YouSaid · the spoken record

Theo-Ben Gurirab

lines on the record: 122
first: 1994-09-24
most recent: 2000-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“In conclusion, for Namibia the year 2000 brought rededication to service, celebration and thanksgiving. It meant awesome responsibilities in the General Assembly, including during the Millennium Summit; in the Security Council; in the World Health Assembly; and lately in the chairmanship of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), our subregional body. One needs allies, friends and partners for all this to happen, and we are lucky to have many of them throughout the world. We sincerely express our immense indebtedness to all of them. I know that I have been long-winded. I had a few things to say. 13”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“To those who may begrudge Africa's access to information and communication technology, I say, “Just think: if information and communication technology enables Africa to create wealth rather than manage poverty, then in a few years Africa will be so developed that you will no longer have to endure the guilt of turning us away from your front steps.” In thanking the Secretary-General and his loyal Deputy, Ms. Louise Frechette, for their unstinting support and encouragement, I would be remiss if I did not also mention the General Assembly's chief stewards and staff members for their expertise and hard work. I extend the same sentiments to the security and protocol officers for rendering such outstanding professional services. My heartfelt gratitude goes to one and all.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Our challenge, the challenge to all of us here, and to all those who have had a head start in mobilizing this new capacity for the creation of wealth and a better world, is: what can we do, what must we do, to enable Africa and other developing countries to gain access to the tools of information and communication technology, so that we can take ownership of our own social development and achieve full employment and prosperity? Those who control this powerhouse must act quickly and generously to share the benefits of this magic wand, especially since the sons and daughters of Africa and of the developing world are in fact among the major players in creating this new knowledge.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The information and communication technology revolution is the most significant social, political and economic phenomenon since the Industrial Revolution. Its ability to transform societies is commonly acknowledged. Several weeks ago the Economic and Social Council summit, held here at United Nations Headquarters, focused totally on it. Yet, ironically, and to some extent in an uncanny way, this economic panacea has been presented to Africa not as a tool for self-development and jump- starting global competitiveness, but as yet another “crime of incapacity” used to further overburden an already embattled people.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The United Nations should, therefore, avoid being caught in the middle of the crossfire. The situation requires vigilance and leadership to ensure that the corporations do not entangle the Organization in their unsavoury dealings, as some of them are already being accused of doing. I am aware of the written commitments, agreed rules and broad principles in the Compact. But that is one thing. That aside, this is only the beginning, and things will perhaps go wrong down the road. I myself encouraged constructive partnership between the United Nations and the private sector. That does not mean, however, that all that glitters is gold. One more matter of deep interest to my country, and indeed to Africa, is information and communication technology — ICT.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations was a sincere undertaking to establish a data bank and provide Member States with relevant information for follow-up and decision-making. The call for a new international economic order was the South's version of globalization. Yet our leaders were discredited and the initiative itself was unceremoniously killed. Its replacement is already wreaking havoc on our slender prospects for meaningful economic autonomy. Today, out there in the real world, many armies of grassroots organizations and progressive trade unions are back again on the streets demanding the democratization of international economic and trade relations, transparency, accountability, justice and fair play for the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. This is not a passing wave, but a telling sign of things yet to come.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We in Namibia, a country which actively promotes smart partnerships and win-win outcomes for government and business, labour and other key players in civil society, see this move as a welcome beginning. However, as is said, trust but verify. Not too long ago the United Nations used to maintain at Headquarters a watchdog centre for transnational corporations to monitor their nefarious global activities and sinister dirty tricks against the 12 interests of the people. It was closed down for reasons not yet known. Many of us from the developing countries ought to remember the call by our leaders in the 1970s for a new international economic order and what became of it.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“What we, the Member States, should concentrate on, therefore, is to speed up the tardy process of reforming, restructuring and democratizing our Organization the better to pursue its lofty goals and to implement the resolutions and decisions that enjoy overwhelming consensus. This, in a way, brings up the excellent and timely Brahimi report (A/55/305) on United Nations peace operations. The report constitutes a major building block which can provide a basis for discussing and resolving all relevant issues and ideas for concerted efforts in the field of preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution and all other challenges and problems of peacekeeping and peace-building. The next subject I want to deal with is the recently signed United Nations Global Compact with transnational corporations, this time initiated by the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The South is incapable of initiating any humanitarian intervention in the North. But the reverse is not only possible; it