YouSaid · the spoken record

Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete

lines on the record: 240
first: 1997-09-24
most recent: 2015-09-24
sittings or episodes: 12
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

“Tanzania condemns these cruel acts in the strongest terms possible and expresses solidarity with the people of Nigeria and the United Nations. It is clear that the struggle against terrorism must remain a high priority for the United Nations. I would be remiss if I concluded my statement without acknowledging and thanking the Secretary- General for the honour he accorded me and my country, Tanzania, last year when he formed a Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health. He appointed me and 7 11-50865 Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada to co-chair the Commission.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“These attacks have caused an increase in the cost of shipping to our ports. If we do not succeed in stopping them, they may disrupt shipping services and impact negatively on our economy. We need the support of the international community to help us build capacity to fight piracy. We welcome the Assembly’s readiness to assist us to improve our courts and prisons to try and punish the pirates. But if a similar gesture were extended to us to build capacity to prevent attacks, there would be fewer pirates to bother us. Controversies continue to prevent progress on the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism. The more we delay, the more sophisticated international terrorism becomes in its strategies and tactics. We recently witnessed events in Abuja in which the United Nations was attacked.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is high time for more attention to be given to the situation in this part of Africa, for there is every indication and every reason to believe that the problem is escalating and involving more countries. Tanzania is already feeling the pressure of the crisis. Piracy is the second problem in our part of the continent that I would like to mention here today. The problem of piracy still lingers on and it is, in fact, expanding. We are now witnessing more and more attacks taking place further to the south of Somalia. They used to take place in the Gulf of Aden, but now the attacks are moving southward, as far as Tanzania, Mozambique, the Comoros and Madagascar. Since last year, when piracy activity moved to our territorial waters, 13 ships have been attacked and five of them were successfully hijacked.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Peace is reigning almost all over the continent. There are no serious conflict situations except for Somalia, where the serious involvement of the United Nations, the African Union and the world community is still needed. All that Africa needs now is continued support to build the institutions of democracy and governance, to build our economies and to overcome social challenges. Among the challenges demanding the serious attention of this body and the international community at large is the continued drought in the Horn of Africa and some countries of East Africa. The problem has not abated and its consequences are momentous, as exemplified by the ongoing famine in Somalia.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In a globalized world, ripples of economic and financial crises in the developed economies affect all of us in the world. And for us from poor developing countries, matter get even more complicated. As we all call for concerted global action to maintain economic stability and ensure that we do not head into another global recession, I appeal to the United Nations to remain seized of the situation and exercise its traditional leadership over global issues. This is a matter of great concern to us in Africa, a continent that has experienced extremely challenging economic, social and political situations, but a continent that is now poised to go to the next level: from despair to hope and from lost decades to decades full of opportunities. Democracy is steadily on the march in Africa and the Arab Spring has capped it all.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Let me use this opportunity to join all those who have spoken before me in repeating our appeal to developed countries to honour their commitments. I believe that if this had been done, we would have been on target with the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and many other important global matters. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank and commend those few developed countries that have kept their promise. May the examples of these countries inform and encourage the others to do the same. We meet at a time of great uncertainties over the global economy. Economies are still weak, characterized by low growth in many major economies, high levels of inflation, unemployment, increasing food and fuel prices and nervous financial markets.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is pleasing to note that the United Nations has remained steadfast in its discharge of this function through its agencies and through a number of initiatives undertaken by the United Nations Headquarters itself. United Nations leadership has always been noticeable in all the major socio-economic challenges facing the world: sustainable development, health care, maternal and child health, poverty, food security, education, and so on. This involvement and leadership underscores the relevance of the United 11-50865 6 Nations today and the United Nations tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. However, the good intentions of the United Nations have not been fully realized. Some of the developed countries have not met their commitments of allocating 0.7 per cent of their gross domestic product to official development assistance.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is for this reason that Tanzania supported the calls for reforms of the Bretton Woods institutions, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the other multilateral institutions. With regard to the United Nations, we should expedite the process of reforming the Security Council, in both categories, and in doing so include developing countries, particularly those from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is sad to see that no serious progress has been made for close to two decades. Now is the time for us to start serious negotiations, negotiate in earnest and conclude at the earliest possible time. Promoting development, particularly shared growth, has been one of the core functions of the United Nations.