YouSaid · the spoken record

Blaise Compaoré

lines on the record: 52
first: 1998-09-24
most recent: 2013-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

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“That situation demands that we further strengthen multilateralism, rigorously apply the principles enshrined in the Charter of our Organization, strengthen the instruments for promoting those ideals and carry out the reform of United Nations bodies, in particular the Security Council. It is my hope that the General Assembly’s work at this session will contribute to achieving those noble objectives for a more fulfilled and united humankind.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“As we approach the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the theme of the current session, “The post-2015 development agenda: setting the stage”, raises in a pertinant way the issue of the dialectical relationship between development, peace and security. It therefore offers us an opportunity to focus our thinking on a new vision in order to achieve comprehensive progress, based on strong international solidarity, towards sustainable development. That is why it is important that we redouble our efforts to regulate environmental issues on the basis of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (resolution 66/288, annex), held in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. Peace and stability appear as still-distant goals, given the number of centres of conflict throughout the world.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We also welcome Taiwan’s incalculable contribution in support of the achievement by developing countries such as Burkina Faso of the Millennium Development Goals. Peace in Africa requires pertinant socioeconomic development programmes to generate effective responses to the uncertainties created by the international economic situation and to strengthen trust between the people and the leaders. A landlocked country of the Sahel without great natural resources, Burkina Faso is committed to implementing strong policies in the context of its Strategy of Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development, with a view to promoting development and to significantly improving in the quality of life of the people of Burkina Faso.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“With regard to the situation in the Middle East, we welcome the relaunching of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine and strongly encourage the different parties to work towards a peaceful solution to the conflict in order to reach a fair and equitable solution based on the recognition of a Palestinian State living in perfect harmony with Israel. The climate of dialogue and détente that characterizes relations between the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China should be welcomed and encouraged. In that spirit, we must welcome the Republic of China on Taiwan in the United Nations specialized agencies, particularly the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“With regard to Western Sahara, my country supports the search for a political solution acceptable to all parties and reaffirms its support to the Moroccan initiative for an autonomous status for the Saharan region as a credible and realistic alternative in resolving that dispute. Beyond the African continent, the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic urgently requires an immediate end to the hostilities and a search for political solutions to the crisis. Therefore we encourage the implementation of the American-Russian agreement of 14 September aimed at control and dismantlement of chemical weapons stockpiles.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is in that spirit that my country has been participating for two decades in peacekeeping operations conducted by the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, with contingents of about 2,000 men and women who are deployed in various theatres of operation. I pay tribute to the efforts of all those who work tirelessly to build a world of peace and freedom. Beyond the resolution of sociopolitical and military crises in West Africa, Burkina Faso strongly supports the initiatives of the international community that seek to restore lasting stability in the Central African Republic, the Democratic People’s Republic of the Congo, the Great Lakes region, Somalia and the Sudan.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The implementation of the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel will contribute, I am convinced, to enhancing stability in that country and in the entire Sahelo-Saharan region. Burkina Faso is determined to play a role alongside the international community to achieve the objectives of that strategy. Dialogue is the favoured way to ensure understanding among and within peoples. Furthermore, the Government of Burkina Faso supports strengthening social cohesion, broadening spaces for freedom and dialogue, and seeking together solutions to conflicts.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Our subregion, and particularly the Sahelo-Saharan zone, has became a hideout for drug traffickers and terrorists whose desire to destabilize the region represents a real threat to the peace and security of our States. I would like to welcome the gradual improvement of the situation in Mali since the deployment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the holding of presidential elections, which supports the re-established constitutional order. I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate my thanks to all those players who have helped to resolve the crisis in Mali. To the Malian authorities and people, I express my warmest congratulations on the success of the recent presidential elections.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Vuk Jeremi., presided over the work of the sixty-seventh session. Allow me also to repeat to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the expression of the esteem and recognition of the Government of Burkina Faso for his availability and staunch commitment to peace and development. The current session is taking place in an international context characterized by relentless economic difficulties and growing threats to peace and security on a global scale. I take this opportunity to express to the people of Kenya the compassion and solidarity of the people of Burkina Faso following the terrorist attacks that were recently perpetrated in Nairobi. The West African subregion continues to be marked by the stigma of multidimensional crises that have taken place over the past two decades.