YouSaid · the spoken record

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo,

lines on the record: 161
first: 1999-09-24
most recent: 2021-09-24
sittings or episodes: 12
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

“Thus, Equatorial Guinea believes it appropriate that the new strategy the world needs today must start not only with the reform of our multilateral cooperation institutions, but also with a change in the mentality and behaviour of those who today hold economic power, so as to achieve a manifestation of democracy that fosters dialogue and cooperation among peoples. In the recent past, our efforts to bring about a better world have been based on the Millennium Development Goals, which were intended to strengthen international cooperation towards universal and sustainable development. Achieving those Goals requires, inter alia, the reform of the world economic system, based on respect for different development models, so that each may choose what is most historically, politically, socially and culturally fitting.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We know from experience that conflicts and threats to world peace arise from a patent lack of dialogue among the countries making up the international community. Not only do many peoples and nations continue to face old conflicts, but every day new tensions and threats to world peace emerge. In addition to those challenges are the issues that are the focus of our debate, such as injustice, poverty, the energy and food crises, climate change, inequality and poor access to the education, health care and new technologies needed for poor countries to develop.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In other words, today we are facing new challenges that jeopardize the budding institutions of developing countries in many ways. For that reason, it is necessary to adopt mechanisms and strategies that enable us to ensure that our experiences can provide a bridge to a new form of cooperation among peoples. Indeed, in the six decades of the existence of the United Nations, we have seen that only the establishment of a new, more open and respectful global framework for cooperation will lead to the stability, peace and progress of all nations. We have seen that the use of force by the strong has not only failed to solve the problems affecting the people of the world today, but has made them worse.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We would like to say how pleased we are to see that the agenda of this annual debate includes subjects such as the democratization of the United Nations system, including the necessary reforms in the functioning of the Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions; funding for the development of Africa; the food crisis and world hunger; climate change; human security as part of international peace and security; and the fight against terrorism. The world harboured the hope that after the cold war mankind would achieve peace and live more harmoniously together in greater solidarity. However, we are extremely saddened to note the differences separating the rich from the poor countries, causing hunger, poverty, war and destabilization.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“First of all, on behalf of the people of Equatorial Guinea and the delegation with me today, I should like to congratulate Mr. D’Escoto Brockmann on his fitting election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session. His election bears 17 08-51845 witness to the trust and credibility with which all States Members of the United Nations view the sister Republic of Nicaragua. We wish him every success and assure him of our full cooperation during his time in office. I would also like to pay tribute to the outgoing President, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, for the excellent work he carried out at a crucial time in the history of the United Nations. The sixty-third session allows us a new opportunity to share our views on the common concerns of all peoples in the world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Each one of us must feel committed to meeting the challenges of our time so that new challenges can become new hopes for people. May God guide us in our deliberations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The United Nations has gone through many changes: from an organization aspiring to a universal consensus to one comprised of interest blocs; from an organization with universal goals for the well-being of humanity to an organization of the stronger against the weaker. Today, the reason for a veto in the Security Council is not so much the necessity of preventing abuses of power by some against humanity as it is an eagerness to defend the partisan interests of groups or individuals. Thus, although a veto in the Security Council does not mean anything today because resolutions are not much observed, Africa also has its own interests to defend. Thus we want the right of a veto to be conferred on the continent and not a State, because that continent represents a third of humanity. The future of humanity is in our hands.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“If we want to combat terrorism and the use of mercenaries, we need to rely on well-developed internal security systems and to exchange information among States. We have to be faithful and show solidarity with the principles of the equal sovereignty of States, non-interference in internal politics of other States and the resolution of controversies by peaceful means, giving priority to dialogue, consultation and tolerance. We should adamantly condemn any terrorist act of intimidation and destabilization of States and take actions of solidarity against such acts, because they threaten State sovereignty and the free will of people. Finally, if we are looking at reform of the United Nations today, it is because the objectives that support this world Organization, their very principles, have been and are being systematically violated.