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is through multilateralism that peace and development will be guaranteed for all nations, through the pursuit of common values. It is for these reasons that I believe the United Nations is relevant today, as it was 66 years ago. It is for the same reasons that the world needs the other multilateral institutions for global economic, social and political governance. Despite acknowledging the importance of various multilateral institutions, Tanzania is of the view that they need to undergo serious reforms to overcome the serious governance deficits within them. We need reforms that will make them more representative — in particular, reforms that will increase the voices of the developing countries. The original structures have ignored us. We should not allow this to continue.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It was in pursuit of this ideal that on 26 April 1964, Zanzibar and Tanganyika merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania. We will never tire in our efforts towards the realization of the dream of the founding fathers of a United States of Africa. However, we are mindful of the fact that this will be a gradual process and regional economic integration and regional groupings will be its foundation and the building blocks. After 50 years of independence and 50 years of our membership of the United Nations, Tanzania remains a firm believer in the indispensability of multilateralism. It is through multilateralism that we can bring all nations and therefore all peoples together to shape their common present and future and that of the world they live in.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Our plea is for the fulfilment of the vision of two States: the State of Israel and a sovereign, independent, democratic and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and harmony. That is why we also remain in full solidarity with the people of Cuba in demanding the end to the embargo. It is perhaps the longest-lasting embargo in history. The people in these three countries — Israel, Palestine and Cuba — have suffered for far too long. It is time their burdens are eased. Our other goal was and still is the attainment of African unity. We believe in the strength of unity for us to be able to effectively face up to and overcome the daunting political, security and development challenges facing our continent.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I hope the United Nations will expedite the process so that the Saharawi people can determine their future peacefully. We believed at independence, as we believe now and always will believe, that all human beings are born equal and deserve equal protection of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as outlined in what has come to be known as the International Bill of Rights. This guides what we are doing at home, with regard to promoting democracy, the rule of law, human rights, including personal freedoms, among them the freedom of expression. It is in this spirit also that I wish to reaffirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people in their rightful quest for an independent homeland.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We had the honour of hosting the headquarters of the African Liberation Committee in Dar-es-Salaam until colonialism, apartheid and minority rule had been dismantled. 5 11-50865 We gave sanctuary as well as moral and material support to almost all the liberation movements of Southern Africa. Here at the United Nations, Tanzania was afforded the rare honour of chairing the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization from 1972 to 1980. That was the critical phase in the decolonization of Africa and in the struggle against apartheid and minority rule. It is heart-warming indeed to see our efforts, sacrifices and contributions being rewarded so handsomely with the independence of all African countries and with apartheid having been dismantled in South Africa. Only Western Sahara remains outstanding.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“More important, we are humbled to have had the rare opportunity to pioneer the efforts, together with Denmark, that lead to the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2006. We are also proud to have had, in the 50 years of our membership in the United Nations, the opportunity to contribute to the decolonization of Africa and other parts of the world. At independence, the founding father of our nation, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, said that the independence of our country was incomplete until all countries of Africa were free. That guided Tanzania to strongly oppose all forms of colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination on the African continent and elsewhere. It also informed our resolve to help our brothers and sisters who were fighting for their independence and freedom in Africa.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The people of Tanzania are happy to have had the opportunity to contribute to maintaining peace and security in Africa and other parts of the world. We have always believed that mediation, conflict prevention and pacific settlement of disputes are the best means of resolving conflicts. As a result, Tanzania has been in the forefront of mediation efforts to resolve conflicts in the countries around us, in our region and elsewhere on the continent. Our country also has been contributing troops, police, corrections officers and civilian personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions and through regional and sub-regional arrangements. We promise to continue to do so wherever and whenever asked.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Once again, I congratulate and welcome the newest member of the United Nations family, the Republic of South Sudan, and assure them of Tanzania’s continued friendship and cooperation. This year the United Republic of Tanzania, which is a union between two sovereign States — the People’s Republic of Zanzibar and the Republic of Tanganyika — will celebrate 50 years of the independence of Tanganyika. We will also celebrate 50 years of our membership in the United Nations. I stand before the Assembly today, 50 years later, to reiterate that same faith in, and that same commitment to, the United Nations as expressed by the founders of our dear nation. I am proud that Tanzania has remained faithful to the ideals of the United Nations, and is a proactive Member of this body. We promise to stay the course for the next 50 years and beyond.