YouSaid · the spoken record

Sam Kutesa,

lines on the record: 38
first: 2005-09-24
most recent: 2007-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Addressing climate change will involve fighting poverty, ensuring peace and security, and investing in clean energy, especially in developing countries. This session should be the turning point at which we all come together and agree on ways to save our planet.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“To that end, we are working closely with the International Criminal Court to ensure accountability under the complementarity stipulations. Uganda will be convening a Consultative Group meeting later this year to mobilize resources and coordinate actions for the post-conflict reconciliation programme in northern Uganda. The international community is invited to support that programme. When you chose “Responding to climate change” as the theme for this session, Sir, I believe you intended to have this session consider and recommend ways of addressing that common threat. You believed, as indeed we do, that a world that pays no attention to that problem is fatally damaging the interests of future generations.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“For example, it is stipulated that LRA forces assemble at Ri-Kwangba in southern Sudan; they have, however, not done so to date. They are still camped in Garamba National park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We urge the international community to bring adequate pressure to bear on the LRA to assemble at Ri-Kwangba and to set a time frame for the talks. Talks cannot go on forever. As we inch towards a comprehensive peace agreement, international support and understanding are required to balance the need for durable peace and stability on the one hand, and the imperative for justice on the other. I wish to assure the General Assembly that Uganda is fully aware of its obligations under the Rome Statute and cannot undermine it. We cannot condone impunity.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In that regard, we refer to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter and to provisions of Security Council resolution 1756 (2007). The Security Council should reinforce the mandate and the means of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to enable it effectively to work with Congolese armed forces to totally eradicate the threat of negative forces operating in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In northern Uganda, we are holding peace talks with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Of the five agenda items, two agreements have been concluded and signed. Those are the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and an agreement on comprehensive solutions. However, the LRA has not met any of the terms of the very first Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The international effort in Somalia should focus on capacity-building to empower the Somali people to solve their own problems. We also call on the Secretary-General to finalize plans for possible deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to replace AMISOM, as called for in Security Council resolution 1772 (2007). In the Great Lakes region, various efforts are under way to improve peace and security and to create an atmosphere conducive to development. Through the Tripartite Plus One Commission, bringing together the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, we have agreed on a framework and actions to deal with negative forces that pose a threat to peace and security in the region.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“However, there are some areas that require urgent international attention. There is a need to ensure peace and stability in Darfur in accordance with the internationally agreed framework under Security Council resolution 1769 (2007). Further attention should be given to supporting the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in the South. In Somalia, the General Assembly should support an all-inclusive peace and reconciliation process and the Africa Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) with the necessary resources to facilitate the peacekeeping. Uganda has honoured its pledge of troops for peacekeeping; we call on other countries that made similar pledges to fulfil them.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The rise in inter- and intra- State conflict has been the hallmark of the post-cold- war era. Internal conflicts have spilled over borders to create regional instability. Internal displacement has taken place, and equally alarming has been the international refugee crisis that has resulted from such conflicts. In some countries, central authority has collapsed, creating havens for terrorists and drug traffickers, with the attendant threats to international peace and security. No meaningful actions against poverty and in favour of environmental protection can take place in that kind of atmosphere. The President returned to the Chair. Most of Africa is now peaceful, and democracy is being consolidated through regular elections, the observance of human rights and constitutionalism.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Under heavy pressure, many developing countries have removed trade barriers, while the developed countries have not reciprocated in such key areas as agriculture and textiles, where the former have a comparative advantage. Is it not absurd that a cow in the European Union gets a daily subsidy of $2.2, while 40 per cent of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day? The World Bank estimates that protectionism by the developed world costs developing countries $100 billion annually. A fair system will require appropriate measures to deal with the unfair trade privileges of developed countries that hinder market access. It is vital that the stalled trade talks under the Doha Development Round be resumed and successfully concluded. Peace and security are necessary conditions for sustainable development.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“However, to benefit from trade, developing countries must add value to their raw materials and sell them as finished products, taking advantage of appropriate value chains. That will not only increase earnings but create jobs, thus ending the mass migrations to the developed countries. They should develop their human resources through education and better health services. Education is a critical factor in transforming society. An educated middle class with adequate income to spend is critical for industrialization and the transition of societies. That has happened in some countries of South-East Asia; it can happen elsewhere in the developing world. As a priority, agriculture needs to be commercialized. Related to that is the urgent need for regional integration so as to enlarge markets.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The midpoint progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that was released in July this year indicates that countries in Africa and elsewhere are proving that large-scale progress in achieving the MDGs is possible under conditions of adequate financing, much of which should flow from a strengthened global partnership for development. It is critical that the Monterrey targets be met. As we respond to climate change, the fight against poverty remains an integral part of the effort. Unless we address poverty in developing countries, the poor will continue to destroy the environment by cutting trees for firewood and employing poor agricultural practices. There are time-tested ways to bring people out of poverty. Trade liberalization and export-led growth have the potential to lift millions out of poverty.