can be an ominous certainty. Can Kuwait, Cyprus, Saint Lucia or Namibia really dare launch any humanitarian intervention anywhere in the world? They just cannot. Quite simply, in a world of lopsided military might, humanitarian intervention is yet another code-name for colonization. This issue is on the agenda and will no doubt be debated again in the Assembly. Namibia will air its strong views when we come to that. The Charter shows the best way forward to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We cannot, therefore, avoid stressing inclusive and interdependent global governance that militates against war, fear and want. Only in this way will all of us be able to partake together in a culture of peace, dialogue, sharing and the common advancement of humanity. In such a kinder and inclusive world that we wish to live in, a dreadful notion of humanitarian intervention, by whatever name, does not fit in. Many of us expressed strong reactions against it as a dangerous idea when it surfaced last year. Namibia remains unconvinced and will continue to oppose any form of unilateral humanitarian intervention outside the Charter. Whether we like it or not, this is still a world of diktat by the rich and the powerful against the poor, the weak and the vulnerable.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It called him a dreamer. But, to my mind, in today's world of doomed pragmatists and cynics who try to defy any belief in the possibility of a better world for all of us, how refreshing it is that the United Nations is led by an African who is not afraid to dream! In a variation on the lyrics of a popular song, what the world needs now are bold dreamers whose knowledge of the challenges to humanity cannot be questioned, but who believe in the capacity of men and women to rise above their best, to move even farther beyond the horizons of human capability. That said, questions relating to development, politics, economics, finance and security unavoidably overlap. So also do the challenges of world peace, human rights, human development and human security, social change and prosperity.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“At least we have now agreed that there is no commonly accepted definition and practice of good governance anywhere. This was established during the consultations for the Millennium Summit's preparations. It is therefore better for us from now on to put more emphasis on transparent and accountable governance, based on the rule of law, while we continue debating its essential properties that are acceptable to all. At this stage, I will touch on some issues that require reiterating for clarity's sake. To begin with, South-North dialogue encompasses a broad field, from political and diplomatic exchanges through trade, poverty eradication, investment, technology, industrialization, capacity-building and financing for development to the empowering of people. A recent cover story in Time magazine featured our esteemed Secretary-General.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The emphasis on the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century necessarily means that we complete the overall reform without further delay, so that the United Nations can perform that role effectively. For the developing countries, the hour is already too late. We have nothing to gain by dragging our feet. I would like also, in just a few words, to express my astonishment about the contradictory comments that I heard recently about the question of good governance. Domestically, in the developing countries, good governance has been turned into a sort of a rigid dogma by foreign Powers. But when we call for rapid democratization of and transparency in international relations, open trade and financial rules and good governance, they simply ignore our views willy-nilly. What do we make of this paradox?”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Suffice it for me to take this opportunity to heartily commend and congratulate Ambassadors John de Saram of Sri Lanka and Hans Dahlgren of Sweden, who served as Vice-Chairmen under my leadership, for their total devotion and hard work that produced that thoughtful report. I strongly urge Member States to read the report carefully and reflect on the constructive proposals that are offered in it. While the negotiations on reform must continue, and given the fact that we now have a much clearer picture in respect of the specific open questions, we should revisit the earlier — all or nothing — “package deal” approach. The reform process cannot just continue ad infinitum. It was by no means meant to become an end in itself. We ought to take a cue from the urgings of the world leaders to move on and show concrete progress as soon as possible.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The Havana South Summit and its plan of action gave us an impetus to push ahead in unity and solidarity for our common survival. The people are tired of war; they want food security and life-saving human progress. They want creative leisure and the right to a coherent and planned future for their families and themselves, devoid of fear and heart-rending traumas of violence. We have before us the current report of the Working Group — the full title is unduly cumbersome — which, for more than six years now, has been dealing with the reform and increase in the membership of the Security Council. When the report is debated, Namibia will give its specific views on its content.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Ironically, in the South we are waging unconscionable and destructive wars against one another, militarily invading and occupying neighbouring States under the pretext of security or alleged historical reasons. In the process, we create, by omission or by commission, convenient troubled waters for outsiders to fish in. Nations are burning, and peoples are dying from bullets, hunger and infectious diseases at the same time. We are destroying ourselves. This must stop. We really have nobody to blame but ourselves. Rationalizations and excuses made after a fait accompli stink to high heaven. We must regroup and concentrate on development, poverty eradication, regional cooperation and integration. We have agreed to promote a culture of peace, to practise tolerance and to enlarge opportunities for peaceful coexistence.