General Assembly Session 49 meeting 92

The President

It is with deep regret that I must inform the Assembly of the death yesterday of Mr. Bradford Morse at his home in Naples, Florida.

Mr. Morse's association with the United Nations was one of extraordinary distinction. Mr. Morse was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 1976 to 1986. Prior to that appointment Mr. Morse was Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs from 1972 to 1976, after having served six terms as a member of the House of Representatives of the United States of America.

His dedication and devotion to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to the United Nations Development Programme as a valuable instrument for economic development will never be forgotten.

All who had the privilege and pleasure of knowing Mr. Morse will remember his warm human qualities, his compassion and his dynamic energy.

On behalf of the General Assembly, I should like to request the representative of the United States of America to transmit to the Government of the United States of America and to the family of Mr. Morse our expressions of profound sympathy.

I now ask representatives to stand and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of Mr. Bradford Morse.

The President

I call now on the representative of the United States of America.

Mr. Gnehm (United States)

My country and the United Nations suffered a huge loss yesterday in the passing away of Bradford Morse. In remembering him this afternoon, we should remember his compassion and his dedication to bettering the lives of people all over the world.

Bradford Morse served the United Nations and the international community for 14 years, from 1972 to 1986, first as Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs, and then as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. His career was guided by the fervent desire to use the institutions of the United Nations to mobilize and deliver humanitarian and economic assistance to persons in need throughout the world.

It is no exaggeration to state that millions of people throughout the world are in Mr. Morse's debt. He has bequeathed to us his successors in this Organization a powerful and important legacy -- a United Nations which effectively brings its resources to bear on the pressing problems that affect people, nations and the international community.

We must all do our utmost to continue and develop that legacy to meet the challenges that we face today and the new challenges that we shall face in the future. The inspiration of Mr. Morse's example will be a powerful motivation to that end.

The President

I call on the representative of Zambia, Chairman of the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia, to introduce the Committee's final report.

Mr. Kasanda (Zambia)

It is my distinct honour and privilege to introduce the final report of the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia (A/49/782). Part II of the report contains details on the activities of the Fund for Namibia during the period 1991-1994. Part IV contains recommendations and conclusions and the draft resolution for consideration by the General Assembly.

As Chairman of the Trust Committee, I should like to express my sense of pride and privilege at being a part of this historic moment and of this final chapter in United Nations responsibility for Namibia. Zambia has had a long and fruitful association with the Council for Namibia as its President. Zambia has also been privileged to serve as Chairman of the Committee on the Fund for Namibia and, most recently, as Chairman of the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia.

The United Nations Council for Namibia, as the legal Administering Authority for the country until independence, had the foresight, in preparing it for independence, to use the Fund for Namibia for the purpose of supporting human resources development as the cornerstone of its nation-building efforts. Over the lifetime of the United Nations Institute for Namibia more than 1,200 students were trained, primarily for the civil service, in divisions that included development studies, magistrates' functions, public administration and international relations, teaching, secretarial studies and management.

Zambia was very proud to provide the premises for the United Nations Institute for Namibia. In this respect, the President of Zambia personally presided at most special occasions, including the inauguration, and at almost all the graduation ceremonies. The Institute completed its work in 1990. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Fund for Namibia and the Institute for Namibia Account be closed.

The crowning success in the discharge of the responsibility of the United Nations for Namibia was the elections that were supervised and controlled by the Organization, culminating in Namibia's independence in 1990. The preparations leading up to independence were a great credit to Member States, the Namibian people and the United Nations Secretariat, as well as to United Nations executing and financing agencies, which, in a partnership perhaps unique in the history of the Organization, laboured to lay the groundwork through development projects financed primarily under the Nationhood Programme Account of the United Nations Fund for Namibia.

Since its inception in 1979, the Nationhood Programme has comprised more than 100 training and research projects. In addition to capacity-building through formal and non-formal training, primarily in the front-line States, the Nationhood Programme supported institution-building projects, such as the Technical Secondary School in the Congo, the Vocational Training Centre in Angola, the Agricultural Training School in Zambia and the Namibia Enrolled Nurses Training School in Angola. The institutions flourished, in spite of their wartime setting, with virtually full-time Namibian administration. The multiplier effect of training a corps of people to run the country and of providing excellent experience in the development and administration of their own institutions was a credit to the United Nations Council for Namibia and the Fund, to the donors and to the Member States that fostered the development of these institutions and projects.