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“I congratulate you, Sir, on your well-deserved election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. My delegation has full confidence in you, and we assure you of our full support and cooperation. I also thank and congratulate your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss, for very ably steering the affairs of the sixty-fifth session. A lot has been achieved, which, I have no doubt, you will consolidate and advance. Allow me also to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our illustrious Secretary- General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, on his well- deserved second mandate. His reappointment reaffirms the trust that we have in him and in his leadership skills. It is also recognition of his dedicated service to the United Nations and humankind as a whole.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Africa needs the United Nations to support that historic position.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“There are people who want to get into leadership by using undemocratic shortcuts. The African Union has taken a strong position, which is enshrined in its Constitutive Act, not to recognize such Governments and to suspend them from membership of the organization until democracy is restored. Such decisions of the African Union would benefit so much from, and actually would be strengthened by, the support of the international community and in particular the United Nations. Africa has young polities, and its democracy is still fragile. What the African Union is trying to do is to entrench a culture of democratic values and governance. The support of the United Nations and the international community is very critical in that regard. A decision to the contrary would undermine the African Union’s good intentions.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The time has come to end the impasse. I would like to reiterate that the reform of the United Nations will be incomplete without the structural reform of the Security Council. That reform should include Africa’s attainment of two permanent seats in the Council. Giving seats to Africa is not a matter of favour; it is a matter of correcting the historical injustice against the continent and its people. Let me conclude by echoing Africa’s appeal to the United Nations and the international community to support Africa’s position with regard to unconstitutional changes of Government in Africa. In recent years, the ghosts of unconstitutional changes of Government have again haunted Africa — through military coups and so-called mass action instigated by insatiable demagogic politicians.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We are going to honour the request made by the United Nations to work with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in the training of the armed forces of that country, under the Mission’s security sector reforms for the country. My message today is that we are ready to do more whenever requested. Let me add my voice in support of the two-State solution for an Israel and a Palestine living together side by side at peace with one another. Tanzania is of the strong opinion that that is the best way to sustainable peace in the Middle East. With regard to Western Sahara, we call upon the Security Council to expedite the process of giving the people of Western Sahara the opportunity to decide on their future status. That matter has dragged on for too long, namely, since 1975.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“That is going to be a very expensive exercise for which the support of the United Nations and other friends will be necessary. Tanzania remains committed to contribute to peace in Africa and the world. I promise that we will continue to play that historic role to the best of our ability. In that regard, we are making good progress on our promise to scale up our participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. We have peacekeepers in the United Nations mission in Lebanon, and we are ready to increase their number. We are also in the final preparations of deploying a battalion of peacekeepers in Darfur.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Burundi is enjoying peace after many years of civil war and instability, which has facilitated the return of many Burundi refugees from Tanzania. However, there are more than 160,000 Burundi refugees who have chosen to remain in Tanzania and are applying to become Tanzanian citizens. We have in principle accepted their request and are now finalizing the procedures to grant them citizenship. However, I want this body to know that my Government has decided that, if accepted, they will be moved from the refugee camps in which they reside at the moment and will be resettled in various places in the country. We do not want them to remain with the refugee mentality. We also do not want Tanzanians to continue to consider them refugees.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I would like the General Assembly to acknowledge that historic event and render support to the work of the African Leaders Alliance against malaria. Once again, I would like to thank Mr. Ray Chambers, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for 19 09-52425 Malaria, for successfully organizing that event. I would also like to thank all African leaders for their support and commitment. The gains made in the area of development can easily be eroded if the foundations of peace and stability are threatened. It is a matter of great comfort and pride that peace reigns in most parts of Africa, except for one or two hot spots — Somalia in particular and, to some extent, Darfur. There is calm in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“While I applaud and thank Prime Minister Brown for his leadership, I appeal for unqualified support for the outcome of the meeting, for the sake of saving the lives of many women and children in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. The third was yesterday’s launch of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. That was a landmark event at which African leaders made an unequivocal declaration of commitment to end malaria in their respective countries. The Alliance provides the mechanism for advocacy, collective action and follow- up on measures to build capacities to eliminate the number one killer disease in Africa. Malaria can be prevented, cured, controlled and eliminated in Africa. Many countries in the world have done so; why not us in Africa?”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Douglas Alexander, the United Kingdom’s Secretary for International Development. At that meeting, important impressions were made about successes and shortcomings with regard to the implementation of the MDGs to date. The meeting was a curtain-raiser for next year’s MDG summit. I hope all of us will take seriously the observations and conclusions that were made, so that there will be no default come 2015. The second was the meeting on maternal and child health convened by Prime Minister Gordon Brown with the support of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Robert Zoellick. The meeting was a great success. I was impressed and encouraged by the commitment made by Prime Minister Brown and by the support of the World Bank to save the lives of millions of innocent mothers and children who die of causes that can be prevented.