YouSaid · the spoken record

Jean PING

lines on the record: 115
first: 1999-09-24
most recent: 2007-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
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

“The international community must lend its support to the economic and social recovery efforts of those countries so as to prevent them from being caught up yet again in the spiral of violence. The world's economic and social situation is disquieting. The commitments that we undertook at the Millennium Summit, and which were reiterated at the Monterrey International Conference on Financing for Development, have yet to bear fruit. Globalization, which we thought would permit the harmonious integration of all countries into the international community through the process of trade liberalization, has not yet attained the hoped-for results. On the contrary, we see that there has been an increase in social inequality and a widening gap between industrialized and developing countries.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“This wave of hope has been justified by recent developments, particularly in the Great Lakes region. We are convinced that this progress will give impetus to the peace process in that region. Accordingly, we believe that it is time to convene an international conference on the region in order to consolidate peace there. However, the progress that has been made in resolving conflicts in Africa should not blind us to the situations in Angola, Liberia, the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau, which, having been destabilized by years of conflict, are now facing enormous difficulties, particularly in the humanitarian area, in restoring domestic peace and security.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Gabon encourages both sides to resume dialogue and negotiation with a view to implementing the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, in particular resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which stress the need for the coexistence of the Palestinian State with the State of Israel, with respect for secure and internationally recognized borders. Similarly, Gabon hopes that the current talks between the two Koreas will help allay tensions between the two countries. Positive developments in the overall situation in Africa attest to the continent's gradual return to the path of peace, stability and unity. Fratricidal conflicts are increasingly giving way to the emergence of an African awareness marked by the determination to see the ideals of peace prevail and to devote ourselves to development.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“That is why 17 negotiations on a draft general convention on international terrorism must go on with a view to its speedy adoption. In the same spirit, the conclusion of ongoing discussions on a convention on the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism will supplement the international anti-terrorism legal framework. The cloud of uncertainty looming over our collective security is darkened by the Israel-Palestinian crisis. It is regrettable to note that renewed violence in the Middle East is calling all previous efforts into question. The international community must mobilize to rekindle the flame of peace in that region, which has been beset by ceaseless violence for decades.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“It was certainly the point of departure of a new global movement towards more peace, prosperity, justice and humanism. At the very moment when we imagined ourselves to have taken a great step forward towards the building of a better world for all, we were stunned on 11 September 2001 by the ghastly terrorist attacks perpetrated here on American soil. Those attacks of violence, which we all condemned, eclipsed our dreams and reminded us of the beast lurking within each of us. Gabon was one of the very first nations to commit itself to implementing the provisions of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) by taking legal action to prevent and combat terrorism. Although significant, progress made since then under the auspices of the Security Council in the campaign against international terrorism needs to be strengthened.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Gabon welcomes the admission of the Swiss Confederation and the imminent accession of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to membership of the United Nations. They swell the ranks of our illustrious United Nations family, confirming its universality. I should like to pursue my statement by evoking the metaphor of the river. Each wave lapping the banks has its own character, but they all call from the same river. They express multiplicity in consistency. The same can be said of our annual sessions. This session is a new wave in the mighty river of the United Nations, a new cycle in the global rhythm of the world. Today, many of us feel hope tinged with scepticism. Two years ago, in September 2000, we held the Millennium Summit in this very Hall.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Gabon is pleased to see Mr. Kavan presiding over the work of the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly, which is being held at a time when the need to strengthen international cooperation to resolve the world's problems is indeed vital. His election is a recognition by the international community of the role that his country, the Czech Republic, plays in the promotion of freedom and peace. To his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, we express our satisfaction at the excellent job he did as President of the General Assembly at the previous session. To Secretary-General Kofi Annan, we convey our gratitude and support for his forceful work on behalf of international peace and security.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Without respect for those values, the dream cherished by the founders of our Organization to build a peaceful and united world will remain a chimera. Working towards establishing a new humanity free from selfishness, hatred, passions and injustice must constitute our common concern.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“At a time when the United Nations, and in particular the Security Council — the body primarily responsible for the maintenance of peace in the world — is increasingly called upon to take on the numerous challenges posed by the third millennium, the matter of reforming that body continues to be highly relevant. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive how a continent like Africa can be without permanent representation on the Council. The reality of today’s world, divided between universalism and particular interests and identities, clearly illustrates that humanity is still searching for harmony and unity. That is why we are firmly convinced that a solution to the concerns I have just mentioned is to be found in the international community’s promotion of the virtues of dialogue and solidarity, which are the pillars of the new humanism.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Any efforts made by the countries of Africa to ensure better economic growth will be in vain if no large-scale effort is mounted against such diseases as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and, not to be forgotten, arterial hypertension, which is another of the main causes of death in Africa. There is therefore an urgent need to implement the United Nations recommendations on AIDS, particularly with regard to care, support and treatment. There is also an urgent 32 need to make operational the special Trust Fund created for that purpose.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“What conclusions will we be able to draw as to the implementation of Agenda 21? What chance of success will we be prepared to give the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, and the Convention on Biodiversity? In other words, what we must do is to respond more simply and directly to the issue of the choices and concessions we are prepared to make to be able to pass on to future generations a preserved environment that is similar to the heritage we ourselves received from our fathers.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Leaders have understood that Africa holds the key to its own development. The creation of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development are part of this logic. Much remains to be done for development to blossom, but the foundations have already been laid. To achieve full success, however, Africa needs the assistance of the United Nations and the international community. Another question vital to our planet’s future at the beginning of the third millennium is that of the protection and preservation of the environment. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is to be held in Johannesburg from 2 to 11 September 2002, will provide us a further opportunity to evaluate the progress made in implementing policies reflecting the commitments we undertook in Rio de Janeiro 10 years ago.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“I therefore urge the parties to resume negotiations, the only way to arrive at a lasting peace. At the very moment when the process of globalization of financial markets and trade is affecting every aspect of the life of our societies, one must recognize that an ever-growing number of the world’s peoples risk being marginalized if concrete measures are not taken on their behalf. The international community therefore needs to mobilize new and additional resources to enable them to narrow considerably the gap separating them from others. The forthcoming International Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled for March 2002 at Monterrey, Mexico, accordingly arouses great hopes. If this important conference is well prepared, it will help us to satisfy these legitimate expectations.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“I would like to pay deserved tribute to former President Nelson Mandela for the dedication and determination with which he conducted the process to that important stage. For his part, the President of the Gabonese Republic will, at the request of the members of the Burundi Peace Initiative, pursue his efforts with a view to consolidating the peace process in that country. Concerning the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we welcome the important efforts already undertaken in establishing the United Nations peacekeeping mission. We earnestly hope that the Johannesburg phase will make possible the start of an effective inter-Congolese dialogue. The situation in the Middle East, because of the threat it presents to international peace and security, is also a source of deep concern.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Faithful to the commitment of President Omar Bongo, Gabon remains committed to and involved in efforts to restore peace in the world, particularly in Africa. Here, I would like to express our satisfaction at the return of peace to Congo (Brazzaville) following a national dialogue involving all parties, under the auspices of the international mediator. The stability which has been restored to this brother country has made possible the voluntary return of the numerous Congolese refugees from my country to their homes since August, thanks to excellent cooperation between the High Commissioner for Refugees, the Gabonese authorities and the Congolese authorities. Similarly, we welcome the significant progress that has been made in the Burundi peace process, which on 1 November 2001 culminated in the establishment of a transitional government.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“There is no possible doubt that the coalition which has been created will be victorious in the fight against terrorism. In this surge of solidarity, the international community must, in parallel, find appropriate responses to the world problems that can serve as a pretext for certain radical groups. There is an urgent need to act to find solutions to the conflicts and economic and social problems of our time. 31 As far as armed conflicts are concerned, we are convinced that if illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons could be ended, it would be easier to arrive at a prompt and lasting settlement. The implementation by everyone of the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held here in New York last July, would enable us to reach that goal.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“On that occasion, they laid down the guidelines for the future work of the international community and reaffirmed their commitment to the purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of our Organization. The Millennium Summit thus enabled our nations to renew their commitment to act in unity and solidarity in order to take up the numerous challenges facing the world. The tragedy which took place on 11 September 2001 in the United States of America has, more than ever, strengthened our determination to combat international terrorism. We must put an end to it by all possible means — military, diplomatic and political. It is for this reason that Gabon unreservedly supports Security Council resolutions 1368 (2001) and 1373 (2001) as well as the adoption of a comprehensive convention on terrorism.