A/69/PV.27 General Assembly

Today Africa has embarked on the road to comprehensive modernization and economic growth. We are pleased to note that many countries of the region have seen significant positive change in recent years. The chief credit for that belongs to Africans themselves, and Russia welcomes the African community’s efforts in that regard. We support coordinated measures designed to promote Africa’s sustainable development. We consider the programmes of the New Partnership for Africa’s *1457648* 14-57648 (E) Development (NEPAD) to be of primary importance in that regard, and we take an active part in concerted efforts to provide NEPAD with comprehensive assistance. We have been sending direct aid to Africa for decades. As is well known, Russia has already written off more than $20 billion worth of debt for African States, and in order to provide Africans with further long-term debt relief we are taking steps that include agreements based on a debt-for-development scheme. In April, President Putin approved a new concept for the Russian Federation’s State policy relating to the promotion of international development, which, when put into practice, will help increase our involvement in aid for Africa’s development. We are steadily expanding our trade and economic cooperation, including on mutually beneficial investment projects. Training is an important area of our cooperation, and more than 6,000 African students are enrolled in Russian higher-education institutions today. We also consider food security and humanitarian assistance to African countries very important, and we provide significant aid in the area of health care. The rapid spread of the Ebola virus in Africa and its dire consequences are increasingly worrying. Guided by the principles of solidarity, humanity and our friendship with African States, the Russian Federation has been actively involved in providing financial and technical assistance to the affected countries since the first signs of the epidemic appeared. We already have doctors working in Africa, and in addition we are planning to send humanitarian aid, equipment, medical supplies, medicines and teams of experts to assist the United Nations programmes in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. We support the central role that the United Nations plays in global efforts to combat disease, and we are ready to participate further in implementing international strategies for fighting Ebola in cooperation with the Governments of the countries affected, United Nations agencies and other partners. The ability to prevent and resolve conflicts is one of the most important conditions for establishing stability and sustainable development in Africa. We commend the increasingly active response to crises on the part of Africans themselves, who have a better feel for the circumstances and can propose methods for reacting to crises that respond to local specifics. We welcome the progress that has been made in creating a peace and security architecture for Africa, the central elements of which are the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, a continental early-warning system and the establishment of an African Standby Force. While we support a timely and effective response on the part of the international community to emerging threats and challenges to security in Africa, we consider any attempt to impose formulas for a settlement on Africans unacceptable, and any outside assistance should be provided only at their request and with their consent. We fully support expanding cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union and subregional entities in preventing and resolving conflicts, and in that regard we note their joint efforts in Darfur and Somalia and on the bilateral relations between the two Sudans. It will be no less important for them to develop coordinated action on the situations of conflict in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As one of the permanent members of the Security Council, Russia has contributed significantly to developing a strategic approach for the international community and practical measures for dealing with peace and security issues in Africa. We are ready to expand practical cooperation with Africans aimed at strengthening their capacity for dealing with crises, including by continuing to train African peacekeepers and law-enforcement agents. Our country is a participant in many United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa and is one of the leading suppliers of goods and services for such operations, particularly in the area of civil aviation. Russia welcomes the Secretary-General’s first report on the review assessing the progress being made in implementing the commitments of all parties to promoting Africa’s development (A/69/163), based on our assumption that an objective dialogue that is as depoliticized as possible, conducted within a framework laid down by the General Assembly’s monitoring mechanism, will help improve regional stability and establishing conditions conducive to sustainable economic growth in Africa.

My delegation has a genuine interest in participating in this joint debate on agenda item 62, devoted to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), its progress in implementation and international support, and to the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. I would first like to thank the Secretary-General for the substantial and rich information in the reports contained in documents A/69/161, A/69/162 and А/69/163, submitted to us under this agenda item. The review of activities related to the implementation of NEPAD’s work gives us an opportunity to praise the efforts of its Executive Director, Mr. Ibrahim Mayaki, who, along with his team, has tackled the job of giving genuine visibility to NEPAD’s efforts to turn Africa into a future growth centre. And, at the moment when today’s debate coincides with the closing of Africa Week, I should not omit to reiterate my congratulations to Under-Secretary-General Maged Abdelaziz, Head of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, and to commend his efficiency and dynamism. In that regard, my delegation would like to call for the strengthening of the United Nations regional coordination monitoring mechanism established by resolution 66/293, in order to ensure his ability to carry out his functions under the best possible conditions. It is worth recalling that Africa has seen numerous initiatives and development programmes that have gone nowhere. In the wake of such setbacks, the Heads of State and Government of Africa decided to embrace a common vision for their continent’s development, taking on the challenges of achieving regional integration, accelerated growth, sustainable development, the eradication of poverty and Africa’s integration into the globalization process. From that vision was born the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, in 2001. At a time when the international community is preparing to adopt a new post-2015 development agenda, it seems appropriate to attempt a fair evaluation of the work of NEPAD, the African Union organ responsible for implementing development policies and strategies for the continent. Africa Week, organized under the auspices of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, has already amply enlightened us on the long-term development projection for Africa until 2063. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 offers a new path towards regional integration and an African renaissance — the Africa we want. In that regard, my delegation notes with interest the new international commitment to supporting the effective implementation of our leaders’ vision, which the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency will make operational. My delegation supports the statement made this morning by the Permanent Representative of Malawi on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/69/PV.26). I will therefore focus my remarks on the activities that took place during this important Africa Week and on today’s topic, NEPAD and the causes of conflict in Africa. With respect to NEPAD, I shalll confine my remarks to the ownership of NEPAD projects and programmes by the Congo, which pays particular attention to the implementation of investment programmes adopted within the framework of NEPAD and the Central African Consensual Transport Master Plan, including the integrated network of the Central African Economic Monetary Community. Certainly, difficulties in mobilizing resources constitutes one of the weaknesses of and challenges to implementation, but we also need political resolve to ensure their progressive implementation. However, my Government maintains its ongoing commitment to working to accelerate the implementation of NEPAD, notably in the priority areas of infrastructure, agriculture and food security with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, and human resources. The implementation of structural projects in Central Africa has translated the shared resolve of the Governments of the countries of the subregion to making NEPAD a dynamic mechanism for integration and development. My delegation also wishes to acknowledge the equally important progress made in the area of governance in Africa. We wish to express our legitimate pride in the secretariat