YouSaid · the spoken record

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

lines on the record: 30
first: 2000-09-24
most recent: 2008-09-24
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

“As the leadership of our country is passed on, we confirm that South Africa, under the guidance of President Kgalema Motlanthe, shall indeed continue to be a trusted and dependable partner in the common endeavour to strengthen our institutions of multilateralism, starting from the correct premise that multilateralism remains the only hope in addressing the challenges facing humanity today, whether they be terrorism, threats to human rights, peace and stability or, of course, the central struggle against poverty and underdevelopment.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In that regard, we are touched and humbled by the kind comments made in the Assembly by the various heads of State or Government and heads of delegation, directed at our immediate former President, Thabo Mbeki. We most certainly shall, through our Government, convey those sentiments to that noble son of our people and our continent, and citizen of the world. Accordingly, from this rostrum may I also express our sincere gratitude to the general membership of the United Nations for the support that 08-53141 14 former President Mbeki and our country received over the past nine-and-a-half years of his stewardship of our country.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We wish to reiterate our belief in the centrality of the United Nations. In the Millennium Declaration, we reaffirmed that the United Nations “is the indispensable common house of the entire human family, through which we will seek to realize our universal aspirations for peace, cooperation and development” (resolution 55/2, para. 32). Leading South Africa’s delegation to the Millennium Summit was our former President, Thabo Mbeki, who reminded the Assembly that “Billions among the living struggle to survive in conditions of poverty, deprivation and underdevelopment ... as offensive to everything humane as anything we decry about the second millennium.” (A/55/PV.5, p. 18) It is that understanding that has correctly informed the engagement of successive leaders of our democratic State with this body over the years.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We remain concerned about the impasse on the question of Western Sahara. South Africa is committed to seeking a just, mutually acceptable and lasting solution to that problem. This year also marks the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. During the past six decades, the Declaration has remained the key standard for human rights, justice and dignity. We should therefore use this anniversary period to strengthen our resolve to defend human rights. South Africa has also had the honour to be reviewed under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the new Human Rights Council. We were also honoured with the appointment of our own Justice Navi Pillai to lead that very important international institution. Mr. Siles Alvarado (Bolivia), Vice-President, took the Chair.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We hope that the leadership of Zimbabwe win soon finalize aspects of that agreement to make possible the formation of a new Government that will help lay the groundwork to address the political and economic challenges facing their country. SADC, the African Union and the facilitator stand as guarantors of the agreement. We call on the international community to spare neither strength nor effort in lending a hand to the people of Zimbabwe as they embark on the difficult path of reconciliation and reconstruction. Equally, the situations in Somalia and the Sudan, and especially in Darfur, remain matters of great concern. South Africa will continue to do whatever it can, both bilaterally and in the context of the African Union and the United Nations, to help the peoples of Sudan and Somalia find peace among themselves.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We understand full well the pain, suffering and agony that conflict brings to bear on the lives of ordinary people, particularly women and children. Those ordinary souls continue to cry out to this Assembly of the world, as they have done in the past, to help bring an end to the conflict. South Africa will continue to work with the sister peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Côte d’Ivoire in their efforts to consolidate peace and democracy in their respective countries. With regard to Zimbabwe, the Assembly must certainly be aware of the recent developments led by our former President Thabo Mbeki in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) facilitator, which culminated in the signing of an agreement between the main political protagonists in the country.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We congratulate the Secretary-General on appointing an African Union-United Nations panel of distinguished persons whose mandate is to explore financing modalities for AU-led peacekeeping missions. Peace continues to evade the Middle East. South Africa participated in the Annapolis Conference in 2007 with great expectations and hopes that progress would indeed be made to advance the goal of peace in that region. We will continue to support all international efforts to help the peoples of Palestine and Israel in their endeavour to find a lasting and peaceful solution to their challenges, leading to the establishment of a viable Palestinian State, coexisting side by side with the State of Israel, within secure borders.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We have indeed been privileged to serve the peoples of Africa and the world in that capacity; it has been a historic first for us as a young democracy. In that capacity, we were indeed honoured to contribute meaningfully to global efforts to create peace and stability in all regions of the world. Accordingly, we express the humble gratitude of the people of our country to the general membership of the United Nations for the trust placed in us in helping the world discharge this mandate. During our tenure, the Security Council also focused on the important question of enhancing the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union (AU). 13 08-53141 We were honoured to be able to contribute to that work.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We welcome the recent decision (decision 62/557) to launch in the General Assembly inter-governmental negotiations on Security Council reform, to discuss plans for expanding the Security Council in both the non-permanent and permanent categories. It is of course a travesty of justice that Africa, which constitutes a large portion of the work of the Council, is not represented in the permanent category. Unless the ideals of freedom, justice and equality become the character of the United Nations, including the Security Council, the dominant will continue to dictate to the dominated, while the dreams of the dominated will forever be deferred. In December this year, my country will complete its tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It is important to understand that the critical issues facing the world today — the current financial, food and energy crises — cannot be addressed effectively when so many countries and regions of the world are left out of the key decision-making processes of important institutions of global governance. South Africa stands ready to work with other members of the United Nations to advance the goal of reform. Equally, the reform of the Security Council need not be re-emphasized. We reiterate our view that a reformed Security Council would have more legitimacy and that its decisions would have more credibility.