YouSaid · the spoken record

Abdoulaye Wade

lines on the record: 165
first: 2003-09-24
most recent: 2011-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
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

“Finally, the extent to which those values are safeguarded is the measure of the legitimacy and success of our Organization’s interventions.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I must say that we have been helped by chance, since fertilizer constitutes at least 30 per cent of costs, and our fertilizer can be used directly, without any preparation. Moreover, friendly countries helped us acquire important equipment on very favourable conditions over a long term. The scope and complexity of the Organization’s tasks put in perspective its successes and its setbacks. But what determines our commitment to the institution, what gives hope to the peoples that we represent here, what definitively gives them trust and faith in the Organization, is the feeling that when it deliberates, when it decides and when it acts, it observes without discrimination the principles enshrined in the Charter: universality, legality, justice and impartiality.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The policy of the organization could be to play a role in reducing productivity differentials. Why is productivity higher in the United States and Europe than in Africa — for example, in Zimbabwe? We need to ask the question and find solutions. In Senegal, we have addressed the issue with a plan that we call the Grand Agricultural Offensive for Food and Abundance to deal with the productivity 11-50847 8 differentials between Senegal and certain Italian regions. It has allowed us to move from being, in 2007, dependent on others for food to the status of a country that has achieved food self-sufficiency. This year we may even be able to begin exporting, which is a remarkable achievement.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Finally, we recently held the second International Dakar Agricultural Forum to consider the rise in agriculture prices, from which even producing countries are suffering, like us, because we are also big consumers. The participants proposed the establishment of an organization for global agricultural governance. We urge that the headquarters of such an important institution be in Africa, and not in a developed country. There is no major organization of its kind with its headquarters in Africa. The organizations that are helping us need to be with us on the ground. The role of the proposed organization would be to regulate the prices of agricultural products and ensure a minimum income for small farmers. I commend our draft resolution on the matter.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We do not want to take it too far, because in environmental matters it is important before doing anything to find out what the consequences elsewhere will be. That is why we need to analyse the matter in an entirely scientific way, since the forces of the sea that are stopped have not been negated; they are diverted by the sand and liquids. The experts can clarify the situation and help us, with full knowledge of the facts, use our resources to end this degradation, which, sadly, is leading to the disappearance of a large part of our continent. The tsunami is not just the effect of huge waves on a coast. It is also destruction that happens within our continent. I wanted to mention that phenomenon to draw attention to the great dangers threatening Africa.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is destroying land in the interior, and making populations emigrate towards areas where they can find potable water. It is historically one of the main mechanisms of desertification. Sometimes whole populations are forced to go elsewhere. But we are not standing idly by. That is why we have created the Great Green Wall, extending from Dakar to Djibouti, 7,000 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide. That is why we called on the EU to finance a study with European and African experts to find a solution to the infiltration of marine waters into the continental shelf. We have built part of the Atlantic wall in Senegal, but only two kilometres, because one kilometre costs a great deal of money — $2 million. In depth it is to go as far as the granite plateau, at which point it can go no further.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“These are also issues of peace, because the environment is linked to climate change affecting particularly the developing countries, and above all Africa. A few years ago a French philosopher wrote a famous work, “L’Afrique, terre qui meurt”, in which he spoke of savannization and desertification, problems that my own country suffers from. In the Sahel I find that those words are particularly well based. Above all, coastal erosion is accelerating. From Morocco to the Gulf of Guinea seawater is filtering through layers of the continental shelf deep into the continent — 480 kilometres — salinizating the water table, with the result that the population is suffering an increasing lack of drinking water. Marine erosion does not just mean that the coast is being eroded by the sea.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Seventy per cent of the issues on the Security Council agenda are African questions, and Africa is absent, even on the question of Libya. Libya is an African country. Therefore, it would be good to have an African country with a permanent seat on the Security Council with a right to the veto. I am not talking about a non-permanent seat; it must be permanent. We have made progress, because when a few years ago I had discussions with members of the Council the majority thought that the idea was reasonable, if it could be detached from more general demands. But each time we bring it up it is a case of one step forward, two steps back. But we should not be discouraged. I come to my last point: the environment and the agricultural crisis.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The topic has kept returning in a cyclical fashion for 18 years, and we have made no progress, due to great confusion. The current Security Council system has certain advantages. A Security Council, an international order, must exist, but it must be improved. But in its current functioning the Security Council has a fundamental role, which is to ignore the African continent. Even on recent issues, such as Libya, Africa has no permanent seat with a right of veto. 7 11-50847 I will not speak of general reform of the Security Council. I know that it will not happen overnight. But I also know that since its creation there has been a need to increase the number of seats, and there needs to be a better distribution. I call for the remedying of a historic injustice to Africa.