YouSaid · the spoken record

Basile Ikouebe

lines on the record: 101
first: 2007-09-24
most recent: 2013-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“7) We are therefore at the heart of an important and timely debate. United Nations reform is therefore urgent and possible. It must be based on the principles of democracy, justice and equality. In that regard, the cycle of the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Council should lead, through a consensual framework, to concrete results. That reform is part of the will of the Member States to make the Organization an institution that expresses the values of modernity and is open to the future, a sanctuary for builders of the future of the world, a world where planetary challenges require concerted global solutions, a world that is being built on the bedrock of solidarity, unity, mutual respect and tolerance.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Participants will include political and technical stakeholders involved in wildlife management, countries that buy wildlife products, and international organizations. The world has changed, and we must deal with the new geopolitical challenges that have helped new forces to emerge onto the international scene. Every living organism must evolve. The United Nations, which we would like to see become more transparent, dynamic and democratic, cannot avoid that law of nature. As President John F. Kennedy noted as early as in 1963, at the eighteenth session of the General Assembly, “The United Nations cannot survive as a static Organization. Its obligations are increasing as well as its size. Its Charter must be changed as well as its customs. The authors of that Charter did not intend that it be frozen in perpetuity.” (A/PV.1209, p.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“In regard to the programme entitled “Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services in Tropical Forests”, established by the International Tropical Timber Council, the Congo welcomes the consensus on the importance of participation by all countries, according to their capacity and national context, in the fight against deforestation, forest degradation and of increasing stocks of forest carbon, which is responsible for almost 20 per cent of total greenhouse-gas emissions. Our interest in conserving nature and protecting wildlife has impelled us to launch a fierce fight against poaching. In that context, next year the Congo is organizing a major international meeting on combating that scourge.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Permit me to revisit a subject of deep concern for developing countries such as ours, namely, the issue of financing the fight against climate change, which should be a central element in our negotiations. For our part, we affirm the importance of supporting developing countries in establishing low-carbon regimes that can adapt to climate change in order to tackle the worldwide problem that humankind is facing.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The Congo, a country in the forested Congo basin, can only concur with that view. The Congo’s commitment to sustainable development at the national level, as well as at the regional and international levels, has been unflagging. It is in that context that, after having spoken for Africa throughout the Rio+20 process, the Congo has continued its active commitment within the framework of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. Once those sustainable development goals have been defined, there remains the vital issue of how to finance sustainable development, which will be tackled by establishing a committee of experts on the issue. It is regrettable that the issue of climate change, which affects all humankind, is still suffering from a lack of consensus.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) outlined for us “The future we want”. Ambassador Ashe, who was one of the co-facilitators of the Rio+20 process and is now the President of the General Assembly, is therefore well placed to help us to set the stage that will enable us to reach the horizon that is the future we want. “The post-2015 development agenda: setting the stage” is the theme of the current session. It invites us to establish the foundations for another vision of development, focused on poverty eradication and human development. My delegation agrees with the President that what is needed is an ambitious, bold programme that takes new and emerging development challenges into account and that better integrates the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That economic improvement has notably benefited State revenues, which have been going up steadily. The Republic of the Congo has also benefited from substantial debt relief after reaching the completion point for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in January 2010 and will from now on have more resources available for national development programmes, particularly in the social sectors. Structural reforms undertaken through the Extended Credit Facility of the International Monetary Fund have enabled us to make essential progress in managing the public finances and macroeconomic stabilization. The business climate continues to improve. Other measures have been taken to enable the Congo to speed up its achievement of the MDGs between now and 2015.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The Republic of the Congo enjoys reassuring stability and a favourable economic environment. Lasting peace has been established. We are consolidating the democratic process, which is strengthened by a regular dialogue between the Government and the opposition on organizing peaceful elections. My country has also built a harmonious overall framework for implementing its development policy, focused on modernizing and industrializing the country on the basis of our national development plan for 2012-2016. The favourable rise in the price of petroleum products and other natural resources such as wood has enabled my country to register significant increases in its economic growth rate, now over 5 per cent per year since 2010, allowing for inflation.