of the African Peer Review Mechanism, which has helped States to assume ownership of the new self-assessment rules for Africa for good governance. My country cannot but rejoice in its being among the very first States to have conducted the self-assessment and evaluation processes launched in 2003. Since then, governance has progressed in the Congo, as the recent Ibrahim Index of African Governance has demonstrated. Today, the Congo is one of 13 African countries to have made progress in all areas covered by the annual study of governance on the continent, which ranks the Congo among the best in the class in its ratings on security and the rule of law, participation and human rights, human development and sustainable economic development. As the Assembly is aware, the Ibrahim Index of African Governance is published each year by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which assigns a score to each country by studying 95 indicators, divided into 14 subcategories, collected by 30 independent institutions. In their vision for development, African leaders rightly subscribe to the African Common Position on the post-2015 agenda, peace and security as a pillar of sustainable development, and stress the inseparable nature of peace, security and development. The African Common Position advocates fighting the root causes of conflicts by eliminating economic and social inequality and exclusion. Strengthening inclusive good governance, combating all forms of discrimination and creating unity in diversity through democratic practices and mechanisms at the local, national and continental levels are also part of that struggle. Indeed, the causes of the conflicts, violence and insecurity found in various parts of Africa can also be called poverty, unemployment and endemic disease, as should be feared in the case of the Ebola epidemic. Peace and security remain a concern in some African countries faced with rebellions. The continent is increasingly facing new forms of security threats, such as narco-terrorism, the activities of extremist groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and northern Cameroon, and maritime piracy, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. We call on the international community and the countries concerned to strengthen their commitment to fighting these threats. We all agree that these scourges dangerously undermine not only the economic development of countries on the continent, but also the international economy as a whole, and can be neutralized only by a firm, common response from the international community. Regarding the crises affecting some parts of Africa, we welcome the involvement of the international community, particularly the United Nations, alongside the African Union, regional economic communities and African States in the search for negotiated solutions to disputes and the implementation of peace operations. The multinational military exercise known as Loango 2014, which is currently under way in the port city of Pointe Noire in the Congo, is being conducted by the Central Africa Multinational Force (FOMAC) in the context of the African Union’s architecture for peace. The operation, organized every two or three years by one of the member countries of Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), seeks to strengthen the capacity of FOMAC to deploy peacekeeping and security operations. I thank all partners of ECCAS who have accompanied our countries in that endeavour. It is impossible to discuss the situation in the Central African Republic without worrying about the tragic developments of recent days. I call on our Central African brothers and all those participating in the crisis in the Central African Republic to return to the dynamic created by the Forum for Political Dialogue and National Reconciliation held in Brazzaville in July, which led to the signing of a ceasefire agreement. I recall the commitment of the international mediation led by His Excellency Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, and reiterate my country’s support for the transition authorities and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. My Government firmly condemns any attack on peacekeepers. I take this opportunity to reiterate the international mediator’s appeal of 26 September, made at the United Nations high-level event on the Central African Republic, to the international community to remain mobilized for Central Africa with the same commitment, because the Central African Republic has been completely destroyed and still has a great need for international assistance if it is to recover. As African leaders say, Africa should no longer be a symbol of poverty and unrest, but should become an integrated, prosperous and stable continent that is truly involved in the international arena and whose people live in peace and security. That is the Africa we want.

Egypt aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Malawi on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/69/PV.26) and welcomes the Secretary-General’s three reports on African issues under agenda item 62, “New Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in implementation and international support”. I would like to thank the Secretary-General and the Office of the Special Adviser for Africa for preparing the three reports and for the thoughtful conclusions they include. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) represents Africa’s inspiration to take its matters into its own hands. As Africa’s instrument aimed at reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development, NEPAD translates African priorities into specific programmes and projects. It thereby crystallizes Africa’s vision on specific thematic issues: agriculture and food security, regional integration and infrastructure, human development, and information and communications technology. NEPAD has received additional impetus as it has become the vehicle of the interpretation of the African Agenda 2063, Africa’s vision for regional integration and an African renaissance. As a proud founding member, Egypt continues to support the work of NEPAD in various programmes and thematic activities, and calls for increased international support for the implementation of the NEPAD programme. This year’s deliberations on the item coincide with the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and the sustainable development goals. As the deadline of the negotiations approaches, it is important to emphasize the need to incorporate African priorities into the new agenda. No global development agenda will ever succeed if it does not tackle the African priorities of increasing economic output, creating jobs and eradicating poverty through increased industrialization, infrastructure and agricultural development. African development needs significant and diverse financial resources, technology transfers and capacity-building. It is noteworthy that official development assistance should continue to constitute the backbone of financing for development. Furthermore, Africa needs the support of the international community in the recovery of illicitly transferred assets. We look forward to the upcoming third International Conference on Financing for Development in July 2015 to help the continent in that regard. The outbreak of Ebola in the past few months is yet another reminder of the special needs of Africa. We welcome the efforts of the Secretary-General, the General Assembly and the Security Council to establish the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response in order to curb the spread of the outbreak, treat the infected and prevent Ebola from becoming a worldwide pandemic. In order to succeed in combating Ebola, the international community should mobilize resources totalling $1 billion over the next six months. Unfortunately, the majority of those pledges are yet to be met. The Ebola outbreak also highlights the need to improve Africa’s health systems and to build resilience in fighting health emergencies. Moreover, the global efforts to combat Ebola should not amount to placing the affected countries under siege. We reiterate our concern over the detrimental effect on the countries concerned of the isolation caused by the trade and travel restrictions imposed on them. Those measures are not effective in containing the epidemic. They create impediments to the delivery of the required assistance to the affected countries, thereby prolonging their plight and rendering recovery more difficult. Efforts to achieve sustainable development and growth are doomed to failure unless coupled with serious efforts to create, keep and build peace. In that regard, we welcome the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/69/162). We also highlight Africa’s initiative to achieve a conflict- free Africa, as outlined in the Organization for African Unity/African Union Solemn Declaration of 2013. That initiative is complemented by the work of the African Peer Review Mechanism, which demonstrates Africa’s commitment to enhancing good governance and respect for human rights and democratic values. In conclusion, it is important to emphasize the need to sustain and consolidate the support provided to Africa by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, as the lead entity for advancing African issues in the United Nations system.