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, both within States and among States. The World Bank reported in 2003 that average income in the wealthiest 20 countries is 37 times that of the poorest 20, which is twice the ratio of what it was in 1970. Many countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, ended the last decade with lower per capita incomes than at its beginning. Poverty is one of the biggest threats to international peace, security and the environment. At the Millennium Summit, world leaders expressed their determination to halve world poverty by the year 2015.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The industrialized countries should take the lead in cutting emissions, while developing countries will have to pursue low-emission development strategies and benefit from incentives for assistance for adaptation and for limiting emissions. We must commit ourselves to an approach that balances adaptation and mitigation, underpinned by adequate financing arrangements and investments in new and innovative technologies. As Members of the United Nations, our countries share a vision of a better standard of life, in larger freedom, as enshrined in our Charter. We are, however, challenged by a persistence of poverty in many of our countries. Recent statistics indicate that, worldwide, 1.2 billion people live on one dollar a day, while 2.8 billion survive on less than two dollars.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“For such projects to be undertaken, measures such as a successful fifteenth International Development Association replenishment is critical. We all must learn to safeguard and use available resources sparingly for the sake of future generations. Uganda considers the United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Bali, Indonesia, this December, to be critical in the development of a long- term response to climate change. It is an opportunity to begin concrete negotiations on a global strategy that is acceptable to all and implementable. Prior to Bali, however, this Assembly should agree on guiding principles that can help bring together all relevant aspects of the problem.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We should, however, recognize that responding to climate change will require political leadership at all levels, starting from the centre and extending to the grassroots. Increasing collaborative action on adaptation is urgently needed, so that vulnerable countries and communities can cope with the unavoidable impact of climate change. Reforestation efforts and control of greenhouse gas emissions are urgent actions that we can undertake together. However, reforestation on its own will not produce the desired results without adequate investment in renewable energy sources as a measure against the massive depletion of forests for fuel. Developed countries should encourage companies to invest in hydro-electric power generation and other clean energy sources in developing countries.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Indeed, climate change today constitutes a danger to human security, considering the effects of climate change on the very existence of some small island States and coastal cities, as well as the devastation by hurricanes and typhoons. Several years ago, the world was alerted to the danger of climate change. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a number of actions were agreed upon. We all agreed to undertake a three-pronged approach, including development, access to appropriate technology, mitigation and adaptation. It is unfortunate that, so far, no meaningful actions have been undertaken to implement these agreed interventions. My delegation believes that the time is now to implement these high-priority activities.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“It has many implications for development, particularly for agrarian communities with fewer resources to cope with additional stresses and shocks brought about by this phenomenon. The increasing frequency and severity of prolonged drought threaten water supplies to millions of people in poor countries, as well as agriculture which is overwhelmingly subsistence and rain-fed and, therefore, vulnerable to climate variability and change. The vulnerability of the health sector has also been evident as frequent floods result in outbreaks of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and the increased incidence of malaria.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The Organization they created was to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common goals. Today humankind is faced with a common threat in the form of climate change. The General Assembly’s choice of responding to climate change as the theme for this session is timely. It will help draw attention to the global challenge for which no single country has a solution. It is only through concerted and sustained international cooperation that action to combat the effects and further escalation of climate change can be taken. There is no doubt that climate change is the biggest danger facing humankind, especially the poor. The threat of extreme conditions, including floods and drought, is a major concern.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Allow me at the outset to extend our congratulations to Mr. Kerim on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty- second session. I wish to thank most sincerely his predecessor, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Khalifa of Bahrain, for the able manner in which she handled the vital business of the sixty-first session. I also wish to express my gratitude to the Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his leadership of our Organization, and most especially for his untiring efforts in favour of conflict resolution and peace on the African continent and elsewhere. Sixty-two years ago, the founding fathers of the United Nations came together, determined, in the words of the Charter, “to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples”.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We believe that it is time to create an independent institution with an effective and clear mandate to handle human rights. The proposal to create a Human Rights Council is timely. We hope that all the necessary details will be agreed upon so that this Council can be launched. In conclusion, allow me to restate Uganda’s commitment to the ideals and principles of the United Nations. The Organization has served us relatively well over the years. It is capable of serving us even better and achieving the dreams and ideals emanated by the framers of the Charter 60 years ago. This can happen only if we take the bold step of adopting the far- reaching, innovative reforms proposed by the Secretary-General and if we fully implement the outcome document.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In the event of failure, the international community has a responsibility to protect in order to prevent genocide and ethnic cleansing. However, this responsibility should be clearly defined and its exercise should have the prior authorization of the Security Council. We believe that the commitment of our leaders to support a stronger relationship between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations will help expand the capacity of the international community to handle the old and new challenges facing the world. Indeed, regional organizations that have a capacity for prevention of armed conflict or peacekeeping should use it to enhance the United Nations in this field. The existing Commission on Human Rights has been deficient in its performance over the years.