YouSaid · the spoken record

Lassana Traore

lines on the record: 36
first: 2002-09-24
most recent: 2003-09-24
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

“Indeed, today there are men and women who are capable, through their work and through their will, of realizing the aspirations of our peoples for well-being, peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development. Now we can hope to build a new world a world that is rich in its diversity within the framework of the United Nations and on new bases, a glorious world in which we can work together in a spirit of solidarity. Some of those men and women, on behalf of the peoples of the world, paid with their lives for their 25 dedication to the lofty ideals of the United Nations. Let them always be in our thoughts and prayers. Let us all work together. Let us all continue to believe in the intrinsic nature of human beings in their basic dignity and kind-heartedness.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We are convinced of this, and therefore Mali would plead for a strong ICC a universal ICC, acting as an instrument which cannot be deterred and which will help contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. In conclusion, I should like to recall that democracy, justice, freedom, peace, security, development and respect for commitments are common values that are our foundation for, and give us a sense of, our humanity. All people must be given their freedom and their dignity. We therefore call on all States to look to the future to imagine and to promote the lifestyle that corresponds to the aspirations of our people. To do so, we are determined to reject any sense of fatalism of whatever kind political, economic, social or cultural.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The creation of the International Criminal Court, whose elected judges and Prosecutor were sworn in this year, is certainly a success for the international community, which has fought against impunity and made it a subject of international concern. In fact, for two decades, the fight against impunity and respect for human dignity has mobilized all people of goodwill. Although recent developments seem to indicate that prospects for the advent of an independent international judicial forum do not appear promising, I would recall that the path to follow involves not only resolving conflicts and establishing peace, but also requires our determination to work together.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We must now implement reforms that will allow us to realize our hopes for the future. Global governance requires the democratization of the decision-making structures that will implement it. The current membership of the Security Council, for example, no longer meets the needs of our planet. Its composition must reflect its universal nature. Therefore, we are in favour of opening it up and expanding it to include other Member States in order better to meet the complex challenges of the day. Mali has taken note of the commitments made along these lines by the Secretary-General in his most recent report and reaffirms the central role of the United Nations in the implementation of international commitments and the fact that this can be done only if there is a dynamic and innovative partnership between developed and developing countries.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In the context of this crisis, realities have changed also for the United Nations. Today we have to deal with those who had previously been overlooked. For Mali, the United Nations remains the living incarnation of this hope for peace and security. It is an unequalled instrument. But, like any other instrument, it can worn out if it is overused, and from time to time it needs to be reinvigorated in order to be more effective, efficient and modern and to perform better. Our Organization is at a crossroads. To quote a contemporary author, If we keep looking towards the past to prolong it, we are doomed. If we look towards a new horizon, then our strength, our creativity and the power of our intellect will do the rest.' The past of our Organization has shown its limits.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“With respect to information and communication technologies, my delegation welcomes the upcoming holding, in December 2003 in Geneva, of the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, which will offer the international community, and African States in particular, the opportunity to discuss the role of those technologies and their impact on socio-economic development. The second phase will be held in Tunis, Africa, and we hope that the Summit will adopt specific measures to promote the development of the least advanced people in these areas. The world is in crisis, and the worldwide crisis at present is largely due to humankind's inability to comprehend and to take on the responsibilities required by the new role that is required in the world.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“These two initiatives represent a clear and courageous vision of the way Africa intends to shoulder its responsibilities with respect to its own development and its full integration into the world economy. We deeply appreciate the commitment made by the international community here at United Nations Headquarters to support the tremendous task of development in Africa, and we welcome the actions of the Group of Eight aimed at establishing programmes 24 that will help translate into reality the commitments made in the African action plan. We hope that this example will be followed by the international community, because the implementation of NEPAD will require substantial and effective support.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We believe that that Programme makes it incumbent on the international community to devise a new framework of cooperation with respect to transportation and transit a policy that will help developing landlocked countries to integrate into the world economy and to speed up their socio-economic development. To do so, it is essential that this Programme of Action be implemented with diligence at all levels, with the active assistance of the technical and financial partners of the landlocked developing countries. Given the major changes that the world is going through today and the many challenges that it faces, Africa decided to crystallize its willingness to act through two initiatives: the creation of the African Union and the launching of the New Partnership for Africa's Development.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“That policy of cotton production and export subsidies by certain developed countries must be abandoned, because they are contrary to the rules and principles of the multilateral trade system. They are ruining African economies, depriving our farmers of their share of the world market, and exacerbating the poverty that we undertook to eliminate at the Millennium Summit. On another topic, Mali welcomes the adoption of the Almaty Programme of Action, whose aim is forge partnerships that will better meet the special needs of the landlocked developing countries.