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I believe that my suggestion could facilitate understanding of the positions on both sides and could help mitigate fears and concerns that are major psychological barriers to discussion and to any agreement. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe this will not end in anything, but it costs nothing to try. I say to the Secretary-General: “Before you reply ‘No’, I want you to consider my proposal for 40 days. If after that time you think that it cannot help solve the problem, you can say so. But I beg you to try to understand the proposal.” I am ready to go into further details, even in a document. I have established this position, which could ultimately be fine-tuned using other people’s contributions. As I come to the end of my address I want to touch on Security Council reform.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I will do that regardless of the position of the two parties — in other words, regardless of the position of Israel and of the position of Hamas. That is consistent with my philosophy of peace and the choice that I have made to contribute to extending cooperation where I can. I believe that fear and mistrust, which persist between Israel and Palestine, could be mitigated — this is a simple suggestion that I make to our Secretary- General — by establishing a committee of three States chosen by the two parties. Those States would hold discussions to discover what guarantees are demanded by each party to commit to the path of negotiation for the existence of two States, the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, because at present, I believe, there is no dialogue, indirect or direct.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Unfortunately, that was not successful, but on the basis of a number of suggestions I took the initiative once again some days ago. That seems to have had a reaction, in the light of what President Netanyahu said. He said that he did not want mediation by Senegal, and that Senegal was an ally of Palestine. But he was wrong. I do not do mediation; I provide good offices; I take it on my own responsibility to help release one young man when I believe that that young man should be elsewhere other than a prison and when I think that I can convince the parties — above all, the Palestinian parties, the current Government of Palestine, Hamas — of the need to release that young man for humanitarian reasons. If I succeed, excellent; if I fail, it will not stop me from starting over again.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I take this opportunity to make a clarification, because, despite my proximity to the Arab countries and to the Palestinians, a few days ago a statement was made about my playing the role of mediator in the Israel-Palestine conflict. President Netanyahu’s understanding was mistaken. I have never been a mediator in the Palestine-Israel conflict and have never sought to be a mediator. Moreover, we need to do much more than to call one country or one person to mediate in such a complicated situation. All goodwill is needed for a solution. Having been awarded the Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize, I must honour that distinction, so wherever I can intervene to find solutions I do so, on my own responsibility. I intervened personally for the release of a young soldier, Gilad Shalit, a few years ago.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I commend all the efforts made over many years to bring the two parties closer together, which unfortunately have not yet succeeded. So this year we have an application by Palestine to the General Assembly for recognition as a Member State of the United Nations. There is no doubt about Senegal’s support for the application; it is the consequence of what has been our policy for a long time, particularly as today Senegal is Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Senegal supports an independent Palestinian State within internationally recognized borders as well as the existence of the State of Israel, each within its own borders. It will not be easy to achieve that, but the international community will do its very best.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“To conclude that list of countries, I want to say that just a few days ago, as there is a threat of trouble on the border between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, the President of ECOWAS convened a small group of neighbouring countries, and we were able, with the help of the United Nations, to establish a mechanism to prevent the intervention of mercenaries in Côte d’Ivoire who were seeking to enter Liberia to destabilize the country during election time. 11-50847 6 Sadly, despite those successes, there are other potential conflicts, such as that which is harming relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and the potential conflict in Darfur. I turn to mediation used in conflicts between States. I shall take just one example: Palestine and the State of Israel.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I could add the normalization of the situation in Niger and Guinea-Conakry through the mediation of ECOWAS, which succeeded despite difficulties in establishing an elected Government. I can also cite the peaceful declaration of independence of the State of South Sudan. I commend the representative of that brother country here at the United Nations. There are of course other cases. The examples I have given were just to show that at the regional level many conflicts can be settled directly by States, sometimes with the assistance of an outside country, such as France, or with the assistance of the United Nations.