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Kofi Annan, I would like to reaffirm the highest appreciation of the Government and the head of State of Gabon, His Excellency El Hadj Omar Bongo, for the dedication and determination with which he has endeavoured to make a reality of the ideals of peace, justice and welfare contained in the United Nations Charter. The Nobel Peace Prize, which has just been awarded to him as well as to the United Nations, is eloquent testimony to the work being done by the United Nations system to promote peace and build a more prosperous world. He can rest assured of Gabon’s support for his efforts in the service of the United Nations. It is little more than a year ago that the heads of State and Government of the Member States of the United Nations met here in New York at the historic Millennium Summit.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“I would like to begin by congratulating the President on his outstanding election to the presidency of the General Assembly at this session. His election reflects the recognition by the international community of the place and the role that the Republic of Korea, a great friend of Gabon, plays in the world and particularly in Asia. I would like to assure him of our full cooperation during his period of office. To his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland, I express the satisfaction of my delegation for the excellent work done in the course of the last session. And to the Secretary-General, Mr.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The current millennium, a symbol of divine generosity and perfection to which we are bearing witness, has the potential to give rise to further progress in the building of a more just and peaceful world. Every nation represented here is a reflection of humankind, whose common values were recalled by the founders of the United Nations. Humanity is itself in the image of God, and we must therefore together bring to fruition the precious gifts bestowed by our Creator: love, peace and freedom. The United Nations must retain what has shown itself to be tried and true, adapt where necessary and devise new forms of regulation.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I turn now to the reform and restructuring of the United Nations system. In his report entitled We the peoples: the role of the United Nations in the twenty- first century, the Secretary-General emphasized the need to renew the United Nations. This renewal requires that we identify the major assets of the United Nations, rebuild its infrastructure and information- technology capacities, and continue the peaceful revolution that is, the reforms begun in 1997. In this context, it is necessary to revise the scale of assessments. It is in the interest of us all that we readjust the scale of assessments, so that the burden of the Organization's expenditures, and thereby its freedom of action, does not rest on the shoulders of only a few Member States.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Accordingly, we hosted in February 2000 in Libreville an international conference on trafficking in children and on child labour. We call for the implementation of the recommendations of that conference, which are a direct follow-up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two additional Protocols, signed here by the head of State of Gabon. Regarding the campaign against HIV/AIDS, I am pleased to inform the Assembly that, at the initiative of President Bongo, the Gabonese Government has just created a national solidarity fund to combat this pandemic. Gabon believes that the creation of an 23 international solidarity fund to combat AIDS would no doubt help the 35 million people stricken with this illness, the majority of whom are in developing countries, especially in Africa.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Regrettably, Gabon's efforts have been hampered by the dizzying decline in official development assistance and its exclusion from the benefits of external concessional financing. I turn now to the protection of vulnerable peoples and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Another aspect of political and social problems in Africa and throughout the world is the status of women and children in society. In my country, women have the same rights as men. Our educational system ensures free schooling for all school-age children, in the interests of the Gabonese nation as a whole. School enrolment has risen from 27 per cent in 1950 to more than 90 per cent today. Furthermore, my country is resolutely committed to promoting and protecting the rights of the child.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We will say it again: helping the South helps the North and helps everyone. The status of the developing countries, particularly those of Africa, requires broad-based action on the part of the international community in order to translate into reality our duties of solidarity towards peoples. Official development assistance continues to decline. Following up on the recommendations of the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, recently reaffirmed in Geneva, my country, in its fight against poverty, is now implementing the 20/20 initiative that is, 20 per cent of its national budget and 20 per cent of official development assistance are allocated to basic social services. We all know here that the 20/20 initiative is an excellent way to combat poverty.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Thus the appeal made to the international community for a fairer treatment of my country's debt and that of others is not simply a form of begging. What is at stake is the strengthening of the international trading system for the benefit of all, so that globalization, as the Secretary-General has quite rightly said, might become a positive force for all of humankind. The debt problem remains a major source of concern for African countries, not just my own. We believe that our partners should show some imagination rather than coming up with the same tired solutions. That is why, in considering the debt problem, account should be taken not only of socio-economic indicators but also of the efforts made by a State to combat poverty and the deterioration of the environment.