First, Nigeria would like to associate itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Malawi on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/69/PV.26). We welcome this very important debate on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). We also salute the vision and sagacity of African leaders in establishing NEPAD, which today is the bona fide agency for Africa’s renaissance. We commend the Secretary-General for his three significant reports on the present challenges and future prospects of Africa. They serve as the basis for honest, constructive and critical discussion, and for building scenarios and structures for the adoption of credible measures to implement the policies, programmes and activities that support Africa’s vision for sustainable development, peace, security, stability and progress. It is therefore significant that today’s debate is taking place as we are discussing the contours of the post-2015 global development agenda and preparing to take stock of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals as they approach their deadline. We thank Mr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, for his efforts and leadership of the Agency, and his inputs to date towards its regeneration. We also commend Mr. Maged Abdelaziz, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Africa, for his valuable ongoing service to Africa and the United Nations at large. We thank all delegations that have spoken today, expressed solidarity with Africa, showed concern for our challenges, and shared the promise and opportunities that our continent provides. We stand ready as always to work with Member States for the advancement of our region and the entire world. In that regard, we welcome the various initiatives created within the frameworks of regional cooperation with Africa. They include the European Union-Africa Summit meetings and their outcomes; the Japan-Africa Summit and their technical meetings; the China-Africa meetings and the initiatives emanating therefrom; the Arab-Africa Summit meetings, the latest of which was held in Kuwait City; and many other beneficial initiatives that give concrete expression to the various aspects of NEPAD’s work and the aspirations of the African Union. Conflicts are the most significant challenges facing our continent today. The Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/69/162) is therefore a fundamental document whose diagnosis and prescriptions should be given careful consideration. In that regard, Nigeria notes in particular the nexus established by the report among peace, security and development. In that connection, Nigeria is of the view that efforts at the subregional, regional and international levels should be intensified to support and advance national efforts at conflict prevention and management, as prerequisites for durable peace and sustainable development. Reinforcing best practices and supporting national programmes aimed at reconciliation, development and the building of inter- and cross- communal relations are of the highest importance. Where conflicts inevitably break out, regional peace and security structures must be able to respond in a timely manner to forestall mass atrocities and systematic human rights abuses, and to protect civilians, vulnerable persons and groups from excesses committed during war. As obligated under its own Charter, the United Nations should expeditiously address any threats to peace and security in Africa, and implement all relevant Security Council resolutions in order to forestall the outbreak of conflicts and, where appropriate, respond to conflicts in order to prevent massive loss of life and the dislocation of communal activities. Nigeria has always emphasized regional initiatives to address conflicts in Africa. Only recently, the four States members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, together with the Republic of Benin, held a summit level meeting in Niamey, in your own country, Mr. Vice-President, to discuss the security situation and terrorism in our subregion. The meeting was followed on Monday of this week by a ministerial meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defence of those countries, where resolutions and decisions were adopted to establish a multidimensional, multinational structure for combating cross-border and common security challenges. Africa’s challenges in the area of peace and security are not restricted to conflicts alone. Development challenges have long had an impact on Africa’s capacity and readiness to respond to threats to peace and security. Today, more than ever before, we are faced with the threat not of a man-made disaster, but of a natural phenomenon, represented by the Ebola disease outbreak in West Africa. The world is now reeling from the threat posed by this outbreak. The debilitating impacts of malaria and other killer diseases have long held back Africa’s development prospects, especially in the areas of human-resource capacity and labour productivity. The African Union Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, held in Abuja on 15 and 16 July 2013, adopted a landmark resolution to intensify efforts aimed at rolling back malaria and eradicating other killer diseases in Africa. It is clear that the present Ebola outbreak has compounded the difficulty of the situation in Africa. International efforts must be intensified to address the danger and overcome the threat it poses to the subregion, the continent and the entire world, as the Ebola virus is spreading exponentially. We have no alternative but to face this existential threat together and show unity of purpose. Rather than stigmatizing and isolating countries and communities from where the outbreak emanated, solidarity, compassion and understanding should be our watchwords, with speedy and timely support rendered to those countries. Nigeria has so far disbursed $3.5 million to the affected countries in West Africa, having overcome the importation of the virus into our own country. We will continue to show empathy and solidarity with the affected countries in our region and give them the support they need to meet this grave challenge. In addressing NEPAD priorities and the sustainable development of Africa, we should highlight the infrastructure needs of the continent and develop strategies for meeting those needs. The African Union (AU) and NEPAD have developed blueprints to address the needs and adopted policies at the highest level in the continent to integrate Africa by rail, land and air, as well as by electronic means such as fibre optics and undersea cable for telecommunications and the Internet. The most important infrastructure gap in Africa today, according to a World Bank report, is to be found in the power sector. It is instructive to note that only 24 per cent of Africa’s population is reported to have access to a constant electricity supply, while 48 sub-Saharan countries, with about 800 million people, are said to produce roughly the same level of power as Spain, which has only 45 million people. Africa’s infrastructure deficit is naturally being addressed under the ambitious Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa. The adoption of Agenda 2063 by the AU presents a landmark opportunity for addressing Africa’s priorities on a long-term basis in the areas of infrastructure, industrialization, agriculture, human capital development and peace and security. We therefore wish to highlight the need for a global appreciation of the conclusions and final outcomes of high-level meetings of