YouSaid · the spoken record

Aïchatou MINDAOUDOU

lines on the record: 160
first: 2001-09-24
most recent: 2009-09-24
sittings or episodes: 9
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

“Generally speaking, the coherent subregional approach employed by the United Nations and the subregional organizations seems well suited to handling conflicts, and also to responding to other concerns, such as international migration, trafficking in human beings, trafficking in drugs, transnational crime and the proliferation and spread of small arms and light weapons. From this perspective, in particular as regards the African continent, the capacity of subregional organizations and the African Union should be reinforced. The United Nations Ten-year Capacity-Building Programme for the African Union is to be commended, as it opens new possibilities for conflict prevention and the maintenance of lasting peace on the continent, in particular through the creation of an African intervention force.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Finally, with regard to Somalia, we earnestly hope that the national reconciliation conference and the efforts of the international community will yield positive results and enable that brother country to emerge forever from the crisis that has prevailed there for years. The situation in the Middle East, dominated by the Israel-Palestine conflict, requires more focused attention by the international community. My delegation feels that the resumption of the political process remains the only way to move towards a just and lasting solution, on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions and the principle of two viable States living side by side in peace and security. The Quartet Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative remain frames of reference in this regard.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In Darfur, the situation remains worrisome to be sure, but thanks to the agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the United Nations and the adoption of Security Council resolution 1769 (2007) on 31 July, we hope that there will soon be a return to peace and security in that part of the Sudan. In Western Sahara, we are gratified by the initiation of direct negotiations between Morocco and the POLISARIO Front, including the two meetings held under the aegis of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General subsequent to the adoption of Security Council resolution 1754 (2007).”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In Central Africa, the adoption by the Great Lakes countries of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development leads us to expect, in the medium term, a meaningful improvement in the troubled situation that has prevailed there for some years now. It is encouraging to note that Burundi is already at the point where it can do without the international community’s supervision in peacekeeping efforts within its borders and to devote itself fully to the task of economic and social development. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is another case in which we will allow ourselves to have great hopes if all the parties join in the peace movement and take part in the ongoing democratic process.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In Africa, such positive and encouraging trends can be witnessed in the hope raised by developments in certain conflict areas. In West Africa, Liberia continues to move ahead with national reconstruction and consolidation of peace. In Côte d’Ivoire, the peace process has shown great promise since the Ouagadougou agreement was signed in March 2007 and a “flame of peace” ceremony took place. Those two major events bear witness to the parties’ will to put a permanent end to the crisis that exploded in that country five years ago. Sierra Leone, for the first time, and after a long period of instability, has organized free and transparent legislative and presidential elections, bearing witness to the resolve of the suffering people of that country to move beyond tragedy and to resolutely build a bright future.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Two years after the 2005 World Summit, which gave our leaders an opportunity to address the challenges and threats confronting humankind, we cannot help feeling optimistic despite the persistence of such scourges as international terrorism or the slow progress towards fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals as we consider the unflagging willingness of the international community resolutely to seek solutions consonant with the threats that have been identified. In the field of international peace and security, one element of the significant developments in certain parts of the world is, without a doubt, the positive impact of the Peacebuilding Commission, in particular in Burundi and Sierra Leone. That alone makes the creation of that new body worthwhile.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Allow me at the outset to congratulate Mr. Kerim most warmly on his outstanding election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. We are convinced that his professional qualities and his vast and rich academic, diplomatic and business experience will lead to the success of our work. I therefore assure him of my delegation’s fullest support in the discharge of his mandate. With respect to outgoing President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, I wish to express our great satisfaction at her dynamic and skilful handling of the work of the previous session. As to the Secretary-General, I take this opportunity to reiterate the Niger Government’s admiration and encouragement on his assumption of the leadership of our collective Organization.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“I would like to end my statement by pointing out that, for the Niger, the effective implementation of the actions planned to deal with global issues must be multilateral in character and must assign a central role to the United Nations system. And here I would reiterate the faith that the Niger has in the United Nations, not only because the Organization remains the most appropriate framework and the most relevant multilateral mechanism with which to promote development, but also because it pursues the noble causes which it embodies. The 49 06-53005 United Nations therefore must be revitalized in order to be in a position to satisfy the deepest aspirations of the peoples and nations of the world, particularly those that are weakest.