YouSaid · the spoken record

Pierre Osho

lines on the record: 50
first: 1996-09-24
most recent: 1997-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“That is why we are endeavouring, with our limited resources, to take multifaceted actions to improve the living and working conditions of our rural and urban populations. However, we know that we can rely on international cooperation, founded not only on solidarity, but on mutual interest and partnership, to overcome the difficulties confronting us, to support our efforts at economic and social recovery, to build a State genuinely based on the rule of law and to construct a free, democratic, modern and prosperous nation.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“For its part the Government of Benin, while awaiting the fulfilment of that hope, has developed the concept of a shared social minimum level in order methodically and effectively to take actions and measures aimed at eliminating poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy, providing adequate housing, guaranteeing productive employment, improving standards and conditions of living and ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources. This concept was the subject of an international symposium, supported by the United Nations system, which was held in Cotonou from 4 to 6 August 1997. The consolidation of our process of democratic renewal, which began after the historic National Conference of the Active Forces of the Nation in February 1990, necessitates immediate and short-term social and economic successes.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Here at the end of a century, we are experiencing one such case: it is necessary to meet the urgent need for a new Marshall Plan for Africa. And the upcoming second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD II) could provide one of the best opportunities to do so. If the international community works resolutely in this direction, we will have laid the solid and indestructible foundations for a road on which we will all be able to march triumphantly into the third millennium.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Shortly before the statement that was made on 5 June 1947 at Harvard University by General George Marshall to define the foundations of his well-known European Recovery Programme, President Harry Truman stated: “Our duty is to help free peoples to fashion their own destiny in their own way. I believe that our assistance must be first of all economic and financial, because this is essential to economic stability and political order.” Fifty years later, this magnificent and noble spirit of solidarity, displayed voluntarily by the great American people and its Government, still retains all its validity and all its historical meaning. There are cases in which, because of the requirements of its own unfolding, history repeats itself.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In order that the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in 27 the 1990s (UN-NADAF), the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, Agenda 21 and other programmes of action can be truly successful, it will be necessary to establish a global system of operations and financing for Africa, like the Marshall Plan, which contributed greatly to the reconstruction and economic and social recovery of Europe after the Second World War. The establishment of this mechanism before the year 2000 will make it possible for Africa to stride confidently, not slouch, into the twenty-first century.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The collective memory of humankind must not forget this important historical fact. Today the developed countries have the moral duty to be as concerned as Africans themselves about the destiny of Africa, not to abandon Africa along the roadside of globalization and to make available to it part of their enormous material, technological and financial strength, in order to support Africa’s efforts in the struggle to emerge from underdevelopment and to enter the modern age.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In order to put an end to this distressing situation, Africa’s development partners should envisage a comprehensive and integrated mechanism for flexible, operational and effective financing, free of bureaucratic impediments and red tape, with the aim of establishing a centralized funding entity to receive resources from all sources to be devoted to economic and social development. The end of the cold war, the process of economic globalization and the progressive realization of the concept of sustainable development offer the opportunity for profound change, calling into question some of the traditional solutions and conventional answers to development problems. In the dark centuries of the slave trade, Africa contributed blood, sweat and the toil of its strongest arms to the building of the bases of the economy of the New World.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The signs of this real readiness on the part of the developed countries have proliferated in recent years, as we can see, inter alia, from the resolutions of the G-7 adopted in Lyon and in Denver, assistance programmes of the eighth European Development Fund, President Clinton’s initiative for a partnership for economic growth and opportunity and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD I), and so on. All in all, it can be said that the will exists to help Africa emerge from poverty and underdevelopment, that concrete actions are being undertaken in this direction and that new commitments are being made. Nevertheless, there still remain, unfortunately, enormous problems, and Africa continues to present to the world the desolate spectacle of endemic poverty, aggravated by crises and fratricidal conflicts.