YouSaid · the spoken record

Motsoahae Thomas Thabane

lines on the record: 48
first: 2000-09-24
most recent: 2001-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We in Lesotho are convinced that the Houston accords remain the foundation for self-determination in the latter, while, undoubtedly, the Lusaka Protocol on Angola remains the only viable basis for peace in that sisterly country. In conclusion, Lesotho renews its commitment to multilateral cooperation and the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The current difficult times call for the strong support of the United Nations and the multilateral processes if the Organization is to effectively address the new global issues and challenges that confront it.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We call on all parties to conflicts around the world to intensify efforts to create conditions conducive to the implementation of the agreements reached and relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as to the effective engagement of the United Nations. We are encouraged by the developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Sierra Leone, and applaud the efforts of all parties to bring peace to their countries. We are, however, saddened by the lack of progress in the implementation of agreements relating to the settlement, once and for all, of two of the largest running conflicts, in Angola and the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The link between conflicts, the easy availability of arms, an abundance of natural resources and the greed of these individuals have totally devalued African lives. In other words, the worth of African lives in the year 2001 is much the same as during the time of slavery in the nineteenth century. We call upon the same collective conscience of the international community that condemned and succeeded in eradicating slavery to speak with equal vehemence against this evil in our time. The volatile and explosive situation in the Middle East remains highly regrettable. Lesotho supports the creation of an independent Palestinian State on the basis of Security Council resolutions, a State that should coexist in peace with its neighbours.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Though not fully satisfactory, particularly to those of us who have suffered most from this scourge, the measures envisaged in the Programme of Action are a historic first step towards curbing this menace. It is now up to all of us to forge meaningful partnerships to ensure effective implementation of the Programme as we move together to free the world of these weapons. While peace has continued to hold in many regions of the world, Africa has experienced setbacks in that regard, as violent conflicts have continued unabated. The sad legacy of our colonial past, wherein State-sponsored activities facilitated the systematic plunder of Africa’s resources, have been replaced by foreign companies and individuals in pursuit of the so- called bottom line, whose sole motive is the maximization of profit.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We renew our call to those who remain outside the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to join the Treaty, and urge the nuclear-weapon States to continue full compliance with obligations assumed under the Treaty. The recent spate of biowarfare threats have also heightened the urgent need to devise effective compliance measures that will make the proliferation of biological weapons much harder and prevent such weapons from falling into the hands of terrorist groups. 9 The historic United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects has succeeded in highlighting the human suffering and insecurity engendered by the excessive accumulation and illicit transfer of those weapons.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Adequate time and resources should therefore be made available for the Preparatory Commission to fulfil its mandate within the first half of 2002. International peace and security continue to be a major challenge for the United Nations in the twenty- first century. While some positive developments have been recorded on various issues that are critical to the security of the international community, much more still needs to be done in pursuit of a more peaceful world — a world free from weapons of mass destruction; a world free from the arsenals of illicit small arms and light weapons; and a world with strengthened global norms for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Lesotho’s tangible contribution towards ending the culture of impunity is demonstrated by its support and assistance to the activities of the International Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda aimed at bringing those responsible for the most egregious crimes to justice, as well as its support for the creation of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, for which Lesotho has pledged $100,000 over three years. The first payment of $40,000 in respect of the first year has already been deposited. We call on the international community to provide adequate funding in order that the Special Court for Sierra Leone may come into operation. While the pace of ratifications for the Statute of the International Criminal Court is encouraging, more needs to be done if that Court is to become a reality soon.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“To that end, we have heeded the call to States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women that have entered reservations to the Convention to review those reservations. Our own reservation to the Convention has been amended with a view to withdrawing it at a later stage. The events in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, as well as the gruesome images of women and children whose limbs were hacked off by rebel forces in Sierra Leone, have shown that accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and universal jurisdiction over those crimes, are key to bringing an end to the cycle of impunity that we have witnessed over the years.