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“While the dream of the founding fathers of the United Nations was to save succeeding generations form the scourge of war, conflicts remain a reality in today’s world. For 60 years, the United Nations has failed to live up to this expectation. Uganda, therefore, welcomes the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission and a Peacebuilding Support Office. We hope that the 31 December 2005 deadline will be met in order to enable those vital bodies help the United Nations effectively address conflict and make peace more sustainable. In the same vain, we support the establishment of the Democracy Fund, which should be used to support countries’ home-grown institutions and not as a mechanism to import foreign brands of democracy. My delegation is cognizant of the primary responsibility of States to protect their own people.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“It has, therefore, become an imperative to reform the Security Council and make it more representative and reflective of the realities of today’s world. In Africa, where most Security Council mandated operations take place, we believe that it is time for the continent, composed of 53 States, to have a real say in how those operations are formulated and implemented. Today, Africa is the only continent that has no representation at the real decision-making level of the Council. It is for these reasons that we demand that the continent be given two permanent seats with veto and two additional non-permanent seats. A Council thus composed will be more democratic and credible and will have its decisions more widely accepted.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The sense of triumphalism of the victors in the Second World War, the anguish of the vanquished and the assumed indifference of the colonial peoples, especially in Africa, formed the background to the run- up to the creation of the United Nations. The institution that emerged reflected those realities. Nowhere within the United Nations, was this more apparent than in the Security Council. The victors reserved for themselves the right to determine the 25 destiny of others. This was done without due regard for the interests of those that the decisions were to affect most. Today, the situation has dramatically changed. Colonial peoples have gained independence, and the international power structure has changed. Decisions of the Security Council need wider support diplomatically, financially and militarily in order to be implemented.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“At the end of the process, we expected the Security Council to join us in the pursuit of peace. We expected that all efforts would be geared towards creating the necessary legal and political atmosphere to facilitate the realization of peace for the long-suffering people of Somalia. We were, however, deeply disappointed when the Council, in its wisdom, acted otherwise, leaving the region and, most important, the Somali people to their fate. The decision to uphold the arms embargo and to reject even its partial lifting denied the region a chance to implement the peace process to its logical end. We hope that it is not too late for the Council to evaluate and review its position. Let me briefly make some comments on the proposed reform of the United Nations. The institution we have today was conceived and created 60 years ago.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We cannot feel safe in a situation pregnant with arms trafficking, religious extremism, the dumping of radioactive waste and the potential for breeding terrorists in the region. These are realistic threats, and IGAD cannot ignore them. The international community — and, most especially, the members of the Security Council — should not be deluded by geographical distance. A potential threat to international peace truly exists in Somalia. It is in view of these current and latent threats that the members of IGAD took upon themselves to negotiate with Somalia for peace. Over a period of two years, we went through a very laborious and sometimes frustrating negotiating process until agreement was reached on formation of a Government of national unity last year.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“However, as peace returns to the region, we need international cooperation and assistance to supplement the Government of Uganda’s post-conflict humanitarian, rehabilitation and development programme, which is already under way in northern Uganda. Somalia has been in a state of anarchy for more than a decade and a half. Peace efforts by the international community and the United Nations have been anything but timid. A sense of frustration on the part of the United Nations has led to resignation and despair, thus condemning the Somali people to a state of bondage and being held hostage by the warlords. It is in this void that the regional States, under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), took on the mantle of negotiating peace and re-establishing order. Anarchy is contagious.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The signature and implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the Sudan has led to increased optimism about peace in northern Uganda. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a terrorist group that has long maimed, kidnapped and terrorized the civilian population of northern Uganda, for a long time had sanctuary in southern Sudan, from where it launched its terrorist activities. With the cooperation of the Sudanese Government, including SPLA/SPLM in the south, these terrorists are being flushed out from southern Sudan. Uganda’s strategy of peace negotiations combined with maximum military pressure has significantly reduced the LRA’s capacity to commit evil.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“After two decades of conflict in southern Sudan, the people of the Sudan, led by the Government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A), signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement earlier this year. The guns are silent, and the long-tortured people of southern Sudan are now enjoying some peace. It is unfortunate that the late John Garang passed away at a time when implementation of the Agreement was in its early stages. We are confident that given the commitment of both the Government of the Sudan and SPLM the peace agreement will hold and will be comprehensively implemented. We are also confident that the Sudan is headed for a peaceful future. We hope that other conflicts, such as that in Darfur, will be peacefully resolved using the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as an inspiration and a model.