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In the field of economics, the Government of Mali is adopting stimulative fiscal measures in order to attract national and international investment, in particular in the productive areas of cotton, mines and raising livestock. But those efforts are being hampered by the effects of globalization. In fact, in agriculture in particular, it is not so much poverty that offends as the conditions that engender that poverty. To give but one example, Mali like other African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries is suffering from the cotton competition with developed countries, which each year provide five times more funds in subsidies to their farmers than they do to development assistance. Those subsidies have a direct impact on world cotton prices, which are lower than they have been for 25 years.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“For many reasons, the level of security for the world's population has considerably deteriorated in recent years. Even today, in many African countries, people are often caught in the grip of conflicts involving guerrillas, rebel groups, civil war, ethnic war, clan war and clashes between militias, warlords and regular army forces. Designing a political strategy based on the idea of human security has now become a very urgent priority. For its mandate at the head of the Human Security Network, Mali has made its priority the issues of education in human rights, children in armed conflict, the campaign against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, gender in peacekeeping operations and food security.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Their adverse affects have been a great blow to human dignity, freedom and security. Mali, which since 10 May 2003 has held the presidency of the Human Security Network, calls on all States to unite for the success of the initiative of the framework convention on international transfers of arms, currently being drafted, which is expected to be launched in Bamako next October; it will be an important step towards the establishment of the mandate of the heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States to transform the moratorium on small arms and light weapons into an international convention. In addition, Mali continues to be deeply concerned by the phenomenon of child soldiers and calls for vigorous action to put an end to that practice, if we wish to save future generations from the scourge of war.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“It is therefore to be feared that the strategy of destruction will henceforth become a constant in how conflicts unfold in general. Terrorism is one of the gravest threats to human security. Combating that scourge requires strengthening national and regional capacities. It should be recalled 23 that Mali has ratified all international legal instruments concerning terrorism and transnational organized crime, as well as the additional protocol. It is encouraging to note that the international community, in particular the United Nations, has made the campaign against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons a major focus of concern. That is particularly reassuring because, for the last ten years, small arms and light weapons have weighed on the future and destiny of the peoples of Africa.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The overall situation prevailing in the Middle East, in particular the conflict in Iraq, remains a burning issue of the day and a major concern for the international community. We should point out to the protagonists of these conflicts that war is never anything other than a political failure and that the victories of peace are no less renowned than those of war. Peace between Palestinians and Israelis will garner more fame than all wars combined. The parties to the conflict should be mindful of that. In addition, we invite the international community to provide aid and assistance to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority because the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure and the restrictions imposed as a result of occupation have caused a clear deterioration of the socio-economic fabric of Palestinian society.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“At the subregional level, Mali has sent troops to Liberia, and our President has been personally committed to solidarity with the Government and people of CÙte d'Ivoire in their search for coordinated political solutions to the crisis faced by that brotherly country. That testifies to the importance we attach to peace and stability. At the continental level, our country will unstintingly continue its tireless efforts within the African Union, which have deployed continuously since the establishment of the African Union to achieve stability, the guarantor for all economic social and cultural development. Therefore, Mali calls on all States to adopt a multilateral approach, subregional and regional cooperation and international solidarity, with rigorous respect for the sovereignty of States.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Amadou Toumani TourÈ, President of the Republic of Mali, our country is steadfastly committed to supporting the United Nations in attaining its objective: the full development of humankind. At the national level, our President is firmly committed to strengthening the institutions of the Republic and of communities, to promote democracy and human rights and to give a boost to good governance, economic growth and sustainable development. Peace and security are among the principal values held and venerated by the peoples of the entire world as they are essential for their social and economic development. Mali has been fully committed to the twin challenges of conflict prevention and conflict management.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We have barely turned to the third page of this millennium and new challenges are assailing humankind. Upon us are other questions for which we must uncover the appropriate solutions so that our Organization will remain true to itself and pursue its goals without succumbing to a hijacking of its mandate. The Government of Mali believes that the United Nations remains an instrument of great value. Defining the rules of the game is one thing; applying them under the watchful eye of an impartial arbiter who has the necessary authority and the corresponding means to act is another. We need to work to make the United Nations that authority and arbiter. For its part, under the distinguished leadership of Mr.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Kofi Annan for his dedication to the ideals of the United Nations. The present session is opening in a context where the United Nations is still confronting challenges to its very existence; those challenges moved humanity 58 years ago to equip itself with an instrument of hope capable of meeting them. Let us recall that the United Nations were conceived to save ourselves from the demons of war and insecurity. The idea was to secure a state of grace one of man reconciled with himself and to create the conditions for reducing material want, uncertainty and poverty. Flashpoints of tension fire and smoke exist and are developing in many places. Poverty and distress are the daily lot of many inhabitants of our planet, particularly in Africa. The arrival of the new millennium brought enormous hopes.