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Given the agreement in Bali last year on a road map for negotiations, it is our hope that the negotiations, to be completed in Copenhagen in 2009, will necessarily set the stage for more concerted action by all countries to address climate change and all its manifestations, with the developed countries taking the lead. South Africa commits itself to approaching the preparations for Copenhagen constructively and with a view to reaching an agreement that is ambitious, balanced and inclusive. We join the many leaders of the world who have expressed their support for fundamental reform of the system of global governance, including the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“3) The Doha Development Round has stalled despite seven years of negotiations. We are convinced that trade and increased market access will make a major contribution to the achievement of the MDGs. In that regard, it is our submission that the Doha Round of trade negotiations should not be allowed to die, but must remain focused on development, as originally envisaged. In recent years, we have all witnessed the devastating effects of climate change, especially on island States. Hurricanes have become more frequent and more vicious, together with droughts, floods and unpredictable extreme weather patterns in the rest of the world. Of course, climate change requires an urgent response.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In addition, support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development will be a major contributor to the struggle against poverty and underdevelopment. In that context, allow me, Mr. President, to quote from your own statement to the General Assembly with regard to that socio-economic programme as well as the role of our immediate former President, Thabo Mbeki: “During his presidency of the rainbow nation, spanning nearly a decade, he, along [with] other African leaders, championed the vision of NEPAD we still pursue today. When the affluent listen to Africa and partner with it, that vision is within reach. To quote NEPAD’s founding document: `In fulfilling its promise, this agenda must give hope to the emaciated African child that the twenty-first century is indeed Africa’s century.’” (, p.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“However, in order to accelerate the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals, much more attention needs to be focused on Goal 3, regarding the empowerment of women. Women need to be at the centre of development as agents of change, socially, economically and politically. 08-53141 12 Billions of the people of the world, whom we are privileged to represent in the Assembly, have cast their eyes on this gathering of leaders. They have done so because they have hope that this leadership will take the required measures in order to address poverty and underdevelopment. We dare not fail them. The food crisis has to be addressed in the short and medium terms. The Green Revolution that has been launched by the African Union needs partnerships in order to succeed.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“President, and the Secretary-General, on Africa’s development needs and on the MDGs, have served not only as important reminders of the challenges we face, but also as a catalyst that will cause the world to feel a greater sense of urgency. The necessary resources exist in the world to achieve the MDGs. We need to summon the necessary political will and compassion. So we join the sister countries of our continent in calling for massive resource transfers through development assistance, investment, trade, technology transfers and human resource development. These will ensure that African and other developing countries are able to successfully adapt to the devastating impact of climate change and achieve the MDGs.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“African and many other, developing countries have indeed taken responsibility for promoting democracy, good governance, peace and stability and human rights. They are also hard at work rolling back the frontiers of poverty and underdevelopment. But, despite those strides, it is clear that many in sub-Saharan Africa will not achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Part of the reason is that the global partnership for development on which the achievement of the MDGs was predicated has not been fully implemented. Despite the lofty ideas expressed at previous sessions of the Assembly, we continue to fall short in meeting our commitments to implement that partnership, in particular in the areas of trade, aid and debt relief. We express the fervent hope that the high-level meetings organized by yourself, Mr.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The confluence of the food, fuel and financial crises, as well as the effects of climate change, pose the real threat that they will undermine the progress made by developing countries in the struggle against poverty and underdevelopment. During the Millennium Summit, held in 2000, our heads of State and Government adopted a Declaration (resolution 55/2) that communicated a message of hope and a vision of a better world. Included in the Declaration was an important section on the special needs of Africa. In paragraph 24 of the Declaration, the leaders stated that they would “spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for all internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development”.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“My delegation and I join in expressing our congratulations to you, Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session, and we hope you have a very successful and rewarding term at the helm of this body. We express our gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Srgjan Kerim for the excellent work done during his tenure as President of the Assembly at its sixty-second session. Once again, we have come to this body to reaffirm the need for what we have always called for: the implementation of all the promises and pledges that we have made before. The focus of the sixty-third session of the General Assembly is on the global food crisis, climate change and reform of the United Nations.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The dream for the new millennium is indeed realisable. If we act with courage and determination, we can turn the hopes of billions across the world into reality.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It is our fervent hope that the Conference will come up with a programme of action against racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination. In conclusion, let us all put our collective will, courage and intellectual creativity together in shaping the dream of a better world; a world of solidarity; a world where no child should starve or die of preventable and curable diseases; a world where no child will be deprived of schooling; a world where children will not be sent to war; a world where no child can be a slave or be used as an object for trafficking; a world where children grow up as children and play with toys and do not have to be breadwinners or worry about where their next meal is going to come from; a world where women will enjoy all rights and where the eradication of poverty and war is our collective responsibility.