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“I would like here, on behalf of the Niger, to commend the initiatives taken to find new sources of funding in order to provide an initial response to the insufficiency of resources noted during the evaluation of the 2005 Summit. I would particularly like to welcome the International Drug Purchase Facility (UNITAID) initiative launched by the French Government to finance the fight against AIDS and malaria. The Niger is one of the first 17 countries to have endorsed the tax on airline tickets. It is also within the framework of this kind of partnership that the positive nature of international migration could be stressed and could be included in our search for appropriate responses, which would take into account the concerns of the countries of origin, transit and destination.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The debates at the current session are particularly important for the Niger because they come one year after the historic Summit of 2005. The High-level Plenary Meeting which prepared the above Summit already stressed the importance of partnerships, particularly with respect to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In this regard, the central theme of the sixty-first session, namely, the implementation of a global partnership for development, is very appropriate because it illustrates perfectly the need and the importance of a multilateral and collective approach in order to find the most appropriate solutions to the current problems in the world.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In another area, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will certainly help us to exercise greater control over such scourges as food insecurity and cyclical droughts, which have caused so much damage and have plunged a substantial portion of the populations of some West African countries into an unacceptably precarious situation owing to the slow reaction of the international community. For the Niger, as well as for other countries of the subregion, the human development index would have been higher if development cooperation had seen qualitative and quantitative increases in line with the commitments contained in the Monterrey Consensus with regard to official development assistance (ODA) and other initiatives on the subject.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In order to maintain the ban on the circulation of illegal weapons, which, as every one knows, have stoked many conflicts in our subregion, the heads of State and Government of the member countries of ECOWAS have decided to convert the moratorium on small arms and light weapons into a legally binding convention, in order to strengthen the capacity of Member States to fight effectively against this scourge. The Niger also welcomes the establishment of the new Human Rights Council. This body merits the approval and backing of all Member States, which should fully cooperate with it. For its part, the Niger undertakes to do everything in its power to participate effectively in its activities.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In my capacity as a representative of the country currently holding the chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a region which is still ravaged by conflicts, I am happy to report on the progress that has been made in our subregion in the area of conflict prevention and resolution. Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea-Bissau, which I referred to just now, today are countries in a post-conflict situation. They therefore need to be effectively helped in order to consolidate their return to peace and to create the conditions for an environment that is favourable to their economic and social development.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In this regard, the Niger would like to reaffirm its support for the 06-53005 48 commitments made within the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), while recognizing the importance and the usefulness of research for peaceful purposes. However, the increasingly marked division which this issue engenders requires an appropriate response in the ongoing quest for consensus through the current negotiations. The Niger welcomes the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission, which is one of the first concrete achievements to emerge from the World Summit. We should give it our full support so that it can provide effective assistance to countries in post- conflict situations.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The establishment of a comprehensive peace in the subregion involves going back to the negotiating table in order to make progress in implementing the road map towards the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinian State, in conformity with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations. With regard to Western Sahara, the United Nations must pursue and intensify its efforts with a view to finding a definitive solution to the question. As to Jammu and Kashmir, the Niger encourages India and Pakistan to continue with their talks. Another serious threat to international peace and security is posed by nuclear weapons.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In Côte d’Ivoire, the United Nations must redouble its efforts to reach a definition of a new transition in consultation with all parties, ECOWAS and the African Union so that the matter can be dealt with calmly after 31 October 2006. The situation in the Middle East — especially in Lebanon, which has held the attention of the international community over recent weeks — proves, if proof were needed, that the United Nations is still the prime forum for promoting negotiations on preserving international peace and security. The same degree of attention should be paid to the resurgence of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Those developments remind us that we need an operational and effective decision- making mechanism so that we can quickly deal with any threat to international peace and security, irrespective of its complexity. Only substantial reform of the Security Council, along with revitalization of the General Assembly, can enhance legitimacy and effectiveness, especially if it takes into account equitable representation accompanied by an improvement in working methods. For Niger, only equitable enlargement of the Security Council can improve its functioning and make it possible to establish the bases for decisions that will be acceptable to and accepted by everyone.