African countries alone. Egypt reaffirms the vital role played by regional organizations and initiatives in this connection and the need for access to the required assistance. In particular, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance initiative has helped sustain the national efforts of African Governments, particularly as regards mobilizing international support for the implementation of prevention and treatment programmes and promoting preventive measures to combat the spread of malaria. The success of efforts to combat malaria is directly linked to the need to resolve the trade-related problems connected to the intellectual property rights of existing malaria detection means and medications. The international community has a responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of the efforts to eliminate malaria and thwart the risk of its continued proliferation in order to realize Millennium Development Goal 6 by 2015.

This year, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which is the blueprint for the socio-economic development of Africa’s 1 billion people and a vision for Africa’s renewal, with the primary objective of eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable growth and development. When taking stock of the level and rate of success of cooperation within NEPAD, there is no doubt that it has made an important contribution to accelerating the pace of development in African countries. However, the success of NEPAD is threatened by the ongoing financial and economic crisis, the energy crisis, the food security crisis and the challenges of climate change. Africa currently faces a humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, which because of drought is experiencing the most severe food crisis in the world today. Most African countries remain off track in terms of achieving Millennium Development Goal 1, on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, due to the food security crisis. In Africa, agriculture is the primary source of food. The African leaders have established the NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which is a framework for agricultural development. The African leaders have committed to raising the share of their national budget allocated to agriculture to 10 per cent and, through CAADP, have called for annual agricultural growth rates of 6 per cent. The international community needs, therefore, to support these efforts by the African leaders by delivering on their commitments, under the 2009 L’Aquila Joint Statement on Global Food Security, to mobilize $20 billion over three years for agricultural development, and those made at the 2009 World Summit on Food Security to increase aid substantially so that Africa can attain the objectives contained in the CAADP. Africa has increasingly emphasized the importance of infrastructure for both economic growth and social development. In this context, the African Governments have made commitments in energy, transport, water and information and communications technology under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa to strengthen national planning frameworks and reform the regulatory environment to improve the efficiency of existing infrastructure. His Excellency the President of the Republic South Africa, Jacob Zuma, has been elected to lead this infrastructure development programme. South Africa is doing its best for the African continent to achieve improved access to integrated regional and continental infrastructure networks and services. South Africa calls for more investment in agriculture and infrastructure on the continent. We also call for strengthening the role of the United Nations system in supporting NEPAD cooperation. It is vital, as we do so, that the international community come on board so as to enhance the NEPAD vision for Africa’s development. The world has made remarkable progress in the fight against malaria. Statistics indicate that globally, malaria deaths have dropped greatly. However, much more still needs to be done, especially on our continent, Africa, where malaria is affecting many young children and pregnant women. Over 90 per cent of deaths occur in Africa. Moreover, the economic impact on the continent is huge, as an estimated $12 billion in productivity is lost annually. We commend the work done by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to coordinate global action against malaria. A number of new agencies end initiatives have contributed immensely to the fight against malaria, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States President’s Malaria Initiative, the World Bank Booster Programme for Malaria in Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Drug Purchase Facility, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria. We need to develop more such alliances to conquer the scourge of malaria. We should further strengthen private and public sector partnerships and not leave civil society behind in our endeavours. Some of the most important partnerships are those between neighbouring countries. In the Southern African region, there are a few cross-border initiatives that have been very successful. In the Lubombo Initiative, a cross-border partnership between Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa, malaria incidence rates have dropped by 85 to 90 per cent, with the number of deaths reduced by 90 per cent. In the MOZIZA Project, a partnership between Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, a significant reduction in malaria cases has been realized for the period 2000-2010 by using indoor residual spraying with DDT as the main strategy. So far, DDT has been found to be the most effective agent in the control of the malaria vector. Countries in the Southern African region that adopted the use of DDT in indoor residual spraying have significantly reduced the number of malaria cases by up to 80 per cent; four of them have reached the pre-elimination stage. Vector control is vital for the African region to deal effectively with malaria. Other strategies that can help advance the success of malaria control include investment in new technologies, such as rapid diagnostic kits, long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, and effective anti-malaria drugs such as vaccines, all made available at affordable cost. Some countries have done well by taking additional measures, such as waiving taxes and tariffs for the products needed for malaria control. Working together, we can