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“First, Sir, please accept my warm congratulations and my fervent hopes for your successful achievement of the mission entrusted to you. Your election to the presidency of the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly is a fitting tribute by the international community to the people of Saint Lucia. I am convinced that with your experience 22 and your distinguished intellectual and ethical qualities, you will successfully lead our work to be carried out in the best spirit. Sir, I wish to convey to your predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, the congratulations of the delegation of Mali for the skill, dedication and spirit of initiative and the authority with which he directed the work of the fifty- seventh session of the General Assembly. I also take this solemn occasion to pay well-deserved tribute to Secretary-General Mr.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The democratization and restructuring of the main organs of the United Nations desired by the overwhelming majority of Member States, would greatly contribute to peace and security in the world. In particular, the democratization of the Security Council, whose structure no longer reflects the realities of today's world, would reflect our common determination to make it a more effective, more legitimate and more representative body. Our peoples are waiting. They are waiting for us to lead them forward towards rebirth in the new century, towards the building of a new world, rich in diversity, more just and more united.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“My country welcomes the holding in March 2002 at Monterrey of the International Conference on Financing for Development and, more recently, the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. The conclusions and recommendations that came out of those two important meetings reflect the determination of the international community to commit itself in a resolute manner to achieving the objectives contained in the Millennium Declaration. 4 The Government of Mali also encourages institutions and Governments throughout the world to implement the relevant provisions contained in the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, since it is true that development policies and strategies intended to reduce poverty must necessarily take account of the problems of ageing.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“More flexible mechanisms need to be set up, however, in order to mobilize and utilize the resources generated by the application of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative. In this respect, it is highly desirable for the developed countries and the international financial institutions to envisage measures capable of enabling the developing countries to move further towards sustainable development and to benefit from globalization. Fulfilling the development objectives set forth in the Millennium Declaration would bring that about. Mali warmly welcomes United Nations initiatives in support of the least developed countries, as exemplified by the Brussels Programme of Action.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The globalization of the economy has contributed greatly to a serious imbalance whose chief victims are the developing countries. It has led in particular to the impoverishment of a large number of people, to environmental degradation and to large-scale migration. External debt is a heavy burden for poor countries. The money used to service the debt has to come from the meagre resources of those countries, which seriously handicaps any attempt to re-launch growth and development. Despite the measures agreed to aimed at alleviating the debt burden for poor countries and allowing access to the markets of the countries of the North, the inequalities persist and poverty continues to worsen. New measures designed to establish closer links between debt- and poverty-reduction activities should continue.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The creation of the International Criminal Court, whose Statute was adopted in Rome, will not only make it possible to bring to justice those who commit the most serious crimes that infringe on the dignity of the human person, but also will provide an instrument of deterrence that contributes to the maintenance of international peace and security. In this respect, my country would like to reaffirm its full support for the fight against impunity and for full respect for human dignity. My country would like to appeal to those countries that have still not acceded to the Statute of the International Criminal Court to do so in order to strengthen the legitimacy of that institution. We are faced with a number of economic problems that are impeding the full growth of several of our States.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The responsibility of the international community in dealing with that situation remains a commitment aimed at a global, just and lasting peace in the Middle East — a peace founded on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace. The creation of a Palestinian State — the central issue of the Middle East question — side by side with Israel, within safe and internationally recognized borders, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1397 (2002), would be the best guarantee of a just and lasting peace in the region. On a different subject, Mali accords priority to international cooperation on the basis of international law in the search for a lasting solution to conflicts that are of concern to the international community. This principle should apply to the handling of the Iraqi issue.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“It is also the appropriate tool to bolster the efforts of the Security Council in fulfilling its main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, in particularly in Africa. Mali has already begun to take the necessary measures to ratify that important instrument. The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) also deserves ongoing support from the international community. Indeed, NEPAD offers the international community a historic opportunity to establish a credible partnership with Africa — a partnership founded on shared responsibility. Mali remains deeply concerned about the dramatic developments of the situation in the Middle East.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The African Union will enable the continent to plan for its future more clearly, take responsibility for its own development, prevent and manage conflict and promote partnership and international cooperation that is better adapted to the expectations of the population. The recent adoption at Durban of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security 3 Council of the African Union, a standing decision- making body for conflict management and resolution in Africa, represents an important step forward in the setting up of a collective rapid-reaction security system designed to facilitate an appropriate and effective regional response in dealing with conflict situations and crises in Africa.