A/67/PV.25 General Assembly

I am greatly honoured to address the Assembly this morning in support of strengthening the United Nations engagement with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). I believe that ensuring Africa’s development should be a strategic task for the entire United Nations system. NEPAD is an excellent platform on which we can move forward together, for it has established itself as a truly credible international partner in providing a realistic vision and policy framework for the continent’s renewal and development in the twenty-first century. As President of the General Assembly, I fully endorse NEPAD’s work as an African-owned and African-led blueprint for the future. In my previous capacity, I was privileged to travel to Africa on almost 40 different occasions for bilateral visits or to attend ministerial meetings and summits of the African Union. For me, Africa is a place of enormous potential and endurance. It has shown great determination to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, including centuries of exploitation unique in the annals of human history. As many African States celebrate five decades of their independence, allow me to reflect back for a moment on the role the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) played in the continent’s quest to affirm its dignity on the world stage. Perhaps no foreign policy achievement in my nation’s history fills me with as much pride as the role that we played in NAM. For me, its 1961 inaugural summit in Belgrade represents the moment when the empowerment of the majority of the human race became irreversible. At its birth, the Movement asserted the aim of establishing what the first Belgrade Declaration termed a “new order based on cooperation between nations, founded on freedom, equality, and social justice for the promotion of prosperity”. I have cherished this legacy throughout my career thus far. As President of the General Assembly, I want to continue to build on this way of engaging with Africa, encouraging African solutions to African challenges. The United Nations has become an important actor in the efforts to achieve the full political and economic potential of the continent, thanks in large part to the hard work of the Secretary-General and his Special Adviser on Africa. Somalia’s eight-year political transition came to an end with the election of Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as President, opening a new phase of peacebuilding in the country. The Sudan and South Sudan are negotiating a series of agreements to fully normalize their relations. These are two encouraging trends, and, thankfully, there are many more. Yet the grave security and humanitarian situation in the Sahel remains truly alarming. I believe it requires our urgent attention. The United Nations recently adopted a resilience action plan for the Sahel. Combining short-, medium- and long-term goals, it is designed to enable the region to overcome a persistent pattern of recurring and increasingly acute crises. One of the most dangerous of these is the threat of secession. In Mali, terrorists have taken over some of the country’s northern territories, displacing hundreds of thousands and impacting the stability of neighbouring countries. We must strongly support Mali’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as that of every other Member State. This includes the countries of the Great Lakes region, another worrying area. With all due respect to existing efforts to ameliorate the crisis, I do not think that we are devoting enough resources to addressing the complex challenges facing that part of the world. As President, I will work with all relevant stakeholders to help generate the political will necessary for peace and security to fully take hold. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) must remain at the core of our shared vision for a prosperous, peaceful and equitable Africa. We hear predictions that a number of countries will not achieve the MDGs by the 2015 deadline. I believe, however, that by redoubling our efforts, the targets can still be largely met. I look forward to hearing from African delegations on what the General Assembly can do to ensure expedited progress over the next three years. One of the most important questions we face, in my view, is how to overcome the lack of fulfilment of monetary commitments, as per resolution 66/293. We also have to keep looking at the longer term. That is why the General Assembly will need to focus on the post-2015 agenda, especially as it applies to Africa. This body has been mandated to implement what was agreed by world leaders in June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As President, I will push preparations for a high- level forum, to be convened at beginning of the sixty- eighth session. I will also engage with Member States on the establishment of a working group to define a list 2 12 55213 of sustainable development goals for consideration and adoption by the plenary. African concerns, and those of the rest of the developing world, should be high on the agenda, including those that fall within NEPAD’s six areas of focus, starting with youth employment and infrastructure expansion. I also wish to underscore the importance of ensuring that our efforts and those of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda are mutually reinforcing and complementary. Additional resources will no doubt be needed in order to successfully implement the conclusions of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). I will prioritize the establishment of an intergovernmental process, under the framework of the General Assembly and in line with the mandate this body was given in Rio, to recommend options for an effective financing strategy. I believe that moving forward in the bold undertaking envisaged by the Rio+20 Conference not only complements but will decisively reinforce all other efforts to strengthen international peace and security, especially in the African context. A number of African countries are the hardest- hit victims of the global economic crisis. Despite this troubling reality, growth rates in many parts of the continent have been resilient. Over the past several years, trade and investment have expanded, the continent-wide internal market has been built up, and macroeconomic indicators have improved. By any measure, this progress is unprecedented and remarkable. Yet much more needs to be done in a number of areas. That includes finding solutions on how to lessen the difference in living standards between urban and rural populations and properly addressing the increasing disparities among the continent’s economies. To be even more effective, I believe the various assistance mechanisms should more closely reflect NEPAD’s agenda and those of the individual African Member States. The voices of those in need must be heard loud and clear. What they say has to serve as a significant guidepost for our way forward. To bridge the gap between the promise of Africa and the reality on the ground, I believe the United Nations must continue to give priority to the continent’s singular needs. The United Nations agencies, programmes and entities need to become engaged, as never before, in the task of supporting African nations to unlock their full potential. In my view, the overall credibility of this Organization may well stand or fall depending on whether it can help fulfil what one of the world’s greatest living statesmen, Nelson Mandela, once defined his dream as an Africa that is at peace with itself, the dream of realizing the unity whereby African leaders combine in their efforts to solve, for good, the problems of this continent.

Mr. President — my dear friend Vuk Jeremić — allow me to commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for the reports guiding our work today, and to welcome Mr. Maged Abdelaziz, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, to whom I wish every success in his new role. The reports before us (A/67/204 and A/67/205) complement each other well, given that the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) contains some important elements in terms of responding to the question of promoting sustainable peace and development in Africa. Furthermore, the improvement of public health, notably by combating the scourge of malaria, is a vital contribution in promoting the well-being of peoples and laying the foundation for sustainable development. In that regard, it is particularly welcome that at the end of the last session, the General Assembly adopted by consensus resolution 66/293, which establishes a monitoring mechanism to review commitments made towards Africa’s development. It is naturally within the United Nations — by definition, the most inclusive and legitimate multilateral forum — that it is possible to ensure the consistency of all processes deployed globally and multilaterally in favour of development, and more particularly in favour of Africa. Among those initiatives, NEPAD occupies a special place, in the sense that it presents a collective African vision of development and of the integration of the African continent into the world economy. In 2011, despite the global crisis, the African continent distinguished itself as one of the regions with the most continuous growth rates in the world; and The Economist was on target in dedicating a special issue to the subject of “Africa rising” in December 2011. Indeed, when one considers the future, the economic outlook remains optimistic despite important regional disparities. 12 55213 3 Africa is the world’s youngest continent in terms of the median age of its population, which is growing rapidly and will reach 2 billion by 2050, when the majority will be under 25 years old. That situation is certainly a major challenge, but it is also a tremendous opportunity. Therefore, the promotion of decent employment, particularly for young people, must remain a key element of the strategies implemented by NEPAD. This, too, is why, for many years now, Luxembourg has placed particular stress on capacity- building and vocational training for young people in its development cooperation programmes for the African continent. The report before us shows the significant progress achieved by African Governments in the sectoral application of NEPAD. In that context, I would particularly note governance, where an ever-increasing number of countries participate in the African Peer Review Mechanism. In parallel, important progress has been made in the area of infrastructure to promote regional integration, and with respect to information and communications technologies. Luxembourg actively supports African Union programmes to improve internet connectivity linking all of the continent’s capitals and major population hubs, as well as initiatives promoting regional integration in Africa. We welcome the fact that numerous African countries continue to make progress towards the goal of allocating 10 per cent of their budget to agriculture, in accordance with the provisions of the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security. Those significant efforts contribute directly to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and notably towards achieving Goal 1, which is to reduce the number of those suffering from hunger by half. As a multilateral instrument, NEPAD follows a logic based on the principles of mutual accountability and partnership, by underlining the commitments made both by development partners and by African countries. I wish to underscore that the fight against poverty is a stated priority of Luxembourg. Since the year 2000, Luxembourg has reached the target set by the United Nations by dedicating at least 0.7 per cent of its gross national income (GNI) to official development assistance (ODA). In 2009 and 2010, our ODA surpassed the threshold of 1 per cent of GNI. The Government of Luxembourg is determined to maintain that effort, despite budgetary constraints. Our assistance is benefiting least developed countries (LDCs) in particular. Here again, we surpass the target set by the United Nations, by allocating more than 0.20 per cent of our GNI to LDCs, most of which — as is known — are in Africa. The report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of a durable peace and sustainable development in Africa underlines that the continent has shown mixed results in the past year. A number of grave crises have marred an otherwise positive overall trend. By taking into account last year’s popular movements in North Africa, the report underscores the obligation to give renewed attention to models of governance and democratic evolution, as well as to the necessity of inclusive economic development which gives priority to the creation of decent jobs. Allow me to concentrate on one aspect in particular of the report of the Secretary-General, namely, exclusion. Exclusion is one of the main triggers of conflict and hinders sustainable development. Our Head of State said as much in this very Hall in the general debate, when he stated, “to ensure lasting peace, one must tackle the root causes of conflicts”. He cited among those root causes in particular “social inequalities resulting from persistent poverty”(A/67/PV.9, p. 11). Luxembourg fully subscribes to the recommendation of the Secretary- General encouraging African Governments, with the help of the United Nations system, to survey and implement participatory and equitable policies, which reduce inequalities of access to basic social services and economic opportunities, in particular for young people, women and other marginalized groups. For its part, Luxembourg has for many years been supporting initiatives by African civil society aimed at ensuring effective citizen participation by vulnerable groups, notably women and young people. Luxembourg’s experience in the Peacebuilding Commission has further strengthened our conviction that the recommendation is equally relevant for peacebuilding efforts, in order to avoid a relapse into violence. Luxembourg welcomes the efforts made in the fight against malaria. Our objective must be its complete eradication in all developing countries, especially in Africa, by 2015, in conformity with resolution 66/289, adopted by the Assembly at the past session, with Luxembourg as one of the sponsors. Time is short. To achieve Millennium Development Goal 6, we need renewed commitment by all stakeholders, within the framework of a global and consistent approach. 4 12 55213 Luxembourg is answering that call by giving priority to the strengthening of health systems in the partner countries of its development cooperation policy. We supplement that approach by partnering with multilateral stakeholders such as the World Health Organization, whose activities in the fight against malaria and tropical disease research programme we support with an annual contribution of €3 million. Similarly, our annual voluntary contribution to the budget of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria amounts to €2.5 million. We need to be creative and innovative, not only when it comes to the financing of access to prevention and treatment of malaria but also so as not to lose sight of the wider context in which the disease evolves and to strengthen national health systems in a sustainable manner. I would like to conclude by underlining that Luxembourg’s commitment to Africa is proof of our conviction that we must adopt a holistic and multidimensional approach, taking into account development issues, peacebuilding issues and issues related to the maintenance of international peace and security. We must recognize the intrinsic links among security, development and respect for human rights and the rule of law. All of those elements deserve clear focus as we embark together on defining the post-2015 development agenda.