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Sociopolitical crises, armed conflicts, the degradation of ecosystems, pandemics like HIV/AIDS, religious extremism, terrorism, cross-border crime and development problems are today the vital questions that call upon the conscience of individuals, summoning their responsibility for building the present and the future. I am convinced of the need to enhance our spirit of sharing and solidarity in order to meet the challenges of promoting peace, stability and security and to provide humankind with all the tools needed for better mastery of its evolution. Before continuing, I would like to congratulate the President on his election to preside over the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. In addition, I would like to express our recognition for the remarkable way in which his predecessor, Mr.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“For many years now, the United Nations has been committed to a process of reforms that should lead to the improved effectiveness of its activities in the face of the demands of the modern world. Despite the progress that has been made, much remains to be done. Our resolve to reach that goal must remain constant. Burkina Faso has deep faith in multilateralism and solidarity among peoples. We reassert our willingness to make our contribution wherever it is requested to maintain and consolidate peace, development and democracy.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In Afghanistan and Iraq, the situation continues to be tragic and to claim new victims every day, most of whom are innocent civilians. Burkina Faso will continue to invest with the entire international community in re-establishing peace in those countries. The news today is dominated by the conflict taking place in the Caucasus. While reasserting its support for negotiations by the European Union, Burkina Faso hopes that the solution to the crisis will be based on inclusive dialogue and respect for international legality. I note with pleasure an improvement in relations between the Republic of China or Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. I deeply hope that this new spirit will open the way to Taiwan’s participation in the activities of international organizations.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Collective efforts at dialogue and cooperation are required to restore peace and security there. In that regard, we welcome and support the Algiers accord reached recently between the Government of Mali and the Tuareg rebels. Burkina Faso also welcomes the progress made in the Middle East. The strengthening of Lebanese sovereignty, the creation of a viable Palestinian State and security guarantees for Israel will contribute to establishing lasting peace in that region. 08-51749 32 With regard to the Iranian nuclear issue, I hope that reason will prevail and that negotiations will reconcile Iran’s rights to civil nuclear power and the legitimate fears of the international community with regard to military nuclear proliferation.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Burkina Faso, which is taking part in that peacekeeping operation, welcomes the appointment of Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé as the Joint African Union-United Nations Chief Mediator for Darfur. Given the complexity of his mission, I call on the international community to give him its full support and to ensure a rapid resumption of the political dialogue and to strengthen the operational capacities of the hybrid force. We are also concerned by the erosion of the Somali State and its post-electoral crises. With regard to Western Sahara, we are encouraged by the efforts made by the parties to the conflict, particularly the Kingdom of Morocco, and by the Security Council’s call for a realistic settlement. The Sahelo-Saharan region has been affected by persistent insecurity for many years.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Resolving conflicts throughout the world, and particularly on the African continent, represents a major challenge for the community of nations. Burkina Faso, which currently holds the presidency of the Economic Community of West African States and the West African Economic and Monetary Union is making its contribution to enhancing peace and security, which are indispensable to ensuring progress and democracy. In Africa, centres of tension remain, but we can welcome the remarkable progress achieved by numerous mediation efforts in various regions, which have demonstrated the capacity of Africans to resolve their disputes for themselves. In Darfur, the Security Council’s decision has allowed the deployment of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I take this opportunity to express my thanks to all our development partners who have always supported us as we strive for encouraging results. The scourge of drugs and narcotics is a threat to Africa in general and the West African subregion in particular. Used as departure and transit points for exporting illegal drugs, some parts of our countries are experiencing a genuine cross-border crime wave. The rapid eradication of that scourge requires the solidarity and active support of the international community. With regard to environmental issues, the international community must invest more if it is to bring appropriate responses to the climate change affecting our planet. Scientific and political ideas must be aimed today at protecting and preserving a fully functioning ecosystem for future generations.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Official development assistance has decreased in recent years in terms of the level of funding and its effectiveness. Beyond the central and recurring question of the level of official development assistance, there are four other dimensions that I believe are crucial. Those dimensions are, first, ownership of economic policies and support for capacity-building in governance in our States; secondly, harmonizing and simplifying donor procedures; thirdly, the gradual alignment of assistance with national development priorities and programmes; and fourthly, improved coordination between our technical and financial partners on the ground, under the leadership of Governments. Those are the main requirements with regard to ensuring more effective public aid.