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“And yet, contrary to what statistics, curves, graphs and growth rates would have us believe, African populations have not yet felt any tangible improvement of their standard of living in their daily lives. In spite of all this, for the immense majority of Africans the will to survive is stronger than despair, and hope prevails over resignation. The ministerial meeting of the Security Council devoted to Africa, held on the commendable initiative of the United States last 25 September, led to a fruitful exchange of views that showed us a real will on the part of the international community to become more actively, more significantly and more concretely involved in a new type of partnership with Africa in order to contribute to its development.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“For us in Africa, that optimistic vision needs to be tempered, for possibilities are not realities. So that it can become a reality, the harmonious pursuit of the globalization process, in the context of real development for all those billions of people throughout the world, especially in Africa, necessarily presupposes a new international programme of solidarity and cooperation for the poor countries, without which globalization will very soon transform their regions into a poor and marginalized periphery of a hyper-rich and hyper-developed world. In fact, the developed countries are already doing a great deal for Africa, if we consider the sum total of the loans made to the continent through bilateral and multilateral assistance.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In a publication issued at Washington just a few months ago, in May 1997, the International Monetary Fund defined globalization as “the growing economic interdependence of the entire world caused by an increase in the volume and variety of transborder transactions in goods and services, and in international capital flows, along with the rapid and broad dissemination of modern technology”. Welcomed by some, feared by others, globalization has become an unavoidable economic reality for all nations. For most experts and other analysts, this process marks the success of the global spread of an economic liberalization that began in Europe half a century ago with the Marshall Plan. In their view, it brings unprecedented possibilities to billions of people all over the world.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“But it is obvious that this great initiative can be successful only with the support of the international community, through a massive mobilization of financial resources to carry out the programmes and projects that have been set up. While, to be sure, it is first and foremost up to the African countries to make the greater 26 part of the effort, the excessively restrictive procedures and conditionalities for the granting of loans, and the lukewarm reaction of certain creditors to the idea of simply cancelling the foreign debt of poor countries, are obstacles to the effective mobilization of the expected financial resources.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Today, six years after the adoption of the New Agenda, in spite of all the efforts of African countries to make better use of official development assistance, and in spite of the express intention of a number of developed countries to support the development of Africa, the total volume of official development assistance to Africa has declined considerably: by about one third compared with the forecast of $30 billion. It was in this context of the decline in official development assistance that the famous United Nations System-wide Special Initiative for Africa was launched in March 1996 in order to lend fresh momentum to the New Agenda.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“As the representative of a least developed country, Benin, I cannot but welcome this great and noble idea, imbued with generosity, pragmatism and a spirit of solidarity. But, looking the facts in the face, what do we see? When on 18 December 1991 the General Assembly adopted the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, it created a new political covenant, one of whose vital features was the principle of shared responsibility and the international community’s full and complete involvement with Africa with a view to achieving development objectives including a real growth rate of at least 6 per cent per annum in gross domestic product, and a minimum net total of $30 billion in official development assistance for 1992, with an annual increase averaging 4 per cent beginning in 1993.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“That is the real problem. Those are the real stakes at a time when we are inexorably approaching a new millennium. Globalization is both a phenomenon and a process; it has become the recurrent and omnipresent theme of all debates and of all concerns. Like other members, I noted with particular interest that President Clinton — first at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on the evening of 21 September, then the following day in this Hall — forcefully and germanely stressed the need for the United Nations to ensure that the globalization of the economy does not create deep disparities between rich and poor and that it establishes innovative partnerships between the private sector, non-governmental organizations and international financial institutions.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“By formulating the 15 priority objectives of his reform programme as a series of profound changes of major scope which should enable the United Nations to embark resolutely on a course of radical reform, the Secretary- General produced a document of undeniably high quality, whose title — “Renewing the United Nations” — is significant in more than one respect. Given the noble and legitimate aspirations of the entire international community for the future of the planet, the Organization certainly needs to be renewed in order to confront effectively and successfully the exciting yet disturbing challenges posed by globalization. Renewing the United Nations requires a new vision of the world, new conceptions and approaches to partnership among nations, and new methods for the Organization and for handling relations among States in a new world.