These projects and programmes are a model of partnership and cooperation, to the credit of all of us in the global community. As we have recommended in our report, the one remaining student under the Nationhood Programme will this month complete his studies in the field of mining. We have also approved one project deficit payment.

The remaining student funded under the General Account, which was primarily a scholarship programme for formal training abroad, will, as recommended by the Trust Committee, complete his studies in 1996, under the able administration of the United Nations Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa of the Department of Development Support and Management Services.

We are convinced that the cornerstone laid through the training of thousands of Namibians under these three Accounts of the United Nations Fund for Namibia will serve to consolidate the foundations of democracy and the process of healing now under way in Namibia. We extend our best wishes to the Government and people of Namibia for continued success in this regard.

We commend to the Assembly, for its consideration and unanimous adoption, the draft resolution contained in document A/49/782. We are pleased to commend, in addition to provisions of the operative paragraphs that I have already highlighted, the closure of the Trust Fund and the transfer of its assets to the Government of Namibia to be utilized for the purposes for which they were given -- namely, the education of Namibians.

Finally, we are pleased, upon completion of our mandate, to recommend the dissolution of the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia.

In conclusion, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the members of the Trust Committee for their dedication and commitment. I should like, on their behalf and on my own behalf, to express gratitude to all Member States for their invaluable support and for their contributions to the successful completion of our mandate. We also commend the generous support, in the form of financial and material contributions, extended to the United Nations Fund for Namibia by many Member States. The Secretary-General and the United Nations Secretariat, as well as the relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, also deserve our deep appreciation.

The President

I now call on the Minister of Education and Culture of Namibia.

Mr. Angula (Namibia)

Before addressing the item on our agenda, I would like, on behalf of the Government, the people and the delegation of Namibia, to express heartfelt condolences to the delegation of the United States and to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) family on the loss of the former Administrator of the UNDP, Mr. Bradford Morse. I personally recall the close relations between Mr. Morse, when he was Administrator of the UNDP, and the former Commissioners for Namibia, especially the late Sean McBride. As we address the question of the United Nations Fund for Namibia, I regret to learn that Mr. Morse has left us, because when he created the Indicative Planning Figure for Namibia he was very supportive. Please accept our condolences.

When my colleague the Honourable Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, addressed the Assembly on 6 October 1994, he extended Namibia's best wishes to you, Mr. President. Namibia is indeed proud that an illustrious son of Africa is presiding over our world body at its forty-ninth session. It is therefore my honour and privilege to bring to you, and through you, to other representatives, warm greetings and salutations from the Government and the people of Namibia.

The Namibian delegation is particularly grateful to you, Mr. President, and to the General Committee for agreeing to Namibia's request to inscribe on the agenda of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session agenda item 160, "United Nations Fund for Namibia", even at this late hour.

His Excellency Mr. Peter Kasanda, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations and Chairperson of the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia, very ably introduced the final report on the Fund, on behalf of the Trust Committee. I shall therefore confine myself to highlighting some of the salient achievements of the Fund in support of the liberation and nationhood of Namibia.

When this body, on 27 October 1966, terminated South Africa's mandate to rule Namibia, it assumed a noble responsibility to lead the people of Namibia to nationhood. It was against this background that, by resolution 2248 (S-V) of 19 May 1967, the General Assembly established the United Nations Council for Namibia and the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Namibia. By resolution 2679 (XXV) of 9 December 1970, the General Assembly established the United Nations Fund for Namibia. Through resolution 3112 (XXVIII) of 12 December 1973, the Assembly appointed the United Nations Council for Namibia trustee of the Fund. As the activities of the Council for Namibia expanded and started to provide education and training to the Namibians, the Assembly launched the Nationhood Programme for Namibia by resolution 31/153 of 20 December 1976. In addition, by resolution 3296 (XXIX) of 13 December 1974, the General Assembly adopted the plan for the establishment of the United Nations Institute for Namibia at Lusaka, in Zambia. Thus, through the vigorous fund-raising activities of the Council for Namibia, three distinct Funds were established -- the General Account Fund, the Nationhood Programme Fund and the Fund for the United Nations Institute for Namibia.