achieve our goal of eliminating malaria by 2015, so that all our people can enjoy the high standard of physical and mental health that they deserve. We can do this successfully through increased access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Russia has consistently called for greater involvement by the United Nations in addressing the challenges facing Africa. We firmly believe that without the active, full-fledged engagement of African countries in international affairs it will be impossible to launch fruitful cooperation on a global scale and to establish an integral and stable global security system based on the supremacy of international law. In order to make this a reality, we need first to overcome the most acute problems that prevent the normal economic and social development of the African continent, namely, poverty, famine and disease. We call for a comprehensive and integrated approach to a solution, and for an effective global partnership to achieve these goals based on a combination of international support with efficient measures by Africans themselves. In recent years, African countries have started to take a more active part in global political, economic and humanitarian processes. They play a notable role in the United Nations and other multilateral forums, making significant contributions to the development of coordinated approaches to resolving key contemporary problems. Africa has confidently embarked on a path towards broad-based transformation and modernization. Much has been done to speed up growth rates and strengthen political, economic and cultural unity. We call for more active and coordinated efforts on the part of Governments, international financial institutions, the business community and non-governmental organizations to ensure the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals on schedule. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), an initiative of the African Union that represents the aspirations of the countries of that continent to determine their future independently and assume basic responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security, economic governance, the sustainable use of natural resources, the fight against corruption and the effective use of development assistance. Russia regards NEPAD as an essential benchmark and instrument for ensuring the sustainable development of Africa and actively participates in coordinated efforts to provide comprehensive assistance both bilaterally and within the framework of existing international mechanisms, including the Group of Eight Africa Action Plan. One of the major areas of Russia’s assistance to Africa is the alleviation of the debt burden of countries of that region. As of late 2010, Russia has written off African debt in the amount of $20 billion. We are presently holding consultations with a number of African countries on signing inter-Governmental agreements to use that forgiven debt to finance development projects. The estimated total remaining debt to be cancelled is over $500 million. By the end of 2011, Russia will contribute $50 million to the World Bank Trust Fund to support vulnerable countries, first and foremost in sub-Saharan Africa. Russian humanitarian aid to the countries of the region totalled $6 million in 2010. African countries enjoy broad trade preferences. Traditional export products of the least developed countries, most of which are in Africa, have been exempted from import customs duties in Russia. We also provide substantial assistance to African countries in the form of professional training. Currently, more than 4,500 Africans are studying in Russian universities. Approximately 50 per cent of them are on federal budget scholarships. In the 2010-2011 academic year, the quota of Government scholarships for Africa was increased. From 2008 to 2012, we will have allocated $42.9 million to the World Bank programme to improve the quality of basic education in developing countries, including in Africa. Substantial assistance is provided to African countries in the area of public health. The total amount of our voluntary contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria reached $40 million. By the end of 2011, we will have contributed $20 million towards the implementation of the World Bank programme to combat malaria, and an additional $18 million to the World Health Organization for the elimination of polio in Africa. In 2010-2011, Russia continues to participate in supporting the budget of the Secretariat of the Africa Partnership Forum in the amount of $200,000 annually. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia makes a significant contribution to the elaboration of strategic policy and practical measures for the international community to strengthen peace and security in the region. We participate in many United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa. We have significantly expanded our training programmes for African peacekeepers and law enforcement officers. We believe that a key factor in ensuring a prosperous future for the African continent is the prevention and resolution of armed conflict. We note with satisfaction the active work of the African Union to create an African standby force and an early warning system for conflicts. We welcome the open dialogue between the United Nations Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union on the resolution of acute crisis situations. Those positive developments clearly require additional support. A more durable peace on the continent requires active involvement on the part of Africans. Measures need to be taken to combat illicit armed factions, to strengthen good neighbourly relations and to expand cooperation in order to ensure border security. Borders should be strengthened to prevent the spillover of conflicts and the infiltration of weapons and mercenaries, as well as to suppress mass violations of international human rights law and impunity for crimes against humanity. Russia provides consistent political support to the relevant efforts by the African community and is prepared to further assist in strengthening Africa’s crisis prevention capacity. We are certain that all impediments to the transformation of Africa into a continent of security and stability and sustainable development can be overcome on the solid basis of international law, African unity and the solidarity of the friends of Africa with African nations. Naturally, Russia considers itself a friend of Africa.