the African Union, NEPAD and the various regional economic communities in Africa, towards the development of viable partnerships for implementation of our continent’s development strategies, in consonance with the global partnership envisaged under Millennium Development Goal 8, and the relevant provisions of the unfolding post-2015 development framework. In that regard, we wish to reiterate the importance of the Common African Position that was adopted at the highest political level in Africa in order to address Africa’s priorities in elaborating the post- 2015 development agenda. The Secretary-General’s biennial report on the review of the implementation of the commitments made towards Africa’s development (A/69/162) is therefore highly significant and of extreme relevance. We wish to reiterate our readiness to cooperate with NEPAD and the African Union to intensify regional integration and achieve a common market in our continent. We shall strive to encourage greater private-sector participation in that process, whereby indigenous banks, industries, trading companies and others will be able to avail themselves of opportunities to expand their reach and scope in all African countries, reduce their dependency on external factors and open up African markets for African businesses. Finally, as we were reminded today by Mr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, NEPAD and the African Peer Review Mechanism are the dual structures on which Africa’s development are predicated. They also form the bases for regional integration, peace and security and sustainable development. Accordingly, the observance of and respect for principles that constitute the foundation of good governance — such as human rights, the rule of law, democratic governance based on constitutionality, and the fight against corruption and impunity — are indispensable corollaries to development. The Secretary-General’s emphases on these issues are very important. They have also been reflected in the Secretary-General’s outcome documents. Nigeria welcomes these emphases and will continue to abide by them.

My delegation is pleased to participate in this important meeting of the General Assembly devoted to development in Africa, which is taking place at a critical time in the preparation of the post-2015 development agenda. My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Malawi on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/69/PV.26). We would also like to express our support and congratulations for the outstanding work that has been carried out by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa and his tireless efforts in favour of the continent’s interests within the framework of the United Nations system. African States have shown their commitment to political stability and to peace as engines and catalysts for development. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have provided a substantive impetus to African States and enabled them to achieve outstanding progress in the field of economic and social development. Despite the progress achieved to date, the African continent remains confronted with a great many challenges in achieving its objectives. The efforts of African States have been hampered by the multiple economic and financial crises, including those linked to the increase in the price of foodstuffs and energy, that have struck the entire world in recent years, and by deterioration caused by climate change. The recent Ebola outbreak and its consequences for the prospects for economic and social development of a number of African States clearly shows the extent to which it is necessary for the international community to further mobilize in a timely manner to assist the countries on the continent to create the conditions necessary for their development. Morocco has expressed its solidarity with the countries suffering the impacts of the pandemic, by continuing, through its airline, Royal Air Maroc, to fly to those countries in order to undo their isolation, just as we have made a contribution by sending medicines to affected countries. The commitments undertaken under MDG 8 on the global partnership for development have not been kept in their entirety, particularly with respect to financing for development, technology transfer, access to affordable medicines and development commitments for the least developed countries, the majority of which are in Africa. We emphasize in that context that official development assistance, which is an important source of development financing, particularly for African least developed countries, should be further strengthened in the context of the post-2015 development agenda. The full and rapid implementation of commitments to Africa’s development should be a priority in terms of accelerating progress towards the achievement of the MDGs in the African continent. In addition, Africa’s special needs development must be an integral part of the post-2015 development programme. The transformation of African economies through industrialization, the improvement of their production capacity and the promotion of economic growth are decisive factors for efforts to lift millions of Africans out of poverty and combat youth unemployment. The promotion of investment, infrastructure development, improved market access and technology transfer are key elements to enable the economic emergence of African countries. We believe that strengthening the private sector will contribute to the diversification of African economies, improved value-added and the creation of employment and income opportunities. We emphasize, moreover, the need for productive investment as an important source of financing for development and its catalytic role in achieving development goals, in particular the eradication of poverty. In that regard, my delegation welcomes the holding on 17 July of a high-level debate of the General Assembly devoted to the promotion of investment in Africa and its role in achieving development goals on the continent. Climate change is a major challenge for Africa’s development. Global solutions are required to mitigate its effects and to support adaptation efforts through adequate financing and technology transfer. The green economy, which was highlighted at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and in its outcome document (resolution 66/288, annex), could be an important model for achieving sustainable development goals and eradicating poverty through job creation. Technology transfer is essential to helping African countries to achieve the necessary economic transformation and thus enable them to promote the green economy and adequately address the three pillars of sustainable development. Morocco has always made South-South cooperation, especially with African countries, a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Morocco believes that only joint action on the basis of shared commitments and significant regional integration will enable African countries to overcome the challenges of development. It is in that spirit that Morocco has initiated partnership and cooperation programmes with African countries in areas such as education, health, infrastructure, agriculture and vocational training. In addition to the cooperation initiated by the Moroccan Government, private Moroccan companies have also increased their investment in the continent. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Morocco is determined to engage in a more dynamic and active cooperation at the international and regional level for development in Africa.

