YouSaid · the spoken record

Kalumba

lines on the record

13

first

2002-01-29

most recent

2002-01-29

sittings or episodes

1

sources

un-security-council

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

1. “The issue, then, is not that people have chosen to abandon politics but rather that they want more out of politics: not just effective government, but good government. "Effective" is a managerial concept, but "good" is a value judgement the basic indicators of whose success are broader, less definite and rapidly changing. And there lie not only Africa's political crisis but the seeds of political and moral turbulence: a dynamic that slides countries into war.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

2. “It is my view that, above many other reasons why people in Africa, as perhaps elsewhere, are losing faith in political leaders is not just those leaders' incompetence and their failure to get the job done as promised, but rather something bigger. It is an increasing perception that something is missing in political life: morality. The old definition that politics is the art of lying has come to clash with the search for a moral role in political leadership, which in politics is said to be something that the majority of people demand only of men and women of the church. In Africa, as perhaps elsewhere, there is a growing popular demand for our leaders to be both good managers and good preachers who must be selfless, less cynical, honest and truthful.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

3. “The political power structures and traditional structures of representation that worked so well for the West are constantly brought into question. Electorates are, at best, uninterested and, at worst, hostile towards those in power. We can call this an anti-politics. It is happening at a time when there is growing diversity in the media, including the greater reach of those media, where we can watch wars in real time, the private agony of public figures in real time and the fiasco of elections in various countries, both rich and poor, in real time. And, of course, the Internet links us all into a global village. The question, then, is this: Why should the governance of countries in Africa be in such crisis today when our people are supposedly better informed?”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

4. “It is clear that political and social events in Africa, as elsewhere, are heightening a growing awareness of the turbulent environment within which public life has to flourish or falter and within which systems of governance have to be developed and implemented. Whether we call it globalization, neo- colonialism or something else, that evident turbulence is forcing most Governments into technocratic political responses that are self-evidently partial, incoherent and provisional in nature. Consequently, public confidence in politics and politicians has fallen - more so in Africa, perhaps, than in other continents. Political solutions have become numb in the face of growing problems with unemployment, the AIDS pandemic, street children, urban housing standards, ethnic tension and environmental degradation.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

5. “Conflict resolution goes with humanitarian assistance, and development cooperation requires shared objectives, common approaches to planning processes, and coordination mechanisms. The African States have no choice but to work with the international community to come up with workable solutions. In a globalized world, there is a need for all to be part of the solution. We hope that, with the leadership of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, efforts to solve these problems will continue. As I conclude on the issue of conflict in Africa, I wish to touch upon a phenomenon that appears to underpin the perpetuation of conflict: the crisis of politics and leadership in Africa, to which I referred earlier.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

6. “That means protection from systematic human rights abuses, physical threats, violence, extreme economic, social and environmental risks and threats to territorial sovereignty. Poverty and insecurity mutually and systematically reinforce each other. In this context, the requirement of security goes beyond the classic requisite of defence from military attack and extends to well-being and the protection of persons and property. To achieve meaningful peace, the involvement of the international community is necessary. Peace- building hinges on trust, cooperation and deeper partnership. Donor engagement in the process is extremely important; we reject the notion of donor fatigue.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

7. “To achieve a long-term solution, policies need to be clear, coherent, comprehensive and well coordinated in order to improve the effectiveness of conflict prevention and management. Relevant policy areas include trade, finance and investment, foreign affairs, defence and development cooperation. Our nations require economic well-being. The ingredients of achieving structural stability are social development, environmental sustainability and regeneration. In addition, the goals of social peace, respect for the rule of law and human rights and social and economic development must be reinforced. Security, including human security, is a critical foundation for sustainable development.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

8. “The tools and techniques for managing conflicts include those suggested by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in "An Agenda for Peace" and by Kofi Annan in his report on the causes of conflict in Africa and in the Millennium report, "We, the Peoples". Conflict prevention is central to poverty reduction and sustainable development. To work effectively towards peace, African countries and the international community have to work together as partners before, during and after conflict. Promoting peace-building and conflict prevention and resolution requires that donor agencies work very closely with the relevant branches of government and other actors in the international community.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

9. “Some of these causes are external, ranging from ideology to attempts to win spheres of influence. Conflicts, whether internal or external, have the same results. They are ruinous and have a destructive impact on people, livestock, property and infrastructure. They provoke distress, fear, aggression and anxiety. They hinder communication and obstruct problem solving. They also destroy cohesion and unity. They lead to the spread of small arms and light weapons, internal displacement of people and refugees fleeing across borders, resulting in heavy expenses to host countries, including my own. The nature of conflicts in Africa and the diversity of actors involved in these conflicts require a fundamental rethinking of African security.”

   2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

10. “Among these are ineffective governance coupled with weak institutions, inequality in the distribution of resources, poverty, ethnicity and regionalism, power struggles within and among the elite, poor conditions of service in public institutions, corruption and nepotism, misallocation of resources, foreign interference, and instability as a result of a very fluid political culture. In his excellent report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, noted that the causes were multifaceted and included historical, internal and external factors. The curses of colonialism, neocolonialism, the cold war and now globalization are the defining factors in understanding the nature and causes of conflict in Africa.”

    2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

11. “Conflicts have many causes, which may be internal as well as external. Some are internal, arising from a myriad of reasons, and often are fuelled by external forces. Nearly all the most difficult conflicts arise from the process of State-building. They arise from the fundamental problems of constructing State structures that can serve as vehicles for ensuring the security, sovereignty, dignity and justice of the people. The process has often bred or generated conflict.”

    2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

12. “My thanks go to the Security Council for devoting considerable time to organizing this meeting to address conflict situations in Africa and for the efforts the members are making to find solutions. It is important that Governments, regional bodies and our continental organization, the Organization of African Unity, complement each other's efforts. In this way, close cooperation between the Security Council and the OAU will be of immense value in our efforts to find solutions to our chronic problems in Africa. In various forums and declarations, African leaders have pledged to find solutions to these problems, and yet peace has eluded us as a continent. I will return to this subject of leadership in Africa later. For over 40 years, various parts of Africa have been afflicted by one kind of conflict or another.”

    2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source

13. “Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of January 2002. Let me also thank you for convening this timely meeting to allow us to examine the issues of conflict in Africa, discuss the causes and propose possible solutions. Let me thank the Ambassador of Mali for the able manner in which he chaired the Council's deliberations during the month of December 2001. I also wish to thank my fellow ministers who have travelled from various countries to come attend this important debate. Allow me also to recognize the presence of our own Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Mr. Amara Essy.”

    2002-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460 (2002) · source