The great Rabbi Hillel once declared, “If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” As we take up this important debate, I am reminded of his famous words. At this critical moment, the international community must move forward with the urgency of Rabbi Hillel’s call, actively partnering with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to build a brighter future for the African continent. Today Africa stands at a turning point. Significant progress has been made in the continent’s development. However, while we see the promise of great opportunities on the horizon, the challenges of the present endure. We continue to witness drought and famine, hunger and poverty, conflict and instability. All of these remain significant obstacles to unlocking the vast potential of Africa and its people. My country has been deeply engaged in African development for more than five decades. In 1958, Golda Meir, then serving as Israel’s Foreign Minister, undertook a historic visit to the newly independent States of Africa. She saw first-hand that many of those countries faced development challenges similar to Israel’s, such as a difficult climate and poor farming conditions. Golda Meir resolved to share Israel’s growing expertise, driven by her Zionist values and the spirit of what we call tikkun olam, the Jewish principle that calls on us to “mend the world” and make it a better place. At that time, Israel was in its infancy. We were a developing nation facing a range of overwhelming challenges. Yet she saw assistance to the newly independent nations of Africa as an imperative. She said that like them, we had shaken off foreign rule; like them, we had to learn for ourselves how to reclaim the land, how to increase the yields of our crops, how to irrigate, how to live together, and how to defend ourselves. Thousands of Israeli experts of every sort — scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers and irrigation experts — set out for the continent. Among them were my parents, who brought me with them. As a young child in what was then Tanganyika, I remember vividly how Israelis worked hand in hand with their African counterparts to share our knowledge. They worked together on the ground, out in the fields of farms, in the halls of schools, and in the corridors of hospitals. The connections that were forged in those days have blossomed into an extensive programme of cooperation overseen by MASHAV, Israel’s agency for international cooperation. That programme has expanded as Israel has advanced on its own journey from a developing nation to a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In Israel, we have transitioned from growing oranges to producing Orange mobile phones, and from cultivating apples to designing Apple computers. Allow me to highlight a few examples of Israel’s development cooperation in Africa today. In Ghana, Israel administers a network of community-based prenatal and healthy-baby clinics, known as tipat chalav, which is Hebrew for “a drop of milk”. Initially developed for mothers and children in Israel, these clinics have proved highly effective in reducing child mortality and improving maternal health in Ghana. Israel has focused extensively on education in Africa. In 2010 alone, MASHAV trained more 1,200 people from more than 35 African countries, both in Israel and in their own countries. We are also providing support for United Nations educational programmes such as UNESCO’s teacher-training initiative for sub-Saharan Africa. Israel continues to provide immediate relief to African nations following major crises, such as the acute humanitarian situation now facing the Horn of Africa. In response to the crisis, Israel contributed to the World Food Programme, supporting the delivery of food packages to Somali refugees in Kenya. We have also donated funds to the Ethiopian Government, which have been used to purchase locally produced food aid for Somali refugees there. To address the long-term challenges posed by the drought, MASHAV continues to expand its programmes that have a specific focus on agriculture and food production. For example, today Israel is partnering with Ghana and Germany to improve the efficiency of smallholder Ghanaian citrus farmers. That project combines agricultural assistance, capacity-building and elements of microfinance and microcredit. Another highly successful Israeli project is the Techno-agricultural Innovation for Poverty Alleviation programme (TIPA). It has been implemented in a number of African countries, including as part of a triangular partnership with Italy in Senegal. TIPA relies on relatively simple, low-cost drip irrigation techniques that allow farmers to produce crops year- round and improve the quality of their fruits and vegetables. The results of the project speak for themselves. Farmers have moved from poverty to self-sufficiency. Hunger has been drastically reduced in many communities. Rural women have found new opportunities for empowerment. Projects such as TIPA highlight the importance of sharing agricultural technology to promote sustainable development. To bring focus to this effort, Israel will be submitting its biennial draft resolution on agricultural technology for development to the Second Committee this year. NEPAD has served as an invaluable framework for advancing major goals on the African continent, spurring important progress. While African nations have primary responsibility for their social and economic development, the international community must support and facilitate those efforts, driven by our common destiny and common humanity. As we take in the encouraging progress that has been made and resolve to meet the challenges ahead, let us be big in our dreams and bold in our actions. Golda Meir’s clear vision of the fundamental connection between the people of Israel and the people of Africa endures. In the same spirit as the early Zionist pioneers who left their newly reborn nation to help plant the seeds of new nations in Africa, Israelis continue to stand with our brothers and sisters on the continent as they seize the promise of new opportunities. In Hebrew we say hineni, meaning “Here I am”. On Africa’s journey towards growth and prosperity, Israel is here — as a supporter, as a partner and as a friend.