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In the case of Republic of Equatorial Guinea, it has been clearly shown that the invasion operation against our country by mercenary groups in 2004 was organized to gain access to oil. The masterminds behind that operation, clearly identified, were leaders of Governments of States Members of the United Nations. Since these facts came to light and were denounced by my Government, we have not had any condemning reaction from specific Member States or friendly countries in criticism of the barriers to bringing to justice the perpetrators of that operation, which means that they would probably be happier had the invasion of my country been successful, with the inherent dramatic consequences.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Any third-party country can be a victim of terrorism today, as if it were a country against which the demand may be lodged. The result is that today terrorism is a threat against humanity. It violates individual and collective freedoms, impedes the exercise of democracy, violates the peace and security of nations and stands in the way of the development of peoples. All countries of the world that love peace, justice and freedom have the duty and the obligation to combat this phenomenon, which is a form of regression of the human species. However, there seems to be a tendency to ignore another, similar phenomenon, namely, the use of mercenaries, that practice of resorting to force to destabilize legitimate political regimes for whatever reason.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“From this rostrum, we would like to invite bodies of the United Nations system and friendly Governments and international economic institutions to participate in this conference in Equatorial Guinea in the first two weeks of November this year, in order to help us by sharing their experiences. Humanity has never been threatened and frightened as much by terrorism as over this last decade. Terrorism used to be known as a process for the settlement of accounts through violent means by those who felt powerless to see their claims met through legal and democratic processes. It has now reached different dimensions, which do not uphold legitimate claims, nor are their effects directed only against persons or institutions from which rights are being demanded.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Our experience over many years has shown us that Equatorial Guinea cannot develop if it does not have its own means and if it does not take principal responsibility for it. Thus, once oil resources were discovered, the Government organized, in 1997, the first national economic conference in order to plan better use of these resources for the short, medium and long term. The programme adopted has been implemented in a manner satisfactory to the people and Government. Now we can organize the second such national economic conference, in order to plan the development of the country for a sustainable economy.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In our view, no bilateral or multilateral cooperation policy has shown itself to be capable of meeting the basic development financing needs of poor countries. Because of a lack of political will, everything is reduced to political conditioning factors and requirements that cannot be met by countries seeking to develop. In that regard, Equatorial Guinea has not been informed of the fate of the 0.7 per cent an insignificant amount that developed countries were to give from their gross domestic product for the financing of the least developed countries. Nor has the question of the cancellation of the external debt of least developed countries and their interest been welcomed by creditors, despite their historic obligations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“However, there are no compensatory policies to avert the economic resource crisis occurring among the affected peoples. My Government is now committed, in the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol, to processing the gas produced by the oilfields of my country and its neighbours into liquefied gas for the benefit of humanity. Nevertheless, Equatorial Guinea cannot manage to benefit from the credits offered by the international financial institutions and bodies, because we qualify as a middle-income country, whereas it is known that we have produced oil for only 10 years and have never had any development infrastructure. Our uncertainty is even greater when we consider the problem of development financing for the least developed countries.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Equatorial Guinea believes that the phenomenon of climate change must be addressed by the United Nations with the same intensity with which it is currently addressing issues that include, among others, democracy, human rights and the threat of terrorism. It is correct to say that climate change is a challenge for all States, because its effects are truly harmful to everyone. But we cannot ignore the fact that the primary responsibility lies with those who developed, for their own interests, the technologies that are destroying the ozone layer. The countries of the tropical forests of the Congo Basin in Africa and the Amazon Basin in South Africa cannot make use of their own forest resources, because they must contribute to the maintenance of the ecosystems that help to maintain the ozone layer.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The tsunami, if it was not the result of a nuclear test, must be the consequence of this atmospheric deterioration, which has now increased the number of floods, hurricanes, fires, cyclones, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions throughout the world. Nevertheless, for more than 20 years the United Nations has undertaken praiseworthy initiatives to reduce spending on these activities and to use the surplus on development in the poorest countries. Despite that, no favourable response has been made by the countries owning these industries. Nor has the Kyoto Protocol itself which obliges States to reduce their emissions of harmful gases been ratified by all the States Members of the Organization.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Indeed, the fact that, despite so many preventive resolutions, we are focusing this year’s deliberations on atmospheric degradation, which currently poses a threat to humanity because of nuclear tests; the proliferation of chemical industries with military purposes, which are destroying vital elements of the environment; the use of chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in armed conflicts; and the irrational use of non-renewable natural resources, which is destroying ecosystems activities that do not seek the common good of humanity, but that have caused the destruction of the ozone layer and the breakdown of the components of the planet’s atmospheric equilibrium. This is an obvious sign that our resolutions are being ignored.