YouSaid · the spoken record

Laurent Gbagbo

lines on the record: 27
first: 2007-09-24
most recent: 2009-09-24
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

“Climate change is dangerous throughout the world, but it is catastrophic for us. We need the help of representatives to tackle this difficult century before us. I pray that God may bless the United Nations.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Certainly, in some rich oil-producing countries in the Arab world, we have seen our brothers working to make seawater drinkable, but how many countries in the world have the means to turn seawater into drinking water? It is terribly expensive. We need to convene a meeting here at the United Nations on that issue — and not only meetings, but decisions followed by action. Those are the problems that I came here to talk about on behalf of the Ivorian delegation. Everyone knows that Africa is such that when one delegation talks, it speaks for all delegations because we face the same problems. I would hope that, as of today, we can look beyond internal crises. We all know that Africa has made great progress. It is up to us to strengthen ourselves by daring to fight poverty, extreme poverty and catastrophic climate change.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Everywhere today — in Burkina Faso, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire — the rains bring disaster, and those very rains that we call for to water our farms have become a cause for alarm. We no longer know if the rains to come bring death or life. Africa is fighting, and is doing so alone. It would prefer to fight with the rest of the world behind it. That is also why we have come to speak here. Africa no longer wishes to feel abandoned or to fight alone. Soon, in 50 years according to the experts, it will be easier to find oil than clean drinking water, because we will have to go a long way — too far for our economies. What are we going to do? The issue of clean water has become a problem.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I 13 09-52463 do not know the situation in West Africa very well, but it has been shown that, in Central and Southern Africa, the deserts are advancing by two kilometres a year. What does that mean? It means that in 50 years the deserts will have advanced by 100 kilometres and reached the coasts. We must decide. While the deserts advance, on the coasts villages and houses are disappearing into the sea. That is happening in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere. There are people living today with the water at their feet. There are those who live not knowing if tomorrow it will reach their houses or if their houses will, in fact, be in the sea. Urgent measures are needed. We need not only meetings, but also decisions, and those decisions — on deserts, the sea and floods — must be implemented.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“There have been meetings on debt, but there need to be more, and decisions must be taken on debt because the debts that were incurred in the 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s today hamper the development of African countries. That must be considered. It is a law of nature that when a small, weak country is overburdened by debt, the original purpose of which is often not known even to its leaders, that country sinks, and drags the world down with it. Africa is part of the world. If a decision is not taken on the issue of the debt of African countries, the entire global financial system will be on course for disaster. That is why I stress, alongside the problem of debt, the issue of climate change. We talk of climate change, and we are right to do so, but we need to take decisions that are critical for most of our countries.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Direct dialogue, like that in Côte d’Ivoire, offers avenues for thought that the United Nations could make good use of. I think that the Burkina Faso delegation can address that issue as well as, if not better than, we can. Another topic of concern is world poverty. World peace and security are dependent on the eradication of extreme poverty and poverty reduction. That is why my delegation welcomes the convening at the sixty-third session of two high-level meetings on Africa’s development needs and the Millennium Development Goals. We welcome the outcomes and recommendations of those meetings. Côte d’Ivoire is resolved to free itself of the burden of debt that is threatening its development goals.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The only sure way to attain lasting peace is the equitable settlement of conflicts within a reformed, more democratic and more credible Security Council. Together, we need to build a United Nations with a stronger mandate and greater representativity. In that regard, it would be preferable to entrust the prevention, management and settlement of local conflicts to regional and even subregional organizations. That approach, which was enshrined in April 2008 by the Security Council, should be strengthened by an earnest updating of the mechanism for cooperation with regional organizations, as provided for in the United Nations Charter of 1945. In that regard, I would like to simply reiterate here the position of my delegation, which is based on our experience of handling and settling the Ivorian crisis.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Hence, the importance of the historic high- level meeting convened in this very Hall on 12 and 13 November 2008 on the urgent need for genuine dialogue among religions with a view to creating a culture of peace. That initiative bolstered activities to raise the awareness of the international community to the need for preventive diplomacy on this key topic, in particular the World Conference on Dialogue, held in Madrid in July 2008, and the launching in July 2005 of the Alliance of Civilizations, under the auspices of the United Nations. We therefore believe that all of these initiatives in favour of dialogue among cultures, as well as those to come, point to the need to establish a permanent forum for dialogue among civilizations so as to draw peoples together. I now turn to world peace and security.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“This requires the international community to enhance its vigilance by increasing oversight of the financial system and its institutions at the international level. It would also be timely for us to embark on a reform of the international monetary and financial system. In this context, United Nations reform, and above all reform of its organs, is essential if the United Nations is to play a solid leading role in strengthening multilateralism. Among the cross-cutting issues in which the United Nations must play a key role are the resurgence of extremism. The entrenchment and hardening of positions are prevailing over dialogue and deepening the chasm between cultures that need to live together in harmony.