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Lesotho welcomes the global movement to ensure that every child enjoys a better beginning, and hence a better future, and has undertaken to renew its commitment to ensure the rights of children. Our most auspicious endeavour to that end was the progressive introduction, in the year 2000, of free primary education beginning with standard 1 pupils. We believe that this is a step forward in ensuring sustained economic growth and poverty reduction. The new agreed dates for the postponed children’s summit should ensure that we do not lose the momentum for creating a better world for children. Lesotho also remains keenly aware of the important role that women play in the advancement of the nation’s social and economic development processes, as well as of the need to sustain their involvement and participation at all levels.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“For Africa, which is host to 70 per cent of the people infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide, this scourge is reversing hard-won gains in economic and social development. Political commitment and leadership are therefore essential for building national capacities to develop and implement comprehensive national strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support and treatment, all of which require mobilization of resources. We therefore welcome the outcome of the special session on HIV/AIDS held during the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly, and hope that the Global AIDS and Health Fund announced by the Secretary-General will soon become operational to provide funding on a grant basis to the most affected countries.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Housing remains a critical pillar of sustainable economic development. It is the single most important and obvious indicator of individual aspirations and their fulfilment. Testimony to this is the renewal of our commitment, earlier this year, to the principles of the 8 Habitat Agenda, which are encapsulated in the ideas of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements for development. Poverty continues to be a major factor for developing countries’ failure to realize these twin goals of the Habitat Agenda. In the same vein, a healthy population is an absolute requirement for social and economic development. We thus recognize the enormous challenges posed by HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It further calls for more comprehensive measures, including converting the remaining bilateral debts of the least developed countries into grants, widening HIPC to benefit more countries, increasing the levels of official development assistance, ensuring markets for the products of least developed countries and encouraging greater volumes of foreign direct investment to Africa. Lesotho therefore looks forward to further discussion of these measures during the coming International Conference on Financing for Development, the convening of which we fully support. We also believe that the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010 is a benchmark framework for accelerating the sustained economic growth and sustainable development of the poorest and weakest segment of the international community.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“In some regions of sub-Saharan Africa poverty has actually increased, posing a serious threat to democratic governance processes through the erosion of human rights and human dignity, as well as the deterioration of the already narrow natural resource base. In addition, the number of least developed countries has more than doubled since 1971, when the United Nations set up that category of countries. A more rapid and sustainable exit from debt is thus imperative. This calls for urgent implementation of an enhanced and expanded Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative (HIPC).”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We express our gratitude for the support and commitment already given to this initiative by the G-8 and the European Union and call upon other donor countries and agencies to join Africa as it embarks on its new path of recovery. In the same vein, we acknowledge the benefits that the African Growth and Opportunity Act holds for sub-Saharan African countries. The Millennium Summit reaffirmed the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development goal of reducing by half the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Despite that, abject poverty, a narrow resource base and, hence, broad dependence on overseas development aid, unsustainable levels of debt and the deleterious effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic continue to be part of everyday reality for the majority of the people in the world.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We will have to create the necessary conditions to allow the poor to become agents of change, using their own talents and capacities to raise their production and increase their income. For all that to happen, Africa needs resources. The international community must provide support not only through development cooperation, but also through improved trade access for African countries to the markets of the developed world. The “Everything but Arms” initiative adopted by the European Council of Ministers in February is a first important step towards scrapping customs duties on imports from Africa and other developing countries, and needs to be emulated.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“This African-owned and African-led economy-centred recovery programme and framework for action is a pragmatic vision of how Africa wishes to be included as a partner and not as a recipient of the benefits and opportunities offered by globalization. This initiative by Africans, which sets out the right priorities and focal points for the sustainable development of the African continent, deserves not only commendation, but also support from this Assembly and the international community as a whole. In embarking on this new path to recovery, Africans have no illusions. They are fully aware of the mammoth task that they have set for themselves and believe that progress towards achieving it will have to be driven by the people and Governments of Africa themselves.