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“For my own country, there has been significant progress in achieving the MDGs, especially those relating to education and maternal and child health, thanks to my Government’s efforts and initiatives in areas such as abolishing school fees, providing free textbooks, recruiting teachers and providing free Caesarean sections, vaccinations and antiretroviral treatments. However, progress has been somewhat slow in fighting poverty and promoting decent jobs. Nonetheless, combating poverty remains a major concern to which my Government accords high priority through investment programmes in health, education, professional training, infrastructure, agricultural production, forestry and mining. We have reasons to hope for progress between now and 2015. The national context is being prepared.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The progress that about 40 developing countries have made has definitely led to some rebalancing of power, as the Human Development Report 2013 of the United Nations Development Programme indicates. However, the fruits of that growth are unequally distributed. Similarly, the disparities both within countries and between rich and poor countries once again raises the problem of inequality and social justice, which often causes social unrest. Between now and 2015 there will be numerous African countries that will not meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Here too, the Congo encourages dialogue and rejects any recourse to force or violence. Given the current series of political crises and in the spirit of peace and justice, how can we fail to ask that the embargo unjustly imposed on the Cuban people for five decades be lifted? That unilateral decision is contrary to the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations and to international order, based on non-interference in a State’s internal affairs and peaceful cooperation. The damage done by the economic and financial crisis that recently shook the world is far from being repaired; even if here and there we can see some signs of recovery, they are unfortunately not capable of relaunching sustained growth.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is indeed urgent for the nuclear-weapon States, as well as for those that have other weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons, to implement concrete measures enabling the elimination of those arsenals and making progress towards real disarmament, while ensuring respect for the prohibition of nuclear proliferation for military purposes. This is also the moment to commend the overtures made here by Iran concerning its nuclear programme. Last year, the Congo supported the General Assembly’s historic decision to confer United Nations non-Member observer State status on Palestine. It was a symbolic act that the Assembly welcomed almost unanimously. The new American initiative designed to relaunch the Israeli-Palestinian talks also deserves the support of the entire international community.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That is why the Congo welcomes the United States- Russian agreement and the discussions under way in the Security Council on the adoption of a resolution that would mark the first steps in a process that will, we hope, in the near future, bring together the Syrian actors and all parties involved around a table in the framework of a conference for peace in Syria. In that regard, once again, we believe that the focus must be placed on finding a peaceful solution. At the same time as Syria is agreeing to eliminate its stockpile of chemical weapons, it is appropriate to recall one of the most serious threats to humankind — the nuclear danger.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It that regard, I shall mention other challenges to international peace and security, particularly those of the Syrian tragedy, which is unfolding relentlessly before our eyes, and the untenable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has consumed so many human lives and so much energy and time. With regard to the situation in Syria, my delegation strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons and welcomes the Syrian Government’s adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention and its decision to place its stockpile of chemical weapons under international control for destruction. Nevertheless, we believe that only a political solution can put an end to the martyrdom of the Syrian people and the fratricidal war that has already killed more than 100,000 people.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Today, in view of the developments in some of those countries, whose populations aspired and still legitimately aspire to freedom, democracy and social justice, I cannot fail to recall the remarks that I made from this rostrum during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly (see A/66/PV.27). I called then for greater caution and prudence, convinced that the overthrow of a political regime does not necessarily bring freedom and democracy, since they must be won and nurtured by other victories that cannot be imposed from the outside. The situations we have just mentioned are replete with lessons, not just because of the internal instability that may result from them, but also and above all because of their unpredictable negative impact on regional and international peace and security.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“In that spirit, the Congo is pleased with the conclusions of the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Framework Agreement, which was held in New York on 23 September. We commend the leadership of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, while we call for those efforts to culminate in talks in Kampala. Just two years ago, we welcomed the wave of popular uprisings — the so-called Arab Spring, which led to the fall of some political regimes in the Arab world, sometimes by force of arms. We welcomed those movements, just as we welcomed the enormous changes that transformed the European landscape after the fall of the Berlin wall, in 1989.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Also in the context of my country’s neighbourhood, by participating in the signing of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region, which took place on 24 February, President Denis Sassou Nguesso reaffirmed his commitment to a foreign policy aimed at peace and security in the world in general and in Africa, particularly in Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region. In doing so, he favoured the quest for peaceful solutions and showed his willingness to continue along that path. The various consultations he has initiated in the context of the implementation of the Framework agreement and the appeals directed to him demonstrate his approach.