I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this joint debate. Malaysia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Myanmar on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (see A/69/PV.26). I also would like to express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive reports submitted under agenda item 62. Malaysia would like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate our African friends on the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the African Peer Review Mechanism in 2013 and its achievements thus far. The 10-year anniversary commemoration not only contributed to raising awareness among the international community and the African diaspora on Africa’s progress in the area of governance, but was even more significant as it coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the African Union and the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa, who is tasked with global advocacy and support for Africa’s development, in particular the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Malaysia welcomes the progress made by African countries over the past 10 years of implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism, an initiative established under NEPAD. It has succeeded in fulfilling its objectives to encourage and build transformative leadership and constructive national dialogue among African countries through an inclusive and participatory self-assessment process. The African Peer Review Mechanism has successfully fostered policies and practices that would lead to the attainment of the NEPAD objectives of political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated subregional and continental economic integration. Though it is voluntary in nature, the increasing number of countries participating in the process shows the importance that African countries attach to strengthening their institutions of governance. Malaysia hopes that more African countries will participate in the process in the future, thus further enhancing the development of Africa as a whole. We hope all these consolidated efforts will assist our African friends in achieving their goals. Malaysia attaches great importance to its relations and cooperation with Africa, especially in the areas of peace and security, trade, investment and the holistic development of the region. We truly believe that through South-South cooperation, solidarity and mutual respect, relations between Malaysia and the countries of Africa have been enhanced. As we can see, the growing trend of foreign direct investment flows from countries of the global South to the African continent has provided a foundation for greater cooperation in the future. That was made evident in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report on the rise of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and Africa of March 2013, which states that Malaysia is the biggest Asian source of foreign direct investment to Africa. Malaysia was the third-biggest investor in Africa in 2011, after the United States and France, with a total of $19.3 billion of investment in the continent. Investment from the Malaysian private sector has led to the creation of more decent jobs and transfer of knowledge and technology and has assisted in projecting the image of Africa as a vibrant investment destination in the world. While we welcome the progress made by many of the African countries, Malaysia also acknowledges the challenges and difficulties faced by African countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. In that regard, Malaysia wishes to reaffirm our support and continue to be an active dialogue partner with Africa, under the framework of South- South cooperation. Malaysia cooperates with African countries through specific technical courses under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme and through triangular cooperation initiatives, such as the joint initiative between the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Africa. Malaysia has also entered into specific cooperation programmes with African countries through dialogue platforms such as the private-sector involvement through the Malaysian South-South Association and Malaysian South-South cooperation. In conjunction with the sixty-eighth United Nations Day celebration held in Kuala Lumpur in October 2013, the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme received the Millennium Development Goals award for global partnership for development, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the United Nations development goal. Malaysia is proud to be the recipient of the United Nations award in 2013 for its contributions towards Millennium Development Goal 8, “Develop a global partnership for development”. We thank the developing countries that nominated Malaysia for this award, as it is an acknowledgement of Malaysia’s efforts in supporting the Millennium Development Goals. Malaysia also wishes to reaffirm its commitment to hosting the next Smart Partnership Dialogue through the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID), at a date to be announced in due course. Malaysia believes that the Smart Partnership Dialogue is a good platform for Malaysia in its continuing engagement with other African countries outside the bilateral engagements. Malaysia’s presence during the Dialogue in Africa and our commitment to hosting the LID demonstrate our continuing support for Africa’s economic development. Through hosting LIDs, Malaysia remains committed to promoting South-South cooperation in Africa. Malaysia has, since 1995, organized the LID. The Dialogue has been successful in forging smart partnerships between the Governments and private sectors in the South. Since its inception, a total of nine such dialogues have been held, aimed at fostering smart partnerships at all levels in society, engaging the political leadership, civil service, business, labour, civil societies, media and the population at large. The success of the LID has prompted African countries to organize a similar dialogue in southern Africa, namely, the Southern Africa International Dialogue. Malaysia would also like to express our deep concern with regard to the Ebola outbreak in the African region. Malaysia has mobilized resources to ensure an adequate humanitarian response on the ground in order to combat the outbreak effectively. With regard to that effort, on 15 September the Malaysian Prime Minister handed over the consignment of 20.9 million medical rubber gloves in 11 containers to be distributed to the affected countries. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will each receive three containers of the medical gloves, with each container carrying 1.9 million medical gloves. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria will receive one container each, respectively. Malaysia sincerely hopes that this modest contribution will help prevent the spread of Ebola and save lives. To conclude, Malaysia hopes that more countries will participate in Africa’s future economy activity, thereby further enhancing the development of Africa as a whole.