The General Account Fund provided individual scholarships to Namibians, met the social and medical needs of students and trainees and supported specially targeted educational projects, such as the Namibian Secondary Technical School, which was located in Congo. The Fund also assisted Namibians to attend international meetings pertaining to Namibia. At Namibia's independence, some 255 students were still pursuing their studies in various fields and at different educational levels. Today all but one have completed their studies and returned to Namibia.

The Nationhood Programme was a comprehensive developmental programme focusing on training and research projects. By June 1989 the total value of the Programme amounted to $28,690,360. Some 42 projects, costing $12,223,065, were carried out from 1979 to 1989. Another 43 projects, valued at $16,464,295, were under way by June 1989. More than 1,700 students were trained through the Nationhood Programme and the General Account programme.

The United Nations Institute for Namibia was opened in Lusaka on 26 August 1976. Before its dissolution in September 1990 it had trained 1,456 Namibians in the fields of administration, teacher education, law, international relations and secretarial skills.

The impact of the educational and training programmes of the United Nations Fund for Namibia is very visible today. Beneficiaries of these training programmes are to be found at the policy, programme and management level of the Government of the Republic of Namibia. A number of Government Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Ambassadors, including our current Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, were also trained through these programmes.

It may be said, therefore, that the past two decades have been years of combined international efforts to prepare Namibians for their nationhood. These efforts have been critical to human-resource development for a free and democratic Namibia. Apartheid colonial policies excluded the African majority from meaningful education and decision-making responsibilities. At independence, the new Government had to start building democracy on the ashes of apartheid minority misrule. Leaders trained abroad brought back skills and experience from outside Namibia. Many of those cadres are the ones that benefited from the education and training programmes of the United Nations Fund for Namibia. The Assembly has therefore fulfilled the responsibility it assumed under resolution 2145 (XXI) of 27 October 1966, when it accepted direct responsibility for preparing the people of Namibia for their national independence and nationhood.

The Fund was able to take off and grow thanks only to the generous annual contributions of many countries, small and large, rich and poor, developing and developed. Contributions to the Fund demonstrated a collective commitment by the international community to freedom, democracy, human rights and the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, as set out in resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960.

The General Assembly itself, besides funding the activities of the Council for Namibia and the Office of the Commissioner for Namibia, subventionized part of the Fund for Namibia on an annual basis. The United Nations Development Programme established the Indicative Planning Figure for Namibia, through which funds were allocated to the Fund for Namibia. Other agencies of the United Nations system supported the activities of the Fund through such gestures as an overhead costs waiver, funding for specific activities, training and accepting Namibians for experiential attachments and training.

The United Nations Council for Namibia's Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia worked hard to campaign for support for the Fund. Under the Chairmanship of Zambia, with Venezuela as Rapporteur, the Fund Committee inspired international confidence in the Fund. It is for this reason that the Fund has received generous contributions for the past 20 years.

The Office of the Commissioner for Namibia was pivotal in the administration of the Fund's identification of the training and educational needs of Namibia and in the implementation of various projects. Through the dynamism of the former Commissioner for Namibia, the late Mr. Sean McBride, the Fund for Namibia and the United Nations Institute for Namibia gained international recognition, support and acknowledgement. The former United Nations Commissioner for Namibia, Mr. Marti Ahtisaari, who is now President of Finland, expanded the Fund's activities by implementing a programme for the comprehensive development of Namibian human resources, policy planning and research through the United Nations Nationhood Programme for Namibia. Ambassador Mishra continued along the same path. Staff members of the United Nations Council for Namibia and the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Namibia worked very hard to identify training institutions, liaise with receiving Governments and monitor the progress of students.