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“An international support mission in the Central African Republic is being established under African leadership. We encourage the Security Council to swiftly adopt a resolution supporting that initiative, which is aimed at creating the necessary conditions to restore peace and security, which would ensure the much-needed stability and the effective implementation of the transition road map. As a mediator and as chair of the follow- up committee of the Economic Community of Central African States on the situation in the Central African Republic monitoring that crisis, the Congo can only welcome that very encouraging development.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The dialogue on the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic that we, the partners of that ravaged country, held recently in New York, on 25 September, clearly indicated that the international community has taken stock of the challenge and has decided to resolutely provide assistance to the Central African Republic on the political, security, humanitarian, economic and financial levels, and to ensure that it has a successful transition, like that of Mali, a country which we commend and which deserves all our attention and solidarity today as it did yesterday. Therefore, beyond the humanitarian emergency, the Central African Republic must be given all the resources necessary to restore the authority of the State, enable its Administration to operate, revive the economy and prepare for elections.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“At the beginning of this week, at the opening of the general debate, the international community strongly condemned the heinous attacks that have once again struck Kenya. That situation should lead us to reflect on our ability to prevent, manage and settle conflicts. Kenya’s tragedy is to be situated near the territory of Somalia, which for too long has been left to terrorist groups. The lesson is to avoid the creation of any vacuum that could serve as fertile ground for subversive movements. That is why in Central Africa the member States of the subregional community have reacted quickly to the risk of the “Somalization” of the Central African Republic ever since the beginning of the crisis there, despite our limited resources.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“But I will limit myself to a few words about certain concerns that should be taken into account. First is the need for global governance of political and security issues through the necessary reform of the Security Council. We also need to address global economic management by granting greater authority to the Economic and Social Council. Finally, there is the need for global environmental management through an international institution with real power to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. Our times demand the pursuit of those legitimate goals, shared by the majority of Member States of our world Organization. Its credibility and credit in the world will increase if we meet the challenge of global governance with a unified drive to create a more peaceful, prosperous and just world for the benefit of all.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I want to take this opportunity here in New York to convey President Sassou Nguesso’s words of appreciation to the African Group and to extend his special thanks to the group of experts led by Kenya and its Permanent Representative. The sixty-seventh session of the Assembly is an important forum for a follow-up to Rio+20. I once again urge African delegates to speak with one voice in defending African interests in the vital matter of sustainable development. Especially important is the intergovernmental process for developing proposals for effective sustainable development financing strategies to mobilize resources and put them to effective use. I could well have raised many other issues, such as Security Council reform and the need for genuine global governance that takes into account people’s desire for multilateralism.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The President of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, brought Africa’s voice to the Conference, in his role as spokesperson for the continent. While we welcome the analysis and the reaffirmation of shared positions that the Conference yielded, my delegation remains concerned about the lack of real progress on the important issues of an institutional framework for sustainable development and for global environmental governance, as well as plans for their implementation. Although not all of Africa’s concerns were addressed, Africa’s common positions are nevertheless well represented in the Rio+20 final document (resolution 66/288, annex), thanks to the dogged perseverance and resolve of the African Group, which maintained unity and strove throughout the negotiation process to keep the African point of view in the fore.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In that light, my delegation reaffirms the responsibility and central role of the United Nations in forging the spirit of solidarity and cooperation that can enable the commitments made in the areas of aid and financing of development to be respected. Climate change remains a serious threat to the equilibrium of mankind. Sadly, we have to admit that we have not done enough to reverse its negative effects on the environment. It is therefore important to waste no more time and work to find solutions that will ensure a better future for coming generations. Along those lines, my delegation took an active part in June at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), a high-level exchange on the challenge of sustainable development.