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The debt relief mechanisms advocated in recent years have been discriminatory with regard to our country by excluding us from their application. We say that the reasoning is unfair, being based on our high per capita gross domestic product, without taking into account either our ability to pay or the seriously disproportionate distribution of national income between capital, labour and taxation. A study carried out recently by a team of university specialists in Gabon shows that less than 40 per cent of our gross domestic product is likely to cause a multiplier effect locally. The peculiar situation of Gabon, the only country in the so-called intermediate-income category in sub- Saharan Africa, is due to the fact that its wealth is produced by, and for, external protagonists.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“22 With regard to strengthening protection of the environment, the debate under way in the United Nations, which consists of blaming only the forest countries, is unjust, since we know that the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the industrialized countries are largely responsible for the harm done to our planet. Passing responsibility back and forth would not be constructive. To the contrary, we should rather search together, in the spirit of the 1992 Rio Conference, for ways and means to enable us all to preserve the balance of our natural ecosystem. I turn to the alleviation of the crushing external debt burden. On this crucial point, my country devotes nearly half its annual budget to repaying debt, thereby compromising its efforts and chances for development.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), highlighted the need to strengthen the institution's capacity in order to fulfil its mission more effectively. This strengthening is particularly necessary, since today, more than ever before, it is not possible to conceive of development without taking environmental requirements duly into account. UNDP could, for instance, intensify its assistance to countries that draw part of their resources from forest products to achieve sustainable and ecologically viable management of the forests.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“As necessary as the achievement of food self- sufficiency throughout the world may appear, the national capacity of the developing world should be strengthened in order to facilitate the effective implementation of international agreements on environmental protection, trade liberalization, macroeconomic management and banking supervision, which are so essential to the proper functioning of a globalized economy. Looking back at history, one can see that after the Second World War development cooperation was synonymous with solidarity and aid: assistance from the richest countries to the poorest. It is time for this cooperation to be transformed, made more dynamic and, above all, become part of the new fact of globalization. The recent ministerial meeting initiated by Mr.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“One solution would be and on this point I agree with the view of many experts for international development cooperation to cover not only assistance, but also all activities necessary to guarantee sustainable development throughout the world based on the individual. We could then agree that development assistance first contributes to creating national conditions for development and to combating poverty, which is obviously incompatible with justice, popular participation and effectiveness.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Our heads of State and Government committed themselves to redoubling their efforts to promote solid and sustainable growth in order to reduce poverty. Furthermore, they reiterated their determination to speed up the process of subregional and regional integration already begun with the creation of the African Union this year in LomÈ. An open and interdependent world needs mechanisms to retain its balance and to help promote justice by preventing aggression against individuals and nature. It also needs participation in development for all countries and peoples and efficiency in economic relations by encouraging transparency, predictability and stability in international relations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Cooperation on this painful issue of poverty was discussed last January in Libreville by the heads of State and Government of sub-Saharan Africa and the Bretton Woods institutions, at a conference where a new approach to poverty eradication was proposed, with a target date of 2015. During that economic summit the heads of State and Government made recommendations on considering the continent's prospects at the dawn of the new millennium and on the challenges to be faced in speeding up economic growth and eradicating poverty. There is no doubt that poverty eradication requires much quicker economic growth, with its fruits benefiting the greatest number. In this regard, social justice is a useful guide if we wish development and economic growth to produce beneficial results that are more equitably shared.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We also unreservedly support the creation of the International Criminal Court, and strongly advocate the rapid entry into force of the Rome Statute. With regard to strengthening the fight against poverty and the initiation of new cooperation in the service of development, the African continent accepts that it bears the primary responsibility for its economic recovery and that success in this task depends mainly on its own efforts. But, at a time when the world is happily entering the twenty-first century, Africa, marginalized, is prey to destitution and poverty. The scope of the crisis it is experiencing and the importance of the resources to be made available require that the international community support its efforts through increased concessional resources, expansion of commerce and trade and debt relief.