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The current food crisis throughout the world has amply demonstrated the ineffectiveness of our agricultural policies and the fragility of our production and trading systems. It is urgent to improve how international institutions function, to relaunch investment in agriculture and to support farmers’ and professional organizations in innovative partnerships. To that end, it is important that we commit ourselves to major investment in farming, improved organization for producers, greater control of water resources, more effective distribution of seeds and fertilizers, and simpler access to land. The energy crisis helps us to prioritize our search for lasting solutions in favour of renewable resources — solar, nuclear, wind and bioenergy resources — because of the impact of energy-related factors on States’ development strategies.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“This session of the General Assembly is taking place at the midpoint in the timetable for attaining the Millennium Development Goals and in an international context marked by threats to global peace. The food and energy crises have been joined by a financial crisis of exceptional seriousness. This session is therefore crucial and provides us with a great opportunity to assess the measures that have been taken and to take the necessary corrective measures. In that respect, I welcome the initiative to organize a high-level meeting on the midterm review of the Millennium Development Goals. The 31 08-51749 conclusions of that meeting, I firmly believe, will help us to establish appropriate strategies to speed up the achievement of the Goals.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I would like to warmly congratulate Mr. d’Escoto Brockmann, on his election to preside over our debates and to assure him of the full support of Burkina Faso. I would also like to express to his predecessor, Mr. Kerim, all my appreciation for the skill with which he guided the work of the sixty-second session. It is also my pleasure to pay well-deserved tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who is investing his efforts with foresight and dedication to ensure the success of the reform of our Organization in order to build a safer world and to ensure continuing progress. I would like to reiterate in particular our warm thanks to him for the visit he made to our country last April.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We believe that, in that sign of hope and perseverance, we should always and everywhere direct our action.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Who could doubt that, despite such trials and pitfalls, the world could renew itself, if we were to agree to order our ambitions and efforts under the auspices of the United Nations? In that connection, Burkina Faso, a Sahelian country, aware of the continuing deterioration of the world ecological situation and its devastating affect on development, supports the idea of creating a specialized United Nations body for the environment presented by President Jacques Chirac at the fifty- eighth session of the General Assembly. In conclusion, the clear awareness of what is at stake for the international community and, above all, the commitment we have undertaken to protect future generations from the scourge of war, hunger and illiteracy, are also factors that auger a more peaceful and equitable society.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We are pursuing this anchor of democracy, convinced that there is nothing more important at stake. This requirement should be true for everyone peoples, nations and international organizations. Thus, the long-sought reform of the United Nations, with the democratization of the institution, its structures and operations, the main goal, is becoming an imperative. It must give greater and better responsibilities to all nations, small and large, and avoid exclusion, such as those that have been against the Republic of China on Taiwan for 30 years. Nothing justifies keeping that country of 23 million inhabitants sidelined at the United Nations. We are fully aware of the immensity and the complexity of the trials that disturb international life, but they are not insurmountable.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“For African leaders this will mean turning into specific and realistic programmes and strategies their commitments to create employment as a good way to combat poverty in Africa. That meeting will be preceded by a civil society forum, through which employers and employees, non- governmental organizations, the African diaspora, institutions and development partners will make their contributions to our collective thinking. Progress, independence and peace are intrinsic values of democracy. All nations and peoples are 12 working to meet that undeniable need. For more than a decade, Burkina Faso has been firmly rooted in the rule of law, oriented by political pluralism, good governance and the strength of institutions that guarantee human rights.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I deeply believe that development through expanded job opportunities and the progressive elimination of poverty is a sine qua non of peace and thus of the very survival of humankind. This conviction led me to propose that, together with the International Labour Organization, the Organization of African Unity and later the African Union begin considering the issue of employment and the fight against poverty in Africa. A ministerial meeting was held in Ouagadougou in April 2002 on the issue in its many manifestations with respect to job growth as a means of defeating poverty in Africa. Convinced that such thinking must be carried out at the highest level, the African Union at its Maputo summit decided to convene in Ouagadougou next year in 2004 a special summit of heads of State and Government on that very theme.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We must therefore work to redress such injustices. The duty of solidarity in favour of development is a moral duty for the countries of the North. Such solidarity is an urgently-needed response to the destitution of our populations, especially since it addresses peoples more than Governments. This implies in no way that developing countries should be taken in charge, but that they should be helped to assume responsibility for their own futures. As for Africa, it has come to see that its salvation lies in endogenous development and has therefore decided to take its own destiny in hand. That is the raison d''tre of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, to which the General Assembly is to devote a high-level debate in the near future. It will be noted that I have a personal stake in the problems of development.