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The development agenda of the United Nations is struggling to give sustainable support to our countries in their unceasing efforts to improve their economic development and their peoples’ well-being. The commitments made by industrialized countries at the major international conferences under the auspices of the United Nations have still not been met. The global economic and financial crisis continues to weaken the economies of developed as well as developing countries around the world. We are also concerned about the ongoing crisis in the euro zone and its effects, which are having a considerable impact on the achievement of social development objectives at the international level, including the Millennium Development Goals. Areas such as the fight against poverty, employment, education and health are affected by the crisis.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Regarding the nuclear issue, which represents a serious threat to humankind in general, it is essential that the nuclear-weapon States take responsibility, as they should, to implement specific measures that will enable progress towards genuine nuclear disarmament, while monitoring the ban on nuclear proliferation with regard to military purposes. We reaffirm the importance of respecting the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, that is, nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the right of every State to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The Arab spring has apparently not bloomed there, to the detriment of the interests of a people who have the same right as any other to live in peace with its neighbours in a viable State. The Palestinian State has a rightful place in this body. The situation in Syria is particularly troubling, as speakers before me have emphasized. Faced with the risks of the general destabilization that that situation presents for the subregion and the world, we call for a coordinated and negotiated settlement that takes into consideration the interests of the various parties, so as to put an end to the escalating violence and serious violations of human rights.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Regarding the dispute between the young Republic of South Sudan and the Republic of the Sudan, my delegation urges both countries to demonstrate the necessary political will and to spare no effort to successfully and implement sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, as called for by the African Union in envisioning the existence of two viable States and a lasting peace. We support the African Union’s negotiations in Ethiopia on that issue. Outside the African continent, particularly with respect to the Middle East, the ongoing violence in certain countries continues to erode the prospects for peace in the region, not to mention the blocked peace process between Israel and Palestine, now deadlocked for several decades and, even worse, 10 years after the adoption of the Arab Peace Initiative.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Many challenges remain, of course, particularly those of security, unification and reconciliation and establishing the rule of law, to name only a few. In that regard, we must support Somalia by helping that country to strengthen the gains of recent months, focusing everything we do on working within a global strategy for the reconstruction and development of the entire Somali territory and maintaining a coordinated, organized and coherent approach on the part of the international community, in support of the efforts of the African Union Mission in Somalia.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The deteriorating humanitarian situation, combined with the risk of spreading terrorism, calls for urgent implementation of the decisions of the Economic Community of West African States, together with the support of the African Union, the United Nations and the international community, so as to ensure that that dangerous precedent is not repeated anywhere else and that any impulses towards destabilizing and partitioning States by terrorist groups are quashed. My delegation can only welcome the positive developments in the political process established by the African Union in Somalia, which culminated in the election on 10 September of the new President of the Republic, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our region will continue with its efforts to achieve the objectives we have sought and will use every mechanism we have to attain them. In December the Congo will host the thirty-fifth ministerial meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, which will allow us to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of that General Assembly body and continue our cooperation on settling crises in the subregion. The collapse of democracy in Mali, which was once a fine example of democracy in Africa, represents a relapse that my country has condemned, while calling for a return to constitutional order.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I would like to take this opportunity, as I did this morning, to commend again the initiative of Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to organize a high-level meeting on 27 September on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which will certainly provide a stimulus to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, supported by the African Union. The Congo, which is committed to that effort as a neighbour, a State member of the Conference and a member of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, concurs with the conclusions of that important meeting, hoping to see them realized as soon as possible, so as to enable the Democratic Republic of the Congo to regain its stability and play the role expected of that great country.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The Democratic Republic of the Congo is dealing with a serious crisis in the eastern part of the country, characterized by repeated violence that has resulted in an intolerable humanitarian tragedy produced by small armed groups of the Mouvement du 23 mars and other opposition forces. That situation is a serious threat to peace and security and to the integrity and development of our brother country. Furthermore, the political, security, socioeconomic and humanitarian consequences can be felt throughout the Great Lakes region. The heads of State and Government of the region, meeting at the International Conference on the Great Lakes region, are fully committed to seeking peaceful solutions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“For many years Africa has been the theatre of choice for conflict. Today a number of African countries — indeed, in some cases an entire region, like the Sahel — are still at the mercy of instability and increasingly complex crises. Several meetings dedicated to conflicts in Africa are listed on the agendas of high-level meetings during the General Assembly’s current session, which is unquestionably an indicator of instability in the world. However, we can agree that the conflicts and crises that have marked the African continent for the whole of its post-independence history have also enriched it with the experience of mediation initiatives and have mobilized efforts aimed at settling the conflicts by peaceful means.