I should like to preface my statement by saying how delighted my delegation is to have this opportunity, through our consideration of this agenda item, to examine the situation in the Middle East, that seething cauldron which, every day, makes one fear the worst. Because it poses a real threat to in…
Four years after the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the results are mixed. Could it be otherwise when the international
community’s commitments to Africa are still being awaited? Africa requires considerable outside assistance to tackle underdevelopment. The recen…
There is at least one widely held view concerning Security Council reform, namely, that Africa deserves better representation than it currently has in that decision-making body. It was the desire to redress that, at best, unfair situation that on several occasions — at Harare in 1997, Ouagodougou in…
Mr. President, allow me to begin by welcoming you in our midst and congratulating you on the skilful way in which you are discharging your responsibilities as the head of this Council. It is a source of pride for us to see Benin presiding over the Security Council, a pride which is entirely understa…
Before delving into the heart of the matter, I would like to thank the Secretary-General for the exhaustive report he has made available to us (A/59/303), which will be the essential underpinning for our discussions of agenda item 56, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and…
Through me, the African Group extends its warmest congratulations to Mr. Jean Ping, Minister of State, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and la Francophonie of Gabon, on his well-deserved election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty- ninth session.
As the new President, h…
Several days ago, we commemorated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The many messages of sympathy conveyed on that occasion to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People reflected eloquently the international community’s ongoing i…
The consideration of agenda item 22, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations”, is of great importance at a time when the demands of globalization call for rational integration of the world’s activities.
The fact that so many institutions have expressed …
My delegation would like at the outset fully to associate itself with the statement made yesterday from this very rostrum on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. I should like also to welcome the presence here of Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal. His participation attests cle…
One year ago, as a prelude to the Millennium Summit, the presiding officers of the national parliaments of almost every country met in this very forum to remind the world that, despite their organizational and structural differences, the United Nations and the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) nevert…
The International Year of Volunteers, which has been celebrated this year and the closing of which is marked by this meeting, has given the international community the opportunity better to grasp the important role played by volunteers in shaping the future of humanity, and particularly in the socio…
As we take up the question of Palestine, I am obliged to thank the Secretariat for the comprehensive and exhaustive report prepared for us in order to better guide us in our discussions on a subject whose importance and relevance today no longer need to be underscored. Yesterday morning we had a for…
When the United Nations decided in General Assembly resolution 53/22 of 4 November 1998 to proclaim the year 2001 the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, it wanted to underscore the urgent need to find ways and means to establish an exchange among the currents of thought, ways of li…
It is clear that the General Assembly decided to hold a specific debate today on terrorism because of the tragic events of 11 September 2001, whose universal consequences and repercussions will long affect the human conscience.
It is often said that repetition is confirmation. My country wishes to …
I should like first of all, on behalf of my country, to congratulate Mr. Han on his election to preside over the General Assembly and assure him of the full cooperation of my delegation. I would also like to congratulate the other members of the Bureau, whose valuable assistance and steadfast contri…
Before getting to the point of my statement, I must pay tribute to you, Mr. President, for the seriousness, competence and spirit of self-sacrifice with which you are so honourably carrying out your difficult responsibilities as President of the Security Council. Like your predecessor, Ambassador Ki…
Burkina Faso took part in preparing draft resolution A/55/L.52, on the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict, which is before the Assembly for consideration. This draft resolution is the fruit of much thinking, in
Pretoria and Kimberley in South Africa and in Luanda, London and here in New York.
M…
It is precisely two months since violence erupted in the Middle East. Unfortunately, every day that goes by seems to lead to nothing but doubt, fear and pessimism as a result of that conflict, which we fear might spread throughout the whole region.
Since 29 September 2000, the day of the outbreak o…
The debate on the democratization of the United Nations, especially regarding equitable representation on the Security Council, is as old as the Organization itself. However, in the past seven years this question has been considered intensively and from a completely new perspective.
We know that in…
The item we are discussing today, “Special session of the General Assembly in 2001 for follow up to the World Summit for Children”, is of primary importance among matters of concern to the entire world.
By ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 23 July 1990, my country showed how im…