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“That is why we must welcome the rejection by most countries in Cancun of the unfair trading practices that subsidize thousands of farmers of the North while preparing the certain deaths of millions of peasants of the South. It is also why our claims on behalf of African cotton growers will intensify as the market becomes ever more distorted. Considering that cotton production, which represents a tiny fraction of the economic activity of the industrialized countries, is a key element of the poverty reduction policies and a basic factor of the political and social stability of the States of Western and Central Africa, it is easy to take the full measure of the bias to which we are subject. What is true for cotton is just as true for most of the agricultural products of the developing countries.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Given the complexity of the phenomenon and the enormous obstacles to be overcome, the only valid activity is to make a collective response to what has become a threat to everyone. In this titanic struggle, it goes without saying that Burkina Faso is on the side of civilization against barbarism. It is pledged to this position, subscribing without hesitation to the anti-terror measures of the United Nations, particularly the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. However, while anathematizing terrorists of all stripes, we must recognize that one of the sources of such tragedy is the despair of certain peoples, the victims of intolerable frustration and injustice that are not being addressed quickly enough.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Clearly, given its history and geography, the political crisis in the CÙte d'Ivoire is a major source of anxiety to us, particularly since the events of 19 September 2002. Above and beyond its incalculable consequences in terms of human lives lost, human rights violations and economic and financial damage, that serious crisis has demonstrated the extent to which we are so heavily interdependent in our subregion. This is yet another reason to hasten integration. We therefore deeply hope that the CÙte d'Ivoire will return to lasting peace as soon as possible through the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement. Just as worrisome is the tenacity with which terrorism harries and defies the international community, while using its own protean manifestations to evade the most impressive and sophisticated arsenals set up to contain it.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In Iraq, given the tragic turn of events, we feel that the Organization must once again be placed at the heart of the key responsibilities both in order to define a transitional political process free of any taint of colonialism and to rebuild the country. In the Middle East, where the escalation of violence and the intransigence of the belligerents make us fear the worst every day, we believe that the road map offers an opportunity to emerge from this crisis. However, without an international body on the ground to follow up and monitor events, no agreement on this major conflict can work. We cannot fail to mention the situations in the CÙte d'Ivoire, Burundi, Sudan and the Horn of Africa. The very least that can be said about these conflicts is that they remain of concern, despite all the efforts that have been made to settle them.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Indeed, despite the undeniable involvement and efforts of the United Nations; regional organizations, such as the African Union; and subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, the Southern Africa Development Community, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa and the Community of Sahel and Saharan States, to name but a few, in the management and settlement of many conflicts; and despite a certain number of success stories, such as the restoration of peace in Angola, Sierra Leone and more generally in the Great Lakes region, the rolling wave of armed conflict, tension and instability threatens to become an ongoing phenomenon.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“That is particularly true this year because our Organization was brutally tested and unfairly harmed by the heinous attack of 19 August on the United Nations office in Baghdad, which took the lives of a number of staff members, including that of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Iraq, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello. Burkina Faso once again pays tribute to their memory. The convulsions of our times reflected in the increased hotbeds of crisis, the radicalization of international terrorism and organized crime, growing poverty and the proliferation of disease convince us fully that international solidarity must remain active if we are to guarantee our world the stability and security it so desires.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“That honour is ours as well the honour of small States, which see this consecration as a demonstration of the United Nations awareness of the concept of the sovereign equality of States. We extend the same sentiments to Mr. Hunte's predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan. We must recognize, however, that all of our expectations of this session will be chimerical if we do not fully support the activities of the Secretary- General. I therefore wish solemnly to congratulate Mr. Kofi Annan on his active commitment to the cause of peace and justice and to reaffirm our complete trust in him and our sincere encouragement.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The serious events currently threatening international peace and security armed conflict, terrorism, poverty, disease and unfair trading practices call urgently and firmly to mankind's conscience and, above all, to that of the world's leaders. Guided by this consideration, I come before this Assembly to share our common concerns with the other leaders of the world and to seek appropriate answers that will restore confidence and hope to humankind. Given the importance of this gathering, the election of Mr. Hunte to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session in every way represents a tribute and a symbol of the honour being paid to a young and small nation, Saint Lucia.