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Kofi Annan, who will be leaving the Organization after ten years of intense activity, ingenious initiatives and staunch devotion. There can be no doubt that the vigour he brought to the Organization, the important reforms he launched and the new bodies that have been created during his mandate stand out in the annals of the United Nations. More than ever before, the international community is confronted by challenges to peace and security. Despite noteworthy progress in this area and despite multiple efforts, horror and despair continue to reach us from certain areas of conflict. Some positive developments have certainly been recorded in Africa in the area of conflict resolution, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Liberia and Sierra Leone.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Allow me to express the warmest congratulations of the delegation of Niger to Ms. Al-Khalifa upon her election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. She is the third woman in the history of the United Nations called upon to take up this office, and her election is richly symbolic on several counts. In her we have a seasoned diplomat of great competence and sure qualities that augur well for the positive results that we will see under her presidency. We also congratulate her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, President of the Assembly at its sixtieth session, for the remarkable work he accomplished during his presidency. Finally, allow me to reiterate the congratulations of the Republic of Niger to the Secretary-General, Mr.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The Economic and Social Council, for its part, must be the forum for coordinating and drafting strategies so that the excellent opportunities created in this increasingly globalized world will also be accessible to the poorest countries. The establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission has filled a significant void, because it constitutes a formerly non-existent link between security and development. We welcome the creation of the Human Rights Council, based on the principles of universality and non-exclusion. These are the prerequisites for strengthening and improving our shared House.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“That collective commitment has led us to forge a common position on United Nations reform, which my country wholeheartedly supports. In fact, our continent, whose importance is more apparent every day, must pursue 21 with determination and in unity its fight for the democratization of international relations. The United Nations is the only world body with the mandate of addressing issues of security, development and human rights. To be equal to that immense and delicate mission, it must be fair, representative and democratic. It must also base its actions on multilateralism and consultation, particularly within the General Assembly. The long-awaited reform of the Security Council must be pursued in transparency so that a renewed United Nations can be more democratic and more representative of today's world.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“With regard to international trade, we hope that the multilateral negotiations under way will lead to mutually advantageous results by 2006, as planned. However, in the interest of mutual and shared development, there must be an end to all agricultural subsidies on exports. In that regard, the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference planned for December is a crucial event for us that, once again, should be attended with this rethought solidarity in mind, particularly with regard to the poorest countries. Concerning institutional reform of the United Nations, my country wishes to pay tribute to the far- sightedness of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, in identifying the stakes of such reform and in making his interesting and important recommendations. The Niger is fully committed to the role played by Africa in the international arena.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In that regard, we welcome the decision of those developed countries that have elaborated a timetable enabling them to achieve the set objective of 0.7 per cent of their gross domestic product by 2015. A rethought solidarity would also require the establishment of innovative financing sources that would not place an excessive burden on developing countries. We welcome the recent decisions taken by partners, particularly the Group of Eight and the European Union. We urge the international community and the United Nations to further strengthen their cooperation with the New Partnership for Africaâ€™s Development and with new initiatives for Africa, including the Blair Commission's International Finance, Facility, President Bush's Millennium Challenge Account and the Chirac-Lula initiative.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“To that end, solidarity and international cooperation must, more than ever before, go beyond professions of faith if they are to be more effective. In any event, solidarity must no longer be infinitely variable, as is unfortunately the case today. The Niger, recently the victim of an acute food crisis, would like international solidarity to be rethought so that we can invest in the future by implementing lasting solutions that will ensure permanent food security for our people. Without a rethought solidarity, many African countries, including mine, may unfortunately never be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. That would require an increase in official development assistance, from both a qualitative and a quantitative perspective.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“With regard to Jammu and Kashmir, we remain convinced that the relevant United Nations resolutions must be implemented to enable the Kashmiri people to exercise their right to self-determination. That should further reduce the tensions between India and Pakistan. The Niger, a member of the contact group of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on that issue, encourages the two parties to move forward in their talks aimed at a definitive settlement of this problem. This year, as we assess the progress made in honouring the commitments made at the Millennium Summit, the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting, which we just adopted, once again emphasizes the interdependence of States and highlights the need for increased solidarity.