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Thanks to that commitment, my country has been able to overcome the sociopolitical upheavals of its recent history, and today, the peace that reigns throughout the country has cleared the way for the impetus needed to strengthen our democratic process and economic development. Two rounds of legislative elections were conducted in an atmosphere of calm on 15 July and 5 August, followed by the peaceful celebration on 15 August of the fifty-second anniversary of our independence in Kinkala, city seat of the Department of Pool, which had endured violence for a long time; those events serve as additional examples of positive developments. Strengthened by that experience, the Congo would like to voice its deep concern about the continuing crises threatening peace and security, regionally and internationally.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In that context, it is appropriate that the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly has opened under the banner of the theme, “Bringing about adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations by peaceful means”. My delegation welcomes that choice, which is also in line with the theme of the previous session on mediation and reflects in a timely manner the concerns of the day and aspirations of our States. A year ago, speaking from this rostrum, I asserted the importance and necessity of mediation as an essential tool for the prevention and settlement of conflicts, a tool that has proved itself, not only in Africa but around the world. Having endured the horrors of armed conflict for years in the 1990s, the Congo chose the path of mediation and dialogue.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It is a happy coincidence — and one that gives me great pleasure — that my fellow countryman, who is presiding at this meeting, has given me the f loor. Despite progress in the field of knowledge and forecasting, the evolution of humankind remains subject to uncertainties. In that connection, the work of the United Nations, which is the appropriate forum for seeking collective solutions to the many challenges that make up our world, is markedly affected by those uncertainties. The persistence and resurgence of hotbeds of tension of all kinds pose a serious threat to peace and international security, jeopardize the implementation of all projects for sustainable development and pose a dangerous threat to the promotion and protection of human rights.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Let democracy not stop on its threshold. The United Nations must be the sanctuary of those who are building the future. A safer, fairer and more prosperous world for all will then emerge.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I should like to take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to the Government and the people of Kenya, as well as to the family of the deceased. The events taking place in the Arab world are replete with lessons, as were the enormous changes that transformed the European landscape after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989. Everywhere, the hymn of freedom and democracy has resounded. We know that the overthrow of a political regime does not necessarily bring freedom and democracy. They must be won and nurtured by other victories that cannot be imposed from without. The world has changed and we must face the facts inherent in these new geopolitical challenges, which have led to the emergence of new forces on the international stage. Freedom of expression thrives here, in the United Nations.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Those countries are desperately awaiting the release of the “fast start” funds that developed counties announced at Copenhagen and the delivery of the innovative, predictable and permanent sources of funding agreed at Cancún, as well as technology transfer and capacity- building. In mentioning these climate and environmental issues, I cannot but think of Mrs. Wangari Maathai, who passed away yesterday. I pay tribute to the memory of this first Nobel Prize-winning woman of African politics, who the world will remember as an avant-garde activist in the fight to protect the environment. Her commitment to reforestation and restoring biodiversity won her the recognition of the countries of Central Africa, who designated her as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Congo Basin Forest.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“That summit, which brought together the countries of the Amazon, South-East Asia and Congo Basins, resulted in the conclusion of a cooperation agreement on these three tropical forest ecosystems with the support of United Nations agencies and other partners. The agreement is to be signed in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in June 2012. In that regard, I wish to express the gratitude of the Congolese Government to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his personal support to this initiative. As the Assembly is aware, the conservation and sustainable management of forests requires substantial human, material and financial resources, which forest developing countries do not have.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In Central Africa, the countries of the Congo Forest Basin, for their part, have made a commitment to sustainably manage their forests through conservation, forest certification, combating illegal logging, good forest governance, the gradual streamlining of the logging industry and implementation of the process to reduce emissions 11-51398 10 from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. This effort, which should be continued, has resulted in very low deforestation rates. This is one of Central Africa’s major contributions to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. The international community should support and encourage it. On the initiative of the Republic of the Congo, the first summit on the world’s three tropical forest ecosystems was held in Brazzaville from 29 May to 3 June.