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“But in Africa, candour, no matter how distressing it can sometimes be, is not only a form of democracy, but also a language for protecting and strengthening the family. So I am sure that they, too, will understand, because all of it comes from my heart. I believe we urgently need to review our priorities and map out a new strategy in order to effectively, and in unity, deal with the battles ahead. Once again, we must stand up for our legitimate and just rights. My brother Foreign Minister from a small Caribbean State has pointed out that “there are new forms of war currently being waged on the small, the weak and the vulnerable” in the countries of the South. While this is a confirmation of the obvious, the situation is quite serious.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Hence, the persistent demands in Africa, in Europe, in Asia and in other places for atonement, reparations and compensation and insistence on the return of all stolen cultural artworks, precious relics and sacred icons from abroad to their place of origin — lock, stock and barrel. Africans, who were wronged more than, or at least as much as, any other group of people, are legitimately entitled to justice on political, legal, and humanitarian grounds. Now is the time to settle that unfinished business and moral deficit. My good friend said the other day that the best form of diplomacy is to tell the truth. I have some truthful things I want to direct to my own camp — the third world. My remarks will be of a general nature and will likely annoy some of my friends.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Only when pledges made by world leaders are translated into concrete programmes and substantial 10 resources are made available to achieve the time-bound targets set by the Millennium Summit can we in Africa take comfort in and draw strength from the recent inspiring commitments. Alhough nobility of mind is a necessary prelude to magnanimity, performance is the only vindication of its efficacy. This is because human beings are not known for mental quantum leaps, disregarding embedded social consciousness. Humans tend to hold on to painful memories and to keep reminding their tormentors of their obligation.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“There is another instructive example, that of the remarkable Alliance for Progress. That laudable initiative helped Latin America to emerge from an economic and social morass and restored in the people an empowering confidence for the future. Today, we see the great Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR) and other important regional economic and trade groupings fostering economic growth, full employment and the generation of wealth for the benefit all in that vital part of the world. For me, that represents the true meaning of human brotherhood and “prosper thy neighbour”. Africa's key Western cooperating partners should not hold the view that those two examples are unique circumstances from the remote past or that they are far removed from the hardships and misery that Africa and its peoples are facing today.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I must confess that I do not know how Europe survived the black plague, which decimated its population, killing many hundreds of thousands. But I know, at least, something about contemporary European history of the past 50 years. I think of the devastation and misery in that continent after the Second World War. Concerted political will, massive resources and a gigantic plan of action were put in place to save Europe. It was the famous Marshall Plan that we Africans were forced to read about in schools that did it. Europe was pulled back from a precipice because of that comprehensive and coordinated action of solidarity and today is building a strong Union together. It is clear that there was no idea of abandoning Europe to its own fate. But it was not only that.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“If perchance globalization is to have genuine efficacy, then we in the third world, who constitute by far the majority of the globe, must infuse it with our own vision, our wisdom, our sense of equity and fair play, the essence of the hard lessons we have learned from our history and experience. In such an eventuality, we will have to redesign the basic paradigm of globalization. On the one hand, it is said that many African States are at risk of missing out on the opportunities offered by globalization; on the other hand, Africans are repeatedly being told to find answers themselves to African problems. Well, which is it? This was never actually said about any other continent or peoples at their worst hour of imminent disaster.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Those uninvited intruders anchored their merchant ships along the coast and put up their foreign flags. Next, millions of people ended up dead, others were shipped off to the diaspora, while the rest became victims of a brutal system of colonialism. That, too, is a matter of record. The more the benefits of globalization are advertised, the more all of it sounds hypocritical and self-serving. Nobody is suggesting that we must run away from globalization. At the same time, we will keep reminding ourselves of the lessons of history lest we forget the ultimate truth that the lion will not lie down with the lamb. Mind you, industrialization was not bloodless or painless either.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Frankly speaking, globalization is merely a new name for an old, cruel and unjust system which was imposed willy-nilly upon the peoples of the third world in the past. Globalization is at least 500 years old in the case of Africa. As someone bluntly put it, “globalization is the reformation of what we used to call capitalist imperialism”. That is what he said; I think he has a point. That globalization forcibly introduced the iniquities of the slave trade, colonial oppression, the dispossession of land, racial bigotry and the destruction of our precious lives and cultures is a matter of historical record. We cannot be blamed for harbouring painful memories of the marauding usurpers from Europe peddling the virtues of a civilizing mission.