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Our consensus will be not a triumph for the ideas of one State or group of States over another, but, rather, the fruitful result of a shared political resolve to adapt our universal Organization to the changes and developments of this end of the century period. Here, and with specific reference to reform of the Security Council, Benin strongly recommends that the following principles should be taken into account: an increase in the membership of the Security Council truly reflecting the political and economic configuration of today’s world; equitable geographical representation of the five regional groups, with the African group entitled to four seats, two permanent and two non-permanent; and protection of democratic and transparent functioning, ultimately involving the elimination of the right of veto.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“25 Thirdly, although on 20 June 1997, following over three years of negotiations, the General Assembly adopted the Agenda for Development, it is regrettable that the Secretary-General’s reform programme made no mention or explicit reference to mechanisms and means for implementation and assessment of the Agenda. My delegation hopes that this question will be taken into account in the framework of measures envisaged in order to bring about the renewal of the Organization. Lastly, I would like to anticipate the results of our session by saying that, both individually and collectively, we must firmly commit ourselves to implement the decisions and measures that will be taken in the framework of this long-awaited reform.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We believe that rather than having it replaced by groups of experts created by the Economic and Social Council we should consider purely and simply retaining the Committee. Secondly, since the situation in Africa is one of the priorities on which the Secretary-General would like to focus in the next five years. My country would hope that the Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and Least Developed Countries might be strengthened in terms of human and financial resources in order to be better able to play a full role within the United Nations system.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“(ibid.) We regard as appropriate the global approach taken by the Secretary-General, his view of general and sectoral problems, the thrust of the measures and solutions he advocates, in accordance with a methodology that combines pragmatism and the need for democratic and more effective functioning. Therefore, the delegation of Benin is in favour of the bulk of the proposals in the report. Nonetheless, I must draw attention to the following considerations to which my country attaches great importance. First, Benin believes that it would not be appropriate to eliminate the Committee for Development Planning, which is, inter alia, entrusted with developing the performance criteria for the least developed countries.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Since his election in January 1997 our Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has resolutely tackled, with commendable diligence, strength and motivation, the preparation of a programme for reform, which he himself rightly describes as “the most extensive and far-reaching reforms in the fifty-two year history of this Organization.” (A/51/950, Letter of Transmittal, first paragraph) It is reform aimed at giving the United Nations “the ways in which the United Nations can more effectively and efficiently meet the challenges that lie ahead as we enter a new century, and a new millennium”.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Are the reforms capable of giving the Organization the means for productive and effective action to meet the complex problems and numerous challenges on the horizon of the next millennium, whose effects are already strongly felt in the everyday realities of today’s world? These are a few of the major concerns of countries, such as mine, that are today experiencing both hope and doubt: hope based on the enormous potential of our Earth, whose intelligent, rational and well-directed use should make it possible to ensure the progress, prosperity and development to which all peoples legitimately aspire; but also doubt, a feeling of stubborn and profound uncertainty constantly fuelled by misery and poverty, ignorance and disease, technological lags, and the economic backwardness that over 1.5 billion human beings suffer from.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“That has long been customary, and has even become ritual, during this period every year since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. What confers on this fifty-second session a distinctive character, and what promises it an excellent place in the annals of the United Nations, is the central focus of its agenda, which, as we all know, is devoted to structural reform. What is our assessment of the specific reform provisions that are to be discussed and decided upon in the course of these meetings? What are the ins and outs of reform, the issues at stake and the real objectives?”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“As I take the floor on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Benin, I would like first to associate myself with the words of congratulations and deep appreciation expressed to Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko by previous speakers. They spoke so eloquently that I will confine myself to saying how hopeful I am that this session will benefit from his proven competence and his remarkable analytical mind in order to draw from our debates constructive conclusions that preserve a just balance between the different suggestions and recommendations contained in the various statements. The particular significance and nature of this session do not reside only in the impressive gathering of leaders from 185 Member States.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Boutros Boutros-Ghali must be resolutely sustained and developed to guarantee the conditions necessary for the harmonious pursuit of the process of democratization in international society on the eve of the twenty-first century. The delegation of Benin is convinced that our present deliberations on all issues of reform of the Organization will be guided by our shared determination to take concerted, specific and realistic measures which, better than in the past, respond to the great stakes and challenges emerging on the horizon of the twenty-first century.