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Transforming the Organization of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union should thus be seen as an important step that will pave the way for the establishment of strong institutions endowed with necessary powers and resources to enable them to discharge their duties and responsibilities efficiently and effectively. It is against this background that the launching of the New African Initiative in Lusaka in July was also a turning point in Africa’s efforts aimed at ensuring that appropriate Africa-wide and regional economic and social reforms are carried out with a view to eradicating all social injustices.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Africa is not only determined to overcome its problems, but it is also determined to ensure that the future development of the continent is shaped and designed by Africans themselves. Many of the evils that have continued to plague Africa, including economic decline, internal unrest and civil wars, uncertainty, corruption and disintegration of States, 7 have been major obstacles to the development and establishment of viable societies in Africa. All this has made us realize that the only way to achieve sustainable development for the continent is to ensure that people live and work in stable conditions under the rule of law.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“There is also a growing awareness within Africa that sustainable development cannot take place in the midst of actual or potential conflict and that armed conflict is retrogressive and inevitably destroys the achievements of many years of national development; hence, conflict management is now assuming greater importance in Africa. Development is also beginning to take firm roots as many African countries formulate their development strategies and pursue greater cooperative relations with their development partners. The key role played by the United Nations in helping to re-energize the momentum for international partnership between, in particular, the least developed countries and the international community will remain crucial for addressing poverty and sustainable development.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We thus call upon all international partners to treat information and communications technology as a special priority for Africa’s development. Despite the many difficulties that the developing countries continue to face in addressing their urgent development needs, solid progress is being made towards establishing strong institutional capacities for sustainable development, including a sound macroeconomic foundation, effective governance, peace and stability. Following many years of undemocratic military dictatorships and coups d’état in Africa, the continent has begun to take bold steps to climb out of the rut, and today strong winds of democracy continue to reverberate throughout. This deepening of democratic principles has led Africans to shun all leaders who come to power through extra- constitutional means.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The truth of the matter is that there remains a gaping digital chasm between the industrialized and the developing countries, especially in Africa where the majority of the people are yet to reap the benefits of information and communications technology. Much still needs to be done to jump-start the introduction of information and communications technology in primary schools in order to enable the developing countries to respond to the changing needs of society and the economy. The United Nations system thus has to redouble its efforts in assisting developing countries, particularly in Africa, in building their capacity in curriculum development to ensure improvements in the quality of education and access to information and communications technology, including through the transfer of technology.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“One year after the unprecedented Millennium Summit is now a good time for us to reflect and take stock of how we are responding to the challenges and changes brought about by our ever growing interdependence and the ever-increasing interconnectedness of our economies. In this changing world in which all forms of economic, social, cultural and political activity have become dependent on access to telecommunications and information services provided by the global information infrastructure, what progress have we made towards making globalization truly global and ensuring that people everywhere share in its benefits?”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Lesotho reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the barbaric acts of terror committed against innocent civilians on 11 September and extends its condolences to the relatives of all those who perished during the attacks. Ideological or other differences are no excuse for such unspeakable acts; neither can such evil acts be justified on the grounds of expediency. Those responsible for these acts must be punished. While we support the international coalition against terrorism and consider ourselves part thereof, we nevertheless stress the need for capacity-building to enable all countries effectively to play their part in combating this menace.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We commend him for continuing to place such a high premium on the need for the Organization to develop better tools for conflict prevention, management and resolution and encourage him to 6 continue developing concepts and strategic frameworks for the Organization’s activities in the areas of conflict prevention and peace-building. We particularly wish to commend the Secretary- General for his relentless efforts and commitment to reforming and transforming the United Nations into a functioning Organization with a new management culture. We reiterate the view shared by many in this Assembly that the United Nations would be more democratic if the Security Council were made more representative of the membership as a whole. Regrettably, while we all agree on the need for reform, agreement on the details for such reform continues to elude us.