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I am among those who believe that Africa is on the path of hope. I remain convinced that the economic, political, cultural and social obstacles that confront Africa call forcefully for its children to rediscover the road to unity that will allow them to take effective control of their destiny. Without union, Africa will remain on the periphery of history. Common sense tells us that we Africans must once and for all rid ourselves of that image of the outstretched hand that bedevils us and build the covenants of friendship, dignity and pride that will confer so much solidarity and generosity. This quest for independence does not deny the importance of solidarity among peoples. It means reaching a new understanding of human rights and the rights of peoples; it means taking on the responsibility of knowing how to remain ourselves.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Moreover, Africa hopes that the Security Council will dispatch a mission of inquiry to the Sudan in the wake of the bombing of the pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum. Africa forcefully condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and calls upon our world Organization to create the necessary conditions for a frank debate of this issue and for strong and concerted action against this phenomenon, while keeping in mind that unresolved angers and frustrations born of economic or historical conditions restrict our capability to act. In the same vein, can the United Nations continue to deny the legal and international reality of a State such as the Republic of China on Taiwan, whose 22 million women and men are excluded from making any contribution to the activities of our Organization?”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“If the United Nations were to apply the principle of equity, would the sanctions against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya continue despite the opinion of the International Court of Justice and, above all, despite the decisions and resolutions of heads of State in the Organization of African Unity, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement calling for those sanctions to be lifted? Today Security Council resolution 1192 (1998) has underscored the primacy of law for resolving this dispute, and the majority of nations within our world Organization hope that conditions of transparency will be met so that the trial can be concluded, in the interest of the victims and the Libyan people.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The time has therefore come to rethink seriously the responsibility of international institutions in the regulation of the globalized economy in order to ensure a balance between economic growth and social prosperity. To do 18 that, it is more than indispensable and more than timely to engage in a restructuring of the United Nations, and especially of the Security Council, in order to make it a true instrument for the application of the principles of justice, equity and democracy. Africa accounts for one third of the Members of the United Nations. That is why it is unacceptable that, after more than 50 years of our Organization’s existence, an entire continent — Africa — should be absent from the permanent membership of the Security Council, which, paradoxically, debates problems that are for the most part African.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The same goes for the question of debt. It would be desirable for the eligible countries to have their debt rescheduled at the same time as they are initiating reforms. It hardly needs recalling that debt is an unbearable burden for our still fragile economies. Globalization offers us the means and advantages required to succeed in the boldest undertakings, provided that we clearly define our objectives and involve our peoples in the challenge of propelling Africa along the path of progress. It is incontrovertible that globalization, which implies a spirit of partnership, limits the independence and initiatives of States. But can humanity continue to flourish if the gap between rich and poor nations, between the affluent and the destitute within the same nation, grows inexorably?”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This includes the operational development system of the United Nations, which I should like to commend for its dedication to the uplifting struggle against poverty and other forms of deprivation that afflict African peoples. It is therefore regrettable that the United Nations agencies that are at the heart of the struggle for human security in Africa — such as the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund, to cite only two examples — are seeing their financial resources slowly dwindle while the mission entrusted to them calls for a redoubling of efforts and resources. That is why I call upon all to demonstrate their goodwill by contributing to the operational development system of the United Nations the resources it needs in order to assist Africa in confronting the challenges of peace and development.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This movement towards transparency in management and good governance has been accompanied by the establishment of homogeneous subregions in which the common destiny of Africans is daily forged, thanks to the sustained harmony of our principles and policies of integration, the ultimate objective of which is the establishment of an African economic community in the first half of the twenty-first century. At present Africa faces two challenges: peace and political stability on the one hand, and sustainable development on the other. In their struggle and daily efforts to emerge from underdevelopment, African Governments and peoples are not alone. They know how to rely on the sincere support of their friends.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We Africans are aware that in order to be masters of our destiny we must forge it ourselves. In response to this imperative no sacrifice has been spared by any State of our continent to establish an internal climate that is conducive to growth and sustainable development. After the years of uncertainty and stagnation, Africa has entered a new era, marked by clear economic recovery in the wake of bold reforms and characterized by greater austerity and rationality in the management of public and State affairs.