I am honoured to address the Assembly at today’s joint debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, progress in implementation and international support, and the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries. Allow me to convey our sincerest appreciation to the Secretary- General for his timely and extremely informative reports on the agenda items under discussion today (A/67/204 and A/67/205). The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) articulates both a vision and a strategic socioeconomic development framework for Africa. India applauds the progress achieved by Africa in the implementation of NEPAD priorities over the past 10 years through multisectoral initiatives in agriculture, infrastructure, health, education, science, information technology and the environment. However, despite those positive strides, serious challenges remain to be addressed before the African continent can achieve all-round development and prosperity. Extreme poverty, hunger, lack of adequate nutrition, conflicts and other ills continue to shackle the tremendous potential of the African people. It is therefore important to acknowledge that addressing Africa’s development needs and challenges requires an unwavering commitment backed by resolute action, not only from within Africa but, equally important, from outside the continent. It is imperative that the international community remain resolute in its support for Africa through sustained cooperation, including transfer of technology and resources and an enabling international environment. As pointed out in the Secretary-General’s report, as a proportion of the total global aid allocation in 2011 provided by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Africa’s share remained virtually unchanged at a mere 37 per cent. Indeed, to date Africa has received only half of the pledged increase made at the Group of Eight Summit in Gleneagles. The international community therefore needs to urgently address that gaping gap between promise and delivery. In these times of political uncertainty and economic meltdown, it is more incumbent than ever on the continent’s development partners to stay the course and help African countries achieve their development goals. The India-Africa relationship is based on firm historical foundations and over the decades has grown into one of the most productive and durable partnerships. Our similar historical experiences have engendered a common world view. Understanding and sensitivity to each other’s strengths, requirements and constraints have given our partnership lasting strength and resilience. India is today on a path of rapid economic growth. Africa is also witnessing a phase of robust resurgence. Some of the world’s fastest-growing economies are in Africa, and Africa is blessed with a young and dynamic population. We have therefore, together with our African friends, transformed our age-old and traditional bond into an enduring and multidimensional relationship. Our partnership with Africa is aligned with the priorities integral to the development goals of Africa and is built on the foundations of mutual equality and common benefit. At the Second India-Africa Forum Summit in 2011, India committed $5 billion for the next three years in lines of credit to help our African partners achieve their development goals. We also committed an additional $700 million to establish new institutions and training programmes, in consultation with the African Union and its institutions. We also decided to support the development of a new Ethio-Djibouti railway line in 12 55213 5 the amount of $300 million, in keeping with NEPAD’s priority of infrastructure development. Following the success of the Pan-African e-Network Project, we are working on the establishment of an India-Africa virtual university, which will help to meet some of the demand in Africa for higher studies in Indian institutions. We are making available 10,000 new scholarships to the university exclusively for African students. Our total commitment until 2014 by way of scholarships to African students, including under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, stands at more than 22,000. To strengthen trade and investment flows, in May we launched the India Africa Business Council, whose core sectors of cooperation include agriculture, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, mining, petroleum and natural gas, Internet technology and Internet technology-enabled services, financial services, including microfinance, energy, roads and railways. Given the sheer potential of untapped trade, we have raised our bilateral trade target to $90 billion by 2015 from the $70 billion target set earlier. We are already 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 add up to 92.5 per cent of the global exports of all LDCs. Moreover, under the India-Brazil-South Africa Facility for Hunger and Poverty Alleviation trust fund, we have completed several successful projects in Burundi, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone for strengthening infrastructure and capacity-building. India’s capacity-building partnership with Africa includes training for medical specialists to tackle pandemics like malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. Our private sector has invested substantially in pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in several African countries. We remain committed to the complete elimination of malaria and would like to thank the Secretary-General for adopting that as one of his top priorities. India’s engagement with Africa is built on a strong focus on comprehensive capacity-building, contributing to human resource development and facilitating greater intra-African cooperation. We have redirected our age-old bonds of friendship to respond to the contemporary aspirations of our peoples and are building a partnership that is increasingly being cited as the beacon of South-South cooperation. That partnership, indeed, has the potential to strengthen global governance systems and democratize multilateral institutions. In conclusion, I would like to quote the words of my Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh: “The twenty-first century is often described as the Asian century. India wishes to see the twenty- first century as the century of Asia and Africa, with the people of the two continents working together to promote inclusive globalization. Events in India and Africa in the middle of the twentieth century changed the world. Today, we have a second chance to take charge of our own destiny and give new meaning to the concept of sustainable, equitable and environment-friendly development.”

Despite a century of scientific progress in preventing, treating and understanding the malaria parasite and its means of reproduction, malaria continues to be one of the world’s most burdensome diseases. Malaria is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and disproportionately affects the rural poor. Rural households in sub-Saharan Africa are mostly engaged in agricultural production. Malaria infection has a significant negative impact on such agricultural households, because it is both costly to treat and damaging to household production due to loss of labour. In Tanzania, malaria remains one of the major health challenges. In mainland Tanzania, it is a leading cause of outpatient and inpatient hospital visits, such that between 30 and 40 per cent of all outpatient visits are attributable to malaria. People die from malaria every day, mainly children and pregnant women. Our Government has implemented several efforts to address malaria. Between 2008 and May 2012 we succeeded in reducing its prevalence among young children by 44 per cent. In Zanzibar, deaths from malaria are near zero. Our challenge in Zanzibar is to sustain that achievement. For mainland Tanzania, we are replicating lessons learned in Zanzibar, such as residual spraying on malaria breeding sites; making long-term insecticide-treated nets available at every bed site; and providing early treatment for those infected, as well as control and surveillance aimed at preventing re-emergence and epidemics. We have registered significant progress with the availability of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets. In order to cover every sleeping space with treated 6 12 55213 nets as quickly as possible, the Government made a deliberate decision to give free nets to all children and then to every household. This progress, coupled with targeted applications of indoor residual spraying and modest increases in access to intermittent preventive therapy, rapid diagnosis tests, and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), has resulted in visible reductions in rates of malaria cases, hospital admissions and deaths. In combating malaria, we already know what interventions and tools are needed. We also know what works and what does not. It is important to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) on banning the use of monotherapies, although that requires making the right combination therapies available at affordable prices. In Tanzania, ACTs are available in the public sector at no cost to pregnant women and children and at an affordable price for some other groups. In the private sector, the price for a course of treatment is high, which is a hindrance to the majority of the patients seeking treatment in private health centres. In that regard, the Government is partnering with the Affordable Medicines Facility, a subsidy mechanism of the Global Fund, to support affordable ACTs to both sectors. In our view, Governments should consider reducing or waiving taxes and tariffs for nets and other products needed for malaria control, both to reduce the price of the products for consumers and to stimulate free trade in those products. Tanzania was the first country in Africa to do so. Eliminating such taxes and tariffs helps to reduce import delays and lowers prices in both the public and the private sectors. The budget benefit to health far outweighs the revenue loss. In spite of the very positive advances we have made, numerous challenges remain. Certainly, success in the fight against malaria requires two things: leadership and resources. African leaders, through the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), are providing the leadership and are working together to combat malaria. However, we face a huge resource gap. We all know that malaria is a curable disease. Nonetheless, at this point, and rightly so, our focus has been on prevention, as it is cheaper and easier. But establishing an effective treatment infrastructure is also critical. Access to prompt, effective treatment is a key element to success in fighting malaria. And that access means having health-care facilities as well as health-care workers to diagnose the disease and administer medication. That is where our problem lies. Most of our Governments in the developing world do not have the ability to guarantee access to treatment to the majority of people, particularly in rural areas, where people suffer from malaria without knowing it. In the meantime, the Government has embarked on a comprehensive programme to deal with the question of access to health care. We are building a dispensary in every village and a health-care centre in every ward. This programme will certainly be instrumental to the success of our anti-malaria effort, as it will guarantee prompt diagnosis and treatment. In the end, as we all know, such programmes need massive resources, and the Government cannot do it alone. We need support and partnership from the international community and the private sector. We are winning the battle against malaria. With three years remaining until 2015, we must make greater efforts to reach and even exceed the targets we have set for ourselves. We must not only achieve universal coverage with effective interventions, we must also work to remove stumbling blocks and bottlenecks that render our efforts less effective. We should recommit, individually and collectively, to the Abuja targets that we set ourselves. We should act on the WHO recommendations on banning the marketing and use of monotherapies. We should also find ways of accelerating the procurement of drugs and commodities. Indeed, we must do whatever we can to win the battle against malaria. We thank the secretariat of ALMA and the Special Envoy for Malaria, UNICEF and the World Bank for their efforts in helping member States accelerate the procurement process. We implore them to continue their efforts.