At the outset, I would like to express our appreciation for the scheduling of this important meeting and I would especially like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his invaluable reports. As we are at the crossroads of defining the post- 2015 development agenda, it is important to have a comprehensive discussion on how to achieve and finance Africa’s sustainable development. Bearing in mind that there is a direct link between peace, security and development, addressing the conflicts on the continent of Africa will also best serve the development efforts in the region. Turkey, in line with that approach and as a strategic partner of the African Union (AU), supports all initiatives for the prevention of conflicts and to bring peace to the whole continent. Mediation can be the most effective tool in the prevention or management of conflicts. The third Istanbul Conference on Mediation, held in Istanbul on 26 June, addressed the theme of increasing the role of regional organizations in mediation. In fact, the AU and African subregional organizations have demonstrated their will and exerted great peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts in addressing many conflicts. The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, of which Turkey is co-Chair with Spain, is also an initiative that can be a catalyst for the much-needed dialogue and interaction between different cultures and civilizations. As two thirds of the least developed countries (LDCs) are in Africa, supporting LDCs and promoting investment in those countries will also contribute to enhancing Africa’s development. Timely and effective implementation of and sustained international support for the Istanbul Programme of Action for LDCs are of crucial importance in that sense. Turkey is currently preparing itself for the review conference of the Istanbul Programme of Action, again in Istanbul. Turkey supports African solutions to African problems. Ownership and leadership of African countries and the AU are essential for ensuring peace, security and sustainable development in the continent. Turkey has become a strategic partner of the AU in 2008. We now have 35 embassies in various African countries. That number will reach 39 by the end of the year. The number of embassies of African countries in Ankara recently reached 30. That represents a threefold increase in the past four or five years. We now look forward to the second Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit to be held in Equatorial Guinea from 19 to 21 November, which will convene under the theme “A new partnership model for African sustainable development and the consolidation of integration”. Turkey will assume the presidency of the Group of 20 on 1 December. Turkey will work for a more representative, fair and democratic global economic system that favours all. Development, including for Africa, will be a priority for our presidency. Turkey will also be in close contact with all our partners, including Africa, in the period leading up to the first-ever world humanitarian summit, to be held in 2016 in Istanbul. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis caused by the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West African countries and regret the loss of over 4,000 lives. As it is spreading at an exponential rate, the Ebola challenge, with its social and economic consequences, has already become a humanitarian crisis affecting regional and global security. This global humanitarian tragedy has now become a global challenge that can be banished only through international cooperation and solidarity. We are ready to provide full support to the work of Special Envoy Mr. David Nabarro and to cooperate with all relevant agencies and actors through the United Nations coordination system created by the Secretary-General. Turkey has immediately reacted to this emergency and will shortly announce additional financial assistance. Our national agencies are also planning further in-kind assistance to the countries most affected, namely, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. We are now planning to scale up our support with additional available means as quickly as possible and by using multilateral channels, including the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, the World Health Organization and the African Union. Turkey’s engagement and partnership with Africa is based on its own merits and therefore will continue unabated in the future.

At the outset, my delegation would like to associate itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Malawi on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/69/PV.26). My delegation wishes to extend its appreciation to the United Nations for dedicating 9 to 17 October as the 2014 New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Week, and to the Secretary-General for his reports on these two important agenda items and for his consistent commitment and support to Africa’s top agenda issues of malaria and NEPAD to receive serious attention and consideration in the context of multilateral systems, such as the United Nations. My delegation also welcomes the introductory statement by Mr. Ibrahim Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, which highlighted the progress made in implementing NEPAD development projects, the challenges faced in the process and steps to be taken in the coming years. Let me in this connection extend our appreciation to the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Africa, Ambassador Maged Abdulaziz, and his Office for their continued support of NEPAD’s efforts to realize its ongoing development projects together with other the United Nations funds, programmes and agencies, and the African Union Commission. Since its inception, NEPAD has been entrusted with the mission of supporting the African Union to realize the economic integration of our continent. As noted in the report, the African Union has launched a continent- wide economic transformation initiative, primarily based on the industrialization and modernization of agriculture. This initiative was extensively debated by the economics and finance Ministers of Africa together with the Governors of Central Banks during the seventh Meeting of the Ministers, held in April in Abuja, Nigeria. The outcome of that debate will be translated into action, principally through planning and implementation schemes steered by the NEPAD Agency. NEPAD, together with the regional economic communities, the African Union Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, will be at the centre of organizing actions and necessary resources for the desired transformation of African economies in the short term and the far-reaching Agenda 2063 of the Union in the long term. Ethiopia acknowledges the support provided our partners for projects in Member States identified as priority areas by NEPAD and subject to local implementation. With respect to agriculture and food security, the Union has rededicated itself to eliminating hunger, reducing poverty and enhancing food security through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. This has also been closely linked to climate change and natural resource management. These initiatives and programmes need local participation and are progressing in the right direction, though not satisfactorily, as the resources mobilized by NEPAD are not yet adequate to close the gaps. In this regard, the efforts of NEPAD and the support of its partners, including the United Nations and its agencies, to mobilize the required resources need to be accorded the attention they deserve. It is evident that economic integration and industrialization will not be fully realized or become sustainable in the absence of adequate infrastructure. Accordingly, Africa has set ambitious infrastructure-development projects through the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa. We recognize that each African country must assume responsibility for implementing the NEPAD programmes for infrastructure development, without which it will be difficult to integrate our economies by removing border-post restrictions. Obviously, Africa is unable alone to implement either the 51 projects and programmes, or the 16 national and regional priority infrastructure projects, which were identified as quick wins for financing, as clearly indicated in the report. It should also be recalled that the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee has, on several occasions, stressed the need for partnership between the Union and international financial institutions for the successful implementation of mega-projects, a sentiment also endorsed by the Assembly. In this regard, my delegation welcomes the African 50 initiative of the African