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“This should flash red warning lights to all of us and activate our utmost vigilance against the scourges of racism and xenophobia. It is only when we turn our backs on racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination that we can succeed in building a caring world where we feel diminished by the suffering and hunger of other human beings. It was for this reason that we felt a sense of obligation and agreed to host the world racism Conference next year. Of course, our country and people experienced the most systematic, most brutal and most inhumane form of racism, which the United Nations declared a crime against humanity. We are happy to take our place in the fight against racism in our country and in the world.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The marginalization of women, both in their countries and in the multilateral forums, means that our countries and organizations, including the United Nations, are functioning at half-capacity and are deprived of the unique qualities, energies and creativity that women would bring. In this context, I cannot forget the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. She deserves active support from this gathering and the world. The United Nations was founded in part to make sure that the monsters of fascism and racism should not rear their ugly heads again. Unfortunately, all over the world racism and xenophobia are on the increase. Some countries and regions are responding by developing a new fortress mentality, which does not help the situation.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“To this end, we urge the United Nations to do all it can to expedite the processes in East Timor and Western Sahara. We commend the peace efforts in the Middle East and the role of the United States. We would like to pledge our support to the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships as they try to find creative solutions to their problems. They must be urged to take advantage of this unique historic moment, as it seems that a real possibility exists for a solution. The equality of women and men still remains a subject of great concern. All we need to do is look around this Hall to realize how far we are from realizing the vision of the founding Members of the United Nations. Secondly, the feminization of poverty is a big problem.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It is a source of great concern to the developing countries that, increasingly, decisions are taken outside the United Nations and other global structures by developed and rich countries when these decisions have a great impact on the poorer countries and directly affect the lives of billions of poor people. That is why a partnership between poor and rich countries and dialogue between North and South are so critical. Nuclear weapons still constitute a threat to our planet. We have to pursue the path of universal disarmament and the destruction of all weapons of mass destruction. The need to protect the environment has assumed greater importance and we can succeed only if we work together. The self-determination of the people of East Timor, Western Sahara and Palestine must be a concern to all of us.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, is humanity's principal agent for collective security and it needs urgent reform so as to be able to live up to this solemn responsibility. The world has changed dramatically and continues to do so. It is imperative that the composition and role of the Security Council reflect that change and not remain obsolete. The Bretton Woods institutions are equally in need of urgent reform in order to discharge their mandate and respond to the new development 12 challenge. The World Trade Organization has to adapt its international trade rules so that they are equitable and fair and take account of global development challenges.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We would like to urge the United Nations, in partnership with the Organization of African Unity and regional organizations, to accelerate the work towards peace and stability in many of the countries of our continent, such as Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Burundi, so that these countries may take their rightful place in the continent, be seized with the needs of their people, promote development, produce and export goods and not be areas of perpetual suffering and war that result in their being the net exporters of refugees. We welcome the Brahimi report and are studying it, as it contains very serious suggestions about the future operations of the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It is therefore clear that the eradication of hunger and poverty should be the priority of all priorities and should be our collective responsibility. There is also agreement that we have a collective responsibility in dealing with infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. There is a need to mobilize material and human resources, provide better infrastructure, provide health education and ensure access to affordable medicine. There is also consensus that Africa poses the biggest development challenge. The success or failure of the United Nations and of humankind as a whole in this century will be determined by their success in dealing with the African development challenge.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Global consensus has at last emerged and confirms that we live in one world and belong to the same human race; therefore, while each Government has the responsibility to take care of its citizens, we all have to work together for the good of humanity as a whole. This means that we have to create a people-centred world that is more caring, with a strong sense of solidarity, where we are all our brothers' and sisters' keepers, if I may borrow those words from the Bible. There is also universal consensus now that while billions of people are being degraded and dehumanized by poverty, disease and hunger, there are indeed enough resources in the world to feed, educate and restore the dignity of all human beings and make this world a better place for all.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Indeed, billions of people today enjoy human rights and live in dignity, free from disease, ignorance and fear, enjoying the benefits of technology and scientific advances and able to take full advantage of the process of globalization. Equally, there are billions who are humiliated, degraded and stripped of their innate human dignity and worth by poverty, disease, ignorance, homelessness, hunger and wars. This Assembly, following the very inspiring Millennium Summit, provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the wise words of the leaders of the world and on the Declaration they adopted.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the stewardship of this historic Assembly and also to congratulate your predecessor, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, on his sterling guidance of the Assembly's work during the previous session. The dawn of the new millennium offers us a unique opportunity to reflect on the successes and failures of the United Nations since its inception. It also provides us with an opportunity to dream about the future of humanity in the third millennium. The founders of the United Nations based the Charter on the assertion of human dignity, human rights and the equality of women and men and the aim of promoting better social standards.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)