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In that regard, the Secretary-General's proposal concerning the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission is of capital importance, in that it will enable many countries emerging from conflict to break the vicious circle of violence and devastation. Concerning the Middle East, my country wishes to reaffirm once again that settlement of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict necessarily depends upon the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the creation of an independent, sovereign and viable State. In that regard, Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is a positive step that, we hope, will permit the resumption of negotiations within the framework of the road map.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In West Africa, although some hotbeds of tension are in the process of being defused - such as in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea-Bissau - the subregion is still not completely 20 free of insecurity and instability. We hope for positive developments in Cote d'Ivoire that will permit a swift return to normalcy in that country, formerly a harbour of peace and prosperity. In Western Sahara, the Niger reaffirms its support for the Secretary-General's efforts to bring about a just and lasting settlement of the conflict in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. In Burundi, we welcome the positive outcome of the peace process culminating in the legislative and presidential elections. Peace must not only be re-established and maintained; it must also be consolidated.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Peace and security also require the adoption of effective measures against the proliferation of weapons in general. Here, I welcome the initiative of the Economic Community of West African States - which the Niger currently chairs - aimed at establishing a legally binding instrument: its moratorium on the manufacture, import and export of weapons. That approach has led us to regret the failure at the most recent review conference of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Today, international peace and security are being sorely tested by a steadily rising number of conflicts, some of which seem to be endless quagmires because of their persistence and recurrence.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The recent attacks in London and Sharm el-Sheikh attest eloquently to that fact. The fight against this scourge must therefore be strengthened and carried out over the long term, but within the framework of international law. In that regard, we believe it is crucial to accelerate the process of elaborating an international convention to fight terrorism. Such a convention should define the concept clearly to avoid ambiguity. Moreover, the fight against terrorism cannot be effective and fruitful without appropriate international cooperation. It is because of such cooperation - which has enabled us to strengthen the capacities of our defence and security forces - that my country has recently had considerable success in combating this phenomenon.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The Secretary-General, in his important report entitled "In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all" (A/59/2005), made a comprehensive diagnosis of the multiform and interdependent threats and challenges facing the world and, at the same time, made interesting recommendations to deal with them. Equally historic is the outcome document (resolution 60/1) of the High-level Plenary Meeting, which we just adopted. It is a source of great hope in our arduous efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Among those threats and challenges, to which I shall refer again presently, are terrorism, the inequalities of the international economic and trade system, and violations of human rights. Terrorism continues to rage throughout the world, seriously threatening international peace and security.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“To Secretary-General Kofi Annan, I wish to pay a well-deserved tribute for the decisive role he has played at the head of our Organization. We pledge our unswerving support for his efforts to reform the United Nations system and adapt it to the concerns of today. Need we recall the historic nature of our session? It is taking place exactly 10 years after the Declaration and Platform for Action were adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the Programme of Action was adopted by the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“I am very pleased, Mr. President, on behalf of the delegation of the Niger, to express our warmest congratulations on your election to the presidency of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly. In electing you, we recognize your outstanding qualities as a diplomat and as an active player on the ground - qualities that augur well for the success of the present session. Rest assured, Sir, that you will have the full support of my delegation. We wish you every success in accomplishing your task. To your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping, I wish to express our appreciation and our gratitude for the wisdom, skill and insight with which he guided the work of our previous session and prepared for the High-level Plenary Meeting.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“To conclude, it is important that the Desertification Convention be effectively implemented, a convention that is seen as the best illustration of the link between environmental degradation and poverty. Speaking of environmental degradation, how can we overlook the ecological ravages caused by the current locust invasion in part of Africa? Because it did not act in good time, the international community — which had been warned of this danger far in advance — must now mobilize, as soon as possible, sufficient financial and material means to stop the spread of the plague in order to halt the spectre of famine that looms over the populations of northern Africa, the Sahel and West Africa as a whole.