Thank you, Sir, for presiding over this joint debate. I also thank the Secretary- General for his reports (A/67/204 and A/67/205). It is appropriate, as we mark Africa Week and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and as we enter the second decade of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), that we recall NEPAD’s impressive achievements in promoting development and growth in Africa. It is also a time to consider how much work remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in many countries, an issue on which the Australian Prime Minister, as co-Chair of the Secretary-General’s MDG Advocacy Group, is highly focused. As we know, security and development are inextricably linked, and it 12 55213 7 is essential that, as we look to formulate the post-2015 development agenda, we keep the lessons and needs of development in Africa firmly in focus. Australia is highly optimistic about Africa. We recognize its growing role and leadership. It is a credit to the leaders and people of Africa that 11 of the world’s fastest-growing economies are African. Australia is a growing partner for Africa. Our development assistance has tripled since 2007 and continues to increase. This development cooperation is focused on supporting African priorities, including the priorities expressed through NEPAD. Australia seeks to make a practical and focused 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. As a growing donor, we support the establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency and its integration into the processes and structures of the African Union. NEPAD assists us to set priorities and coordinate with other initiatives in Africa at the national and regional levels. NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, for example, has helped Australia focus our food security assistance, coordinating with others and avoiding duplication. The droughts in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel have devastating impacts. We encourage NEPAD to work with African Governments and the international community to develop new strategies to respond to the impact of climate change on food production and to continue to build long-term resilience to crises. Overall, Australia has pledged $150 million to improve food security in Africa, including through the Australian International Food Security Centre, which is set to open an office in Nairobi. Australia understands the blessings and curses of natural resource endowment. We are seeking to share the lessons we have learned, through Australia’s $127 million Mining for Development initiative, which is helping African countries to maximize the benefits and opportunities of their mining sectors. Australia is also working with the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa to promote the Africa Mining Vision 2050 and to assist in the establishment of the African mining development centre. Further enhancing Africa’s development outlook requires stronger partnership from the international community. We international partners need to do what we say. We are therefore pleased with the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to review commitments made towards Africa’s development. Agricultural trade liberalization, combined with effective aid for trade, will assist Africa to trade its way out of poverty. Australia is concerned with the stalling of the Doha Round and will continue to press robustly for an ambitious, comprehensive outcome that liberalizes agricultural trade. NEPAD can continue to play a useful role in supporting improved intraregional trade, which remains too low. We also fully support NEPAD playing an enhanced role in undertaking appropriate reforms to attract private-sector investment and partnerships in order to support much-needed infrastructure development. I turn now to the issue of malaria. Despite recent progress, there are still more than 200 million cases of malaria globally each year. Africa is hardest hit. Australia has been working to help African nations battle malaria, including through our long-standing support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to which Australia has contributed $250 million since 2004 and committed another $170 million by 2015. Malaria is also undermining development and causing human suffering in the Asia-Pacific region, where there are approximately 30 million cases each year, and where we are working, through the Asia-Pacific Malaria Elimination Network, to address this scourge. The gains the global community has made in terms of malaria are at risk. Resistance to the drugs used to treat malaria is emerging in the Mekong region of South- East Asia. These drugs are our last line of defence. If we cannot work together quickly to contain resistance, there is a real threat that malaria will spread beyond Asia, with many more thousands of lives lost. It is in all of our interests to contain drug resistance. This is the focus of an international conference to be held later this month in Sydney, hosted by Australia’s Foreign Minister and the Special Envoy of the Secretary- General for Malaria. Realizing Africa’s development potential and combating malaria require increased collective efforts that draw on the strengths of national Governments, regional organizations such as the African Union, international organizations, the private sector and 8 12 55213 civil society, efforts where partnerships are key. The Assembly may rest assured of Australia’s strong partnership as we work collectively towards these goals.

I have the pleasure to deliver, on behalf of the African Group, this statement on three items of paramount importance to our continent’s quest for peace and development. This important debate coincides with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It should therefore serve as a stark reminder to all of us that, despite the progress made in lifting millions out of poverty around the world, too many of our fellow human beings remain trapped in conditions of abject poverty. Therefore, we need to intensify our efforts for the full implementation of the United Nations commitments to Africa with regard to the Millennium Development Goals, the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1), the 2008 Doha Declaration on Financing for Development (resolution 63/239, annex), the 2008 political declaration on Africa’s development needs (resolution 63/1), the Outcome of the 2009 Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development (resolution 63/303, annex), the Istanbul Declaration adopted at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in 2011, and, last but not least, the implementation of the outcome document (resolution 66/288, annex) of the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The African Group expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the substantive reports under consideration today: “New Partnership for Africa’s Development: tenth consolidated progress report on implementation and international support” (A/67/204) and “Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa” (A/67/205). Those reports reflect the increasing efforts of the United Nations system in support to the African Union, including through the NEPAD Agency, the regional economic communities, the Economic Commission for Africa and other regional and subregional actors in the field, coordinated and supported by the Special Adviser to the Secretary- General on Africa and by his Office. However, the African Group would be keen to see some improvement in the reports’ contents. Indeed, the reports submitted to the Assembly have been too descriptive thus far. Consequently, the Group encourages the Secretariat to explore ways to present more analytical and evaluative reports in the future, in the light of predetermined goals and objectives. The African Group also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Secretary-General for his wise decision to implement the relevant General Assembly resolutions by maintaining the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa as a separate and independent office within the Secretariat, through the appointment of an experienced Under-Secretary-General as his Special Adviser on Africa. That decision, no doubt, will enhance the interaction between the African Group and the United Nations system through the Special Adviser and his Office to ensure intensified support of the United Nations system to African efforts in development and peace and security. The African Group expects that the decision will be the first step in a series of decisions to enhance the ability of Office of the Special Adviser on Africa to undertake its important mandate effectively. As NEPAD enters its second decade of implementation, prospects for Africa’s development appear even brighter. With great political will, the African nations can make sizeable gains in various NEPAD priority sectors. Progress made by the African countries in agriculture, infrastructure, information and communication technology and governance has shown that Africa is meeting the challenge and fulfilling its share of the bargain. However, owing to resource gaps and capacity constraints, international support should be intensified to complement Africa’s own efforts. The African Group is confident that despite the economic and financial crisis affecting all of us, our partners in development will push further in implementing their part of the partnership. In that vein, the African Group stresses that intensified efforts are much needed to achieve the progress required in many areas: first, in official development assistance, particularly as committed to in the 2005 summit of the Group of Eight (G-8) in Gleneagles; secondly, in agriculture and food security, particularly as committed to at the G-8 Summits in L’Aquila and in Maryland; thirdly, in vigorously addressing Africa’s debt problems through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative; fourthly, in effectively addressing the decline in foreign direct investment inflows to Africa; and fifthly, in pushing forward on issues of trade barriers, food security and 12 55213 9 climate change and in many other aspects that are delaying the meeting of Africa’s developmental needs. Looking to the future, the African Group attaches great importance to the implementation of the outcome document of Rio+20. The sustainable development goals should duly respect the African priorities as reflected in NEPAD and supplemented by the African consensus that emerged at summit level before the Conference. The means of implementation to be negotiated should ensure that the financial means necessary to achieve sustainable development, including the sustainable development goals, will be provided to Africa as a priority. The African Group also stresses the urgent need to activate the monitoring mechanism that the General Assembly established by resolution 66/293 to ensure mutual accountability and partnership, focusing on the follow-up of the implementation of commitments made by the African nations and by our partners in development. It would require extensive efforts to collect the data that is required to ensure accuracy. As the Office of the Special Adviser is mandated with that task, the African Group trusts that the Secretary- General, in full compliance with the resolution, will make available the necessary resources to ensure the success of the mechanism from within the Organization’s existing resources, and not from the existing limited resources of the Office of the Special Adviser. Another important issue that requires greater attention is the preparatory process for the post-2015 development agenda. The African Group believes that that process should be built around the successes and failures of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in a manner that would not allow us to lose sight of the unfulfilled commitments to Africa in the achievement of the MDGs. The preparatory process in New York should be streamlined with the preparatory process at the regional level, so that the post-2015 developmental agenda becomes peoples-centred, thus ensuring its success. In all of those future processes, the African Group believes that African States and the Office of the Special Adviser should be appropriately involved, so as to ensure synergy between the regional and international dimensions. That would also require that the Secretary- General enhance that Office’s ability to undertake that responsibility, including through additional financial means. On the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace in Africa, it must be noted that Africa has seen many positive steps towards consolidating democracy. Twenty-three African countries will have held democratic elections between August 2011 and March 2013. In addition, the progress made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone towards solidifying democratic governance is a source of pride. Most significantly this year, the constitutional referendum and elections in Somalia were successfully concluded and agreements were reached between the Sudan and South Sudan on many of the pending issues. However, progress on elections and democracy has not been without challenges. Democratic processes in Mali and Guinea-Bissau were stalled after coups d’état in March and April, respectively. We highly appreciate the support of the Secretary-General and the Security Council for the efforts of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other parties involved in the search for a solution. In that context, the African Group welcomes the Secretary- General’s initiative to convene four high-level meetings on the situation in the Sahel region, Somalia, the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite that remarkable progress, significant efforts are needed to eradicate factors of instability and that cause the weakening of States, such as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the increasing drug trafficking — two phenomena that feed terrorism, criminality and corruption. Today, Africa has both opportunities and challenges. Let us capitalize on the opportunities and face the challenges. The African Group is committed to doing so and counts on the support of the international community for a better future for Africa and its peoples. I wish to say a few words in my capacity as representative of Cameroon. (spoke in French) First, I thank the Secretary-General for the reports under consideration today and in particular for the progress achieved. In line with previous sessions, I will endeavour to provide a somewhat simple view that is also consistent with what I believe has happened over the past year. I will limit myself to a few salient points in order to 10 12 55213 place them in relation to the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and development in Africa. We welcome the measures undertaken by the regional and international organizations and the United Nations system, as well as the African countries themselves, in the sectors identified, namely, infrastructure, agriculture and food security, health, education, tourism, information and communications technology, science and technology. While progress has been achieved in those sectors, we note with the Secretary-General that in spite of the increase in the official development assistance provided to Africa since 2004, that influx is well below pledges. With regard to debt in particular, the Secretary- General’s report does indeed point out that the debt burden of African countries has been considerably reduced through initiatives implemented at the global and bilateral levels. But at the same time, debt sustainability came under pressure as a result of the global financial and economic crisis, with the drop in foreign direct investment inflows to Africa. That picture is in complete contrast with the assessment of NEPAD. It reflects the reality of a difficult economic situation that lends itself to the development of factors favourable to the emergence of conflicts. As stated so well in the Secretary-General’s report, “the ... exclusion of significant portions of society from institutions of political governance and from access to ... economic assets and social services is not only one of the main triggers of conflict, but it also makes it difficult to attain sustainable development” (A/67/205, para. 3). That assertion by the Secretary-General makes obvious the issue of exclusion — or inclusion, according to the angle from which we tackle the problem. In the Secretary-General’s report two specific items attracted our attention: sustained economic growth and sustainable development, and the management of diversity. Both have been taken as means of preventing conflicts and promoting durable peace. With regard to economic policies and access to resources, Cameroon launched a few years ago a policy called Grand Achievements, which concerns infrastructure, growth and jobs. In addition to the industrial jobs created through that enormous programme, young people have also benefited from recruitment for 25,000 posts in the civil service. I conclude by saying that from an economic standpoint, my country is doing everything it can to promote citizen participation in the national political life without distinction as to ethnic or religious background. At the level of local groups, the current decentralization programme also promotes the broadest citizen participation possible. Those are the efforts undertaken by my country to tackle the root causes of conflicts and to promote sustainable peace and development in Cameroon, in our subregion and in Africa.