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Alioune Blondin Beye made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of peace in Angola. The recent signing of a peace agreement between the main parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a further reason for hope. These glimmers of hope for conflict management on the continent will require intense support from the international community, which must provide further support for Africa's efforts through in the form of resources and mechanisms that are capable of providing security and promoting development, stability and peace. The launching of the African Union, which has replaced the Organization of African Unity, certainly represents the most decisive historic and political event on the African continent this year.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Those issues constitute a serious impediment to development efforts in Africa. Mali welcomes the fact that the long fratricidal conflict in Angola has come to an end and pays a well- deserved tribute to the people and the leaders of Angola for the courage that they have shown and the efforts that they are continuing to make to consolidate peace and bring about national reconciliation. I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the United Nations for its valuable contribution to the search for a resolution of the Angolan conflict. I should also like to pay tribute to my compatriot, the late Alioune Blondin Beye, a talented diplomat who was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Angola from 1994 until the time of his death in June 1998.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“That why my country is a full-fledged member of the Human Security Network. It fully agrees that there is a need to harmonize efforts with regard to the destruction of anti- personnel landmines and the fight against the illicit trade in and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, with a view to adopting a United Nations programme of action to reduce the human suffering caused by those scourges. Stability, peace and security are prerequisites for any process of true development in Africa. Despite the significant progress made in resolving certain African conflicts, our continent continues to be faced with a number of ongoing problems, including debt, the continuing fall in the price of raw materials, the democratic deficit, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria and difficulties related to humanitarian assistance.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“For Mali, republican and democratic institutions must be renewed only through democratic institutional mechanisms that have been established in advance. The strengthening of good governance, the consolidation of the democratic process, food security, the improvement of the educational and health systems, the organization and effective functioning of justice, actions to promote children and women, and the fight against poverty and corruption are, inter alia, the challenges to which the new Government of Mali is committed to face. Likewise, as part of its policy of economic and social development, Mali is working, with the help of its development partners, to implement macroeconomic reforms designed to re-launch the process of growth and development. Mali is resolutely determined to guarantee individual security in all its dimensions.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“In Mali, the year 2002 was devoted to the holding, for the third time, of pluralistic, democratic and peaceful elections, at the outcome of which His Excellency Mr. Amadou Toumani Touré assumed the country ‘s highest post. Those elections are sufficient proof that Mali ‘s democratic institutions have taken root, and they support the democratic culture of the Malian people. Here, I must express, on behalf of the people and the Government of Mali, my heartfelt thanks to all our partners for their contribution to the organization, the holding and the success of those elections. Mali is deeply attached to the consolidation of the rule of law, to the preservation of peace and security and to the improvement of the living conditions of populations. In that regard, our conviction remains that we must deepen, promote and respect those values.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Likewise, important means and mechanisms have been put in place so that Mali ‘s national territory cannot be used for the preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts. In order to meet the terrorist threat, it is important that the international community strengthen cooperation among its members. Furthermore, Mali calls for integrated and sustained global action, in which the United Nations should play the premier role. It reiterates the appeal of Africa, of the Non-Aligned Movement and of the Organization of the Islamic 2 Conference for the holding of an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations aimed at swiftly concluding a universally accepted legal instrument on international terrorism.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly is opening in an international context marked by the persistence of areas of tension, of development inequalities and of growing poverty among the peoples in developing countries, of the sad consequences of globalization, of natural disasters and of the extremely difficult consequences of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, whose first anniversary the international community has just commemorated. At the time, Mali vigorously condemned those attacks, which nothing can justify. Since then, it has participated in the great international campaign of the fight against terrorism. In so doing, it has ratified all international legal instruments related to the fight against terrorism.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Amadou Toumani Touré, President of the Republic of Mali, for the confidence that the Secretary-General has placed in him in seeking solutions to certain conflicts that are shaking Africa. He expresses Mali ‘s readiness to continue to work for the preservation of international peace and security, particularly in Africa. Mali wishes to welcome to the Organization Switzerland and Timor-Leste, whose admission strengthens the universal character of the United Nations.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“At the outset, I should like to tell you, Sir, how pleased my delegation is to see you presiding over the work of the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. To your predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, I should also like to express my sincere and warm congratulations on the competence, devotion and authority with which he guided the work of the fifty-sixth session. I should also like to express again to Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the Organization, the warm congratulations and profound gratitude of the Government of Mali for the effectiveness and wisdom he has shown in managing the concerns of the international community in a particularly difficult context. I take this opportunity to reiterate to the Secretary-General the thanks of His Excellency Mr.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)