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We are well aware of the fact that merely going through the motions of an election is not enough to install and guarantee lasting democracy in a country. For democracy to have real meaning and for a people to fully enjoy the freedom and salvation it brings, it must be expressed both on the national and international levels. This means that democracy must also underlie and govern the organization and conduct of international relations. The world, so long divided by East-West antagonism and by North-South imbalances, 16 can and must conceive and implement new, democratic relations among States. Here it is no exaggeration to say that the renewal of the United Nations begun thanks to the courageous, tenacious and fruitful actions of Mr.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The generally correct and normal conduct of the ballot, the peaceful behaviour of the vast majority of our political classes, the courageous and responsible attitude of the people of Benin and the unwavering stance taken continually by the Constitutional Court are all signs which demonstrate genuine political maturity and an irrevocable commitment to building a truly democratic society in the Republic of Benin. To complete its programme of building a State based on the rule of law and a prosperous nation in which all citizens of Benin would enjoy a certain minimum standard of living, the Government of Benin wishes to benefit further from the support and assistance of the entire international community.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“I know that all members have been following with interest, and are well informed about, the deep-seated qualitative changes in the political life of Benin and I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to thank everyone for the genuine interest with which they have followed our major political event: the recent presidential election in March 1996, in which we could see a peaceful and orderly democratic transfer of power, without violence or bloodshed, which was totally in keeping with the rule of constitutional law in force since December 1990.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The Government of Benin considers that all States, whatever their political system, their economic level and their culture, have a duty to promote, protect and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this regard, Benin reaffirms its deep commitment to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, whose promotion and protection are a legitimate concern of the international community. For our part, we in Benin have continued to strive to consolidate our new democratic experience which has been in place since the historic National Conference of Active Forces of the Nation in February 1990.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We appeal to all Member States diligently to implement the results of the mid-term review of United Nations New Agenda in order to accelerate the process of strengthening the effective integration of Africa into the international trading system, help Africa diversify its economy and encourage direct foreign investment. Along the same lines, The Agenda for Development, which Benin actively helped to draft, should be effectively implemented to achieve the development objectives of developing countries, the least-developed countries in particular. Massive and persistent human rights violations are today both source and consequence of ethnic, racial and religious tensions which continue to persist in certain parts of the globe, particularly on our continent, Africa.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Implementation of the priority actions of the Initiative require the mobilization of Africans themselves, bodies of the United Nations system and Africa’s development partners to ensure ambitious, concerted and coordinated action designed to lead to tangible results in Africa. We applaud the initiatives of the United Nations system which has long been working for the development of Africa, as well as the actions of all partners for the development of Africa, including France and Japan, which have made the development and economic recovery of Africa a priority.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“It is regrettable that five years after it was launched, the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s has not had the expected impact on the development of Africa even though the priorities our States opted for were largely in line with its objectives, including in the area of democratic and macroeconomic reforms. This is why Benin welcomes the launching by the Secretary-General on 15 March 1996 of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, an initiative that complements the New Agenda and provides it with new impetus. I should like here to reaffirm Benin’s adherence to this Initiative whose objectives fit perfectly with those of our national development plans.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“In the context of the effective implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention to Control Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, the Government of Benin held a national forum from 20 to 22 August 1996 which was the starting point for the process of drawing up its national programme of action to combat desertification through a partnership of Government, local populations, non-governmental 15 organizations, development associations, the private sector and development partners. I should like to take this opportunity to thank the interim secretariat of the Convention and, above all, the Government of Germany and the United Nations Development Programme, whose technical and financial support proved decisive in the holding of this successful forum.