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“On behalf of the delegation of Lesotho, allow me, through you, Sir, to congratulate the President and other members of the Bureau on their election to office during this fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Allow me also to pay a well deserved tribute to Mr. Harri Holkeri, President of the fifty-fifth session, and to commend him for spearheading efforts to reform and revitalize the General Assembly, with a view to strengthening its role as the chief deliberative policy-making and representative body of the United Nations. We congratulate our Secretary-General for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and for his reappointment as head of the Organization. This will no doubt enable him to continue his efforts to make the United Nations more relevant in facing today’s challenges.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“While we appreciate the magnitude of these challenges, we continue to have faith in the United Nations capacity to solve global problems, its broad universal support and its ability to uphold and reaffirm our shared values of peace, equity, social justice, democracy and human rights.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We also urge all armed groups in Burundi to fully and effectively participate in the negotiations so as to facilitate the speedy conclusion of a ceasefire agreement and a comprehensive peace accord. We look forward to the conclusion of the process in Western Sahara so that the people of that country can freely determine their own future. We reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights and we urge parties to the Middle East peace process to redouble their efforts to find durable peace in the Middle East. The real test for the United Nations in this century is how far it is prepared to go in addressing all these challenges and how far it will go in turning promises into reality, thus enabling the large majority of the people of the world to fulfil their potential and realize their aspirations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We urge the international community to observe all Security Council resolutions against UNITA and to fully cooperate with the United Nations to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions against UNITA. We appeal to all parties to the Congolese conflict to honour their obligations under the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement and to lend their support to the process of internal dialogue under the facilitation of Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana. We support all measures aimed at ending the illicit trade in diamonds in Sierra Leone and applaud the Economic Community of West African States for its efforts to bring peace to that country. We are 22 gratified to see the cessation of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea and call on both parties to that conflict to redouble their efforts for a lasting peace.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The Government of Lesotho remains fully committed to developing a culture of democracy, good governance, observance of human rights and constitutionality. The international community's assistance remains indispensable to the success of these efforts. We therefore stand solidly behind the position held by the Organization of African Unity, SADC and the Commonwealth of disallowing Governments that come into power by illegal means from participating in our councils. This should include our councils in the United Nations. Despite positive steps being taken by the Government of Angola to stabilize the situation in that country, peace continues to elude the people of Angola because of the non-fulfilment by Jonas Savimbi of the Lusaka Protocol.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“These are enormous challenges which require Africa's commitment to stability and the rule of law, but, above all, they require strong political will on the part of the Africans themselves and resources from the international community to reinforce democratic government, to deter attempts to overthrow it and even to reinstate it where it has been overthrown by illegal means. We in Lesotho have bitter experience of attempts to overthrow a legally and democratically elected Government. Thanks to our SADC partners, order has been restored in Lesotho and the Government is vigorously pursuing a programme of reconstruction, which includes the creation of a climate of political reconciliation on which the consolidation of democratic gains and democratic culture can rest.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The lack of political will to find lasting solutions to ongoing conflicts and the emergence of new ones continues to effectively cripple the productive activities of those countries as well as further erode the poor social infrastructure that exists in many countries. The illicit trade in arms, diamonds and other natural resources, as well as the diversion of resources from development to military activities, continue to fuel these conflicts, thus undermining democracy and development. The challenge for Africa remains the management and resolution of conflicts, the avoidance of war and the strengthening of democratic institutions.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Lesotho supports the convening of a United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects in June and July 2001, as mandated by General Assembly resolution 54/54. We share the view that the outcome of the Conference should be a global action plan with specific timetables for the implementation of commitments on issues such as codes of conduct, legislative and regulatory measures, control, enforcement, transparency, and tracing measures and mechanisms. The proliferation of armed conflicts in Africa continues to hamper efforts to achieve progress in economic and social development.