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Equatorial Guinea is participating in the present session of the General Assembly with uncertainty regarding United Nations efforts, which are drowning in a vicious circle of good declarations of principle and technical and scientific definitions, which are ethically motivated but which ultimately fail to attain the objectives of the peace, security, development and well-being of humanity, which inspired the establishment of this world Organization.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session, on her great political skill in serving the interests of the international community at a time dominated by wars, conflicts of interest and natural disasters. In addition, we commend the laudable work of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki- moon, who deserves our full support so that United Nations intervention can be effective in conflicts and situations threatening peace, stability and the well- being of nations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“On behalf of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, I should like to join previous speakers in expressing our support and congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Srgjan Kerim of the Republic of Macedonia on his election to preside over the debates of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly. We congratulate him because his country is an example of freedom and democracy and because, for the United Nations, the sovereign equality of States whether large or small is a principle of respect for dignity, justice, equality and peace throughout the world. We are convinced that under his far-sighted leadership the Assembly will ensure that those principles are observed and respected by all. We also congratulate his predecessor, Her Excellency Ms.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Among these efforts, Equatorial Guinea supports the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative proposed by the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, we believe that transparency must be required not only of Governments but also of the economic players that control these industries. It is, therefore, necessary that an international monitoring body be established to intervene in the activities of both Governments and economic enterprises. We welcome the report submitted for the Assemblyís consideration as it contains important recommendations, above all regarding the development programme. I wish to conclude by calling for greater solidarity and a spirit of commitment from all the Members of the United Nations so that we can make this Organization an ideological model that serves the aspirations of present and future generations.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In Equatorial Guinea, the integration of women into our development process is receiving the Governmentís utmost attention through the design of literacy programmes for them and their gradual integration in economic activities and political institutions with a specific percentage reserved for women. Lastly, we want environmental problems, whose effects are of unforeseeable magnitude in each State, to be addressed with due sensitivity, respect and solidarity, in the same way as questions of world peace and security. We reaffirm that the primary responsibility for promoting sustainable development in each country resides directly with the Government concerned. Multilateral and bilateral assistance only complement the efforts of States themselves and provide guidance for what must be accomplished internally by each country.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Humanitarian intervention cannot be carried out on the basis of an individual interpretation, but rather must be justified by the competent institutions of the United Nations system. Questions related to organized transnational crime, such as terrorism and mercenary activities, must be the subject of a special session of the General Assembly to deal with criminal acts such as those of 11 September in New York, 11 March in Madrid and events in London, Russia, Morocco, Tanzania, Kenya and the mercenary attack in Equatorial Guinea and to adopt measures that can avert the loss of innocent life.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“This would give teeth to its decisions. Non-compliance with the principles and resolutions adopted by United Nations bodies creates impunity unless disciplinary measures are taken against those who are in breach of them. In this regard, Equatorial Guinea strongly regrets the failure to take measures against the terrorists who tried to overthrow the established constitutional Government on 6 March 2004 despite identification of nationalities of the terrorists and despite Equatorial Guineaís request to the Governments concerned. The United Nations must clearly define the phenomenon of terrorism and in so doing avoid confusion with what is interpreted as legitimate armed intervention.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The veto has never allowed the consensus or majority sovereign expression of the Security Council; it has served only as a way in which to block the popular will so as to protect the interests of the Power exercising the veto. In the present circumstances of a unipolar world, we do not see the need to exercise the veto in this United Nations body. Many just resolutions have been vetoed despite the fact that they have sought the common good, and we have seen the negative results. If the veto must be maintained in the Security Council because of interests, we ask that Africa also have that right, because, like any other regional group, that continent has many interests to defend. When the Security Council is democratized we ask that its decisions be binding and that those who do not comply with them be properly sanctioned.