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Faced with the threat to mankind posed by the rise in sea levels, global warming, creeping desertification and the disappearance of biological diversity, Benin attaches the utmost importance to implementation of all the agreements reached in Rio and, here, renews its commitment to doing all it can to ensure the success of the special session of the General Assembly planned for June 1997 to strengthen implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Earth Summit contained in Agenda 21. In accordance with the commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992 in Rio, by the end of the year Benin will have adopted its own national Agenda 21 and, at the same time, will begin drawing up local Agendas 21.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“In addition, as the decisions and recommendations of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) are implemented, they will be tangible assets for present and future generations in the process of building a more human and better society through exercise of the right to adequate housing for all. Environmental protection is essential if we are to promote sustainable development.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We have every right to be pleased that over the last five years, the struggle to eradicate poverty has been a prominent issue in negotiations and the drafting of declarations and programmes of action adopted by summits and conferences organized under the auspices of the United Nations. As we approach the end of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty and the beginning next year, 1997, of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, new national and international efforts must be made to mobilize the vast resources needed to eliminate poverty.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“At a time when one has reason to fear the resurgence of national selfishness, the temptations of protectionism and of isolationism, the international community should provide a clear response, a concrete solution that can be rapidly applied to the problems experienced by the developing world, in particular Africa. These well-known problems include the burden of foreign debt, the alarming reduction in capital flows, the trend toward a decline in official development assistance, the weak rate of investment, the continued imbalance in the terms of trade — despite the devaluation of the CFA Franc in January 1994 — protectionism on export markets, continued weak commodities prices, and so on.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The agreements of the Uruguay Round concluded in 1994, the rapid redefinition of economic groupings in the developed countries, and the ever more important role of private capital in the world economy, have created a new international environment in which the interests of Africa do not seem to have been taken into account, or in which they are even threatened or compromised. While it is true that socio-economic development in Africa is first of all the responsibility of the peoples and Governments of the African countries themselves, it none the less remains true that the international community, in particular its most developed and industrialized members, must do their part, a part commensurate with their true means, in the development process of a continent involved in a dual economic and political transition.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Here, it is important to emphasize that many countries in Africa have made considerable progress in the key areas of protecting mothers and their children, of health, of nutrition and of education, but, from one end of the continent to the other, gains continue to be drastically limited as a result of endemic poverty and economic regression. Recent developments in the global economy and the serious obstacles encountered by the efforts of the developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries, are a cause of profound concern for us as Africans. The accelerated globalization of the rules and practices of the system of market economies has led to the emergence of a new economic order within which Africa, for the most part, remains marginalized.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty during the present session will most certainly mark a major stage in the achievement of an objective which is decisive, even vital, for the international community: that of disarmament and non-proliferation. As we can read in the Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, 14 “action to ensure peace, security and stability in the world will be futile unless the economic and social needs of people are addressed.” (resolution 50/6, para. 1) This means that peace comes to nothing if the imperative of development is not guaranteed.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Benin, which has worked for this, believes in the strengthening of the provisions of the Treaty, in particular regarding the verification regime, in order to make it a genuine international instrument for effective nuclear disarmament and a solid basis for more fruitful international cooperation in the area of the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. While the commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament has been gaining ground throughout the globe, the resumption or continuation of nuclear tests painfully reminded us of the dangers and horrors which haunted the collective psyche of nations during the cold- war period. This is why Benin can only welcome the positive decision taken by France and recently by the People’s Republic of China to put an end to their nuclear testing programmes.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Everyone agrees that peace, if it is to be genuine and lasting, must be based on general and complete disarmament under international control. Here, I should like to say how gratified Benin is at the signature of the Pelindaba Treaty for the establishment of an African nuclear-weapon-free zone. The Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), held from 17 April to 12 May 1995, decided to renew the Treaty indefinitely, thus opening the way to better prospects in the area of nuclear disarmament.