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Thanks to the efforts of all actors, both governmental and non-governmental, the world is beginning to witness tangible results as the production, trade and use of landmines slowly drops, thus lowering the number of casualties. This, however, should not lead to any complacency, as evidence of the use of mines in some conflict areas, particularly in Africa, continues to surface. We look forward to a day when the world will be free of these weapons and encourage all those who continue to use mines, as well as those who remain outside the Convention banning landmines, to heed the rapidly growing international and regional momentum for the ban on those weapons.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The pursuit of arms reduction and the challenge of achieving sustainable disarmament thus remain the 21 only bulwark against the use or threat of use of weapons of mass destruction. While we welcome the nuclear-weapon States' undertaking to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, their failure to agree to a specific timetable for doing so is regrettable. The challenge is to translate these undertakings into concrete actions to eliminate all nuclear dangers. We thus support the Secretary- General's call for a new international conference on eliminating nuclear dangers as a means of advancing our disarmament goals. We also remain convinced of the need and desirability of convening a special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“A challenge for the United Nations is to define goals and global strategies focused on urgent and effective measures to eliminate racial discrimination and ethnic conflicts. Lesotho thus welcomes the convening of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in South Africa in 2001. This Conference will offer an opportunity for us to develop action-oriented measures to rid the world of these scourges. Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction — nuclear, chemical and biological — remains one of the most important tasks facing humankind in the twenty-first century, as these weapons remain a major threat to world peace.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Despite pessimistic forecasts, and despite different evaluations of the achievements of the special session on women, the Beijing + 5 conference's adoption of a final document proposing a series of actions and initiatives in the 12 critical areas identified in Beijing is an indication of the international community's renewed commitment to women's rights. Implementation of the norms enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women remains critical for the attainment of the goals set in Beijing. As technology brings the peoples of the world closer together, thus removing political and other barriers, societies continue to be ravaged by racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance, exemplified by “ethnic cleansing”, racial hatred and new forms of slavery.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Among the promising developments as we begin the century is the growing world consensus on the need to stop impunity by punishing those responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as evidenced by the number of signatories and ratifications to the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This momentum has rekindled our hope for peace and for an end to the persistence of human rights violations. Lesotho's ratification of the ICC Statute is a further clear indication of its commitment to the protection of human rights and to bringing to justice all those who commit gross violations of these rights. As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, we must be reminded that the goal of gender equality is far from being achieved.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“They also rekindle our political commitment to achieving global developmental goals. We therefore feel that the review process should continue in the twenty-first century, with a stronger emphasis on the evaluation of achievements and constraints. Like globalization of the economy, globalization of human rights cannot be avoided. Today human rights are well established as the legitimate concern of all humanity. If, as the world agreed in Vienna in 1993, “the promotion and protection of all human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community” (A/CONF/157/24,chapter III, section I, para.4), this calls for a more pragmatic approach in identifying pertinent situations requiring the protection of humanity, including in situations where a state has collapsed or disintegrated.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Therefore, we have established partnerships at the international, regional and national levels to address the problems of environmental degradation. We believe that the environment is too important an issue to be left in the hands of one Organization. In this regard, we look forward to the process of the 10-year review of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), at which we will share our experiences with, and learn from, our counterparts in the international community. Regarding the integrated and coordinated implementation of, and follow-up to, the major United Nations conferences and summits, my delegation values the review meetings because they offer us the opportunity to evaluate our performance and to consider the way forward.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Lesotho therefore looks forward to the Conference, which will review the internal constraints to the development of the least developed countries and 20 the adequacy of international support measures in the critical areas of official development assistance, debt relief, market access and trade. The High-level International Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development, to be held in 2001, will come to naught unless we are resolved to undertake it armed with the requisite political commitment and global solidarity to achieve our development goals nationally, regionally and internationally. The Government of Lesotho remains keenly aware that good environmental management requires concerted efforts from all members of the community.