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It was heart-warming indeed to hear President Barack Obama assure this world body that the United States will join other nations in the joint endeavour to save our common planet. We are also happy that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, consensus has been emerging on making additional resources available to assist developing nations in their efforts at adaptation, mitigation and the pursuit of clean development. Allow me now to talk about three side events that have taken place during this session of the General Assembly. The first one was the panel discussion on accelerating the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which was organized by Ms. Helen Clark, the new Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, together with Mr.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The Commission, on which I was fortunate to serve, came up with five bold initiatives that I believe, if strong international partnership can be forged to implement them, can turn the large youth unemployment problem from a challenge into an opportunity. I humbly ask this body for the opportunity for the Commission’s report to be presented to the General Assembly. At the same time, I propose that the Assembly consider declaring a decade to focus on youth employment in Africa, possibly 2011 to 2020. Two days ago, we held the fruitful high-level Climate Change Summit. I would like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and commend him for his leadership on this important and challenging issue of our time. The event will go a long way towards paving the way for a comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We have seen how some youths with no job prospects, and little hope of getting any, have become the fuel being added to the raging fires of conflict in many parts of our continent. They simply fall prey to the machinations of war lords, criminal gangs and political manipulators, to the detriment of peace and stability in their countries. Creating job opportunities for Africa’s youth is an enormous task that Governments of our poor economies cannot carry out alone. Friends of Africa in the international community, both from Government and the private sector, have an important role to play in that regard. Allow me to commend the Danish Government for showing the way. In April 2008, it formed the Danish Commission for Africa to address youth unemployment challenges on the continent.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Another issue that I would like to raise for discussion and action is the problem of youth unemployment in Africa. Africa faces one of the biggest unemployment challenges on the planet. African youth make up 37 per cent of the working age population in Africa, but they are 60 per cent of the 09-52425 18 unemployed. In some nations youth unemployment is up to 80 per cent. Africa has the fastest-growing and most youthful population in the world. Over 20 per cent of Africa’s population is between the ages of 15 and 24. As a result, a constantly rising number of young Africans has been entering, and will continue to enter, a labour market that has not been fast-growing. Beyond economic costs, high rates of youth unemployment have had negative consequences in our continent.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The African green revolution has taken too long to happen. Concerted efforts by African Governments and Africa’s development partners are required. Unfortunately, there is not as much interest on the part of our development partners to support agricultural transformation in Africa as there is for other sectors. This is an unfortunate omission which needs to be corrected. We look to the United Nations to take the lead in this regard. Allow me to pay tribute to President Barack Obama for demonstrating keen interest in assisting the transformation and modernization of Africa’s agriculture. African leaders were humbled by his commitment at the meeting he held with leaders from sub-Saharan Africa on 22 September of this year. I appeal to other leaders to emulate his example.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Rivers have been drying up frequently thus causing interruptions in hydropower generation. The effects of the drought are threatening to reach catastrophic proportions if the shortage of rain continues for the next few years. It is important for the United Nations to be aware of this growing danger and to look into ways of assisting us. We should not wait to act until graphic pictures of emaciated and dying children dominate TV screens and newspapers. History has taught us that the greatest successes in the development of nations began with agriculture. No doubt, therefore, the low levels of development in Africa today are indicative of the underdevelopment of our agriculture. Indeed, African agriculture is backward and productivity is low. It needs to be transformed, it needs to be modernized.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Our deep appreciation also goes to our illustrious Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his diligent service to the United Nations and to humankind. His exemplary leadership and commitment to action in addressing the global challenges we are facing are appreciated by many of us. We wish him and his entire team great success in the future. For over five years now, a number of countries in Eastern Africa, including Tanzania, have been experiencing unprecedented drought. We have never seen anything like this before. Maybe the effects of climate change are taking a toll. As a result of this, agricultural production has been affected severely causing acute food shortages. There is an acute shortage of pasture and water for our livestock and wildlife in the game parks that is resulting in the deaths of many of our animals.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is indeed an honour and a pleasure for me to extend my very warm congratulations to Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his well-deserved election to the presidency at the sixty- fourth session of the General Assembly. I hope that during his presidency he will help advance the revitalization of the General Assembly, reinforce multilateralism and promote dialogue among civilizations. I promise Mr. Treki my personal cooperation as well as that of the Tanzanian delegation in the discharge of his responsibilities. Allow me also to use this opportunity to pay tribute to his predecessor, His Excellency Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for a job very well done. I thank him for the honour he recently bestowed upon the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the founder President and Father of the Tanzanian nation.