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“It was a long and arduous process. With the support of the United Nations and the international community, signs of success are today evident. In the past few months, the people of Burundi elected their leaders in local, parliamentary and, finally, presidential elections. They look to the future with hope. Uganda welcomes His Excellency Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza, the new President of Burundi, 24 and we look forward to working with him to consolidate peace in the region. The international community and the United Nations have an obligation to make peace sustainable. Reconstruction, rehabilitation and development will be necessary. We hope that due attention is given to institutional capacity-building so that Burundi does not relapse into the fratricidal anarchy that had been its bane over the past decade.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“For over five years, the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has made no significant effort to ensure the demobilization and disarmament of those groups, thus leaving in place the seeds of future conflict. We are, however, hopeful that our efforts, both at the bilateral level and in the Tripartite Commission, which is composed of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the participation of Burundi, will iron out those problems and allow our region to attain peace and stability. For some time now, the situation in Burundi has been a real concern to the Great Lakes region and to the international community at large. The destruction and loss of life that took place spurred the regional States, together with South Africa, to undertake and spearhead a peace initiative.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“On the other hand, equal attention needs to be given to issues of development, rehabilitation and the recovery of the economy. A growing economy is necessary for sustainable peace. What we are witnessing today is a rush to elections and political agendas without due regard being given to the institutions and infrastructure necessary for the long-term sustainability of peace. We have travelled this road before, with disastrous consequences. Let the immediate past of the continent be a guiding lesson for all of us. The Lusaka peace accord provided a strong mechanism enabling the region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to play complementary roles in the peace process. Unfortunately, it has been abandoned. The central problem of negative forces, which the agreement recognized, has been put on the back burner.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“No attention is being given to creating institutions and infrastructure that can sustain the State. The integration of armed factions into one single national armed force is half-hearted. How can a State exist without the minimum pillars of support, such as an army capable of defending its territorial integrity? The view that justice should precede integration is wrong, in our opinion. While justice is important, it is Uganda’s belief that it should not take precedence over the integration of armed groups. We should integrate all factions, and then seek to punish those that are guilty of any offences later. Uganda advocates the concept of provisional immunity or immunité provisoire, as it is referred to in Burundi.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“They include parasitic vested interests; superficiality and obscurantism in identifying and dealing with those parasitic interests and their effects on a particular country or group of countries; weak and disoriented local leadership; and, finally, the pre-industrial characteristics of Africa. Those are the core causes of conflict, although there are others. Paying clear and careful attention to them could provide a vital springboard from which long-term solutions could be found. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region in general is caused by a combination of those factors. Those with the most to lose in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are marginalized, while real issues of statecraft have been pushed to the periphery.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“That confluence created a political and social situation that has, over the years, proved difficult to manage. It is a complex situation, with both positive and negative tendencies. The cold war further exacerbated the situation as the East battled the West for influence. Indeed, former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld lost his life in the context of that explosive political mix. As Africa struggles to set its house in order, Uganda has identified four main causes of conflict on the continent which negative forces have exploited for their own ends.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Uganda hopes that the World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1) marks a real commitment to 23 improving the welfare of the world’s poor and to making the United Nations the vanguard for the aspirations of all. We hope that it will not suffer the fate of the commitments that preceded it. Peace and security is a prerequisite for development. One of the reasons why Africa has failed to register substantial achievements with regard to the MDGs is lack of stability, peace and security. Conflicts, wars and civil strife afflicting the continent have acted as disincentives to development. The 1885 Berlin Conference split Africa up, without due regard to the long-term interests of the African peoples. The Great Lakes region found itself at the confluence of all the colonial Powers.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“On the whole, Africa’s performance has shown mixed results. Some regions, especially in North Africa, have registered positive achievements, while others have faired negatively. In a globalized world, the future and welfare of all are interlinked. Poverty in one part of the world threatens peace and security globally. Equally, an epidemic in a remote village in Africa threatens the health of the prosperous individual in New York. In essence, we all share a common fate. The international community has therefore a self-interested obligation to help Africa emerge from its current predicament. Let the wealth of some enhance the welfare of all.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“It was in pursuit of that dream that the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). That was a milestone in the realization of one of the purposes and principles of the Charter — to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and to be the centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining those common ends. A great deal has been done since the Millennium Summit in 2000, at both national and international levels, to attain the objectives that we set ourselves in the MDGs. Asia and Latin America have progressed well, while Oceania and Africa have not been quite as successful.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“I should like first of all to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to preside over the General Assembly at this important session, at which we pledge our full cooperation. I also wish to thank your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, for having conducted the proceedings of the fifty-ninth session so efficiently and for having spearheaded the vital negotiations on the outcome document adopted by the summit. I must also express my gratitude to the Secretary-General for his leadership, especially his efforts to reform the United Nations so as to make it more responsive to the dynamics and demands of the current world. The founding fathers of the United Nations dreamed of an organization that would be able, in the words of the Charter, to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)