My delegation wishes at the outset to congratulate Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. We firmly believe that thanks to his wisdom and skills, we will achieve the objectives we have set for this session. Development efforts in Africa since the launching of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) have not lived up to our expectations. We have reached the midway point in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), slated for achievement by 2015; however, Africa remains the only continent that continues to face major obstacles in eliminating poverty and want — hence the need to redouble our efforts in the area of international cooperation to implement NEPAD projects and to honour the commitments made. That needs to be done as swiftly as possible in order to permit the African continent to achieve its sustainable development goals. The response to Africa’s development needs, the evaluation of the implementation of commitments, and addressing existing challenges are all positive steps towards strengthening NEPAD. The report of the Secretary-General on progress in the implementation of and international support for NEPAD (A/66/202) underscores the commitment of Heads of State and Government and the United Nations to focus on the needs of Africa, as set forth in the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) and reflected in the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. Above and beyond the harnessing of financial, human and technical resources for the elimination of poverty, hunger and underdevelopment, we need to translate our commitments into concrete action. In this connection, we call on the international community to honour its commitments to eradicating poverty and strengthening sustainable development in the context of a new, fair and comprehensive world economic order that takes into account the needs of developing countries, especially in Africa, and enables them to gain access to international markets. The role of regional organizations in peacebuilding in Africa is crucial to the cause of building lasting peace, particularly in post-conflict countries. In this connection, we call for the full implementation of the 10-year capacity- building programme for the African Union, which is designed, inter alia, to enhance Africa’s peacekeeping capacities. We also call for the consolidation of related mechanisms in the context of NEPAD. Peace is a prerequisite for economic and social development. The Sudan has extensive experience in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Resource- sharing arrangements are essential components of the comprehensive peace agreements in South Sudan, East Sudan and Darfur. Paragraph 7 of the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/66/214) refers to the situation in Abyei. Let me say that, since the entry of the Sudanese Armed Forces into Abyei, security and stability have been restored and there have been no incidents of destabilization there. The Government of the Sudan is committed to implementing Security Council resolution 1990 (2011) on the deployment of forces in Abyei and is cooperating with all parties to facilitate the deployment of Ethiopian peacekeepers in the region. In this way, the situation in Abyei can be kept under control until a definitive peaceful settlement is reached that enables all inhabitants of the region, regardless of their ethnic origin, to engage in economic activities. The report also mentions that military attacks in Southern Kordofan have led to large population displacements from that region. My delegation notes that the attacks were the result of clashes between northern and southern rebel movements that were triggered when the leader of the southern forces lost the gubernatorial election in Southern Kordofan. The rebels took up arms against the population, which indeed resulted in large displacements. The Sudanese Armed Forces then intervened in accordance with our Constitution and national duty, with a view to restoring peace in the south. In the wake of these events, the displaced persons have returned to their homes and resumed their agricultural activities for the development of the region. We call on the United Nations to persuade the rebels to honour their commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, return to negotiations, demobilize and lay down their arms in order to reach a peaceful settlement, which is a prerequisite for countries in conflict to achieve sustainable development within the framework of NEPAD. In this context, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to the peaceful settlement of all conflicts through negotiation. Turning now to agenda item 13, “Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa”, as the Assembly knows, malaria affects a very large number of people; more than 3.3 billion — half the world’s population — have been exposed to this serious disease. The Sudan is also affected by malaria, registering more than 7 million cases a year. According to scientific studies, the negative impact of climate change has increased the prevalence of the disease. The increase in temperatures is leading to a longer life cycle for the mosquitoes that carry the parasite. The economic and social impact of malaria has been great in my country. Consequently, we have developed a national anti-malaria strategy and established a special unit to control the spread and monitor the progress of the disease. Let me conclude by saying that the economic slowdown worldwide, the increase in food prices, and climate change are all factors that have led to slower progress in the implementation of NEPAD and in fighting malaria, and are hampering the attainment of the MDGs by 2015. Our development partners must therefore step up their efforts to honour their commitments with a view to resolving the debt morass in which many African countries are mired. Many African countries, especially post-conflict countries, continue to suffer from high indebtedness and are consequently experiencing slower sustainable development.