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Regardless of the explanations proffered, environmental pollution is caused by human activity. Consequently, we hope that the negotiations on a post- Kyoto climate regime will conclude with the adoption, at the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held soon in Durban, of an international instrument that could be opened for signature at the Rio+20 Conference.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In order for the United Nations to effectively and efficiently fulfil its key role in steering global affairs, its Member States must carry out reforms, first to restore the central role of the General Assembly as the most representative deliberative body, and then to foster the participation of more developing countries in the decision-making process. The global challenges identified by heads of State and Government at the Millennium Summit, held in September 2000, include sustainable development and environmental protection. These issues have figured prominently in international negotiations for many years and influence the implementation of the two United Nations framework conventions on the environment. The causes of climate change and their impact on human life and the environment are well known.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“With respect to the range of challenges old and new that the United Nations is expected to meet, it will be viewed as effective and legitimate only if it adapts to the new realities of our world. United Nations reform is therefore urgent. It must be based on the principles of democracy, justice and equality. The position of the African Union on Security Council reform is well known in this body. The reforms will be contingent on the willingness of all Member States to make the Organization an institution that embodies modern values and that is open to the future.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The threat or use of force should be considered only after having exhausted all possible political solutions. The Security Council should therefore strictly limit the conditions under which the use of force is authorized so as to avoid any manipulation or deterioration of a situation. Similarly, the abuse of the international justice system, which has become a political weapon targeting Africa in particular, is a dangerous aberration that must be corrected. Beyond its main theme, the current session is being held, as have preceding sessions, at a time in our shared history when the United Nations is solidly mobilized around its three main pillars of activity, namely, international peace and security, economic development and sustainable development, as well as the related aspects of protecting the environment and human rights.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Furthermore, mediation is consistent with the African culture and tradition of dialogue. It is by drawing from the very source of this tradition that the Congo was able to launch a productive internal dialogue that enabled it to overcome the socio-political turmoil of the 1990s. The relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter enshrine the obligation of Member States to seek, in any dispute, “a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice”. These provisions offer a wide range of possibilities from among which to select the means appropriate to bring about a peaceful settlement. Today more than ever, the quest for peace by negotiation remains the only way to guarantee lasting peace.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In keeping with this 9 11-51398 momentum, the Congo has made a contribution for the victims of the drought in Somalia. The President has properly placed the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes at the centre of the general debate. For the prevention and resolution of conflicts, this is indeed a necessary tool that has proven itself over the years and in all areas. The experience of mediation in Africa since the independence of the African States is replete with lessons regarding the role of this mechanism in settling the numerous internal crises or inter-State conflicts that our countries have experienced. In the past, the Organization of African Unity used meditation almost systematically. Today, the African Union continues to benefit from it.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“My delegation would like to see that process take place smoothly, in calm and peace, in order to help democracy take root and to strengthen political stability. The intolerable situation in the non-State of Somalia and the ongoing civil war that has been under way for 20 years, along with the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, once again challenge the international community. We encourage the Transitional Federal Government to continue and strengthen its efforts to achieve peace within the framework of the Djibouti Agreement, with the participation of all groups that wish to cooperate, and to renounce armed violence. Here, I would like to commend the actions of the African Union Mission to Somalia, particularly for having made it possible to secure Mogadishu. We welcome the wave of international solidarity for the Horn of Africa.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“For this reason, I wish to express my Government’s support for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. In the quest for a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis, the Congo, together with other African States members of the Ad Hoc High-level Committee of the African Union, urges the authorities of the National Transitional Council to meet their commitments, particularly with respect to preserving national unity; involving all Libyan stakeholders, without exception, in rebuilding the country; protecting foreigners, particularly African migrant workers; and opening an inclusive political process for ending the crisis. In our immediate neighbourhood, both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroun will hold major elections in several weeks.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)