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“To this end, we in southern Africa have made modest but encouraging progress with respect to South-South cooperation by accelerating the entry into force of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Trade Protocol, which encompasses deeper economic cooperation, cross-border investment and trade, free movement of factors of production, and free movement of goods and services. The Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Brussels next year, is both timely and crucial. Since this body recognized, some years ago, the least developed countries as the poorest of the developing countries, there has not yet been any improvement in the weak economic situation of those countries, whose numbers have instead increased from 25 in 1971, to 48 in 1997.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The Government of Lesotho adopted poverty reduction as its highest development priority in its sixth and seventh National Development Plans. We have taken firm measures to reduce poverty. Based on our democratic dispensation and peaceful environment, we have successfully embarked on an aggressive investment promotion campaign for job creation. I am pleased to report that we are experiencing initial success in attracting foreign investment. We believe that South-South cooperation is an important tool for developing and strengthening the economic independence of developing countries.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In our Millennium Summit Declaration we made pledges to grant more generous development assistance to poor countries that plan to apply their resources to poverty reduction and to deal comprehensively with their debt problems. We need to concretize these pledges by adopting measures to accelerate debt relief such as the cancellation of the official debt of those countries and the expansion of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative. This would assist us in ensuring that by 2015 the majority of our people have access to safe drinking water, that all children complete a full course of primary education, and that joblessness is reduced among our youth. It would also help us curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and assist the children orphaned by this scourge.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“A disturbing phenomenon for the international community, and in particular for Africa, is that while the rest of the world is experiencing an increased flow of financial resources Africa's development prospects continue to be hampered by unsustainable debt servicing obligations. Just as we have placed poverty eradication at the centre of economic and social development, it is equally necessary to accord similar importance to the debt problems of developing countries. In our view, that would be a vital contribution to the realization of the goal of halving the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day by 2015. Lesotho falls into the category of countries that are not eligible for debt relief under the existing framework.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Unfortunately, the majority of others who have been left out of that prosperity continue to live in conditions of extreme poverty, remain embroiled in unending conflicts and are ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other diseases. The challenge for the United Nations of the twenty-first century is to eliminate those disparities by bringing poor countries into the digital age, thus making them extract value from globalization instead of watching globalization extract value from them. Education remains the key for the attainment of these objectives. In fact, our message from Lesotho here is: education, education, education.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The world is indeed witnessing a revolution in the information systems and their integration into the lives of men, women and children, leading to the term “information age “. The information age of the twenty-first century is taking root as it impacts on the lives of all sectors of society at both the national and international levels. There can be no doubt that for some information technology and globalization are beginning to turn theoretical possibilities into fact, as the use of computers and computer-dependent systems have resulted in improvements in basic health conditions and increases in life expectancy, efficiency and productivity, thus offering tremendous economic potential and prosperity.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We also remain deeply indebted to Secretary- General Kofi Annan for his continued dynamic leadership and commitment to our Organization, and for his relentless efforts in achieving the Organization's goals. The admission of a new Member to our Organization is always a moment of joy, and that of Tuvalu is no exception. 19 This, the first session of the General Assembly in the new millennium, offers an opportunity for us to reflect on the challenges and threats we face as we enter the new century, a century that has ushered in a revolution that future generations will likely characterize as one that had the greatest impact on human civilization since the advent of the telegraph, radio and television.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“On behalf of the Government and people of Lesotho, I extend our most sincere congratulations to the President on his election to preside over the fifty-fifth session, and wish him every success in the discharge of his duties. We are confident that his personal, diplomatic and leadership qualities will guide us through the session, and assure him of our support and cooperation at all times. Let me also pay a well deserved tribute, and express our thanks and gratitude, to his predecessor, our colleague, Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia. We thank him in particular for his statesmanship, sterling guidance and effective organization during the difficult times of the fifty-fourth session.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)