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Thirdly, there is a matter that we discussed at the most recent African Union summit. It is with regard to the issue of universal jurisdiction being practiced by some European nations. It has now become a matter of harassment for African leaders. We discussed the matter at length at the summit, and we intend to raise this issue with the United Nations for appropriate attention. Once again, I would like to reiterate the support of the African Union and Tanzania of your efforts, Sir, in fulfilling our collective objectives during this sixty- third session of the General Assembly. Count on our support; rely on our support.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“A democracy deficit in international institutions is attendant. Before I conclude, allow me to mention three things. First, I would remind this world body that the Western Sahara problem remains unresolved. Allow me to make a humble appeal to the Security Council to expedite the process so that the matter is concluded soon. It has been going on for too long. The people of the Western Sahara will then be given the opportunity to determine which way to go. They deserve to be afforded the opportunity to live a normal life in a nation that has been designated as theirs. Secondly, we should remain seized of the Palestinian question until the two-State solution — the State of Israel and a State of Palestine living together side by side and in harmony — is attained.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“At the sixtieth session of this Assembly, I reported on the work of the Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy, a joint initiative launched in 2003 and co-chaired by Finland and Tanzania. The Helsinki Process, a forum to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue on the possibilities offered and challenges posed by the process of globalization, has come to an end. The main objective of that initiative was to mobilize political will in support of the Millennium Development Goals. The President of Finland, Ms. Tarja Halonen, and I would be glad, as co-chairs of the Process, to present the final report to the Secretary-General this week. We trust that the report will add impetus to global efforts to see political will prevail in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The work has thus far advanced intergovernmental consultations on the United Nations delivering as one: one programme, one budget, one office and one leader. Tanzania is one of the eight pilot countries on the United Nations “delivering as one” project. Our experience so far has shown that delivering as one is possible. It improves national ownership and strengthens national leadership in the development process. It permits the realignment of United Nations assistance with national priorities and streamlines 08-51570 34 business transactions, thus enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of United Nations activities. I urge this Assembly to follow up on the implementation of this important reform, and I appeal to our development partners to provide the requisite resources.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“At this juncture, I should reiterate the position of the African Union of asking for two permanent seats with veto power and two non-permanent seats. Our demand should be seen against the backdrop of the reality that Africa is the only continent without a permanent seat in the Security Council, despite our large membership in the United Nations. That is an anomaly. It has to be corrected. The reform of the Security Council, therefore, should take that into account. The reforms of the United Nations have, on the other hand, to enable the Organization to work better and be more efficient, effective and responsive to the challenges of our times. We are happy with the work of the General Assembly at its previous sessions on advancing the United Nations system-wide coherence agenda.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We appeal to the General Assembly to echo the call and impress upon Africa’s development partners the need to honour their promise and deliver on their commitments. I also urge this family of United Nations Member States to fully support the political declaration adopted at the high-level meeting yesterday, as we re- dedicate ourselves to meeting the development needs of Africa. We in Africa have been following with keen interest the ongoing process of the reform of the United Nations. We remain convinced of the ideal that a reform of the United Nations would be incomplete without a reform of the Security Council. On our part, we have authorized our permanent representatives in New York to embark on negotiations with all parties on the reforms of the Security Council.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Yesterday, this Assembly held a high-level event on Africa’s development needs. The meeting received a comprehensive report from the Secretary-General on “Africa’s development needs: state of implementation of various commitments, challenges and the way forward” (A/63//130). We are glad to note that the report incorporated some of the recommendations of the Millennium Development Goals Africa Steering Group. The report’s findings underscore the fact that Africa cannot meet its development needs without the support of the international community. Indeed, the international community has been responding favourably. A number of commitments to assisting Africa have been made over the years in different international forums. Unfortunately, the commitments made have not been met fully.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Food import bills have increased by over 40 per cent over the past year, while oil prices have increased by over 100 per cent since 2005. Even the recent drop in oil prices has not helped much, because prices are still more than twice what they were in 2005. The high food and oil prices threaten to erode the humble gains made in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and sustaining macroeconomic stability in Africa. The food and oil crisis, coupled with the worsening financial crisis throughout the world, gives us every reason to be very worried. The need for comprehensive action to reverse the situation cannot be overemphasized. We call upon the international community and key players in the global economy to act quickly. The United Nations should take the lead.