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In that connection, the Security Council, as the organ that must demand universal compliance with its decisions, must be the first to act under democratic criteria. For my country, the needed reform of the Security Council does not involve an increase in its membership or, even less, an expansion of the right of 30 the veto. We must examine the reasons for the Security Councilís failure since its creation in 1945. In fact, if there is something that should be done to reform the Security Council, it is to simply revoke the right of the veto enjoyed by some of its members as a concept that was created only because of the conflict between two opposing ideological systems within the United Nations system.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“President, on the confidence that the international community has placed in you and in your Government to moderate this important debate. We hope that your skill and professional experience will be put to good use so that we can attain our objectives. We believe that in this effort, we must give priority to the spirit of democracy and the interests of humankind, because democracy, as the expression of the popular will, and compliance with consensual norms both involve respect for the collective will. We also believe that the United Nations could not impose order and justice on a human community dominated by the various cultural, economic and political interests of its Member States without recourse to the democratic principles to which all of us are bound.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“For all those reasons, we believe that, 60 years after the Organizationís founding, the social and political circumstances that prevailed in 1945 have lost their validity because of the very dynamics of the development of modern societies. Today, we are in the best possible position to rethink the responsibilities of the United Nations and its Members in the light of the aforementioned objectives, bearing in mind todayís circumstances and the experience accumulated in the 60 years of its existence. We recognize that the task is very difficult and complex, taking into account the various interests that converge as we consider reforming the entire United Nations system. That is why we congratulate you, Mr.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We therefore support the creation of a Human Rights Council that will be very closely involved with human-rights-related issues in each country and that will have relevant competencies to support the affected countries with regard to the decisions and recommendations of the Economic and Social Council. The democratization of societies and good governance are concepts universally accepted by States. Therefore, there is no need to adopt coercive mechanisms against any State to ensure their implementation. All that is needed is to assist and guide each State as to how it should assimilate democratic concepts in accordance with its economic, social and cultural realities.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The United Nations must be given the international authority it needs to establish peace, order and stability in the world, serving as a centre of universal equilibrium with the capacity to resolve conflicts arising among States. Force must be used only in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, with the prior consent of its competent bodies, because the undue use of force can disrupt international peace and security in an unforeseeable manner. We hope that the United Nations system will be the inspiration for a democratic culture and for human rights, serving as a model and guide for the internal organization of its Members.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is participating in this debate with hope and optimism that we will see the United Nations system strengthened once again so that it can effectively carry out its mission as the centre of global equilibrium in order to attain the objectives established at its creation in 1945. Indeed, the United Nations was created to defend and promote the rights of persons and the dignity, freedom and equality of human beings. The United Nations was created to promote the equality of all nations, mutual respect, solidarity and the promotion of cooperation among States on an equal footing and for mutual benefit. Another of the objectives established was to promote the global development of nations through a just and equitable economic system that would protect the interests of all countries, rich or poor.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Nevertheless, we are aware that our possibilities are very limited as far as acquiring modern technology and laying the foundations for sustained and sustainable and development are concerned. Therefore, we request international cooperation in that regard from friendly countries and from international assistance organizations. I conclude by expressing the hope that the United Nations will recover its leadership in promoting the peace and development of our world.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Democracy, as the consensus of the people, is a reality in which our country is immersed, with the coexistence of the 13 political parties that constitute it, observing the commitments of the binding national political pact between the Government and the opposition. Undoubtedly, today the formation of a broad-based Government is the greatest exponent of peace and political stability that my country has ever known. In order to ensure such internal political consensus and cooperation with other countries and international organizations, we believe that transparency is absolutely necessary, because it benefits all parties. Equatorial Guinea offers open and unrestricted cooperation to everyone, on the basis of transparent action, for everyone's mutual benefit.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“As for my country, Equatorial Guinea is faithful to its commitments as a full-fledged Member of the United Nations and a member of the African Union, committed to the maintenance of peaceful relations of friendship and cooperation with other countries. We respect the sovereignty, national unity, territorial integrity and inalienable rights of other States within their borders, and we favour the promotion of the socio-political development of nations. In that connection, Equatorial Guinea is a party to all international conventions that protect the political, economic and sociocultural rights of peoples.