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I often succeeded in bringing together points of view and even in integrating opposition into various Governments, which I did myself later by agreeing to enter the Government of the person who had been my adversary in a number of elections. I can give the example of Guinea-Bissau, a matter resolved by a trio of Heads of State, of whom I was one, which decided to travel to the country, which was in conflict with the army. Order was successfully re-established. The countries concerned were Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal. More recently there was the Ivorian crisis, which ended happily thanks to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), supported by the United Nations and France.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is a pity that Africa has forgotten an original mechanism often used following independence: meetings between Heads of State at their border to directly address their differences. Unfortunately, this good practice is falling out of fashion, with general international mechanisms being favoured. In the two categories of mediation — within a country or between countries — we have very rich experiences in West Africa. I shall limit myself to only mentioning them, because some are fairly well known. For example, with regard to internal conflict, when I was head of an opposition party I personally intervened at the request of Heads of State, who appreciated that I had chosen a democratic internal opposition instead of armed national liberation movements.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I wish to refer to resolution 37/10, of 1982, approving the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, and the 1988 Declaration on the Prevention and Removal of Disputes and Situations which May Threaten International Peace and Security and on the Role of the United Nations in this Field (resolution 43/51). To these may be added the Agenda for Peace (A/47/277), drafted after the first Security Council summit meeting, held in January 1992, establishing a doctrine of so-called tension-prevention through early warning and preventive diplomacy. The fact is that by no stretch of the imagination can our Organization alone do everything. We must consider mediation efforts at other levels, such as the regional level.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Peace is also threatened when the legitimate aspirations of peoples to freedom and respect for human rights find in response only indifference and refusal of dialogue, if not systematic repression, as is the case in a number of countries. Our theme, mediation, is addressed in the Charter, but there are similar notions, such as good offices and negotiations. I would like to contribute something by defining mediation as a mechanism whereby a person, a State or an institution comes between two parties in real or potential conflict and seeks to bring their points of view closer together, with a view to bringing the parties to make concessions and reach a consensus. That can apply to internal conflicts as well as conflicts between States.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“This goal, which was set down in the Charter 66 years ago by the founding fathers, remains, despite evident progress, a long way off. This challenge concerns us, just as it engages our collective and individual responsibility to save current and future generations from the scourge of war. 5 11-50847 While the spectre of a major conflict has faded since the end of the Cold War, millions of men and women around the world continue to suffer the disastrous consequences of conflicts old and new. Peace can be threatened in different ways. It can be threatened when, on the fertile ground of political antagonisms and social, economic and religious conflicts, confrontation gains the upper hand over tolerance, respect and acceptance of our differences.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Senegal welcomes the election of Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser as President of the General Assembly to lead its work at this sixty-sixth session. Therefore, I address to him and his country my warm congratulations. He will have the support of the Senegalese delegation throughout his mandate. I also extend to the President’s predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, our appreciation for all his efforts to revitalize and strengthen the General Assembly so that it may play its role under the Charter. In addition, I also reiterate to the Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, my warmest congratulations on everything he has done for the Organization. I should like to touch on the theme of the session, the role of mediation in the settlement of disputes. The Charter has a number of provisions for the prevention of conflicts and for conflict-resolution.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I would like to conclude by recalling that Senegal will host, from 10 to 31 December, the third World Festival of Black Arts, after the first two, which were held in Dakar in 1966 and Lagos in 1977. This gathering is a reaffirmation of the artistic, cultural and intellectual identity of the black world, and it carries a message of openness, dialogue and fraternity from Africa and its diaspora to the whole of humanity, for the respect of all cultures and civilizations. All are cordially invited.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In line with the conclusions of the extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States held on 17 September, Senegal is prepared to take part in the efforts of our regional organization for the establishment of a programme for security and defence sector reform in Guinea-Bissau. In the Sudan, Senegal remains committed to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. We hope that the referendum on self- determination of the south will be held in the best conditions possible in order to prevent a domino effect that would be harmful to the whole of Africa. Perhaps a group of heads of State could help to work towards that goal.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In Guinea, another neighbour of Senegal, where I have visited many times to help normalize the situation, I salute the efforts of the facilitator, President Blaise Compaoré. I invite once 10-54959 16 again all Guinean stakeholders, in particular the two candidates in the second round, to complete the electoral process, so that there can be a permanent return to constitutional order, in national peace and harmony — which are essential conditions for development. Senegal is also pleased with the progress made by the Niger to re-establish the country’s political institutions. Guinea-Bissau, another neighbour of ours, has made significant progress since its election last year of President Malam Bacai Sanhá. But its democratic institutions remain fragile and therefore need more resolute support from the international community.