Canada once again welcomes the opportunity to participate in this debate. The African continent has enormous potential, and we note with satisfaction its recent remarkable economic growth, higher than that of many other regions of the world. The significant progress Africa has made, especially in strengthening democracy and promoting peace and security, is a sign of a promising future. Canada is also encouraged by the maturation of African institutions, which promotes regional integration and security. However, Canada also recognizes that African countries continue to face major challenges. Much remains to be done to work with African countries in order to address those challenges and assist them in meeting their development objectives. Canada is doing its part to help Africa achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Almost half of Canada’s bilateral development assistance has gone to Africa in recent years, and Canada has met its Group of Eight (G-8) commitment to double aid to Africa from the 2003-2004 levels to $2.1 billion. Furthermore, Canada has reached its commitment to double international assistance by the years 2010 to 2011 from the 2001-2002 levels, bringing Canada’s total international assistance to approximately $5 billion. As part of the joint G-8 pledge on food security, Canada will more than double its investment in food security and sustainable agricultural development by providing $600 million in increased funding over three years, reaching $1.18 billion in overall funding. Canada has untied all its food aid. As President of the G-8 in 2010, Canada ensured that African issues were a key part of the agenda. Consultations with African countries in the lead up to the G-8 Summit helped to shape the Muskoka Initiative on maternal, newborn and child health, which will generate funds reaching more than $7 billion, with most of Canada’s contribution to the Initiative being allocated to Africa. In addition, private-sector investment, which plays a crucial role in Africa’s development, has added to Canada’s traditional aid to Africa. Export Development Canada has added its support for businesses with over Can$1.3 billion worth of business in sub-Saharan Africa. More precisely, it has assisted 194 Canadian companies in 38 countries in Africa in 2010. That same year, Canadian bilateral trade with Africa reached almost $13 billion in 2010, a 72.5 per cent increase over the past five years. When it comes to corporate social responsibility, Canada not only encourages Canadian companies to abide by strict standards, it insists on it. To further encourage Canadian investment in Africa, we need to encourage our African partners to continue to work toward reforming their business environments to create more transparent rules and better governance. (spoke in English) Canada sees the development of key African multilateral institutions, such as the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, as vehicles to help achieve an enabling environment for stability, regional integration, and socio-economic development. Canada strongly supports the African Peer Review Mechanism as a key initiative in promoting African ownership and accountability for democratic governance and economic management, and we have contributed over $5 million to the United Nations Development Programme Trust Fund. Canada also maintains a strong commitment to regional and multilateral initiatives to advance global malaria prevention and control efforts. In September 2010, Prime Minister Harper announced that, with our contribution of $540 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Canada’s contribution to date will rise to more than $1.5 billion. That is the single largest contribution by Canada to a global health organization. Canada continues to engage with our African counterparts to work towards solutions to protracted conflicts across the continent, both through direct bilateral contacts and through our engagement in support for continental and regional African institutions such as the African Union (AU). Although challenges remain, those organizations are increasingly demonstrating clear capacity and leadership to address peace and security challenges on the continent. Despite the peaceful secession of South Sudan on 9 July 2011, the security situation in both the Sudan and South Sudan is fragile, particularly along their shared border. The contested region of Abyei remains a deep concern, while devastating conflict has re-emerged in the border states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, severely affecting over 300,000 people. Humanitarian access to affected populations in those two states remains severely constrained. International support continues to be necessary to address outstanding North-South issues, the fragile political situation in both countries and the conflicts in Darfur and along the border. Since 2006, Canada has contributed over $885 million in support of peace and humanitarian objectives in the two Sudans, including support for the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Darfur peace process, as well as for three Security Council-mandated peacekeeping missions. Canada fully supports the considerable engagement and contribution that the African Union and African countries are making to enhance peace and security in the two Sudans, most notably through the African Union High-level Implementation Panel, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. In the Great Lakes region, Canada continues to support regional peace and stability through the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), which implements regional solutions to deal with the complex challenges there. As co-chair of the Group of Friends and Special Envoys to the ICGLR, Canada is a strong supporter of the Lusaka Declaration endorsed by the ICGLR heads of State in December 2010, emphasizing the current momentum in the fight against the illegal exploitation of natural resources. Canada’s contributions to the Democratic Republic of the Congo have totalled $350 million since 2006, including for humanitarian and long-term development assistance, support to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and support for the 2011 elections. Finally, Canada remains greatly concerned by the humanitarian crisis arising from the severe drought that is being felt throughout the Horn of Africa. So far in 2011, Canada has contributed more than $72 million to humanitarian agencies for emergency lifesaving assistance to those in need in the region. In addition, in July this year, Canada established the East Africa Drought Relief Fund, to which the Government of Canada pledged to contribute one dollar for every dollar an individual Canadian donated to a registered Canadian charity responding to the drought between 6 July and 16 September 2011. The preliminary tally, as of October 4, is estimated to be just over $70 million, with total contribution amounts to be verified by mid-October. Once that is completed, the Government of Canada will contribute an equivalent amount to the Fund. Canada is concerned by the problems that confront Somalia, including lawlessness, piracy and the longstanding conflict, which have further exacerbated the effects of the drought. Canada has been actively involved in efforts to bring stability to Somalia, including a contribution of $1 million to the African Union Mission in Somalia Trust Fund. In closing, despite the many economic and social development challenges they face, African countries have made great strides in recent years. Canada looks forward to continuing to work with our African partners and the international community towards realizing Africa’s full potential.