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I have already emphasized that the management of conflict situations often requires the deployment of a level of human, material and financial resources beyond the capacities of our countries. Thus, international organizations should continue to show solidarity and partnership with Africa. I therefore call upon the United Nations, with its wealth of experience, to contribute not only to strengthening structurally the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in Africa, but also to provide technical and logistical support, since in the end we share the same ideal: assuring for our world the security and peace essential to its development and flourishing. In this test of international solidarity, one thing is certain: Africa must definitively and first of all rely upon itself.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Created in Cairo in 1993, this Mechanism, whose effectiveness and practicality we are working to ensure, should to be the crucible in which a genuine preventive diplomacy can be forged. That is all the more imperative since the consequences of conflicts, whether internal or international, are always devastating. At the institutional level, therefore, we are equipped to respond to conflicts, and we also have the will to do so, for, as I emphasized during the thirty-fourth OAU summit, “the issue of security and peace in Africa is primarily of concern to Africans. No mechanism has any chance of succeeding effectively over time if it is imposed from outside.” Of course, external solidarity, if it is sincere, will always be welcome, given that in such a complex and changing field concerted and resolute action can only be beneficial.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Preventing, managing and resolving the conflicts in Africa, whose number and complexity are increasingly disturbing, requires solid and reliable mechanisms, appropriate to local conditions, mechanisms dedicated to the cause of peace, without which Africa cannot undertake sustainable development. Clearly, the world’s problems are immense, complex and alarming. The extreme difficulty of dealing with the establishment of peace in isolation gives multilateral diplomacy an ever-growing role in the resolution of conflicts. The United Nations and regional organizations such as the Organization of African Unity can bring a great deal to this task. The OAU, for example, possesses a Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and 17 Resolution.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is my ardent wish that this experience be extended to the whole continent, to the most ancient crises as well as the most recent. From north to south, from east to west, Africa must henceforth more systematically involve itself in the management and settlement of conflicts wherever prevention was not enough, where it did not succeed in guaranteeing peace. To this end, initiatives to strengthen the continent’s capacity to respond quickly to crises have been generated by Africans themselves. The advantage they have over all other initiatives is that they are African. In order to be developed and implemented, they need the unequivocal support of the international community. Subregion by subregion, they need to be developed, without exception and in harmony.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Assessing the scope and importance of the responsibilities this entails, and which are theirs to assume, the heads of States took the decision to affirm their common will to focus fully — more than in the past — on the prevention, management and resolution of African conflicts. This commitment will certainly ensure greater visibility both for the Organization of African Unity and for the continent’s various regional organizations in their search for peaceful solutions to these conflicts. Though Africa’s experience in taking control of its own affairs is still quite recent, encouraging results have been recorded in the management and resolution of certain conflicts, results which deserve to be saluted here. The task, therefore, is not beyond the capacity of Africans.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is an acknowledgment that the United Nations, to which Africa has given so much, cannot do everything for the continent in its struggle to quell the numerous hotbeds of tension and ensure its development. The conclusion to be drawn from this fact is self-evident: Africa must recognize this reality and come to terms with it. The thirty-fourth Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, held in Ouagadougou on 8-10 June 1998, devoted the thrust of its deliberations to this new reality, which challenges and commands Africa to take control of its own destiny.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The resurgence of these crises and the inadequacy of the solutions proposed to resolve them bring to mind the plight of the Danaïdes, those mythological beings who were condemned to fill up a bottomless barrel. The international community’s failure to restore peace to Somalia and to prevent genocide in Rwanda will stand out in the history of the African continent. This failure has undoubtedly greatly contributed to awakening our somewhat lethargic consciences and forcing us to confront ourselves. It has revealed to Africa, which may still have had its doubts, the limitations of the United Nations. The twentieth century thus ends with this acknowledgement, which, though shocking for more than one reason to those still lulled by the illusions of an age-old humanism, is at least realistic and belongs to the new era that is beginning.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Seriously shaken by the two world conflicts, it also mustered the necessary resources to sound the death knell of colonialism and apartheid. The liberation of colonized peoples and territories was historically necessary to ensure greater justice, tranquillity and well-being for our civilization, a civilization which finally understood that its survival lay in the organization of a genuine collective security. But the cold war, which led to bipolar confrontation exacerbated by ideological antagonism, made this security illusory. International peace and security have not been consolidated with the end of the cold war. Conflicts and disturbances which no authority could contain quickly followed.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)