Development Bank to support the efforts of Africa to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development. We in Africa, including my country, Ethiopia, are working hard to mobilize domestic resources for the purpose of implementing our development projects with cross-border benefits. Such efforts should therefore, in our view, be reinforced by development partners  — donor countries and multilateral organizations alike — because the needs are tremendous while the resources are far short of what is required. We are aware of the fact that surpluses are available in the global economy, in particular in the developed world, and opportunities should therefore not be missed to support Africa’s development programmes identified by NEPAD. We hope that partners will renew their commitments in the light of the financial challenges Africa is facing today, so that the recommendations contained in the report will be implemented. We are all well aware that malaria-control efforts have attracted considerable political attention and financial support at the international, regional and country levels. We all recall that, in September 2008, we warmly welcomed the official launch of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which we in Ethiopia believe helped to accelerate our progress towards achieving the Partnership’s 2010-2015 targets for malaria control and elimination. Ethiopia, as part of sub-Saharan Africa, has made considerable progress in reducing malaria, which is the main cause of morbidity and mortality. We are one of the first countries to embrace the scaling-up impact concept for malaria control. The 2006-2010 National Strategic Plan, aimed to rapidly scale up malaria-control interventions to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in the malaria burden, in line with Roll Back Malaria objectives, has been a great success. Significant and sufficient amounts of effective anti-malaria drugs and diagnostics have been distributed to all malaria-affected areas in the country. More than 57 million nets have been distributed since 2005, and households targeted for indoor residual spraying have increased from 20 per cent in 2005 to over 80 per cent in 2013. These scale-up efforts have been aggressively and successfully implemented through a focused approach and intensified cooperation among stakeholders. According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization in areas located below 2,000 metres altitude, significant reductions have been recorded in malaria cases, admissions and deaths. In all ages, confirmed malaria cases in 2011 declined by 66 per cent in children under 5, and malaria admissions and death fell by 81 per cent and 73 per cent, respectively. Monthly trends of malaria indicators were lower and less variable following the intervention. Malaria epidemics have gone down year on year, attaining a level with no epidemics recorded at the national level. Furthermore, in the health sector, we have formulated and implemented a number of polices and strategies. These include strategies on free services for key health interventions and the training and deployment of over 38,000 health extension workers for the institutionalization of community health care services that involve diagnosis and treatment of malaria at the health-post level. These health-care-delivery systems also increased the number of health facilities ,from 4,000 in 2001 to 18,000. As a way forward, Ethiopia has recently developed a new malaria control and elimination strategic plan for the period 2014-2020 in the context of the National Health Sector Development Plan. The plan, with all its financial gaps and technical requirements, has been communicated to the Global Fund and other partners. Ethiopia is looking forward to the support of the international community in terms of technical and financial inputs alike to implement this important national strategy, which will undoubtedly help intensify our efforts to achieve the partnership’s 2010-2015 targets for malaria control and elimination.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the Resource Mobilization Directorate of the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) for their efforts to ensure the success of NEPAD’s Africa Week. We are particularly grateful for all the reports giving us an overview of Africa’s progress. Rwanda endorses the statement made by the representative of Malawi on behalf of the African Group (see A/69/PV.26). As we celebrate the outcomes of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, I would like to join others in congratulating the President on his choice of the theme that will drive our development agenda for the next 15 years, “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 agenda”. It builds on the immense gains we have achieved in tackling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), despite the fact that some of our countries will not meet their targets by the due date. We remain confident that the new agenda will give us the impetus to carry on with renewed hope, since, if we take into account the sustained growth that has recently been registered across Africa, the future looks promising. Today we all concur that Africa is a land of opportunity and that it is on the rise. We have reason to believe in ourselves, since Africa is often cited as the fastest-growing region and home to the fastest-growing economies. We have a lot to celebrate, for we have come a long way. We can now heave a sigh of relief and agree that the worst is behind us. With the freedom granted us to shape our own destiny, we are better equipped to work on making a decent future for our people. In that regard, I would like to commend the African Union highly on the consultative exercise we have been afforded through the shaping of the Common African Position. The continent has been given a valuable opportunity to establish its own development agenda and, as a continent, to identify its priorities and how to achieve them to the benefit of its people. It is therefore time for all Africans to rise as one in order to seize the momentum and continue to strive together to establish a unified agenda. I would like to emphasize that the substance of NEPAD’s agenda is that Africa’s strengths lie in its people, who are its chief asset and investment. Through a human-centred approach and guided by the Common African Position, Africa will undoubtedly rise to tackle poverty in all its forms. In our global quest to eradicate poverty, every nation will strive to reduce inequality by ensuring that no one is left behind. That effort takes on deeper meaning in the wake of the new challenges that Africa is facing and that call for unified action to ensure that our gains are not reversed — emerging threats such as the outbreak of Ebola, food shortages, climate change and terrorism. Driven both by the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Common African Position, the continent is ready to take off on a new path, reinvigorated by the lessons of the past. The priorities set by NEPAD’s agenda in the areas of health, education and gender mainstreaming are being implemented in every corner of the continent. In addition, Africa has understood that agriculture must play a pivotal role in its development, and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme has shaped that understanding. In order to ensure its food security, Africa should also follow the guidelines of the Maputo Declaration and allocate a major portion of its national budgets to agriculture. Accelerating infrastructure development will be another key enabler. When we consider all the infrastructure development projects aimed at unleashing the continent’s potential for growth that are mushrooming at the national and regional levels, in areas such as transport, water, energy and information and communications technologies, we can see that Africa is indeed on the move. Other prerequisites include ensuring gender equality and empowering women and young people, both of which help to catalyse action by driving and generating productivity. Because they help to ensure inclusive growth, the participation and mainstreaming of women and young people into national development policies are vital if we are to achieve real social and economic gains. And if we are to ensure a sustainable future, we should emphasize the importance of changing our mindset where our habits of production and consumption are concerned, in order to preserve our planet. Protecting and managing the environment should be daily concerns in all our deeds. Moreover, sustainable gains can be made only when nations take ownership of shaping their destinies, taking national identity into account. More importantly, achieving good and inclusive governance as a core