The United States would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sidi Diarra, and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, for organizing the 7 October panel discussion on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Millennium Development Goals, and yesterday’s briefing in advance of today’s General Assembly consideration of those topics. NEPAD is an important African-owned and African-led initiative for eradicating poverty and putting African economies on a path of sustainable growth. The United States fully supports the common vision of African States for achieving the NEPAD goals and objectives, especially in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, education, health, the empowerment of women, and the environment. We also welcome the efforts of the United Nations, the African Union, the African Development Bank, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) secretariat, African subregional organizations and international partners in assisting African States to fully implement NEPAD. The United States welcomes the progress made in the past year by the organizations and supporters of NEPAD in areas critical to economic growth and sustainable development highlighted in the report (A/66/202). We support Africa’s efforts to enhance its economic growth and enjoy the benefits of integration into the global economy. Alongside an enabling business environment, progress in developing Africa’s infrastructure is especially important to private-sector economic growth and development. We commend the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency for its efforts, alongside those of the African Union, the United Nations and the African Development Bank, to drive and secure infrastructure gains across the continent. We encourage NEPAD to continue its review of infrastructure projects, and its work in line with its strategic objectives. Food security remains an urgent challenge in Africa. The United States is committed to strengthening agricultural development in Africa, and has committed $3.5 billion worldwide over three years through its global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future. The United States is encouraged by the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and NEPAD’s efforts to increase the number of countries creating country compacts so as to meet their agricultural investment goals and target growth rates. Our Feed the Future initiative draws on CAADP principles and progress, both of which are essential to providing security against famine and malnutrition. The crisis in the Horn of Africa is the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today. Tens of thousands, mostly children, have already died, and 750,000 more Somalis are at risk of death in coming months, unless the international humanitarian community can get access to those in need of critical assistance. NEPAD’s efforts serve to mitigate the impact of the current crisis and provide insurance against such crises occurring in the future. While Africa is host to the largest number of least-developed countries (LDCs), some African LDCs have shown strong growth over the past decade. To ensure that progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is sustained, we must support well-governed African institutions that promote policies enabling economies to generate broad-based, sustained economic growth and employment. Such policies should include accountability, transparency, investment in an entrepreneur-friendly business climate, strengthened indigenous capacity for innovation, investment in women and girls, and attention to basic services, including health and education. With regard to meeting the MDGs in Africa by 2015 and improving food security on the continent, the United States supports an improved, comprehensive monitoring mechanism. Such a mechanism should build on existing processes and add value by leveraging the membership and contributions of the United Nations, as stated in the report of the Secretary- General during the previous session of the General Assembly (A/65/152). Such a mechanism should be practical, effective and cost-neutral. It would require the combined efforts of the United Nations system, the African Development Bank, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other African institutions to ensure comprehensive and authoritative results. The United States calls on the United Nations, the African Union and NEPAD to work together to ensure the creation of a results-driven process. The Organization must ensure that the more than 25 United Nations agencies working alongside the African Union and NEPAD are making efficient and effective use of their resources and are responding to the priorities of the African Union and NEPAD. We expect that the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa, the Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Office to the African Union will work together to strengthen the regional coordination mechanism. It is also important that the African Peer Review Mechanism continue to function as envisioned. The APRM has tremendous potential for advancing good governance and socio-economic development in Africa, and we actively encourage continuation of the peer review process over the coming year. Today the Assembly is also addressing the agenda item on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria. The United States is committed to addressing the prevention and treatment of malaria in order to improve the health and well-being of citizens living in malaria-endemic settings, particularly young children and pregnant women, who are most affected by this devastating disease. We further recognize the negative impact of malaria on household incomes, economic and social development and political stability in affected countries. Through its Global Health Initiative, the United States will continue to lead in the fight against this and other diseases by focusing on strengthening health systems and on broader health challenges, including child and maternal health, family planning and neglected tropical diseases. We are pleased to be a leader in the support for malaria-control programmes through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), and our contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through the PMI, which is a core component of the President’s Global Health Initiative, we have made a $5 billion, six-year commitment. So far, we have spent $300 million in 2009, $500 million in 2010 and $618 million in 2011. These significant funding increases have allowed the PMI to expand, and it is now providing malaria prevention or treatment measures to more than 50 million people in 19 focus countries in Africa. We work with host Governments, international partners, NGOs, the private sector and faith-based and community groups to deliver indoor residual spraying, distribute insecticide-treated bed nets, ensure preventive malaria treatment for expectant mothers, provide prompt and accurate diagnosis and treatment of malarial illness, and build the capacity of national malaria control programmes. The United States contribution to the Global Fund supports in-country capacity-building and strengthening of health systems, as well as direct service delivery. We encourage all donor and recipient nations to support global malaria control efforts through appropriate financial contributions and stronger political commitments. We urge affected nations, especially those in Africa, to increase their own domestic spending on malaria control as part of their overall plans to boost the share of their national budgets devoted to health.