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In October we will be receiving some 160 Haitian students who wish to study in Senegal, and next year we expect to be hosting Haitian families. From this rostrum I appeal to all, and in particular to African heads of State, to help Haiti. Those who want to host students should speak to us: I have sent commission to Haiti, and I have tasked a minister to be in charge of Haitian affairs. We have a roster of 3,000 young people who have been chosen by university teachers, about whom we have all the necessary information, including health information. In Africa, Senegal notes with satisfaction the progress of our brother people of Côte d’Ivoire towards national reconciliation and the upcoming holding of elections in peace and calm.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“That African conference will culminate in a conference of all the countries of the umma, to be held in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Right now I direct my hope towards the establishment of a Palestinian State with internationally recognized borders. That is why I support President Obama’s initiative on Palestinian- Israeli dialogue and renew my long-standing support for the legitimate demand of the Palestinian people for a sovereign, independent and viable State. We support the vision of a Palestinian State that will be a full member of the United Nations, which has been promised here by President Obama. Faced with the tragedy that has struck the Haitian people, Senegal has joined its efforts with those of the international community to provide emergency assistance.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“I reaffirm the openness of the Islamic umma to dialogue and joint effort. In the face of extremists of all sides, who want to take religions and believers hostage, I invite world leaders, opinion-makers, men, women and young people to join us to converse, explain, inform and educate, to promote the choice of wisdom, knowledge, reason, logic and doing good against obscurantism and confrontation. I hope that from that choice will come mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between peoples, civilizations and cultures, respecting each other’s beliefs and diversity. At Dakar, we have organized the Conference of African Ulema, a group of Islamic scholars who are responding to those who want to use our religion for political ends.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In any case, with regard to the Holy Koran, God himself has made himself infallible protector of his holy word, as it is said, “Surely We have revealed the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardian” (The Holy Koran, XV:9). I would like everyone to understand that Islam and Muslims are no one’s enemy. Islam is a religion of the golden mean, which teaches moderation, which exhorts us to do good, which preaches respect for diversity and peaceful coexistence among peoples, whatever their religion. Still today it is in strict observance of these rules that nearly 2.5 billion Muslims throughout the world practice their faith. If there is a tiny minority that descends to violence in the name of the Koran, we say: No, that is in keeping neither with the letter nor the spirit of the Koran.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In my capacity as current Chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference I must once again draw the attention of the international community to the resurgence of Islamophobia in certain sectors. In recent years outbursts of Islamophobia, as if in a process of escalation and provocation, have multiplied: profanations of tombs and of the Holy Koran, hate speech and blasphemous caricatures. All these incidents in fact give expansive proof of the small-mindedness, ignorance and intellectual and moral bankruptcy of their authors. On behalf of the Islamic umma, I strongly denounce and condemn these irresponsible and absurd acts.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“I would also like to report that we have launched the Eco-villages Strategy, which involves converting traditional villages to energy self-sufficiency by using clean energy such as solar or wind in order to lessen the degradation of our environment. Lastly, the initiative for complete equality between men and women in Senegal in all fully or partially elected bodies is a way for us to marshal women’s abilities, which are fully acknowledged. The law of March 2010 fully assimilates women into the nation’s decision-making circles. I think that we should perhaps stop talking about the advancement of women. We must raise women to the decision-making level, which will happen at the same time and on the basis of equality with men. I could continue, but those examples are enough to demonstrate the pressing need for innovation.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Today there are facilities that enable them to retain the added value that was previously in the hands of factories and producers, that is to say, those who control the money. We have also proposed a new definition of poverty, which is not the fact of having less than $1 a day. Poverty is a combination of deficiencies, such as in housing, decent food, access to school and health care. We are dealing with that by creating villages in which all those fundamental needs can be met. The Assembly knows about the Digital Solidarity Fund initiative, which we launched a few years ago to 15 10-54959 help bridge the digital divide between developed countries and underdeveloped countries.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“And we simply think that it is possible to provide children with spiritual training and further education at the same time. We have introduced Christian and Muslim religious education into schools. Another initiative is the scheme to allocate 40 per cent of the national budget to education and training in order to ensure sufficient quality human resources, able to take up the challenge of development. If I am not mistaken, Senegal is the only country to have agreed to that sacrifice — to put 40 per cent of the budget into education. The Bac Minus One initiative means that we take the young people who have failed the baccalaureate examination and have them help school teachers promote primary education, in order to address the criterion of universal primary education. Naturally, we have launched a policy to promote rural women.