element of sustainable development is also essential to meeting people’s expectations. A discussion of peacebuilding is relevant to our consideration of the post-2015 agenda, given the many intra-State conflicts that are currently raging in Africa, as well as those conflicts’ changing nature, acquiring as they have a new dimension in the wake of the global financial crisis, whereby everyone is focused on getting the lion’s share of economic benefits at others’ expense. With the heavy toll such conflicts take on civilians, it is vital that we focus collectively on how to go beyond managing conflicts and instead invest in preventing them. I should emphasize in that regard the leading role of the African Union in recognizing that national and regional actors are key to addressing the underlying causes of conflict. In that respect, it is imperative that each State develop its own strategy for addressing challenges affecting its people’s well-being. Regional involvement in formulating policy and capacity- building is essential to addressing the root causes of conflicts if we are to guarantee peace and security. And lastly, the United Nations and the international community also has a role to play in preventing and ending conflicts. In closing, I should point out that the post-2015 development agenda cannot be achieved without adequate means of implementation. In order to consolidate gains and meet external shocks with resilience, all countries must work together to achieve enhanced international cooperation based on a renewed global partnership for sustainable development. We should therefore strengthen the entire enabling environment and global governance needed to promote financing for sustainable development. Encouraging public-private platforms and mobilizing domestic funds will also be essential if we are to meet the cost of sustainable development. In particular, Africa’s development partners should contribute to Africa’s transformation by honouring all their commitments. Finally, the real transformation lies in the hands of each nation and its efforts to create an atmosphere conducive to attracting private investment. To conclude, I would like to reiterate Rwanda’s commitment to the collective efforts to drive Africa to its greatest heights.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 49/2, of 19 October 1994, I now give the floor to the observer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Today’s debate on agenda item 12, concerning malaria, is an opportunity both to evaluate the progress made in the fight against malaria and, for the second time at this session, to underline the critical importance of strong and efficient health infrastructures as a key element of public health care that is crucial to adequately address the main health threats of our time, be they non-communicable diseases, Ebola or malaria. With the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) just months away, we can assert that malaria control and prevention have contributed and continue to contribute to the achievement of most MDGs, particularly MDGs 4, 5 and 6. The decrease in malaria deaths, for instance, markedly contributed to the MDG 4 target of reducing the under-5 mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 and 2015. Likewise, easy-to-implement interventions, such as intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy or insecticide-treated mosquito nets, have greatly influenced the improvement of maternal health by reducing the rates of severe maternal anaemia, low birth weights, miscarriages and stillbirths. Moreover, the recent World Health Organization (WHO) malaria report (A/68/854) attests to the very positive accomplishments in MDG 6: “Between 2000 and 2012, a substantial scale-up of malaria interventions led to a 42 per cent decline in malaria mortality rates globally, saving an estimated 3.3 million lives... Global case incidence has been reduced by 25 per cent globally and by 31 per cent in Africa” (A/68/854, para. 7). Today, the disease is concentrated in 17 countries where about 80 per cent of the world’s malaria deaths occur and that are challenged by hard-to-reach communities, weak health infrastructures or both. Only two African countries account for about 40 per cent of malaria mortality worldwide. Nonetheless, we have made progress. However, recent success in prevention and control is fragile, and can be maintained only with sufficient financial and political commitment and stronger national policies, operational plans and research. Echoing the recently adopted resolution 68/308 on malaria, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) encourages malaria-endemic countries to consider adopting and implementing the Multisectoral Action Framework for Malaria, adopted and developed by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the United Nations Development Programme. We also encourage regional and intersectoral collaboration, both public and private, at all levels, especially in education, health, economic development, data collection and the environment, to advance malaria-control objectives. We repeat our call for international efforts to scale up investments in research and development initiatives to stay ahead of the mosquito and the parasite. Malaria- endemic countries, development partners and the international community must also support the timely replacement of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, in accordance with the WHO recommendations of the service lives of such nets, in order to prevent the risk of malaria resurgence and a reversal of the gains made to date, such as in the Greater Mekong subregion of South-East Asia. The IFRC welcomes the strong and ambitious goals contained in the report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (A/68/970), particularly its strong goal on health. We welcome the zero-goal approach for malaria and want to emphasize the importance of solid health infrastructures in addressing national and regional health needs. Current health crises have taught us that one must address not only the effects of a health emergency, but also the underlying structural capacity of local systems — their ability to access affordable essential medicines and vaccines and to finance, recruit, develop, train and keep a strong health-care workforce. Only with proper early-warning and response capacity will States be able to manage national and global health risks such as the current devastating Ebola outbreak. The IFRC’s fight against malaria is focused on social mobilization, communication aimed at changing behaviour, and distribution and assistance to households with long-lasting insecticidal nets. It also supports the ministries of health of individual countries, such as Kenya, where the Kenya Red Cross Society is a key partner of the country’s Ministry of Health, implementing malaria prevention and control interventions in over 100 difficult-to-access villages in the western, coastal and Rift Valley regions with its strategy of home-based management of malaria. The IFRC believes that programmes that empower communities to respond comprehensively to malaria are part of the winning formula to beat the disease, to reach those last-mile populations, and to make the aspirational goal of ending malaria by 2030 a reality. When community-based volunteers are equipped and empowered to provide knowledge, prevention and treatment options, local people become first responders to combat that ancient scourge. The IFRC believes that, together with mobile technology, social media can also be a valuable ally when it comes to reaching communities with health messages. In Asia, for instance, social media are fundamentally changing how the region communicates. A number of Asian national societies  — such as the Red Cross Societies of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam — have made significant advances in harnessing the power of social media and are now using mobile and web-based technologies to improve communications, interactions and malaria-prevention activities with the communities they serve. In conclusion, the IFRC stresses the need for stronger partnerships and sustainable funding to carry the success forward; stronger and more efficient health infrastructures; national and regional policies, empowering communities with the knowledge and materials needed to prevent and treat the disease; greater recognition, support and investment in community-based solutions and actions; and investment in operational research that allows for data-driven, efficient, and cost-effective malaria programmes on the ground.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on these items. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 62 and its sub-items (a) and (b) and agenda item 12.