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“My country also invites the international community to support the efforts of ECOWAS by stepping up its financial and logistical assistance for the successful implementation of the Abuja decisions. The most important thing for a nation in crisis is the search for compromise to settle internal contradictions, no matter how serious they are. This truth has been tried and tested elsewhere, in Mozambique for example, and recently in Angola, the results of which we note with satisfaction. Hence the appeal which I am renewing here, before this Assembly, for sincere dialogue in Rwanda, Somalia, the Sudan, Sierra Leone, the Middle East — in a word, wherever passions continue at the end of the twentieth century to cloud reason and block the genuine struggle for development and democracy.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Regarding the situation in Liberia, the summit meeting of the Committee of Nine on Liberia of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held on 17 August 1996, took important decisions to extend the Abuja Agreements of 1995, which are rightly considered to be the appropriate legal framework for a definitive settlement of the conflict. This last Abuja summit also drew up a new timetable for the implementation of the peace process, and defined the modalities and stages to lead to democratic elections. Benin urgently demands that the Liberian factions take advantage of this last opportunity and strictly abide by the Abuja decisions, in order to speed up the return of their country to normality.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“My country, Benin, welcomes the strong and courageous reaction of the countries of the subregion and encourages their efforts for a peaceful, just and lasting settlement of the crisis in Burundi. Benin supports the efforts of the Heads of State of countries of the Great Lakes region and of the Organization of African Unity to make the new authorities in Burundi quickly embark on negotiations and abide by decisions which should result from constructive and sound concerted action on the part of the healthy forces of this battered people. The various protagonists must understand that only a new political agreement, based on ordinary common sense, with respect for the intangible principles of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, will contribute to an acceptable solution to all.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Despite the new international situation that promotes less aggressive, less suspicious and less tense relations between States, the political instability that continues to exist in certain parts of Africa, and the conflicts that develop there, have become significant barriers to the economic recovery and social cohesion of the continent. In this context, I wish to refer to the very worrying situation in Burundi, where the unjust system of socio- ethnic relations, military intransigence and political intolerance pointlessly prolong the suffering and division of a people. It is deplorable that on 25 July 1996 a 13 military coup ended, by force, Burundi’s constitutional, democratic and legal institutions.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“This means, therefore, that to be able to promote harmonious relations among the peoples of the world and to guarantee a lasting peace, our shared Organization must strengthen its capabilities and its means in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and the consolidation of peace. It cannot be stressed enough that, despite the difficulties, inadequacies and gaps that reduce or restrict the scope and effectiveness of its actions, the United Nations represents, embodies and remains — today and, doubtless, for a long time to come — the body that can best express and bring to a successful conclusion the will of Member States to work for the consolidation of peace and the pursuit of economic and social progress.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“This is all the more urgent because, despite the end of the cold war, the peace and security of nations seem far from being fully assured. Indeed, in many respects, on the political and security level the international situation remains worrying, especially on the African continent, where the course of history too often bears the imprint of tragic events to which the international community cannot remain indifferent. The resurgence of conflicts which, for the most part, no longer take place between States but within nations, is a challenge for which the Organization must adopt new methods and machinery for intervention and settlement.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“A year ago, in this very Hall, in commemoration of its fiftieth anniversary, the United Nations hosted the greatest gathering of Heads of State in history. In this setting they carried out a critical, objective and unsparing assessment of the 50 years of the Organization’s existence, a period during which international cooperation made it possible to achieve significant progress on each of the principles enshrined in the Charter. In the Declaration they adopted, the Heads of State and Government solemnly reaffirmed their dedication to the great ideals of peace, development and democracy inscribed in the founding texts of the Organization. Given this commitment by world leaders on the threshold of a new millennium, the imperative of peace must, more than ever, remain the ultimate goal of the international community as a whole.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Like the speakers who have preceded me at this rostrum, I wish to extend to you, Sir, the warm and sincere congratulations of the delegation of Benin to the President on his unanimous selection to preside over the work of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session. This choice constitutes clear recognition of his exceptional personal qualities and his wealth of experience as a seasoned diplomat, and it is a collective tribute to his beautiful country, Malaysia, whose dynamism and outstanding economic success over the past few years I salute. From the rostrum of this Assembly, I should like to make a contribution to this important session by expressing a message of peace, solidarity, faith and hope from the people and the Government of Benin.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)