Only yesterday, 10 October, our island commemorated a central event in the formation of the Cuban nation. We celebrated the beginning, in 1868, of our first war of independence. That historic event was marked by one of the most transcendental acts of justice in our history, when Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, known as the father of the Cuban nation, freed his slaves. Independence and the African heritage are thus indissolubly linked to the Cuban national identity. Originating in lands that today cover a large number of African countries, there came to our island more than a million and a half enslaved Africans of various ethnicities: Lucumi, Carabalí, Congolese, Ganga, Mandingo, Mina, Bibi, Yoruba. That is why the people and Government of Cuba consider so important the General Assembly’s declaration, through resolution 64/169, of 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent. Many seminars and conferences have attested to the importance of this for Cuba. In September, the Cuban people had the unique opportunity to celebrate two exceptional events: a meeting of filmmakers from Africa, the Caribbean and the diaspora, and the programming of the First Week of African Cinema, held in Havana. I am sure that the works from the African continent were shown in nearly all provinces of our country. The Cuban people are the direct and natural heirs to Africa’s gallantry, fearlessness and culture of resistance. For centuries they have heroically fought against numerous challenges and threats, which endure to this day. The deepest internationalist convictions of the Cuban Revolution have enabled our country to remain always on the side of the African peoples, from our unconditional support in the anti-colonial struggles to cooperation projects in many spheres of economic and social development. More than 381,000 Cuban fighters fought for almost three decades to defend the integrity and sovereignty of our brother African nations, without asking for anything in exchange. They returned from Africa with only the bodies of their fallen comrades and the honour of having done their duty. Today more than 2,400 Cuban volunteers are serving in 35 African nations to promote their development in areas as diverse as public health, education, agriculture, sports and construction, among others. Our country will continue to provide its human capital and experience to help our African brothers and sisters. In just the Comprehensive Health Programme, close to 1,120 Cuban doctors and technicians are working in 23 African countries, providing services to more than 48 million people. In the context of international cooperation, Cuba has various projects with a number of African countries to combat malaria. Cuba is collaborating in the production of vaccines, biological pest controls and biofertilizers. It is developing important measures in the plan to combat disease vectors, such as developing entomological maps for the early warning system in various African countries with which we maintain cooperation. Cuba is implementing programmes to develop biolarvicides in those countries, with advice from Cuban specialists. More than 2,200 young people from 45 African countries are currently enrolled in our universities and polytechnic institutes. To date, more than 32,000 young people from that continent have graduated from Cuban schools with different specializations. Cuba has always stood with Africa, and Africa has always stood with Cuba. The history of our relationship in the most diverse spheres is proof of that. There is an intrinsic contradiction in the current international order. It is impossible to listen to certain bombastic speeches that attempt to tell us what our peoples should do, while they simultaneously force many of our countries to spend five times more resources to pay back shameful external debt than we spend on health and education programmes. There must be an end to wars and military interventions supported by interventionist doctrines that violate international law and are intended primarily to guarantee control of Africa’s mineral resources to the powerful multinationals of the developed countries. Rich countries, instead of continuing to bomb African soil, should once and for all meet their modest commitments for official development aid. Moreover, it is high time to end the unjust system of patents and trade that is hindering the development of African nations. Cuba will continue to support the African Union and all regional cooperation mechanisms as they pursue their own solutions to African problems. All Africa needs from the United Nations and the international community is a comprehensive focus on a solution to problems that relate to the peace, security and development of the continent. We are not calling for paternalism towards Africa, but rather equal opportunities as part of a fairer and more equitable international order. The African people have the right to peace and sustainable development. That is what is needed for Africa and the rest of the developing nations, so that, in a peaceful context, we can meet the challenges that our people face. Above all, Africa needs and deserves solidarity and respect.

In accordance with resolution 2011 (XX), adopted on 11 October 1965, and decision 56/475 of 15 August 2002, I now call on the observer for the African Union.

Permit me first to extend my congratulations to Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I also congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on his reappointment. On behalf of the Agency of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), I hope his 10 years will contribute to the promotion of closer and more meaningful global cooperation and move forward the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. I am most honoured to address this body on the occasion of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of NEPAD. In July 2001, in Lusaka, African leaders took a major step towards inspiring change. It was a major milestone in Africa’s transformation agenda. As Africa’s strategic framework for development and the flagship programme of the African Union, NEPAD is the embodiment of Africa’s rebirth and renaissance. For 10 years, African countries have implemented comprehensive political and socio-economic reforms, driven at the continental level by the African Union. This is to achieve the overarching objective of placing Africa on the path of sustainable growth and development. Africa has demonstrated remarkable resilience. We have nurtured and produced our own development agenda through the expression of NEPAD. We are resolved to achieve the full implementation of that agenda. Africa is taking full control and ownership of that development agenda, driven by the shared values of ownership, leadership and partnership. This is based on the African Union vision of an integrated, forward- looking, prosperous, dynamic and peaceful Africa, representing a dynamic force in the global arena. Since the turn of the millennium, Africa has recorded economic growth and made significant progress in political governance and macroeconomic performance. That growth, however, needs to be more inclusive. Indeed, Africans have been emboldened by that progress, through the wind of change that has contributed to shaping the new Africa. Under the platform of the African Union, the continental renewal strategy has purposefully