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“This shows that there are limits to multilateralism and that nation States protect their prerogatives and shoulder their full responsibilities at the economic level, when necessary. I note, moreover, that the mobilization in Africa and for Africa was quite diffident. It was as though the financial crisis was not also an African crisis, or as if the financial sector in Africa was not sufficiently integrated into the international financial system. Perhaps our continent did not grasp the full extent of the crisis. And yet, the financial crisis has had consequences on the African continent. In Africa, perhaps more than anywhere else, the financial crisis became an economic crisis that underscored the economic and social fragility of our countries. The lesson we draw from that experience is that no country is immune to crisis.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“These crises shook all our certainties and caused a wave of panic. They showed us in no uncertain terms that nothing can ever be taken for granted, even in big countries. The entire world mobilized to meet the challenge, both within individual countries and within international institutions and organizations. We saw the International Monetary Fund provide assistance to countries that are not usually the recipients of such aid, such as those of northern Europe. This exceptional mobilization points to the concern of the international community at seeing the situation end in uncontrollable social and political crises. However, although the mobilization and cooperation were multilateral, the crisis resolution 09-52463 12 plans were not. Countries in North America, Europe and Asia adopted national plans.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“This is what President Treki has called on us to do through the theme of this sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, “Effective responses to global crises: strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among civilizations for international peace, security and development”. We note that, in addition to recurrent political crises, the acute crises facing the world today affect the stability of nations and jeopardize our shared future. In 2008, the energy crisis reached unprecedented proportions. The price of a barrel of oil, it will be recalled, rose to nearly $150. That major crisis took place alongside a food crisis and an unprecedented financial crisis that soon turned into a deep economic crisis. The entire world woke up to the threat posed to social and political equilibrium by the three crises that struck at the same time.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I take this opportunity to express once again the gratitude of Côte d’Ivoire to the United Nations and to all our friends for their commitment to the restoration of peace. I would also like to share our desire to do our utmost to end the crisis via the ballot box. We are all the more resolute given that the challenges facing today’s world require of all States, and in particular small States such as ours, a political strategy based on democracy. Thus armed, we will be able not only to effectively address our current difficulties, but also to contribute to the understanding of and resolution of international crises.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I particularly dwelt on the internal processes that brought us, the Government and former rebels, to commit to a process of peace that ended the conflict and led to the current preparations for general elections. All through that process, we enjoyed from the support of the United Nations, notably through the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire. We benefited even more from the assistance of the President of Burkina Faso, Mr. Blaise Compaore. Thanks to the efforts of all, and particularly to the Ivorians’ hard work and desire for peace, the process has now entered into a irreversible phase. Today, there are no remaining political obstacles to the holding of the elections.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“As I take the floor for the first time at the present session, allow me to join all of those who preceded me at this rostrum in congratulating Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki and telling him how proud we are to see him presiding over the General Assembly at the sixty-fourth session. His election testifies to his personal qualities and is a tribute to the African Union. I applaud our Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. He has kept the United Nations on track and strengthened the United Nations in the context of the multiple crises affecting the world. Two years ago, from this very rostrum, I updated the Assembly on the crisis in my country, Côte d’Ivoire. At that time, I welcomed the important role played by regional organizations, such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“According to our constitution, when exceptional circumstances make it impossible to hold elections as was the case before the country was reunified all institutions within the Republic function solely with a view to holding elections. For that reason, the elections must be reorganized quickly so that we can move beyond this constitutional, but exceptional situation. For all those reasons, from this rostrum at the United Nations I invite all friends of Cote d'Ivoire throughout the world, but also and above all the politicians, both men and women, Ivorians and all peoples living in Cote d'Ivoire to become involved in the peace process. I invite them to become fully invested in the electoral process underway and to contribute, each person according to his or her ability, to national reconciliation and to peacebuilding.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“I intend to make my country Cote d'Ivoire a modern State that is, a State in which people appoint their leaders through just and transparent elections. Democratic elections are a requirement for my country in order to modernize our political life. Elections are also required for our economic recovery. We absolutely must reorganize the coming elections in Cote d'Ivoire and hold them successfully in order to restore confidence among economic actors in the country and abroad. Elections are a requirement as well for stability in our country and in the subregion. We must organize elections quickly to confer political legitimacy on those who are exercising State power in order to stabilize the society in Cote d'Ivoire and ensure economic recovery in West Africa. Finally, elections are a constitutional imperative.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“But beyond the short and medium-term actions, Cote d'Ivoire requires international aid to strengthen the basis for a more robust economic recovery in the long-term. We must rebuild and strengthen our community infrastructures. Our schools and health centres were damaged during the war. We must rebuild and strengthen our economic infrastructures roads, railways, electric and water supply stations were severely strained by the crisis. All observers and all actors in the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire agree that elections are the goal of the crisis resolution process in Cote d'Ivoire. The holding of transparent, free elections that are open to all is not only a requirement under my political culture, but is, above all a democratic requirement. Elections are proof of good governance.