Many Governments and national institutions all over the world received students from Namibia and provided educational opportunities under the Fund's programmes. Special recognition should be accorded to the Republic of Zambia, which provided leadership to the United Nations Council for Namibia and to the Fund Committee. Zambia also hosted a variety of training programmes under the Fund, including the United Nations Institute for Namibia.

The Republic of Angola hosted the United Nations Vocational Training Centre for Namibia. It also provided the logistics for the recruitment of potential trainees under the Fund's projects.

The Republic of the Congo housed the Namibian Secondary Technical School, which provided general secondary education to young exiled Namibians. The Fund augmented the resources of the Centre through support to Namibian employees of the school.

The Republic of Cuba hosted two Namibian schools which housed the young people who survived the Cassinga massacre in Angola. The Fund contributed by providing instructional materials in English and other classroom equipment.

As we gather here today to close down the United Nations Fund for Namibia and to transfer the net residual assets of the Fund to the Government of the Republic of Namibia, I should like, on behalf of the Government and the people of Namibia, to thank the United Nations for its invaluable contribution to the freedom, independence and, above all, the nationhood of Namibia. The United Nations efforts to achieve the development of Namibia stand out as a shining example of international understanding, cooperation and collaboration.

As we bring to an end the special relations between the United Nations and the Republic of Namibia and the special programmes, we may be tempted to proclaim that we are closing a chapter. Indeed, we are not; we are merely turning a new page in our development efforts. Although political apartheid has been buried, the impacts of its policies on our society are still very much in evidence. For example, the massive inequities in the distribution of resources to various sectors of our community are embarrassing features of our democracy.

It is against that background that our Government is spending half of the annual national budget on social sectors, with education claiming 25 per cent of the budget, or 12 per cent of the gross domestic product. The goal is to reduce inequities in the allocation of resources between the formerly disadvantaged communities and the privileged sectors of our population, between urban and rural areas, between women and men. This is a challenging task, which requires all the support and encouragement of the international community.

Namibia's democracy is faced with challenges of unequal wealth distribution, youth unemployment, social development and economic revitalization. In this regard, the Government is about to complete the first National Development Plan, whose goal is to address the social and economic distortions of the apartheid legacy. The Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, is planning to organize a second donors conference for the reconstruction of Namibia. We plead for sympathy, support and understanding from the international community in this regard.

The Government of the Republic of Namibia is grateful to note that net residual funds and assets in excess of $4 million will be transferred to the Government of the Republic of Namibia. The Government has already taken a decision to invest those funds in safe investment portfolios from which regular modest interest will be earned and be earmarked to provide scholarships for training abroad in fields of special developmental interest to Namibia. Such money will only target fields of study which are not available in Namibia. We believe that this is the best way to thank the various countries that have contributed so generously to the United Nations Fund for Namibia over the past 20 years. An education endowment fund will be created to manage this money.

As we approach the festive season, my delegation is gratified to take back to the Namibian people your season's greetings, Mr. President.

The President

I should like to propose that the list of speakers in the debate on this agenda item be closed now.

Mr. Ayewah (Nigeria)

My delegation is delighted to extend its congratulations to the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia on the successful completion of its work. At this important moment in the political development of Namibia, all those who have worked tirelessly to ensure the realization of the mandate of the Trust Committee deserve special commendation. It is important to emphasize that, although Namibia attained its independence in 1990, the work of the Trust Committee has continued, especially during the country's initial period of fundamental socio-economic transformation. The Namibia Fund has demonstrated its capacity to render direct assistance to individual Namibians cost-effectively. It has over the years ensured the exemplary measure of creating a future through education and training for a lot of disadvantaged Namibians.

With Namibia's attainment of independence, the challenges facing its new Government were first and foremost those of addressing the enormous socio-economic imbalance resulting from decades of colonialism and apartheid. My country has remained steadfast in identifying fully with the needs and aspirations of this sister African country. It is for this reason, inter alia, that we have continued to support the noble ideals of the Namibia Fund. In the same vein, we fully support the recommendation of the Trust Committee that the available balance of funds resulting from the closure of the three Accounts of the United Nations Fund for Namibia be transferred to the Government of Namibia for use in accordance with the original purpose of the Fund. We also urge the international community to continue to render the necessary financial and economic assistance to Namibia and other developing countries so as to ensure their sustained growth and development.