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Gabon, which ratified the Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, the Convention banning chemical weapons and the Treaty banning nuclear testing, will continue to actively support international disarmament efforts by encouraging the process that has been set in motion of combating the illicit trade in light arms and small weapons. The convening, in the summer of 2001, of an 21 international conference on that trade is important, since it is quite clear that most conflicts in Africa and elsewhere in the world are fed by traffickers in arms, drugs and diamonds, and are supported by, among other things, a number of major multinational corporations that benefit from ill-gotten gains, providing arms and drugs to the conflict zones and participating in money-laundering operations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“COPAX has a multinational force for Central Africa and an early-warning mechanism for Central Africa. The Gabonese Government has taken practical and financial steps for the effective start of MARAC's activities, for which it is the headquarters. However, it goes without saying that it is with the support of the United Nations and other partners that this instrument will play its role fully. In a broader regional context, a similar framework for joint action, cooperation, development, prevention, management and conflict resolution, the Gulf of Guinea commission, made up of neighbouring Nigeria and seven coastal central African States, was created on 19 November 1999 in Libreville. Finally, it is important to strength the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation machinery.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“An important step would be the creation or strengthening of regional security machinery to allow us to resolve conflicts through dialogue and negotiation, thus enabling us to considerably reduce military expenditure and allocate the resources thereby released to other development needs. At the subregional level, therefore, Gabon is contributing, in cooperation with the other States of Central Africa, to the establishment of a climate of confidence after implementing preventive diplomacy. The heads of State of our subregion have, for example, set up the Council for Peace and Security in Central Africa (COPAX), a body for military and political cooperation between the member States of the Economic Community of Central African States, to promote measures to maintain and consolidate peace and security.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We must adapt the United Nations Charter to these new situations, in particular by adjusting the mandate of the Security Council with regard to internal crises. It is in this context that we welcome the issuance of the report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, presided over by Mr. Brahimi. We are convinced that this report will help to promote a new approach to peacekeeping operations. Although peacekeeping operations are necessary as a means of responding, they are nevertheless insufficient. What is at stake in the third millennium is not simply the achievement of ceasefires among adversaries in open conflicts, but the ability to nip conflicts in the bud through action designed to eliminate the deep-rooted causes of violence.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Gabon's dedication to the ideal of peace, which is a constant element of its foreign policy, draws its strength from the same roots as the Bantu civilization. We have a duty to give pride of place to the virtues of dialogue and tolerance among peoples and nations virtues that we practise in our homes and families, and that my country, through the personal intercession of President Omar Bongo, a tireless mediator, has made into a principle of political and diplomatic culture. We must therefore return to our roots. That is, we should go back to those traditional precepts that have greater force today than ever before, given that today, peace is most often threatened not from outside our territories but from within.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“These are factors for destabilization. While they are all different, together they create disorder and make international relations uncertain. But I do not intend merely to provide a list of all the evils with which the Assembly is only too well acquainted and the United Nations is constantly dealing. Nor should we neglect the efforts undertaken and the progress achieved. Rather, I should like to stress here I am in agreement with the Assembly that the United Nations and the multilateral system do not have sufficient resources to face these major challenges. We have been working at this for a long time now. We cannot now give in to discouragement. We are duty- bound to give the necessary impetus to our action. How are we to do this? First, by moving from a culture of war to a genuine culture of peace.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In his message to commemorate the World Day of Peace, His Holiness Pope John Paul II wrote, At the beginning of a new century, the one issue which most challenges our human and Christian consciences is the poverty of countless millions of men and women. According to the report (A/55/1) of the Secretary- General on the work of the Organization dated 20 30 August 2000, almost half of the world's population must content itself with living on less than $2 per person per day. So it is that 300 million Africans do not have even $1 a day on which to subsist. Furthermore, this poverty is being made worse, in particular by the rapid spread of AIDS, another scourge that has ravaged, brought suffering to, divided and decimated entire families in Africa and throughout the world. In some African countries, AIDS has even become the main cause of death.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Despite the 50 or so peacekeeping operations that it has undertaken since the creation of the United Nations, the Security Council has shown its limitations in the face of crises, especially in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone and Somalia are all cases that, in recent memory, have put the solidarity of the United Nations to the test. In the area of development, the world has seen unprecedented economic progress in the past 55 years. Countries that were underdeveloped not very long ago have become dynamic centres of world economic activity. But there is another fact: the vast majority of our countries and peoples remain desperately poor.