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“For that reason I am formally asking the United Nations, within the spirit and letter of the Ouagadougou political Agreement (S/2007/144) endorsed by resolution 1765 (2007) to lift the sanctions imposed on Charles Blé Goudé, Eugène Djué and Martin Kouakou Fofie. Cote d'Ivoire is a sound country and our management of public finance has made it possible for the Ivorian State to function and to ensure a minimum standard of living for its people. But the ongoing crisis has ultimately led to a reduction in the financial resources available to the State and has disrupted its financial stability. Today I am asking for assistance to help finance the actions related directly to resolving the crisis, namely: the civil service, mobile courts, general elections, the return of those displaced by war and in general, peacebuilding.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The agreement provides explicitly that in the redeployment of administrators, the forces of law and order are to take part in providing protection for administrative staff, as well as for the citizen population. I appeal here for the partial lifting of the weapons embargo so that the Ivorian State can carry out its task of protecting persons and goods. Moreover, and in the present context of national reconciliation, Ivorians remain concerned that individual sanctions are still imposed on some of our compatriots. Since the Ouagadougou Agreement, those young people have put heart and soul into the search for peace.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The United Nations in New York should make arrangements to monitor the implementation of solutions adopted by parties to a conflict. Cote d'Ivoire will emerge from crisis. Côte d’Ivoire is emerging from crisis. Today more than ever, it needs the support of the international community to build peace and stability within its borders and in the West African subregion. In this context, and given the climate of calm prevailing in the country, I would like the United Nations to revise downward the security rating. Phase III no longer reflects reality. In the same spirit, with the implementation of the Ouagadougou agreement, today Cote d'Ivoire is reunified and it is now up to the State to restore law and order throughout the territory.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“A general amnesty order was issued on 11 April 2007. Disarmament effectively began with the 30 July 2007 “peace bonfire” in Bouaké. The redeployment of the administration and reinstatement of magistrates throughout the territory has now taken place. A plan for the return of those displaced by the war has been put in place. Mobile courts to identify members of the population and update electoral lists began yesterday, Tuesday, 25 September 2007. We have made major strides towards peace since the Ouagadougou peace agreement. The lesson I draw from this experience of direct dialogue between State authorities and the rebels has led me to invite the international community to favour local solutions in the settlement of conflicts.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Our discussions, through the facilitation of President Blaise Compaoré, took place in neighbouring Burkina Faso, the West African country with the closest historical and sociological ties with Cote d'Ivoire. Those discussions led to the signing on 4 March 2007 of the Ouagadougou political agreement. In accordance with that agreement, a new Government was established. It is headed by the former rebel leader, Mr. Guillaume Soro. With this Government, we have made considerable progress in a short period of time. An integrated command centre, bringing together soldiers from the national armed forces and from the former rebel forces, was established on 16 March 2007. Its mission is to set up a joint force entrusted with ensuring security and the free movement of individuals and goods throughout the national territory.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“That is why, on 19 December 2006, I suggested to my compatriots a way out of the crisis, focusing on five points: first, the establishment of direct dialogue with the rebels, aimed at disarmament and the reunification of the country; secondly, the removal of the Zone of Confidence; thirdly, the establishment of a national service programme; fourthly, a general amnesty; and finally, the establishment of an assistance programme for the return of persons displaced by the war. That plan was based on the experience of solutions considered up until then, but with a completely different approach, in order to ensure complete ownership of the peace process by the Ivorians themselves. I thus took up direct dialogue with the rebels.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In particular, I thank the heads of State whose personal involvement was key in resolving the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire: President Thabo Mbeki, mediator in the Ivorian crisis appointed by the African Union, and President Blaise Compaoré, facilitator for the direct inter-Ivorian dialogue, as current Chairman of ECOWAS. We have noted that despite the international community’s efforts over the previous four years, the peace process was blocked and the country was at a standstill.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“My presence, today, here in New York, at this rostrum, is the best proof of the climate of calm prevailing in Cote d'Ivoire today, following the signing of the Ouagadougou political agreement, which was the outcome of direct dialogue between the State and the former rebels. That agreement was endorsed by the Security Council which unanimously adopted resolution 1765 (2007). On behalf of the people of Cote d'Ivoire, I wish to thank and to greet all who were involved in these positive developments: the countries members of the Security Council, the countries members of the African Union Peace and Security Council, all the countries of the African Union and the countries members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Allow me at the outset to congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on the quality of the intensive work done in such a short period of time at the head of the United Nations. I would like to congratulate him sincerely and to encourage him on his correct assessment of the world’s present problems. This is the first time that I am taking part in the General Assembly in my seven years at the head of Cote d'Ivoire. As members know, I am fully committed to resolving the crisis gripping my country and which has so mobilized the international community over the past five years.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)