At the outset, allow me to compliment the Secretary-General for his instructive and forward-looking reports on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and progress on implementation and international support (A/67/204) and on causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/67/205). My delegation also expresses its appreciation of Mr. Maged Abdelaziz, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, and his dedicated team for their advisory and advocacy work in promoting Africa’s development agenda. Let me also thank Mr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, for his leadership, drive and innovative approach in ensuring progress in the implementation of the key priorities of NEPAD. Sierra Leone attaches great importance to NEPAD, as it is a collective vision and strategic socioeconomic development framework aimed at generating broad- based, sustained and equitable economic growth that allows Africa to reduce poverty and to better integrate into the global economy. It is in that context that the fourteenth ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union integrated NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union. That decision added further impetus to the role of NEPAD as the continent’s flagship development programme. To that end, African countries, with the support of the international community, have continued to take policy actions to implement the NEPAD sectoral priorities and enhance their prospects of attaining the Millennium Development Goals. In that regard, we take note of the positive indication in the report that, despite the global economic slowdown and the lingering impact of the global financial and economic crisis, progress has been achieved in the implementation of NEPAD. We therefore commend the NEPAD Planning 12 55213 11 and Coordinating Agency for its continued efforts in generating fresh momentum and new dynamism in the implementation of the NEPAD priority activities. With accelerated growth over the last decade, improvement in governance, the spectre of conflicts receding and improvement in leadership, it is clear that Africa is at a critical turning point. Steady progress is also recorded in malaria control and prevention mechanisms, with many households sleeping under treated mosquito bed nets. Some African heads of State, including the President of Sierra Leone, made a further commitment to reach 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. However, we note that the progress made so far continues to have less impact in the face of the deepening effects of an unprecedented economic and financial crisis and the effects of climate change — a crisis that undoubtedly has had a much graver impact on the developing world, in particular the least developed countries, most of which are in Africa. The integration of NEPAD into the African Union provides a window for strategic partnership to explore areas of cooperation in order to address such global challenges as the debt issue, climate change, trade and regional integration, and sustainable development. We are heartened by the ongoing implementation of NEPAD projects ranging from the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, infrastructure, environment, gender mainstreaming and education to training in information and communications technologies. At the level of governance, advances in the implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism demonstrate Africa’s resolve and commitment to promoting democracy, good governance, peace and stability on the continent. We are also encouraged by the increase in the number of countries that have joined the Peer Review Mechanism, and we commend its consolidation as the African Union flagship programme on governance. In order to build on these gains and make further strides in development, we should continue to increase domestic savings and lessen dependence on foreign aid. We should continue to invest further in science, technology and innovation in order to take full advantage of progress in those areas, including in increasing value addition in natural resources, job creation, investment in infrastructure and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In that regard, foreign direct investment aimed at creating public-private partnerships and a vibrant private sector continues to be a viable option in addressing unemployment and underemployment, as well as in promoting socioeconomic development. My delegation also calls on NEPAD to focus on improving Africa’s global standing and enhancing linkages with the continent’s regional economic communities. There is increasing awareness that 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. While those efforts are ongoing, we are also witnessing a new wave of challenges, including transnational organized crime, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, terrorism, piracy, issues of governance and human rights and threats to democracy, drought, famine and corruption. Furthermore, while reducing extreme poverty and hunger remains our main development challenge, most African countries are also grappling with the problems of youth unemployment, climate change and inadequate productive capacity. Those challenges continue to frustrate their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. To ensure durable peace, it is vital to forge coordinated partnerships aimed at strengthening a country’s capacity to respond to the crises and security threats associated with those challenges, particularly in conflict and post-conflict countries. There is a clear need to step up efforts to improve early-warning systems for impending threats to peace and stability in Africa. In that context, my delegation commends the 2010 comprehensive review (A/65/152) 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 (A/52/871), in the light of new and emerging issues affecting human security in Africa. My delegation also notes the policy proposals and recommendations in the Secretary-General’s most recent report, in document A/67/205. 12 12 55213 Africa’s share of the world agricultural market continues to be extremely low and has decreased in recent years. We therefore urge development partners to take bold steps to conclude trade negotiations with development dimensions, which would reduce trade-distorting subsidies for agricultural products, increase access to markets for African farmers and phase out barriers to trade at the national and global levels. In keeping with internationally agreed development outcome documents — including those on the MDGs (resolution 55/2), the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (resolution 66/288, annex) and the Istanbul Programme of Action (A/CONF.219/3/Rev.1) — we also urge development partners to meet their commitments and deliver on the pledges made in Busan at the High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to achieve an official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent and 0.15 per cent for developing and least developed countries, respectively. In 2002, Sierra Leone emerged from a decade-long civil conflict to become a country that is cited as a success story for United Nations peacebuilding and peace consolidation efforts. Despite the major challenges we still face, Sierra Leone is seen as a good example of how a country can move from conflict to a stable and peaceful democracy. Today, with support from our development partners, we have introduced policies to accelerate our interventions in the productive sectors, expand our infrastructure, protect the environment and improve social safety nets. In order to position our development within a focused, coherent and prioritized framework, in 2008 we developed the Agenda for Change, a five-year development framework that is our second- generation poverty reduction strategy paper, with which the Peacebuilding Commission, the United Nations country team and other development partners have realigned their strategies. This development and peacebuilding framework sets clear priorities that target the drivers of growth and the necessary conditions for sustainable development in key areas such as energy, agriculture, transport, health, youth employment, gender and education. The strategies for developing these priorities include, among other things, improving the capacity of public services, enhancing public- and private-sector partnerships and enhancing good governance at all levels, including in our domestic financial system. As a result, we have increased grid- distributed electricity some tenfold and are on course to develop hydropower and biomass sources as the core of our energy mix. Agricultural productivity has increased, with improvements in food sufficiency, security and nutrition. Indeed, Sierra Leone’s efforts have been recognized with the President, Ernest Bai Koroma, and the Minister of Agriculture being named the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme Champions of Africa. Our free health-care programme for lactating and pregnant women and children under 5 years of age has significantly reduced — by half — infant and maternal mortality in a little over a year, since its launch. Having started by signing gender acts into law, we have also just recently passed a sexual offences act to protect women against the most widespread abuse and violation of rights in our country. We have also introduced free malaria treatment for all age groups in all public health facilities when the disease is confirmed by the use of rapid diagnostic tests. Malaria control has seen significant progress, especially in the area of prevention through the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets. In education, primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment has risen significantly, and the quality of the results of our candidates in external exams is also seriously improving. We have reduced barriers to doing business. We launched the largest road-construction programme in the history of Sierra Leone, privatized our seaport and substantially upgraded our airport. Those achievements and the highly favourable private-sector investment incentives have resulted in substantially increased foreign direct investments over the years. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sierra Leone continues to face multiple challenges in building capacities in the public and private sectors, addressing unemployment among youth, improving health care, reducing food insecurity and poverty, increasing investment in education, providing access to safe drinking water for everyone, meeting the increasing demand for sustained information and communications technologies, and bringing sustainable energy to all. In the current global economic climate, Sierra Leone, like many other countries, continues to be affected in its quest to attract substantial donor support for its development projects. To achieve our common vision, bold actions are required from all of us. In particular, international support from traditional and non-traditional donors 12 55213 13 and the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation are critical to achieving sustainable development. To achieve progress and to remain in line with country-specific priorities, there is a need for technology transfer and greater investment in infrastructure, agriculture and social facilities and services. There is also a need for further incentives for foreign direct investment. We are inspired by the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative and congratulate the High-level Group for the work done and the financial commitments secured. Increased private-sector participation in energy delivery is a prerequisite to the achievement of sustainable development. The private sector needs, therefore, to develop risk-mitigation tools and instruments that will encourage private capital to be allocated without sacrificing the need for efficiency and appropriate returns. The private sector must, in turn, look at the long-term predictable income streams that the energy sector offers and not ignore the stability that most developing countries and emerging democracies now enjoy. In that manner, they can price their risks reasonably. Energy remains an important engine of growth and development, a key to enhancing productive capacity and a catalyst for job creation. In that regard, we are committed to intensifying our cooperation in the context of triangular and South-South cooperation aimed at strengthening the productive capacity of vulnerable members of the global community, most of whom reside in Africa. In conclusion, allow me to reiterate Sierra Leone’s commitment to furthering the objectives of NEPAD, the promotion of good governance, durable peace and sustainable development on the continent.