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The use of weapons against terrorism could turn us into terrorists ourselves. Thus my delegation naturally and energetically condemns the terrorist attack against the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which caused the death of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, and those of some 30 staff working in the service of peace. We express our deep condolences at the loss of those noble workers in the service of humanity. We therefore believe that now is the time to adopt strategies so that United Nations peacekeeping missions will not be confused with any interests other than the peaceful settlement of hostilities.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“At the same time, the United Nations is losing its authority because its decision-making organs are not democratic, and its capacity for humanitarian assistance falls short because of the proliferation of disasters caused by wars and acts of terrorism. In our opinion, and most regrettably, humanity is already dehumanized and the United Nations has lost its authority. We must now shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding our policies and of morally rebuilding the Organization and restoring its authority. It is the only world body capable of representing humanity with authority and the only one in which we can achieve universal consensus. It is here that we can fight terrorism and organized crime, because everything is listened to and everything is discussed in this forum.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We believe that the policy of globalization needs to include a special programme for the sustainable development of developing countries in order to help them attain the level of maturity necessary to benefit from such an integration. In all these efforts to achieve international cooperation for global development, there are good intentions, but the decisive will needed to build a fairer and more equitable world has been lacking. Meanwhile, the situation of the weakest countries deteriorates, the economic crisis worsens, political upheaval spreads and Governments are taking a harsher stance to protect their power. Internal warfare, mercenaries and terrorism are taking root because, as occurred in the Middle Ages, the people cannot bear hunger and poverty and are driven to civil disobedience.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Furthermore, the principles of State sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States, enshrined in international law, have been violated in recent years under the pretext of the need for humanitarian intervention, which are often conducted without United Nations approval. The efforts to establish a new international economic order that ensures cooperation for global development have ended in the division of the world into North and South, and political conditions are now being imposed on the cooperative assistance that is 17 offered. Efforts towards the globalization of economic policies have not recognized the weak position of underdeveloped countries, which suffer grave disadvantages in participating and competing in the so- called globalization of the world.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Indeed, since the end of the cold war, which gave rise to hope for a more united, cooperative, integrated and peaceful world of greater solidarity, it has seemed that the principle rules governing international relations have been steadily losing force, with the risk that each State will act according to its own will. The concepts of democracy, human rights and technical cooperation and assistance are being misused to the detriment of some, and are being exploited to the benefit of others. The concept of democracy, which is understood as governing according to the will of each people, has today been transformed into a demand imposed by certain States in violation of the universal principle that every State is free to adopt the political system that best suits it.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We also congratulate Secretary-General Kofi Annan on his tireless efforts to ensure that the United Nations fulfils its mission of peace in the various armed conflicts, its humanitarian action in response to the disasters affecting many countries and its efforts to promote peace negotiations and multiple forms of cooperation in order to achieve sustainable development in the world. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea expresses before the Assembly its serious concern at the current international situation, which is manifestly affecting international peace and security, which the United Nations was created to safeguard.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The delegation of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea joins preceding delegations in congratulating the President on his election to preside over the work of the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. We know that it is a very difficult task, Sir, because it is your task to organize the debates of this the greatest deliberative organ of the United Nations at a time when the Organization and the international community are experiencing a crisis unprecedented in its history. However, Sir, we have confidence in your political and diplomatic ability and in the maturity and prudence of your country in dealing with international problems; thus we are optimistic that our deliberations will meet with the greatest success.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I would conclude by making clear our political resolve to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, promote close friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between all States and promote economic, scientific and technological development throughout the world. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea stands open to the world as a peaceful State that puts dialogue and negotiation first, rejecting force of any kind as a means of resolving conflicts. We hope that the year 2000, which is almost on us, will become a milestone in establishing a world truly committed to peace, progress and prosperity for humankind.