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Not so long ago the international community, with the Group of 8 in the lead, solemnly declared its commitment to support the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Today we must acknowledge that that great enthusiasm still has not materialized in concrete actions on a scale that would meet the legitimate aspirations of African continent. Despite constant efforts by the African countries, there is still much left to be done to meet the objectives contained in that vast and ambitious partnership. I am pleased to say here that Niger is very pleased to work with the Office of the Representative of the Secretary-General for NEPAD, as well as with the Office of the High Representative of the United Nations for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Countries and Small Island Developing States.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is possible to reduce poverty if industrialized countries resolve to open their markets to commodities from developing countries, and if raw materials from those countries are purchased at their proper values. It is possible to reduce poverty if industrialized countries eliminate their farming subsidies for cotton and support the countries concerned in their policy for providing rural areas with a suitable farming infrastructure and, especially, with small rural facilities. Lastly, it is possible to reduce poverty if globalization is better managed and if interdependence leads to the establishment of an international financial and commercial structure that is democratic and able to meet the needs of all parties.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In this respect, taxation at a level to be agreed upon — as was recalled at the last summit on poverty — on all international financial transactions could provide the substantial funding so 23 necessary for attaining the Millennium Development Goals. Endemic poverty, which affects the African continent in particular, is not a question of fate. It is possible to reduce poverty as long as the international community is resolute in tackling it. It is possible to reduce poverty if industrialized countries implement without delay the enhanced programme to alleviate the debt of highly indebted countries and agree to cancel all bilateral public debts. It is possible to reduce poverty if industrialized countries agree to increase official development assistance to the level necessary to reach the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In this respect, the commitments made in Doha to promote a just trade, the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation on Sustainable Development remain the cornerstones for implementation of the Goals. However, the meagre results achieved in the implementation of conclusions from major forums prompt the international community as a whole to re- examine its conscience. The upcoming high-level dialogue on financing for development should be an opportunity to once again place at the core of the debate the important issue of the mobilization of resources for development.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Furthermore, we believe the modalities for granting those resources to eligible countries should be modelled after those in force for the funds obtained in the framework of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, in order to ensure management that is both transparent and responsible. We have to face the reality. Given the economic stagnation, poverty and the lack of prospects that are serious threats for social stability and the young democracies of developing countries, international cooperation is the key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals — as long as developed and developing countries agree to assume their respective responsibilities.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“And how can it be that, despite the commitments undertaken through the relevant international conventions, the global environment continues insidiously to deteriorate, dangerously jeopardizing the future of generations to come? In light of that situation, and in view of the dearth of financial resources to address the crucial problems assailing humanity, we must wonder about the existence of real political will on the part of rich countries to help the most impoverished countries overcome abject poverty. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS and the World Solidarity Fund for the Elimination of Poverty — whose creation we welcome — suffer from a cruel lack of resources.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“From the Millennium Declaration to the world conferences and summits that followed it, many international decisions made the fight against poverty a world priority and a major challenge for humanity. How, then, can it be that hundreds of millions of people continue to languish in abject poverty and total destitution? How can it be that, in this era of technological and scientific advances, HIV/AIDS and other pandemics continue to wreak havoc throughout the world, particularly in Africa? How can it be that, at a time of globalization, many parts of the planet — particularly the least developed countries — are still totally excluded from international trade?”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We earnestly hope that the various parties to the conflict will respond positively to the appeals coming from Africa and elsewhere to swiftly put an end to that tragedy and to bring about a comprehensive peace agreement, on which the advent of a peaceful Sudan will depend. Within the framework of Africa’s new development initiatives, the heads of State of the African Union agreed, during a special summit held recently in Ouagadougou, to place employment at the centre of their political, economic and social policies. As rightly pointed out by His Excellency Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso and host of the summit, Africa needs the effective support of the international community to implement the decisions of Ouagadougou.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Our experience with conflict prevention and resolution in Africa teaches us that the golden rule in that respect is to have confidence in subregional institutions and the African Union and to support them with consistent logistical and financial means. In that regard, Niger welcomes the decision taken by the Security Council to support the African Union’s decision to strengthen and expand the observation mission in Darfur and to encourage member States to provide all the equipment and logistical, financial and material resources required for the mission’s swift expansion.