I now give the floor to the observer of the European Union.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its member States. The acceding country Croatia; the candidate countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Iceland and Serbia; the countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina; as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia, align themselves with this statement. At the third Africa-European Union Summit held in November 2010, EU and African leaders renewed their commitment to working together to tackle global challenges, namely, climate change, conflict prevention and good governance, inter alia, and to address energy, infrastructure, food security and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a priority. They emphasized the need to encourage investment, growth and employment, in particular for youth. The EU recognizes the essential role played by the African Union and its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) programme in the definition of continental policy frameworks and programmes, respecting in full the notions of subsidiarity and ownership, and the programme’s role as a monitor of commitments towards African development needs. Support from the international community must be aimed at assisting African institutions and African countries to develop their own capacities to promote continental, regional and national projects and to mobilize the necessary resources for the priorities identified. Our aim is to support Africa’s political and economic integration through enhanced trade, a strengthened political partnership and increased cooperation in promising new areas, as well as to foster institutional capacity-building at the national, regional and continental levels. We view the Joint Africa-EU Strategy adopted at the 2007 Summit as a strategic framework for our steadily expanding cooperation and dialogue with Africa. The partnership is guided by the fundamental principles of the unity of Africa, the interdependence between Africa and Europe, shared values and interests, and joint ownership and responsibilities. Those are also core principles of the African Union and NEPAD. We welcome the progress made by the African Union in addressing the many security challenges in the continent, both through African-led peace-support operations and the establishment of its Peace and Security Architecture. The EU has supported those processes with more than €1 billion since 2004. We look forward to replicating that success story in other promising areas of common interest, such as governance, energy, climate and environment, science and technology, and information and communications technologies. We will therefore continue to follow closely the African-owned policy frameworks and to support their implementation, particularly in the context of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership. 14 12 55213 Africa continues to face a huge burden of potentially preventable and treatable diseases, which cause death and untold suffering while simultaneously blocking economic development and damaging the continent’s social fabric. We know that malaria — alongside other diseases such as HIV/AIDS — inflicts a heavy burden on Africa, particularly on women, children and the most vulnerable. Significant progress has been made in the global fight against that disease in recent years, including in Africa. Experience has shown how long- lasting insecticidal mosquito nets, rapid diagnostic testing, effective artemisinin-based combination treatment and indoor spraying with insecticides can achieve impressive results when those actions are underpinned by strong and effective health systems. But progress will be rapidly reversed if we relax our joint efforts. There is still much to do in order to drive down even further the number of cases and deaths due to malaria. That cannot be achieved without sustained investment and political will. As the world’s largest donor, both in general and in the health sector in particular, the EU and its member States will continue to lead the international community’s collective efforts to target malaria, always seeking the most efficient modes of delivery and working through national Governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United Nations system and other relevant organizations and mechanisms, including non-governmental organizations and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. Combating diseases such as malaria, through strengthened national health systems, is, in our view, one of the most effective ways to alleviate poverty and promote equitable and sustainable economic growth. We need to further invest in workers in the health professions and build capacity in order to ensure equitable access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, which will help us accelerate progress towards the achievement of MDG 4 on child health, MDG 5 on maternal health and MDG 6 on combating H1V/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The EU continues to work closely with African Governments to enable them to fulfil their commitment to allocate 15 per cent of their State budgets to health, in line with the 2001 Abuja Declaration. Let me conclude by emphasizing that the EU and its member States remain committed to supporting Africa and Africans in their quest for peace, democratic governance, human rights and sustainable development. I would like to remind the Assembly that we are not distributing copies of this statement, but it can be found on the EU delegation website.

In today’s debate on the “New Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in implementation and international support” and “Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa”, I am both pleased and honoured to continue the Caribbean Community’s tradition of expressed support for the African continent and its peoples in their effort as a collective to achieve sustainable peace, economic growth and social and political development. The golden thread that joins the Caribbean to Africa is spun by ties of culture and history, shared struggles and common aspirations. It is partly in recognition of this connection that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was privileged to participate in, and be represented at the level of Prime Minister at, the first Global African Diaspora Summit, held last May in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Summit, which was held under the theme “Towards the realization of a united, integrated Africa and its Diaspora”, speaks to the mutual affiliation between the citizens of the continent and the diaspora. At the forum, leaders and representatives of Africa, Latin American and Caribbean nations and other members of the diaspora gathered together to recognize and celebrate the diverse and rich threads of the diaspora, which are continuously interwoven into the single tapestry that is Africa. It is our hope as the Caribbean Community that the momentum and expectations of the Summit will contribute to the emergence of a stronger Africa in the twenty-first century. The Caribbean Community takes this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to strengthening collaboration with Africa aimed at achieving the enhanced levels of development envisioned by both our regions. In pursuit of this goal, the Community’s membership has, at a policy level, embarked on practical engagement with the African region. This has materialized in an increase of diplomatic representation in African States such as South Africa and Nigeria and in technical and economic cooperation. It is also witnessed in the manifest commitment to greater exchange and partnership among the secretariats of CARICOM, the African Union and the South African Development Community. 12 55213 15 Furthermore, the ties of history and shared struggles to which I referred give a special quality to the collaboration that is taking place between the Caribbean Community and Africa in the establishment at United Nations Headquarters of a permanent memorial in honour of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, as an acknowledgement of a dark period in our common history. CARICOM delegations have paid special attention to the contents of the Secretary-General’s report in document A/67/204, which describes the current status of the effort to implement the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and to incorporate its priorities into the regional development effort. Our States are encouraged by the story of promise and of hope that seems to emerge from the pages of this document. We see at work a new dynamic that has effectively replaced the traditional stereotypical image of Africa as a continent of poverty and despair. CARICOM is proud to see the level of dedication and commitment of African countries in the implementation of their development agenda through economic reform, enhancing governance and tackling conflicts. Our Community acknowledges and is heartened by Africa’s notable strides in the achievement of political stability, the promotion of economic and social development and the strengthening of mechanisms for inclusive participation. But Africa’s story is not one of unqualified optimism. Achieving sustainable development and durable peace remains a challenge for the States of the region, many of which, despite significant efforts, are likely to fall short of attaining the Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadline. More concerted action is needed to support the continent in its effort to cope with the manifest challenges which persist. Greater attention is required to critical areas such as poverty eradication, food security, health care, education, governance, infrastructure, and information and communication technology in order to provide the economic, social and physical security that impacts the most vulnerable and highly dependent groups. We recognize further the need to support the framework for peacebuilding and conflict prevention and resolution in Africa in order to create the enabling environment required for sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and for strengthening democracy. We believe that there must be continued efforts to buttress the African States in their resolve to build the capacity of the most vulnerable groups with a view to enhancing human capital, reducing vulnerability, promoting equity and positively dealing with issues that engender conflict and stymie development. The persistent global financial and economic crisis has impacted on the level of international cooperation and the provision of aid to developing States such as those in Africa. We nonetheless call on the international community and financial institutions to stay the course and help strengthen the platform of engagement between Africa and her development partners. While we acknowledge the importance of multilateral mechanisms, we note that for these partnerships to succeed, the mutual interests and concerns of all parties must be considered. At the same time, as developing States we must be able to draw on one another’s strengths. It is in this context that South-South cooperation and partnerships are also an essential part of the international response, offering viable opportunities to countries in their individual and collective pursuit of sustained economic growth and sustainable development. Where climate change is concerned, while at one level the particular geography of Africa, on the one hand, and of the CARICOM area, on the other, makes for differing manifestations of the effects of this phenomenon, there is another level at which we are both victims. An urgent, comprehensive and effective global response is needed sooner rather than later. We therefore call for a speedy delivery of fast-start financing and the fulfilment of pledged commitments. The Caribbean Community remains encouraged by Africa’s vision and steadfastness in pursuing a strategy for development, as manifested in NEPAD. We commend Africa for their collective drive in commanding ownership of their development process. Our region wishes to reaffirm our solidarity with the peoples of Africa as they aspire to equitable development and durable peace.

Egypt is speaking today as a country that was among the founding members of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). My statement also reflects the position of the Group of Arab States, which Egypt is highly honoured to be chairing this month. At the outset, I wish to express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his reports 16 12 55213 (A/67/204 and A/67/205). I also wish to associate myself with the statement made earlier today by the representative of Cameroon on behalf of the African Group. The adoption of NEPAD a decade ago underscored the resolve of African countries to collectively address the scourges of poverty and marginalization that our continent had suffered for long decades through a common vision based on African needs and priorities. As one of the five founding countries of NEPAD, Egypt is proud of the progress made in the main areas of that African initiative’s development agenda, in particular agriculture and food security, infrastructure and regional integration, human development, information and communications technology and the empowerment of women. Moreover, 31 countries have now joined the African Peer Review Mechanism, which reflects Africa’s commitment to promote good governance and respect for human rights. Our meeting today takes place a few months after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Its outcome document (resolution 66/288, annex) reiterates the international community’s commitment to fully implementing NEPAD and to tackling the specific development challenges facing Africa, in particular by fulfilling all the commitments made in various forums to support Africa’s development. Egypt believes that, in order to consolidate the progress towards achieving NEPAD’s main objectives, African Governments must step up their efforts to mobilize more domestic resources to finance development and to build on the sound macroeconomic policies that are enabling the continent’s countries to mitigate the adverse impacts of the world financial crisis on development achievements made before the crisis. African countries must also strive to extend social partnerships to cover larger segments of African populations. Furthermore, achieving NEPAD’s objectives undoubtedly requires the international community to create an environment conducive to supporting national efforts through fairer trade terms and by alleviating the debt burden on African countries, including middle-income countries, by increasing foreign direct investment inflows and by enhancing Africa’s participation in international economic decision-making processes. In that regard, we look forward to the Group of Eight (G-8) resuming its engagement with NEPAD. We expect the incoming Chair of the Group, the United Kingdom, to extend an invitation to the leaders of NEPAD’s founding countries to participate in a joint annual meeting on the margins of the G-8 summit, which was not convened this year. Egypt will continue to work with other African countries and with the Group of Arab States and development partners to strengthen international support to NEPAD, including through the United Nations and other international organizations and forums. Notwithstanding the significant progress made by Africa in the areas of peace and security, our continent still faces genuine challenges, including unconstitutional changes of Governments, terrorism and organized crime, as well as piracy and armed robbery at sea. African countries also face challenges in promoting respect for human rights and in addressing social exclusion. The Group of Arab States, including Egypt, agrees with the Secretary-General that effective management by African countries of the diversity that characterizes their communities is crucial to achieving political stability and sustainable development. The convening of several summits and high-level meetings on African issues on the margins of the high- level segment of the sixty-seventh General Assembly session underscores the depth of the challenges faced by Africa in consolidating peace and stability. Those meetings also reflect the importance that the United Nations attaches to overcoming those challenges. Egypt and the Arab Group welcome the fact that the high-level meetings showed progress in resolving the outstanding issues between the Sudan and South Sudan and towards enhancing peace and stability in Somalia. Furthermore, they demonstrate the international community’s commitment to addressing the situation in the Sahel region, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Great Lakes region. Such meetings are a testimony to the growing partnership between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) and subregional African organizations in addressing the challenges of peace and security in Africa, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. As a part of its efforts to coordinate that partnership, Egypt will host the third High-level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa during the first week of November. The Retreat will bring together United Nations special representatives and African Union envoys to Africa. During our presidency of the AU Peace and Security Council last month, Egypt organized a joint, ministerial-level 12 55213 17 meeting of the Council and the Council of the League of Arab States in order to coordinate the positions of the two organizations on peace and security issues of common interest. Egypt believes that the appointment of a Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa demonstrates the importance that the United Nations attaches to African issues. Egypt is proud that one of our eminent Egyptians has been appointed by the Secretary-General to occupy such an important position. We congratulate Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz on his assumption of that post. We underscore the importance of allocating adequate resources to the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa so as to enable it to fulfil its mandate, including the continuing implementation of the monitoring mechanism to review commitments made towards Africa’s development, established by resolution 66/293. The international community has made significant progress in eliminating malaria in developing countries, in particular in Africa. We have been able to eradicate that disease in nearly half the countries in the world. The international community must continue to provide its technical and financial support for anti-malaria programmes in African countries by improving access to prevention measures and proper treatment and by supporting our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, in particular Goal 6, on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Egypt reaffirms the vital role of regional and subregional organizations and initiatives in strengthening that work. We underscore the need for international support to ensure the success of such projects, in particular the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. That initiative was established to support the efforts of African Governments, but further international support is needed, particularly in the areas of prevention, access to medicines and the necessary diagnostic techniques. We welcome the launching of the African Union’s Roadmap for Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria during the high-level segment of the General Assembly in September. The Roadmap reaffirms Africa’s ownership of its efforts and initiatives to overcome the challenges that it still faces in the health care sector and with regard to the health of its people. The success of our efforts to combat and eliminate malaria is directly linked to resolving the trade-related aspects of the intellectual property rights of existing modern malaria medications and vaccines currently available and those being developed. There is no doubt that the international community has a responsibility to address such trade-related issues. Developed countries should assume the financial burden to their pharmaceutical companies of reduced intellectual property rights and at least subsidize the royalties charged by their companies in connection with the use of medicines in order to ensure the effectiveness of efforts to eliminate malaria and to thwart the risk of its continued proliferation. Finally, I would like to assure the Assembly that Egypt will continue to work with Member States, as well as with development partners and sisterly African countries, to enhance international support to Africa and to reinstate the African priorities in the United Nations development agenda now and in the future, as well as in the context of the post-2015 programmes.