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In every neighbourhood or village, there is always a woman who is the focus of all the others, and, by giving her a role, we empower her to watch over the pregnant women and attend to them, even at the child’s birth. That requires only very little equipment, such as a mobile phone. That supervision, we believe, will make it possible to reduce maternal and child mortality. Next is the Modern Daras initiative — daras means studying in Arabic — which introduces the teaching of Arabic, French and English and vocational training in madrasas in order to progress towards the complete disappearance of those students who graduate from madrasas very learned and able to recite the Koran, but who are jobless. That initiative is supported by Senegal’s religious leaders.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“In Senegal, thanks to the national assessment that we carried out last May, we have gauged the work to be done by 2015. Our main conclusion is that a quantitative approach that sees development only in terms of money is insufficient. We must show more creativity and more imagination in our own country. For its part, Senegal has implemented the following innovations. First is the GOANA Strategy — the Great Agricultural Offensive for Food and Abundance, which enabled us to go from an importer of food products in 2008 to self-sufficiency and even net exporter in 2010. We have introduced the Neighbourhood Godmother initiative, which empowers women in the fight against maternal and child mortality so as to speed up implementation of the MDGs related to health. It is based on the sociology of our African societies.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“That will be the aim of the conference, which will be held in our capital in January and February 2011. In the same spirit, we continue to contribute to efforts to protect the environment, in particular in the context of the project to build the Great Green Wall. It is a barrier of trees the length of the Sahel-Saharan region, from Dakar to Djibouti, 7,000 kilometres long by 15 kilometres wide, and that project is already being implemented. It has earned us the support of the Global Environment Facility, which has granted the countries involved the sum of $119 million. With regard to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the assessment that the Assembly’s High-level Plenary Meeting has just made clearly shows that, despite our progress, we must remain mobilized in order to meet the agreed commitments by the 2015 deadline.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“10-54959 14 With regard to the unchecked increase in the price of oil, which penalizes non-producing countries, I have already proposed a mechanism that would make it possible to bring together the corporate superprofits, the income of producing countries and the surcharges on non-producing countries, to serve as the basis for a policy which I call “oil against poverty”, using a fund financed by the contributions of the first two categories, which share the oil revenues. In order to parry the fierce rise in agricultural prices, I suggest that we consider that issue again at a conference in Dakar — the second Dakar Agricultural Fair. We propose a mechanism that fully integrates producers in order to establish world governance of agricultural prices, taking into account the interests of producers and consumers.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Today, there are a number of us who would like to establish an independent circle of very high-level specialists so as to put ourselves upstream of the G-8 and the G-20 and to provide heads of State and Government with our thinking on the topics that they are considering. We would even like to go beyond the technical nature and address more fundamental issues. The job of setting all that up has been entrusted to me, and I am dedicating myself to the task.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“And for that practice to be free of suspicion and questioning, we must ensure that it reflects the principles agreed by the United Nations with regard to human rights: universality, objectivity, non-selectivity and impartiality. On the basis of those principles, the Court should deal with all situations within its jurisdiction in the same way, whoever the perpetrators and whatever their nationality. Given the deep and multifaceted crisis, global economic governance remains a pertinent issue. Consultative frameworks such as the Group of Eight (G-8) and the Group of Twenty (G-20) are trying to address it in order to lay the foundations for a new world order. Those efforts are praiseworthy.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Twelve years ago, the common need for international criminal justice that was universal, permanent and neutral led to the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to complement national jurisdictions in punishing and preventing the most serious crimes. Because Senegal has faith in the ideals of peace and justice for all, it reiterates its commitment to the Court. It was the first country to ratify its Statute, on 2 February 1999. Nevertheless, the Court will never be credible if the President of the Sudan is the only one to be pursued, with suspect eagerness. While the setting up of the ICC represents a significant advance in the fight against impunity, it is in its practice that the Court itself will be judged.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“How can we preserve a credible role in global governance for the Organization if Africa — which makes up more than a fourth of its Members and accounts for more than 70 per cent of the issues on the agenda — does not have a permanent seat on the Security Council? Several years ago in this Hall, in order to put an end to that anomaly and to right an historic injustice, Senegal proposed that — independent of the ongoing reform, which will take time, given that it began 17 years ago — Africa be given a permanent seat with veto power. Meanwhile, the same grievances that have been levelled against the Security Council have also been raised with regard to international criminal justice.