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“While I will leave these hallowed halls soon and return to my duties as Namibia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, my heart and soul will always be walking the routines of the General Assembly. Namibia's celebrated case for self- determination, freedom and achievement of independence and the greater part of my own personal story — perhaps a bit unlike that of any of my predecessors as Assembly Presidents — are written on these majestic walls. Indeed, it is actually here and nowhere else that one can appreciate the roots and the systemic evolution of the United Nations itself. Now I want to express some views of my own about the latest buzzword: globalization. In the process, I will also respond to what some say – that the peoples of the third world should not run away in fright from globalization.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“31) I would make another suggestion. Under the President's authority, the Bureau should act as an executive arm of the Office of the President, superintending the work of the Assembly and interacting vertically with the heads of the other United Nations bodies. We always have a solid team in the Bureau consisting of the President, 21 Vice-Presidents and the Chairpersons of the six Main Committees for this crucial task. I was privileged to have a team of able ambassadors and, at times, even higher personalities assisting me, to all of whom I remain grateful. The Bureau should be formalized as a political mechanism. What we should be striving for is 9 a formalized system of regular consultations and better coordination of mandates and action in which the right hand knows what the left hand is doing at all times.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“First, paragraph 30 underscores the commitment to “reaffirm the central position of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policy- making and representative organ of the United Nations, and to enable it to play that role effectively”. (resolution 55/2, para. 30) This is a clear and categorical reaffirmation of the centrality of the Assembly, notwithstanding the existing and desirable division of labour or complementary functions among the principal organs. Secondly, in paragraph 31, the heads of State and Government collectively state: “We request the General Assembly to review on a regular basis the progress made in implementing the provisions of this Declaration, and ask the Secretary-General to issue periodic reports for consideration by the General Assembly and as a basis for further action.” (ibid., para.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In light of this, I would suggest – subject, of course, to the President's disposition – an early planning meeting involving the President, the Chairman of the Fifth Committee and the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to review this situation and to act upon what has already been agreed, including adequate resources for the Office of the President. No President of the General Assembly should be subjected to the whims of faceless bureaucrats as if he or she were asking for personal favours. In this context, two key paragraphs in the Millennium Declaration are apropos.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I have therefore decided to speak up, so that we no longer take things for granted in the ensuing months. I found the Office of the President of the General Assembly to be the main target of this unacceptable denigration. In the animal kingdom, the predator goes for the head or the jugular to incapacitate its prey. Well, that seems to be the case here as well. For some time now — prior to my tenure of office — we had been discussing practical ways and means of strengthening the Office of the President to ensure its capacity and effectiveness.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Sir, against the backdrop of those profound circumstances and events relating to the Millennium Summit, we welcome a fortunate coincidence which has set the stage for your unanimous election as President of the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly, together with the eminent members of your Bureau. I congratulate you all warmly and assure you of Namibia's steadfast cooperation. In my acceptance speech of 14 September 1999, I complained about a creeping but steady derogation of the General Assembly's functions and powers, contrary to the letter and spirit of the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. This situation has hardly changed for the better during the past year. If anything, the encroachment has intensified.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Sam Nujoma, stressed in his closing statement: “[W]e have adopted a historic Declaration with a vision for the future ... The Declaration in itself will not put bread on [the] tables [of the peoples of the world], stop the wars, erase poverty ... We cannot, therefore, afford to go back home from here and continue business as usual.” (A/55/PV.8) That is the question and, indeed, the challenge for the United Nations and the global community. His counterpart, the President of Finland, Ms. Tarja Halonen, echoed those sentiments in her own closing speech.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We had witnessed a robust and generous spirit of teamwork on the part of Member States in preparing for the General Assembly's Millennium Summit and galvanizing a partnership for a successful outcome. In the fullness of time, it all came together, and we got it right, to the satisfaction of all. It was collaboration 8 rather than competition. Thorns and all, what a beautiful rose it turned out to be. In Africa, we say that no one man can put his hands around a baobab tree. It requires many hands joined together to form a circle around that proverbial tree. I thank all my collaborators. We are all winners, and the integrity of the United Nations does not just remain intact, but is enhanced. I remember, though, what my President and Co-Chairperson of the Millennium Summit, Mr.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The active role of grass-roots organizations, both in their own conference and in their interaction with all the other conferences, is a clear sign that “We the Peoples” are actually now firmly reclaiming our legitimate right to be heard wherever States are discussing a new beginning in human relations and the future of the United Nations — our common House. Bearing this in mind, the world's leaders made a special commitment to Africa to implement special measures to address the challenges of poverty eradication and sustainable development through such actions as debt cancellation, increased investment and greater access to markets and technology. All human footprints start with the first lonely step.