I would like first to express my gratitude to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his reports entitled “New Partnership for African Development: tenth consolidated progress report on implementation and international support” (A/67/204) and “Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa” (A/67/205). Both reports offer us very useful documentation that sheds light on the constant support of the United Nations to Africa and various pan-African institutions, as well as on the achievements on the part of organizations in the United Nations system with regard to the implementation of various decisions taken by the General Assembly and other outcome documents of international conferences, as well as the priorities decided through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the action of African partnerships in the process. NEPAD, as is well known, has for a decade embodied the shared vision of development in the African continent that serves as the foundation for the promotion of a programme of regional political and economic integration. Based on that platform and the commitment of the African continent, the African political leadership is working to overcome the challenges that have inhibited the achievement of peace and security, regional integration, growth and sustainable development, the eradication of poverty, and the integration of Africa in the process of globalization. 18 12 55213 The world is now undergoing major upheavals, which have not spared Africa. Africa has been able to overcome the burdens of its history, and in spite of adversity and obstacles, it has for the past 20 years achieved significant progress. At least we now know that the African continent has all of the assets needed to make progress, and NEPAD has prepared it for that change. In spite of the global economic slowdown, exacerbated by the negative impact of the debt crisis, especially that caused by European sovereign debt, the strategic framework offered by NEPAD has enabled African countries to make encouraging progress in various areas of peace and security, sustainable development, new technologies of information and communications, and health and education. Most notably, agriculture, considered to be the most important subsector for ensuring rapid economic growth in the region, has shown significant progress, thanks to the comprehensive African agricultural development programme. It has also, in certain countries, improved the prospects for attaining the Millennium Development Goals. The continued commitment to working towards the implementation of the sectoral priorities under NEPAD has made it possible to achieve significant growth through regional and subregional initiatives, especially in infrastructure. With that in mind, the Republic of the Congo has devoted itself resolutely to a programme of integrative projects in line with NEPAD priorities and has focused on those sectors that fuel development, namely, energy and transport. The only means of ensuring positive results and making sure that they have lasting effects is if we promote peace and security. Promoting peace and security and reinforcing governance and institutions are some of the priorities in NEPAD. Thirty-one States have joined the peer review mechanism and have established self-assessment rules for Africa for good governance through the concepts of democracy and political governance, of governance and economic management, and of socioeconomic development, which testifies to their commitment to good governance and democracy. Aware of the implications of good governance for development, the Republic of the Congo has been involved in that self-assessment evaluation process since its inception in 2003. Certainly major challenges remain, but the evolution towards good governance has now become an irreversible process that deserves our continued support. My delegation would also like to express our sincere appreciation for the continued support of the United Nations and the international community for Africa and its relevant institutions in the areas of peace and security. While endorsing the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflicts and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, my delegation would like to stress the need for a more integrated approach with regard to the issues of peace, security and development, while appealing for a more thorough consideration that would seek other possible causes of conflict and crises besides the poor management of diversity described in the report. At a time when our attention is turned to the elaboration of the post-2015 agenda and the sustainable Millennium Development Goals, we believe that it is wise to stress the need to see both processes reinforce and mutually complement each other in a coordinated and consistent manner, without abandoning the original development goals that we have not yet managed to achieve. It is also up to us to ensure that, in doing so, the goals that we establish reflect the priorities of NEPAD and Africa. We are certain that the future of Africa means that African States must take control of their own development. There can be no doubt, on the eve of the second decade of NEPAD, that Africa must consolidate its leadership in the implementation of the new agenda. There can be no other alternative. Nevertheless, the profound changes we are observing on the African continent cannot be ignored by our partners, which must accompany Africa in an equitable partnership, because NEPAD also symbolizes a new kind of partnership that African countries have established with the rest of the world. The constraints we are facing, individually and together, are multiple and quite complex. We are not always capable of overcoming them individually. Now is the time to recall the numerous unfulfilled promises and commitments that have not yet been met by our development partners. I would like to conclude with the comment that we all have implied today. There is every indication that Africa has become a key player in the twenty-first century and can contribute to the globalization of our world. The destiny of Africa is now linked to that of the rest of the world. That means that other regions and the entire international community must be involved in 12 55213 19 specific actions. At the same time, Africa must boost its capacity to persevere in the implementation of NEPAD in order to become a viable partner. That is a commitment that has never been refuted by the African leadership.

The United States welcomes the report of the Secretary- General (A/67/204) on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the report entitled “2001-2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa” (A/66/169). We appreciate the opportunity to address them together. The United States strongly supports Africa’s ongoing efforts to generate broad-based, sustained and equitable economic growth, which will allow African countries to reduce poverty and integrate into the global economy. The United States has supported and will continue to support the New Partnership for Africa’s Development as the African States’ collective vision and strategic framework for socioeconomic development in Africa. NEPAD is bearing fruit. As the Secretary- General’s report notes, there has been real progress by African States and their partners, as evidenced by increasing economic growth, exports and foreign direct investment. According to World Bank data released earlier this month, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow at the rate of 4.8 per cent in 2012, broadly unchanged from the 4.9 per cent growth rate in 2011 and largely on track despite setbacks in other regions. African exports rebounded well in the first quarter of 2012, growing at an annual pace of 32 per cent, up from the 11 per cent pace recorded in the last quarter of 2011. Moreover, a third of African economies will grow at or above 6 per cent, a longer-term trend based on continued strong investor interest in the region, with $31 billion in foreign direct investment inflows expected this year, despite difficult global conditions. We agree with the Secretary-General’s conclusion that creating the conditions for sustained and inclusive economic growth will permit African populations to benefit more broadly from better incomes and living standards. To that end, the United States supports NEPAD priorities for democratization, good governance and economic transparency, as well as its activities to enhance regional and national level infrastructure and food security and nutrition. So much will depend upon active public-private partnerships. In response to Africa’s urgent food security and nutrition challenges, the United States Feed the Future Initiative has pledged over $3.5 billion over a three-year period to assist countries in southern, eastern, and western Africa to boost regional agricultural capacity, increase private-sector investment in agriculture and integrate national and regional markets to improve efficiency and the ability to respond to crises. Another initiative, the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, was launched by Group of Eight (G-8) and African leaders together at the May G-8 Summit. It is a shared commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth in Africa, with the goal of raising 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years. To that end, international and African private companies have pledged over $3.5 billion to agricultural and nutritional investments in Africa. More generally, we are encouraged by the efforts of African States to create an enabling business environment that includes infrastructure development. That is critical for attracting domestic investment and encouraging a vibrant private sector. We commend the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency for its efforts, working with the African Union, the United Nations, and the African Development Bank, to drive and secure such infrastructure improvements across the continent. Such activities in support of public-private partnerships demonstrate the recognition that official development assistance alone will not reap the desired results. Public-private partnerships in other critical areas in Africa, such as education, are also moving forward apace. The UNESCO Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education, which the United States co-launched, leverages public-private partnerships to address gender disparities and to provide quality education for women and girls. It is showing success in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Lesotho and Senegal. We agree with the Secretary-General’s conclusion that, in a resource-constrained environment, the several dozen United Nations entities and affiliates must work alongside their African partners to make efficient and effective use of resources, in step with national blueprints and regional programmes and in line with NEPAD’s collective vision. The United States joined the consensus on resolution 66/286, entitled “New Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in implementation 20 12 55213 and international support”, adopted earlier this year. It did so in support of the African-owned and African- led initiative, especially with respect to the important areas of agriculture, infrastructure, education, health, the empowerment of women and the environment. We anticipate that a draft resolution will be submitted to the Assembly at the current session, and we look forward to keeping the focus on Africa and its special needs. Today, the Assembly is also addressing the agenda item entitled “2001-2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa”. The United States is committed to addressing the prevention and treatment of malaria so as to improve the health and well-being of citizens living in malaria-endemic settings, particularly young children and pregnant women, those most affected by that devastating disease. We further recognize the negative impact of malaria on household incomes and economic and social development in affected countries. Although the Decade to Roll Back Malaria has concluded, the disease persists. We must continue to support malaria prevention, treatment and control efforts. President Obama’s Malaria Initiative and our contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are part of the critical effort. The goal of the Initiative is to achieve Africa-wide impact by halving the burden of malaria in 70 per cent of the at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Initiative, which is a core component of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative, we are meeting our commitment to substantially increase funding to combat malaria to $5 billion over six years, starting in 2009. Between 2009 and 2012, the United States more than doubled its funding to expand malaria prevention and treatment, from $300 million to over $600 million. In 2011 alone, the President’s Malaria Initiative programming protected 58 million individuals in 19 focus countries in Africa and the Greater Mekong subregion of South-East Asia. The Global Fund is a key vehicle for sharing responsibility and the world’s largest external source of finance for malaria-control programmes, providing three fourths of all international financing. The United States is the largest donor to the Global Fund, having contributed more than $7.1 billion of the $19.1 billion in public and private funding received to date. The United States contribution to the Global Fund supports in-country capacity-building and health system strengthening 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. The Assembly’s most recent malaria resolution, “Consolidating gains and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015” (resolution 66/289), adopted by consensus in September, acknowledged the progress made in parts of Africa in reversing the malaria epidemic and the importance of strengthening health systems. It also recognized that increased global and national investments in malaria control have yielded significant results and that some countries were moving towards malaria’s elimination. However, many countries still have high burdens of malaria, requiring a rapid increase in prevention and control efforts. Towards that goal, the resolution called on Member States, particularly malaria- endemic countries, to strengthen national policies and operational plans, with a view to scaling up efforts to achieve internationally agreed malaria targets for 2015. 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.