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“A progressive and continuous process of adaptation by the authorities and by the people themselves is needed so that they acquire the right sort of culture in which human rights and democracy can be respected. In that connection, we welcome the efforts by the Commission on Human Rights to adopt a special assistance programme for Equatorial Guinea to promote and ensure respect for human rights there. We are party to all the human rights treaties and conventions and have adopted a wide-ranging framework of laws and regulations to protect human rights. However, the lack of infrastructure makes it difficult for the people to enjoy in full the various services to which they are entitled.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We believe that in globalizing world politics and policies, which is positive in theory in that it unifies socio- political criteria, States should nevertheless implement the philosophy by adopting specific measures that are in keeping with the specific characteristics of each country. In this connection, Equatorial Guinea has particular experience in implementing its programme of transition to a multi- party system by applying the theory of the democratic test, a way to involve the people in taking all the political decisions that affect them. As a result, our transition has been peaceful, orderly and calm because our people themselves, no one else, are responsible for the measures adopted, which all political actors must respect.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We believe that the current United Nations system is obsolete in terms both of decision-making and of the effectiveness of its actions when it comes to dealing properly with the difficulties and challenges facing its members. Indeed, the proliferation of peacekeeping operations in various parts of the world is proof that the current conflict-prevention system is obsolete. As an organization founded on democracy, the United Nations must establish the principle across the board that all parties must be given a hearing in all bodies, including the Security Council, that take decisions affecting its Members. Moreover, the most sophisticated nuclear technology should be employed exclusively as a common shared possession to be used for the benefit of all humankind rather than as private property that benefits some to the detriment of others.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We must make a special effort to help young people so that they can carry on the positive values of humankind for the sake of a more integrated, more developed, more just and more equitable world. The ideal of any governments must be to seek peace, progress and prosperity for its peoples. In this connection, the efforts of the countries that are fighting to 3 democratize their societies be properly appreciated and supported by countries with longer democratic experience. It has been proved that penalizing governments and peoples is counterproductive and makes them unable to promote national development however much they want to. The United Nations ought to assist these countries closely in their economic, social, technical and cultural advancement, in keeping with the spirit of globalization and the actual situation in each country.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It is clear that the United Nations is similarly undergoing changes which correspond to this moment in history, in social philosophy, mechanisms, structure and action. Today we talk of democracy as the only way to promote the development of peoples, ensure peace and guarantee respect for human dignity. Today we talk of globalizing world politics and policies and of the governance of States because the concept of social development finds its justification only in the values of the individual. The United Nations should therefore take no action that is not in keeping with those values and is not a faithful expression of this interdependent, unipolar world that calls for unified criteria.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Does the new epoch to which we aspire beginning in the year 2000 presuppose the rise of some and the regression to poverty and misery of others? Can international peace and security guarantee protection only for some, denying it to others? Equatorial Guinea does not aspire to hegemony or power, yet we speak here with the conviction of the obligation that falls to us as a member of this democratic international community to ask for what is best for mankind. Socio-political development and technological advances tell us that we are in a different galaxy from that of earlier times. The United Nations is the only Organization that has exercised leadership in the process of the world's development. Yet after 54 years, we must realize that the terms of reference of the world's current socio-political reality are not those in effect in 1945.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Certainly, the consequences of selfishness and of unfair distribution of available resources have created, in the developed as much as in the developing countries, frustrated groups of people who today are a cause of political and social instability in many parts of the world. With respect to human resources, we must analyze in depth the causes of the current juvenile delinquency, organized crime, rape, kidnappings and indiscriminate killings, drug addiction and drug trafficking, alcoholism, prostitution, money laundering, counterfeiting, terrorism and corruption which exist at all social levels everywhere. All these practices challenge us and compromise the future of humanity. Our concern is that these behaviours make up our legacy for the generations of the third millennium.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Fourth, conditions are imposed on cooperation using political criteria that do not take into account the reality of African societies, as well as another series of conditions that funnel the benefits of the current international economic system to a powerful few. Nonetheless, we recognize and are grateful for the decision by the seven major industrialized countries to retire the debt of developing countries. We cherish the hope this political will may spread to all donor countries and that its application will not be according to selective and exclusionary criteria. Praiseworthy in the same way is the initiative by the Administration of the President of the United States of America to increase American investment in Africa, an initiative which we hope will be a second Marshall Plan for the African continent.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)