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We acknowledge that it is difficult to create conditions of increased prosperity for the greatest number in an environment where chaos and disorder reign. In this regard, the case of Africa is particularly revealing. When, after the end of the cold war, the world seemed to be developing towards a promising situation because of the gradual reduction of inter-State conflicts, the African continent suddenly fell victim to armed confrontations of unprecedented violence. Dormant antagonisms have been reawakened, with the primary manifestation being the clash of arms and disdain for fundamental humanitarian norms. Several of our countries have come under the yoke of warlords and become chaotic, ungovernable entities that now require humanitarian assistance.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It has been 55 years since We the peoples of the United Nations decided to maintain international peace and security, to achieve international cooperation in solving international economic and social problems and in encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, language or religion. These are the primary missions set out in the United Nations Charter, which, in Article 55, recommends the creation of conditions of stability and well-being necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among and, I would add, within nations. The San Francisco Charter clearly established a close correlation between peace and development. Indeed, without peace there can be no development, and without development there can be no just and lasting peace.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“With this in view, Gabon, as a Vice-President, will give you its full cooperation so that this session might effectively meet our expectations. I am pleased to express my deep gratitude to your predecessor, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, for the efficient way in which he discharged his mandate. We, in our turn, would like to warmly welcome the State of Tuvalu, which has just joined the great family of the United Nations. I should like to pay a sincere tribute to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his steadfast efforts to realize the ideals of our Organization.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I welcome the opportunity and the honour afforded me to speak on behalf of Gabon at this session of the Assembly which, although a regular one, is no less an exceptional one. Indeed, not only does this session prepare us to enter fully into the third millennium but also, and above all, it is being held at a time in the history of humankind that gives rise to new encouraging prospects in the minds of men throughout the world for a better future. This is why, Mr. President, we welcome your election to the presidency of the fifty-fifth session of the Assembly. We are in fact convinced that your qualities as a statesman and your wealth of personal experience are a guarantee for the success of our work.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The President of the Republic, El Hadj Omar Bongo, was re- elected in a peaceful social and political context, a guarantee of democratic legitimacy. Democracy which is accompanied by good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights is the most important factor in the transition towards a culture of peace. For lasting peace is a prerequisite for the exercise of all the rights and obligations of peoples, and it is the only soil in which democracy and development can take root. It is therefore up to the United Nations system and its Member States to ensure that these goals and principles, so dear to us, become a reality for all in the new millennium.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“24 We feel, however, that the world economy stands to gain by taking advantage of the immense potential of the African market, which will soon have a billion consumers in a continent that is overflowing with oil, gold, diamonds and other raw materials required by industries of the North. My country's leadership is dedicated to the promotion of democracy and the institutions that guarantee it— hence all of the political changes we have experienced and are experiencing, which have made Gabon an example of a smooth transition from a single-party regime to political pluralism. It is against this backdrop that recently, in the presence of international observers and for the second time since the advent of political pluralism, free and fair presidential elections were held in my country.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We have liberalized our economy by lifting tariff and non- tariff barriers and restrictions as well as by instituting customs and tax reform. We have privatized our principal semi-public corporations in order to make them more effective and competitive. We have created a new juridical and institutional environment that is stable and will encourage investment and promote the expansion of the private sector. Finally, we have set up effective provisions for cooperation and regional integration in the framework of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa and of the Economic Community of Central African States. The stage has been set, but the actors — meaning the investors — have not yet made their entrance. Foreign direct investment has thus far systematically avoided our continent.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I shall not then resort to clichés such as saying that my country is an “African emirate” because of our potential in raw materials, to the extent that today we are the only sub-Saharan nation to be classified by international financial and monetary institutions as an upper-middle-income country. As a result, we are denied access to flexible conditions for our loans and for our debt service. However, the Human Development Index, which places us in 124th place, clearly shows that Gabon is in a very similar situation to that of other African countries. That is why we have undertaken all of the necessary structural reforms to join the global economy and to participate in subregional and regional integration.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The international community has the means to do so, as it has proved in other situations. I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to pay warm tribute to Mrs. Sadako Ogata, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who, during the international action taken in favour of Kosovo, heightened the international community's awareness of the particular situation of African refugees. Let me now tackle the question of development from the perspective of my country's experience. As in other African countries, the socio-economic situation of Gabon is precarious.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)