I speak to the Assembly today as someone who had the privilege of spending part of my childhood growing up in Africa, while Africa itself was growing up. My understanding of Africa is not based on textbooks, or movies, or safaris. I speak from personal experience. As a young child living in what was then Tanganyika, I remember vividly the excitement that went along with independence — and the strong desire of the African people to take control of their destiny. Africa and Israel share a deep connection — one that dates back thousands of years. Both the Ethiopian and Jewish traditions tell the story of the Queen of Sheba. After hearing about the wisdom of Israel’s King Solomon, she embarked on a three-year journey to meet the only ruler at the time who could match her intellect, ambition and visionary leadership. The story was a sign of things to come. Today, the women of Africa carry the same determination and spirit. They are pioneers who spearhead the progress of their nations, from President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia to Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo in Rwanda to the late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai in Kenya. 12 55213 21 Strong, empowered women are a key component for the success for both the Israeli and African societies. As I think about it, it occurs to me that, if the top echelons of Arab Governments were filled with empowered women with the same frequency, I am confident that we would have a very different situation in the Middle East today. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development is an initiative led by Africans for Africa. In fact, Israel has supported that approach for more than five decades. In 1958, Golda Meir, then serving as Israel’s Foreign Minister, undertook a historic visit to the continent. At the time, Israel was in its infancy. We were a developing nation facing a range of overwhelming challenges. Yet she saw assistance to newly independent nations of Africa as an imperative. She sent thousands of Israeli experts of every sort — scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers and irrigation experts — to work hand in hand with their African counterparts. Since that time, our development work in Africa has blossomed into an extensive programme of cooperation, covering a wide range of sectors. In Ghana, Israeli health clinics have drastically improved maternal and baby health. In Senegal, our drip irrigation system is increasing crop yields and enriching the lives of farmers. In Cameroon, Israeli doctors recently set up our eighth Eye Camp, performing free life-changing surgery on dozens of patients. In Kenya, Israel is partnering with Germany to improve wastewater treatment and introduce new technology into the tilapia fisheries of Lake Victoria. Those efforts are also benefiting people in Tanzania and Uganda. The medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides taught that we reach the highest level of righteousness when we give other people the means to sustain themselves. That principle underlies Israel’s approach to development and our commitment to promoting entrepreneurship in all corners of the world. We believe that that is one of the greatest tools for global development. By unlocking minds, we can inspire change. As President Kagame of Rwanda said, entrepreneurship is the surest way for a nation to meet its goals and develop prosperity for the greatest number of people. Building entrepreneurial cultures empowers people with the skills and opportunities to solve problems around them, unleashing waves of innovative ideas and solutions. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development is about supporting Africa as its people turn ideas into action and problems into solutions. As someone who had the opportunity to witness at first hand the resourcefulness and resolve of the African people, I strongly believe that every African problem has an African solution. An old African proverb says, “If you can talk you can sing, if you can walk you can dance”. The vast promise of Africa is clear. And to be true partners, the members of the international community must hear the distinctive sound of the African continent, feel its beat and move to its rhythm.

First of all, allow me to associate my delegation with the statement made by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Indonesia would also like to commend the Secretary-General for his reports on today’s agenda items (A/67/204 and A/67/205). The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a reflection of Africa’s renewed spirit for sustainable development, durable peace and stability. Indonesia therefore welcomes and supports NEPAD’s vision as an important progressive step for the continent and the world. A little over a decade after NEPAD was launched, there has been very encouraging and noteworthy progress by many African countries. Seeing that progress in Africa provides increased confidence and hope about what can be achieved there. Africa has taken important steps to practice good governance, strengthen capacity, improve macroeconomic frameworks for development and build infrastructure. It is important to support those homegrown efforts intended to expand and upgrade Africa’s linkages with the world economy and to create sustained peace on the continent. Africa will also benefit immeasurably from an enabling international environment conducive to its development. Ensuring an equitable global trading and financial system is central to creating such an environment. Global partnership and international support are imperative to NEPAD’s success. They enable Africa to maximize its potential for growth and development. Bilateral and triangular cooperation, as well as South- South cooperation, are important components of the global partnership. We should not forget that public- private and private-private partnerships play an important role in expanding Africa’s creative capacities. International support must also include financing for the successful implementation of various domestic initiatives. 22 12 55213 Other mechanisms can contribute to Africa’s development as well. With that in mind, Indonesia, through the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, has built a solid base for extensive cooperation with Africa, especially in terms of trade and investment, tourism, information and communications technology and the environment. Indonesia has assisted in capacity- building in the field of agriculture and food security. Appropriate technology has been transferred, and we are continuously working with a number of countries in Africa to develop rice fields with varieties that suit the continent’s weather and farming conditions. The magnitude of Africa’s development challenges demands ever-increasing support and commitment. The public health threat from malaria and other communicable diseases has not diminished. Eliminating malaria in most developing countries, particularly in Africa, remains a daunting challenge owing to limited capacities, knowledge and resources. The transfer of technology and capacity-building need therefore to be further developed and broadened, including by working within the South-South cooperation framework, among other models. Managing a pandemic disease such as malaria takes a great deal of resources. Indonesia recognizes that global action is indispensable for effectiveness at the national level. First, it is important that any malaria eradication programme be community-driven. A crucial priority is to raise awareness of the issues surrounding malaria among all key components of the community, including the private sector. Secondly, in order to achieve optimum results, malaria eradication programmes must have clear, precise and timely targets. Thirdly, to prevent resistance to malaria, anti-malaria drugs should be used correctly under the supervision of health-care personnel. Malaria patients must have access to a high-quality diagnosis and early treatment. Safe, high-quality and affordable anti-malarial drugs should be accessible to all those who need them. Last but not least, bilateral, regional and multilateral partnerships, including public and private partnerships, should be encouraged and strengthened to achieve a malaria-free world. At the national level, my country has taken the necessary measures to achieve a malaria-free Indonesia by 2030. On the occasion of the commemoration of World Malaria Day in April, Indonesia launched the national Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which supports its national malaria strategic plan for 2012-2014. Indonesia is heartened to learn that the Secretary- General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/67/205) provides explicit references to the nexus between peacekeeping and peacebuilding. It also stresses the attainment of durable peace in the region through conflict prevention. Indonesia has been not only a steadfast supporter and advocate of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, but also a key contributor to various United Nations peacekeeping missions. On post-conflict peacebuilding issues, Indonesia has undertaken work both within and outside the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). We have been implementing conflict prevention at home, as well as in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region. We are pleased to note that the report contains information, although brief, on the report of the Secretary-General on civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict (A/66/311), which is being used as a basis to develop and to implement capacity development guidance tools in order to strengthen the linkage among humanitarian intervention, development and conflict prevention. Through the follow-up of the Secretary- General’s report, a valuable platform is provided for bringing conflict analysis and peacebuilding into regular development programming. Indonesia stresses upholding the national ownership principle, in particular in the PBC’s engagement with the six countries of its country configurations, many of which have progressed in their national peacebuilding. We commend their persistence in and focus on advancing peacebuilding in their respective countries, working together with regional and subregional organizations, with the support of the international community and the United Nations. It is important to keep in mind that Africa should and must be given a chance to find solutions that specifically address its own situation. We believe that the nature of the international community’s development support to Africa must be adequate and sustainable. Africa desires such a partnership in order to overcome its historical constraints and enable it to enjoy the freedoms of free nations.