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The non-governmental organizations, which in their summit earlier in May had called for a global solidarity in which corporations would demonstrate a greater sense of social responsibility, especially in the pursuit of the benefits of globalization, reaffirmed their advocacy for social change in their Department of Public Information/Non- Governmental Organization Forum in August. Together, participants in all these gatherings sought to help redefine the pivotal role of the United Nations and all other world organizations in the new millennium in uplifting the peoples of the world.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The Security Council conducted its own high-level consultations, culminating in a categorical commitment, especially to Africa, towards development, peace and security on the continent. The conference of presiding officers of the world's parliaments resolved to work closely with the United Nations in pursuit of people-centred goals. The World Peace Summit, which brought together religious leaders from practically all faiths, in its declaration on a commitment to global peace, in addition to recognizing gender equality, declared all religions to be equal and condemned any violence perpetrated in the name of religion.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“To do so, we must rise above the temptation to settle scores through armed conflict; place the will and genius of our peoples at the helm of national reconstruction; and give prominence to the credo written in stone on the wall which adorns the courtyard adjacent to the General Assembly, to turn our swords into ploughshares. It is the marriage of this dual commitment of the wealthy and strong, and the presently poor and weak nations, which carries in its womb the child of a new world, aglow in global peace, development and prosperity. Alongside the Millennium Summit were other major activities of great importance at the United Nations and elsewhere in New York.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In responding to this clarion call, Member States must forge a new global partnership between the wealthy and powerful nations and those whose present circumstances leave them mired in the seemingly intractable maze of a merry-go-round type of development. The North must be gracious and generous, and give enough of what has been acquired from global resources to assist poor and weak countries to help propel them into the orbit of sustainable and irreversible social and economic growth. For its part, the South must not only take sober stock of our present challenges, but also devote energy and creativity to genuinely engage all our countries in a common effort at social development and human security.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“They wait in earnest for Member States to make good on the pledges made in the Millennium Declaration. They, the peoples, as our ultimate constituencies, are indeed the ones we must serve. However, they are sceptical because of failures to make good on previous pledges. Yet they expect us to implement the undertakings we made at the Summit, committing whatever resources of material or of the heart are called for. For our part, therefore, we must find the collective political will to mobilize the necessary resources to implement the commitments. We must also reconnect with the passion that drove the leaders of the world, determined to spare humanity the devastation of war and deprivation, to found the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The Millennium Declaration, which was the result of that concerted effort to meet the daunting challenges of this century with boldness and courage and in a truly global united front, is destined take its place alongside the 7 Charter of the United Nations as one of the most seminal documents of all time. In responding to the peoples' fervent clarion call to redefine and vigorously support the United Nations mandates and programmes, and to meet the challenges of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases that threaten to decimate our populations while leaving millions of others too weak to derive value from life, the world leaders undertook before the whole world to save humanity from the scourge of war, fear and want. The citizens of the world paid witness to the sober promises of the Millennium Summit.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“This is neither the place nor the time for me to repeat what my head of State and I have said in speeches regarding most of the critical national, regional and international issues. On those issues Namibia's position is unchanged, and my views remain valid. There are, however, some specific matters that I feel require reiteration. That is what I am going to do today. Not too long ago in these corridors, an unprecedented 150 heads of State and Government participated in the historic Millennium Summit, which was appropriately dubbed “We the peoples: the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century”.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Lastly, and in this context, I endorse the sentiments expressed by our Secretary-General in respect of making the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly, which falls in the year 2000, the Millennium Assembly. But I believe the preparations must be made during the fifty-fourth session, and Africa is ready to lead the way into the twenty-first century.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I, actively supported by my Government, have announced my candidature for the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth regular session, in 1999. In this connection, I am most delighted to announce from this mighty rostrum that in June this year, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government endorsed me as the sole African candidate for the position. I trust that I can count on all the Member States from other regions to cast their votes in support of my candidature when the time comes. By doing so, you will have made me extremely happy. But, more than that, you will have endorsed unanimously the collective wish of the African continent.