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The South African Government remains, and I am sure the new leadership will continue to be, seized of the matter. Moreover, since the agreement is the product of the decision taken in July by the African Union at its summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the African Union and the Southern Africa Development Community stand ready to assist if need should arise. We in Africa thank you, Mr. President, for including the food and oil crises among the themes for this session of the General Assembly. The current global escalation of food and fuel prices has reached crisis proportions. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region affected the most. It is home to the majority of the least developed countries on this planet. Their food and oil bills have increased exponentially.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The leaders of those three parties are now engaged in the process of implementing that agreement. Getting to this point in a conflict situation that seemed almost impossible to resolve is a major achievement indeed. We need to congratulate President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara on their wisdom and statesmanship. We also need to acknowledge, recognize and commend, in a special manner, President Thabo Mbeki of the Republic of 33 08-51570 South Africa for his sterling leadership. It was his patience, perseverance and understanding that made it all happen. His imminent departure from office, which comes suddenly, raises some concerns about what may happen if difficulties are experienced with the implementation of the agreement. I see no cause for alarm.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We are deeply saddened by the ongoing fighting between the government forces and rebel forces of General Laurent Nkunda. The continued presence of negative forces threatening the security of countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo is another complicating factor. The African Union is committed to be more proactive in the search for lasting peace in that troubled region. We will work with regional leaders and the United Nations in that regard. On September 15 this year, a landmark breakthrough was achieved in the Zimbabwe political crisis when the three political parties to the conflict: The African National Union-Patriotic Front, the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change-Mutambara, signed the historic agreement for ending the conflict and forming an inclusive Government.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Getting the support and cooperation of the Government of the Sudan is a matter of essence in the fulfilment of all that we want to seen done in Darfur. The conflict in Somalia remains difficult to manage and resolve. The inter-party dialogue has not yet borne the desired results. The African Union peacekeeping efforts seem to be overstretched. We call upon the United Nations to step in and take over the peacekeeping responsibilities at the earliest possible time before the African Union mission is overwhelmed. Time is of the essence. Let me use this opportunity to commend the Governments of Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi for their invaluable contribution to peacekeeping efforts in Somalia. The volatile security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is a matter of great concern.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It is the considered view of the African Union that the indictment of President Omar Al-Bashir at this particular point in time will complicate the deployment of UNAMID and the management of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. It is for this reason that the African Union sees deferment as the most expedient measure now. Let me make one thing clear: when we talk about deferment, we should not in any way be perceived as condoning injustice. Justice is a matter of essence. It must be done, it must be seen to be done. We are simply concerned with the best possible sequencing of measures so that the most immediate matters of saving lives and easing the suffering of the people of Darfur are taken care of first.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“There is a need therefore for the United Nations, the African Union and the Government of the Sudan to continue to work together expeditiously to remove the obstacles impeding the deployment of UNAMID, to remove the obstacles impeding the dialogue between the Government of the Sudan and the rebels, impeding humanitarian operations and impeding the process of dispensation of justice in Darfur. I was in Sudan two weeks ago and held very fruitful discussions with His Excellency President Omar Al-Bashir. I also met officials of the Joint UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur. We discussed the situation in Darfur, the obstacles involved and came to some understanding on the way forward. I am hopeful that progress can be made. We need to seize the moment and the opportunities that are now unfolding.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“These concern the conflicts in Darfur and Somalia and the volatile security situation in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Darfur, the humanitarian crisis still persists although there may be some encouraging signs of improvement. I believe the situation would be much better if the entire contingent of the United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) forces was deployed, and the peace talks between the rebels and the Government of Sudan were resumed and concluded. Also, improvement would be seen if humanitarian aid work was allowed to be carried out unencumbered and matters related to justice were dealt with judiciously.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“However, much more needs to be done to strengthen the African Union’s capacity for early warning, conflict prevention and conflict resolution. There is also a need to do the same with the regional economic groupings to buttress their peacebuilding efforts. I would like to recognize the United Nations, the European Union and States and other institutions in the world that have generously supported the strengthening of the infant African Union peace and security mechanism. I would like to call on all of them to 08-51570 32 continue supporting the African Union mechanism as well as the regional mechanisms and peacekeeping operations in Africa. There are only three conflict situations worth mentioning and discussing in this Assembly today.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)