Today’s debate comes at a critical stage on the African continent. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the African Union (AU), and the first-ever female Chair of the organization assumed office only two days ago. 12 55213 23 Almost half a century ago, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established with the primary mandate to liberate the continent from the scourges of colonization, imperialism and apartheid and to promote unity and solidarity among African States. The decolonization and liberation of Africa did not come on a silver platter but were won through the gallant struggles of ordinary and heroic people on the continent. With many countries achieving independence and, ultimately, a democratic transition, and with the ushering in of a new era in South Africa in 1994, it became necessary for the OAU to transform and to reclaim its rightful place in global affairs. Therefore, with the formation of the African Union, African countries began to look into new ways to deal with the complex challenges of poverty, underdevelopment and conflicts that faced the continent. The African Union set up the African Peace and Security Architecture, aimed at engaging in conflict prevention, resolution and post-conflict reconstruction. The Peace and Security Architecture includes mechanisms such as the Peace and Security Council, the continental early warning system, the Panel of the Wise as an enhanced mediation capacity, the African Standby Force and the African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Framework. It establishes a wide range of basic norms and values, all aimed at engaging in conflict prevention and resolution and post-conflict reconstruction. On the economic and development front, it was critical that the continent should come up with a new approach to define its relationship with the world. In that context, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) provided a new dynamism and vision to the African agenda for peace and development. It signified Africa’s willingness, capacity and determination to assume full control of its destiny. As an African- owned and African-driven political, economic and social development blueprint for the continent’s future, NEPAD was welcomed by the entire international community, including the General Assembly. For that reason, continued concerted efforts should be made to ensure its successful implementation on the ground by both Africans and international partners. My delegation would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Secretary-General for the reports on issues affecting Africa under discussion today, including NEPAD (A/67/204), causes of conflict in Africa (A/67/205) and malaria. Furthermore, we would like to reiterate the significance of the support to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. We recognize that NEPAD remains the critical blueprint for Africa’s development. For their part, African countries, through the AU and in their national capacities, have made efforts to ensure that the necessary conducive environment for the success of NEPAD exists. On the political front, African countries have embraced the African Peer Review Mechanism as a positive and innovative approach to the promotion of good governance. In that context, 30 African countries have acceded to the Mechanism, of which 12 have undergone peer reviews. Several United Nations reports have highlighted the fact that the majority of sub-Saharan countries are unlikely to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadline. The international community needs to work with African countries to ensure that concerted efforts are made to achieve those Goals. In that context, the support of international partners for NEPAD is an integral part of that success. Notwithstanding the many challenges facing countries as a result of the recent global financial and economic downturn, international partners should continue to work with African countries to ensure that the commitments made to NEPAD are translated into results on the ground. In taking stock of the level and rate of success of cooperation within NEPAD, we have no doubt that NEPAD has made an important contribution to accelerating the pace of development in African countries and to promoting their participation in and enjoyment of the benefits of the international economic system. With the help of NEPAD, economies in Africa have provided opportunities for trade and investment with each other and have played an important role in sharing their experience and expertise. They stand ready to help one another in the attainment of the international development goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals, so as to ensure sustainable development for all countries. South Africa reaffirms its support for the call to strengthen the role of the United Nations system in furthering NEPAD cooperation. In that regard, it is critical that the members of the international community work together so as to enhance the NEPAD vision for Africa’s development. We also strongly believe that the 24 12 55213 Office of the Special Adviser on Africa has a special and critical role to play in that regard. In February 2010, the fourteenth ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union established the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency as a technical body of the African Union and fully integrated NEPAD into the structures and processes of the AU. NEPAD has entered its implementation phase. NEPAD implementation is also critical in the context of following up the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (resolution 66/288, annex) and considering its concerns, including droughts, desertification and land degradation. Our continent’s development priorities, embedded in NEPAD, need to be incorporated into the new development agenda. The sixteenth session of the African Union Assembly endorsed seven regional infrastructure projects, covering the five AU regions, all championed by Heads of State and Government under the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative. It is the intention of the Initiative to provide leadership to unlock strategic and catalytic interventions in support of physical interconnectivity among the various regions and States in Africa. The interventions will facilitate the free movement of goods, services, people, factors of production and investment, in order to enhance the integration of the continent into the global economic zone. Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, is the Chair of the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative. For its part, the United Nations should continue to support efforts to boost intra-African trade, by assisting African countries and regional economic communities to move forward in implementing the continent’s regional integration agenda and to fast-track the establishment of the pan- African free trade zone. Such support could cover the provision of technical analysis, research and capacity- building in harmonizing regulations and mobilizing support and resources in the areas of trade facilitation, transport and infrastructure. My delegation concurs with the Secretary-General’s report in that the development partners should fulfil the existing commitments to increase the quantity and effectiveness of development assistance. We salute the Secretary-General in selecting malaria as one of the priorities of his second mandate in office. Let me commend the work done by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership; the African Leaders Malaria Alliance; the Special Envoy of the Secretary- General for Malaria; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; World Bank; the World Health Organization; the United Nations Children’s Fund; and other partners, in their assistance in the fight against malaria. We are committed to increasing our domestic investment to combat malaria and support subregional economic developmental blocks in order to improve coordination and collaboration with our neighbours to eliminate malaria across our borders. In that regard, we call on international partners to complement our national and subregional resources in the fight against malaria and to assist us in building capacity to sustain the gains we have made thus far. To sustain the momentum that has been achieved, we need to accelerate cross-border malaria intervention, enhance active case-based malaria surveillance to screen populations harbouring malaria parasites and provide treatment to cure and stop further transmission. In addition, we need to expand our research on malaria by focusing on the development of new drugs, such as the recently announced compound under development at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. South Africa continues to support the use of DDT for indoor residual spraying as it has proved to be effective in many areas and has contributed to a huge decline in malaria cases in the country. Those countries that choose to use it are directly contributing to addressing the cause and not only dealing with the effect of the disease. Therefore, until such time as an effective and affordable alternative to DDT is available to developing countries, the use of residual spraying to eradicate the disease should be allowed.

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

On behalf of the Planning and Coordinating Agency of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), allow me first to convey my warmest congratulations to Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election as the President of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I trust that his experience and energy will contribute to the promotion of meaningful global cooperation and 12 55213 25 continuing support of the United Nations system in the implementation of the African agenda. The General Assembly debate is of the utmost importance to Africa’s development, particularly in bringing about the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means. In contributing to the debate, I recall that during the last decade, NEPAD has played a critical role in promoting democracy and good governance through its flagship programme, the African Peer Review Mechanism. That monitoring mechanism is unique in the world for advancing good governance and best practices among political peers. Since its inception, NEPAD has inspired sector policy frameworks and programmes to guide African renewal. In particular, the African Union has adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), thereby helping to change the livelihoods of African people. Infrastructure development is key for the continent’s sustainable growth and regional integration. In demonstrating political commitment, African leaders recently adopted the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative to fast-track the implementation of seven regional projects. The set targets of PIDA are to develop 37,000 kilometres of highways, 30,000 kilometres of railways and 16,000 kilometres of interconnected power lines, among other things, by 2040. The expected impact is to facilitate the movement of persons, goods and services throughout the continent. To that effect, the NEPAD Agency, as the executing entity of PIDA, is working towards the facilitation and coordination of development corridors, the promotion of sustainable energy and the expansion of Africa’s digital economy. Agriculture and food security are a key focus area for NEPAD. Through CAADP, which will celebrate 10 years in 2013, we are promoting investment planning in agriculture for increased public- and private-sector participation. We are also building the necessary partnership support through the Scaling Up Nutrition initiative and the Group of Eight’s New Alliance for Nutrition and Food Security, to achieve Millennium Development Goal 1. To attain our targets, we actively collaborate with regional economic communities, development banks, civil society and the private sector to implement NEPAD programmes. Africa is determined to maintain its macroeconomic reforms and growth path. Indeed, Africa has grown impressively over the last 10 years, registering growth rates of over 5 per cent per year. The continent continues to exceed the global growth average, thereby exhibiting a favourable economic trend. For Africa to sustain its transformation agenda, it is committed to moving towards double-digit growth that is both inclusive and equitable. One of the most critical factors in the changing development landscape is the primacy of domestic resources for our development. In that context, our leaders emphasized that mobilization of domestic resources by African Governments is critical for the implementation of regional projects that have been prioritized through NEPAD. In that respect, NEPAD is collaborating with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Development Programme and the African Development Bank to come up with appropriate mechanisms for domestic resource mobilization and utilization. We are also engaging stakeholders on reducing illicit financial flows, which constitute a huge drain on Africa’s resources. In the recent past, Africa has been reducing barriers that hinder regional integration, particularly for intra-African trade. Today, the continent is more private-sector and investment friendly. In 2010, the total foreign direct investment was more than $55 billion, which is five times larger than a decade ago. In 2011, private equity firms raised $1.5 billion for projects on the continent. A key component of that transformation is the fact that the African private sector itself is investing more in the continent. Through the African Union, the continent actively engaged with the international community at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). We applaud the adoption of the Rio+20 outcome document (resolution 66/288, annex) and its affirmation of NEPAD as Africa’s sustainable development framework. We further welcome the call on the international community to enhance its support and to fulfil its commitments to advancing action in areas that are critical to Africa’s sustainable development. We hope to see the implementation of the framework for action, with the use of regional institutions as follow-up mechanisms. We affirm that NEPAD is 26 12 55213 ready to work with the United Nations system and the international community as a whole to improve the coherence and coordination of sustainable development programmes and policies. The participation of women, youth and other stakeholder groups in that process is also critical. Today, as we observe the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, NEPAD reiterates its sound commitment to combating poverty in Africa. Overall, African countries have made significant progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, even though not all targets will be met by 2015. The post-2015 development agenda must take into account the sustainability of Africa’s growth and development. As the African Union flagship programme, NEPAD will therefore promote sustainable development goals that combine economic, social and environmental solutions. In that regard, we believe that sustainable development goals will unleash the potential for Africa to achieve its ambition as a pillar of global growth. Before concluding, I wish to commend the quality of our relationship with the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, under the able leadership of Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz. It is essential that the Office continue to play its lead role in supporting the implementation of NEPAD through the United Nations global platform. Equally, UNECA, the United Nations Development Programme and other United Nations agencies have been critical in supporting NEPAD over the years. We will continue to work towards consolidating our partnership with the international community, represented here at the United Nations. Programme of work

I would like to make the following announcements concerning the work of the plenary. The consideration of agenda item 38, “The situation in Afghanistan”, originally scheduled for Thursday, 8 November, has been postponed to Tuesday, 27 November. In addition, the joint debate on the following items, originally scheduled for Tuesday, 27 November, has been moved to Wednesday, 28 November: agenda item 14, “Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields”; agenda item 113, “Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit”; sub-item (a) of agenda item 118, “Strengthening of the United Nations system”, and sub-item (b) of agenda item 118, “Central role of the United Nations system in global governance”; and agenda item 119, “United Nations reform: measures and proposals”. 12 55213 27 Finally, agenda item 117, “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters”, originally scheduled for Monday, 3 December, will now be considered on Thursday, 15 November in a joint debate with agenda item 30, “Report of the Security Council”.