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“All that has convinced us that the international community’s support is more essential today than ever before to help Africa strengthen the capacities of its 22 subregional institutions and those of its continental organization, the African Union. Under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union is working ceaselessly to prevent conflicts in African countries where peace reigns, to consolidate peace and security where — as in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone or Liberia — the populations have barely emerged from a situation of political instability or bloody armed conflicts, and, lastly, to extinguish the hotbeds of tension persisting in Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and the Sudan.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Here, I must sincerely thank the international community — particularly the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Centres for Disease Control of the United States and Rotary International — for having effectively assisted us in our efforts in that fight. At the external level, our public and private bilateral partners who left Niger before 1999 have since returned. Niger’s presidency of the West African Economic and Monetary Union and, last year, of the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States has given greater visibility to our external action aimed at peace and security in Africa. In particular, that action has taken the form of sending a Niger contingent to Côte d’Ivoire, military observers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and civilian police components to Burundi, the Central African Republic and Timor- Leste.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“That will be the first time since 1991 — when the multiparty system was established in Niger — that a fully democratic mandate has been completed. And it will be successfully, because in our country, social peace has returned, State authority has been restored, the economy is back on track and the people of Niger have new hope. On 24 July, the building of democratic structures was completed through municipal and local elections, to the great satisfaction of everyone. The restored status of the State has made it possible — thanks to the personal intervention of President Tandja Mamadou — to quickly overcome the resistance of the remaining few who were still opposed to the expanded polio vaccination programme.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The commendable actions of the Secretary- General should be continued and supported until we see a successful conclusion, in conformity with the relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Security Council resolutions 1495 (2003) and 1541 (2004). In Niger, at the end of a long and sometimes painful process, we have established a political system in which a multitude of parties, private media and civil society organizations flourish, all of them under the protective umbrella of a constitution that guarantees the separation of powers and an independent judiciary. His Excellency Mr. Tandja Mamadou, President of the Republic since the democratic elections of 22 November 1999, invited the people of Niger on 14 September 2004 to vote in new presidential and legislative elections that will be held starting on 13 November 2004.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We earnestly hope that greater, revitalized international cooperation will enable us to swiftly establish free and democratic institutions in Iraq, put an end to the chaos that seems to have taken root there and bring to the country the peace and stability necessary for its socio-economic development. Niger, as a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, believes that a sustained dialogue between India and Pakistan will make it possible to lay the foundation for a peaceful solution to that conflict by enabling the people of Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Concerning Western Sahara, Niger reaffirms its support for United Nations efforts with a view to reaching a just and comprehensive settlement of the conflict.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“That region’s macabre statistics remind us — as if that were still necessary — of the urgent need to bring the parties to the negotiating table on the basis of the road map, which the Security Council itself endorsed through its resolution 1515 (2003). Today, in addition to the Palestinian problem and in light of Iraq, the situation in the Middle East is central to world peace and security as never before. With respect to Iraq — a country with which Niger shares the same faith, Islam, the basis of our common membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference — we cannot fail to deplore so much loss of human life and so much blind violence, which are the daily lot of the Iraqi people.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Julian Hunte, I should like to express our congratulations on the skill, enthusiasm and authority with which he conducted the work of the fifty-eighth session of the Assembly in a difficult international context. Today, the international community finds itself at a crossroads. International peace and security — already sorely tested by recurrent armed conflicts — are subjected to threats or bloody attacks of terrorist acts, which further darken the global atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity. In your opening statement, Mr. President, you mentioned one of those persistent and bloody conflicts — that of the Middle East, a conflict that costs so much to humanity in terms of human lives, financial resources and lost hope.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Allow me at the outset, Mr. President, to join those who have spoken before me in extending warm congratulations on behalf of my country, my delegation and myself for your brilliant election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. The Chairman of the African Union, His Excellency Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, already expressed here a few days ago our continent’s gratitude to the international community, which, by choosing you, has made one of Africa’s most illustrious sons President of the General Assembly. We naturally associate ourselves with that expression of gratitude. We wish you every success in carrying out your lofty mission, and you know you have always had Niger’s support. To your predecessor, 21 His Excellency Mr.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)