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“They have contributed enormously to my formation and maturity. I did my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in this country under a United Nations fellowship. On 25 September â€” that is, next Friday â€” I am going to receive an award from the World Association of Former United Nations Interns and Fellows for, they tell me, an â€œoutstanding contribution to the promotion of human rights, peace and development, especially within the context of promoting Namibiaâs nation-building and the role that United Nations training and other economic and technical cooperation activities can still playâ€. I am deeply touched by this generous gesture, and I am immensely grateful. This is the result of my partnership with the United Nations and its varied agencies as well as with friends the world over.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Those memories and connections also included my own country, Namibia, a former colony of apartheid 30 South Africa and a territory for which the United Nations assumed direct legal responsibility for 24 years, from 1966 until 1990. That special linkage ended on 21 March 1990, the glorious day of our independence. But the long- established relationship between the United Nations family and the Namibian people continues unabated. During the past more than 26 years of my active involvement in politics and diplomacy, I have known the United Nations system as my home. In various incarnations, I have walked the heights, the depths and the corridors of this magnificent edifice of human brotherhood, liberation, equality and justice. Many mentors and friends from across the globe have held my hand in support, encouragement and solidarity.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Africaâs well-reasoned and constructive position on this issue was reinforced at the last OAU summit, held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In this connection, the decisions taken there are being implemented by African leaders. Among them is a renewed call for the Security Council to lift the punitive and outdated sanctions imposed on Libya several years ago. The suffering of innocent people should quickly be brought to an end. In conclusion, allow me to share a few personal thoughts. In his valedictory address to the General Assembly, President Mandela of South Africa referred to the connections between the United Nations and South Africa and invoked some memories of the past, beginning in 1946.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Now that the question of East Timor has been put back on the front burner, Namibia lends its full support to the latest steps that the Secretary-General has taken to find an amicable and lasting solution, in cooperation with Indonesia, Portugal and the inhabitants of East Timor. We apparently welcomed too hastily what we thought was good news concerning a peaceful settlement of the Lockerbie affair by the application of law. The good news has all of a sudden been eclipsed by bad news or misunderstandings that need to be carefully sorted out in the spirit of give and take among the principal parties. There are clearly serious legal and technical matters that require further consultations and clarifications between Libya, on the one hand, and the United Kingdom and the United States, on the other.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“James Baker, former United States Secretary of State, there is now an agreement between the parties concerned for a free and fair referendum to be held in December this year. With this in mind, Namibia urges the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations to ensure that the deadline is kept and that the people themselves are given a genuine choice regarding their future. In this way, Africaâs last colonial question will be finally resolved and the Kingdom of Morocco will return to the fold of the OAU, of which it is a proud founding member. It will be a happy day for all Africans.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I say this simply to restate our well- known position on the question of Palestine. Cyprus, a fellow Member State of the United Nations and of the Commonwealth, is being bullied by a bigger and powerful neighbour which is perpetuating by means of fiat the unlawful division of that peaceful island State. Namibia is aware of the repeated initiatives of the Secretary-General to end the deadlock; so far his efforts have been unsuccessful. The United Nations and the world community must not forget the nation of Cyprus and its heroic people. At last, there is a light at the end of the tunnel concerning the resolution of the question of Western Sahara. Following the Houston accords brokered by Mr.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“African unity and cooperation must be based on a genuine spirit of solidarity and sharing, and not on subversion and disunity. There are some outstanding questions that I would like to deal with now briefly. Our agenda still has on it the unfinished business of, for example, decolonization, conflict resolution and peacekeeping. The legitimate cause of the Palestinian people, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and their full enjoyment of the right to self-determination, independence and sovereignty, cannot end with the creation of an Authority which is only an interim mechanism. The goal which the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and certainly we in Namibia support, is that of unfettered statehood as envisaged in the Charter of the United Nations and international law.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In that regard, the Summit reaffirmed its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and commended the Governments of Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe for timeously providing troops to assist the Government and people of the DRC to defeat the illegal attempt by rebels and their allies to capture the capital city, Kinshasa, and other strategic areas. The Summit emphasized the need for all political actor in the DRC to commit themselves to orderly and peaceful transition to multi-party democracy, primarily through constructive consultations and negotiations involving all stakeholders.â€ As freedom fighters, we never relied on ethnicity to win victory against the oppressor nor can we ever accept today any idea of regional hegemony based on ethnicity and Herrenvolk tendencies from any quarter.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)