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“If today many of the Council’s decisions are being called into question and not properly implemented, it is because they are perceived by the great majority of Member States as being more expressions of national interest than the carrying out of a mandate on behalf of the community of nations. I am not personally in agreement with the eminent observer of the United Nations who has written that “the organization of the Security Council belongs to the nineteenth century”. I believe that it bears the hallmark of our times, but it needs to be improved and delivered of its shortcomings.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The composition of the Security Council, a body which is supposed to reflect the will of Member States, has been altered only once, in 1965, when the number of seats increased from 11 to 15 with the inclusion of additional non-permanent seats. And 17 years since we began negotiations on the Council’s reform, there are still no prospects for consensus. Maintaining the status quo at all costs means ignoring the radical changes that have taken place in the world, thereby making the Council susceptible to greater mistrust, defiance and criticism. That inertia may prove to be dangerous owing to the lack of representation, legitimacy and credibility that could result.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Also, Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice refers to general principles of law recognized by civilized nations — as if uncivilized nations still existed. In themselves, such anachronisms from another time demonstrate the need to reform the system. Moreover, the nature of the issues now addressed by the Organization has become quite diverse, just as its composition and the volume of is work have increased considerably, while some of its mechanisms, including that for collective security, have remained nearly unchanged. In 1945 the Organization had 51 Members; today it has 192.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The changes that have taken place call for a new state of mind and another way of perceiving and managing world affairs by adapting the system to the new realities of the twenty-first century. Are we prepared to define a new world order in which Africa and emerging Powers fully play the role that the ongoing changes are conferring upon them? The answers we provide on those issues will depend, at least in part, on the role of the Organization in global governance. 13 10-54959 After 65 years of existence, the United Nations system continues to bear the legacy of a bygone historical era, with the Charter of the United Nations itself bearing post-war stigmas and colonial prejudices. For instance, the Charter still refers to the idea of an enemy State, in the sense of a Power defeated in war.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The theme of the Assembly’s sixty-fifth session — “Reaffirming the central role of the United Nations in global governance” — is therefore quite timely. Perhaps we ourselves have been tardy in launching this debate. In my view, it is not a matter of determining whether the Organization has contributed to improving global governance, but rather a question of how to make its efforts more useful and effective in the face of the unprecedented upheavals that the world has experienced in recent years. International relations have accelerated considerably in a very short time. Much of what was taken as certain is no longer true and accepted notions have been shaken. What we call the established order has been turned on its head by the emergence of new forces arising from globalization and economic competition.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Unfortunately, with regard to the latter, the Copenhagen Conference was unable to provide a satisfactory response — not because of a lack of will, but rather because the question has been inappropriately framed, as I said at that meeting. To that list we must add persistent issues such as transnational organized crime, international terrorism and illicit drug trafficking. As we meet here to consider and act together on those major challenges, we are giving hope to our people with regard to finding concerted answers to those many and complex problems, which no country can face alone. It is therefore altogether fitting that we turn to the world Organization to find a collective response, or at least to exchange experiences.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The delegation of Senegal welcomes the election of Mr. Joseph Deiss to lead the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. We are aware of his personal qualities and are confident that his presidency will bear the hallmark of his country’s traditional neutrality. I warmly congratulate him and wish him every success. I would also like to pay homage to Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki for his outstanding work in guiding the work of the Assembly’s sixty-fourth session. I also express our great gratitude to our Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, for his tireless devotion to his delicate task in the service of our common ideals. The state of the world has improved little since the Assembly’s last session. We continue to face the same urgent issues: the ongoing economic crisis and continued environmental degradation.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Africa is ready to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century in a spirit of openness and dialogue with all peoples for a world of peace and human brotherhood.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Let us all agree to strive to learn to better understand each other, overcome mistrust and fight the obscurantist ideas that give rise to tensions and confrontation. A world living in peace in the twenty- first century will be one in which all peoples enjoy an equally dignified existence. In that spirit, Senegal will host the Third World Festival of Negro Arts from 1 to 15 December 2010. That artistic and intellectual event, with Brazil as guest of honour, will provide the opportunity for Africa and its diaspora to celebrate the values of culture and civilization of the black world. For us, that is a way to fight the prejudices that still haunt some malicious minds and fuel the re-emergence of revisionist ideas.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)