addressed the development challenges of the past and is looking ahead to a new Africa. NEPAD has served as the catalyst for development. We have charted a new development pathway that represents a departure from the old development model. The reality is that Africa has changed, and is changing. NEPAD remains active in changing the development paradigm on the continent. NEPAD is now fully integrated into the structures and processes of the African Union. The NEPAD Agency now serves as the technical body of the African Union. This institutionalization of NEPAD has given further impetus to the implementation of the NEPAD agenda. The international community must therefore step up support for Africa’s needs and priorities. Over the past decade, Africa adopted continental policy frameworks to accelerate development and regional integration. Through NEPAD, Africa is advancing good governance in all of its ramifications under the umbrella of the African Peer Review Mechanism, which began in 2003. This unique voluntary instrument of peer exchanges and review at the highest political level among 30 participating African countries is leading the way on governance reforms. Other top priorities have been clearly defined, for example in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa. NEPAD is spearheading investment plans in agriculture and food security. In the area of infrastructure, African leaders endorsed the African Union and NEPAD Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative to promote political sponsorship in driving the implementation of national and regional infrastructure. In addition, we support African Governments in reinforcing development planning as a formidable tool for ensuring the sustainability of the gains made over the past decade in Africa. What remains to be done is for development partners to continue to work together, and within the United Nations, to support the implementation of Africa’s priorities. We must renew our efforts to send a powerful and positive message to the rest of the world that Africa is committed to its development agenda for transformation. The African Union and its NEPAD programme are part of that equation. International partners remain fundamentally important to Africa. Promoting market access for African products and diversification are critical to achieving sustainable and lasting economic growth. We must work harder to change the current multilateral trading system towards a more equitable and fair regime. Significantly, emerging economies in the South have become increasingly strategic partners for Africa and have contributed to reducing its dependence on traditional export markets. Specifically, trade negotiations under the Doha Development Round should be accelerated and tailored much more to meet the special needs of Africa. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an important source of growth, and African countries have undertaken numerous reforms to improve the investment climate. As a result, FDI increased throughout the past decade, peaking at $72 billion in 2008. The international community should consider policy measures to ensure that resource extraction is beneficial to the host country so that resources are transformed into productive assets and can contribute to long-term growth. That is the core message of the Africa Mining Vision 2050. A critical factor in the changing development landscape is the primacy of domestic resources for Africa’s development. Although aid has been an important source of development financing in the past, Africa is moving beyond aid to achieve self-sustaining, private sector-led growth. For instance, internally generated revenue in Africa grew significantly, from $129 billion in 2002 to $472 billion in 2008. Overall, domestic revenue represented 84 per cent of total sources of financing for Africa in 2009. The imperative to move beyond aid will therefore lead to reducing dependency on aid, and thereby facilitate the implementation of NEPAD’s vision of sustainable growth and development and the continent’s desire to move towards development effectiveness. The ongoing transformation will benefit greatly from this exit strategy on aid and redirect focus to the viability of FDI, public-private partnerships and raising domestic resources for development. Africa is the continent of the future. Over the past decade, Africa’s development landscape has changed for the better. A new story of steady transformation and growth is evolving on the continent. Africa is reaffirming its commitment to a global and balanced partnership with the rest of the world as the continent’s vision lends credence to the growth potential of development. This also reflects the NEPAD vision and its continued relevance and highlights the modest successes in implementing NEPAD. We are reinforcing the need to effectively use both internal and external resources so as to attain the much-desired development outcomes and impact. The partnership focus of NEPAD was a clarion call to the rest of Africa that our futures were inseparable and that our fate was a collective one. Across the continent, Africans declared that they would no longer allow themselves to be conditioned by circumstances. While the frontiers of development are being redefined by new opportunities, emerging actors and creative relationships, Africa itself is embracing new orientations and innovations. The continent is committed to serve as a fundamental contributor to global economic recovery and stability. We aspire to become a growth pole, and not to be confined to perpetually managing poverty. Development assistance should therefore be directed at Africa’s real economy to enhance its present growth path, while ensuring the full involvement and participation of an empowered private sector and civil society. We call for the strengthening of partnership with the international community represented here at the United Nations. We are especially appreciative of the sustained support of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Development Programme and all United Nations agencies for the implementation of the NEPAD agenda. (spoke in French) This will help Africa to firmly secure its future. More than ever before, Africans are optimistic about their bright prospects for growth and prosperity. The African continent is ready to play its role on the global stage so as to achieve its agenda of development effectiveness. Programme of work The Acting President (spoke in French): I would like to make an announcement concerning the consideration of agenda item 114, sub-items (a), “Election of twenty members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination”; (b), “Election of the members of the International Law Commission”; and (c), “Election of twenty-nine members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme”, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, 16 November. Those elections will now take place on Thursday, 17 November, in the morning. In order to facilitate the election of members of the International Law Commission, and in accordance with the established practice, the General Assembly will take an advance decision on the matter of requesting the Secretariat to issue a consolidated list of candidates reflecting all submissions and changes received so far. It is my intention to consult the Assembly in this regard on Monday morning, 17 October 2011.