As the development of human resources is an important aspect of any society and the most durable legacy any Government can bequeath to its citizenry, my delegation believes that national Governments have the responsibility to develop strategies aimed at achieving the desired goal of enhancing the living conditions of their people. Nevertheless, the support and assistance of the international community in this regard become all the more relevant. While we feel confident that the Namibian Government will continue to uphold the ideals for which the Namibia Fund was established in the first place, the international community -- and in particular the United Nations, which has been closely involved in the affairs of that country over the years -- should continue to provide valuable assistance as the country undertakes its programmes of reconstruction and progressive development.

It is not often that the United Nations meets to say "Mission accomplished", but as we adopt the present draft resolution we shall be saying just that.

Mr. Sreenivasan (India)

First of all, may I join in the tribute that has just been paid by the General Assembly to Mr. Bradford Morse of the United States, who served the United Nations well in several capacities.

The United Nations Fund for Namibia was established in 1970 to provide assistance to the people of Namibia during their struggle for independence. Today marks an important occasion, for the Fund has fulfilled its mandate in an exemplary manner.

The General Assembly decided in 1990, after Namibia's accession to independence, to continue the Fund to ensure the orderly completion of all activities it had undertaken until then. This decision stands vindicated by the success achieved by the Fund in continuing educational assistance to Namibians through its General Account, the Nationhood Programme Account and the United Nations Institute for Namibia Account. An indication of the contribution made by the Fund to the Namibian struggle for independence can be had, inter alia, from the number of Namibian students who have benefited from it since its inception. We are informed that over 5,000 Namibian students and trainees have been provided assistance from the Fund to date. An amount of approximately $60 million has been disbursed. India is proud to have contributed to this effort.

India's support for the Namibian struggle for independence, through bilateral and international channels alike, is on record. Our participation in international efforts such as the Council for Namibia and the Fund for Namibia, in addition to our bilateral assistance to the South West Africa People's Organization, was a reflection of our duty to assist the Namibian people in their just struggle for independence. It is this sense of duty which impelled us to associate ourselves with the Council for Namibia from its very inception and subsequently with the Fund for Namibia and the Trust Committee for the Fund for Namibia, which was established after the dissolution of the Council for Namibia in 1990. An eminent Indian diplomat, Ambassador B. C. Mishra, has also served as the Commissioner for Namibia.

As I indicated earlier, the mandate of the Fund for Namibia and the Trust Committee for the Fund stands fulfilled. We therefore support the dissolution of the Trust Committee. Furthermore, we are in agreement with the recommendation that the remaining assets of the Fund be transferred to the Government of Namibia for the further education of Namibians. We consider this gesture to be a symbol of the commitment of the United Nations to the continuing efforts of the Government of Namibia for the economic and social betterment of its people. The Government of Namibia deserves our continued support in these efforts, and my Government stands ready to do what it can to lend it such support.

Mr. Soomro (Pakistan)

I should like at the outset to convey my delegation's sincere condolences over the sad demise of Mr. Bradford Morse, the former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Today, as this body meets to dissolve the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia, it is indeed fitting to remember that this act is directly linked with Namibia's independence. The world community resolved to bring about the independence of Namibia through a genuine exercise of the inalienable right to self-determination of the Namibian people. We can recall with justifiable pride that the heroic struggle of the Namibian people and the consistent support of the international community culminated in the independence of Namibia in March 1990. This historic development is a shining example of the United Nations role in emancipating peoples from the shackles of colonialism.

Pakistan, along with several other freedom-loving countries, was in the forefront of championing the cause of the right to self-determination of the Namibian people. Its success in Namibia added a glorious chapter to the achievements of the United Nations.

Today we gather to dissolve the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia. We would like to pay a tribute to all those countries that have sustained these efforts with dedication, courage and financial contributions. The decision that we are going to take also demonstrates maturity in the functioning of the Organization, in that when specific tasks have been performed satisfactorily, we can also dismantle the organizational set-up aimed at addressing the situation.

This is a delicate psychological moment for the Namibian people. The dissolution of the Committee should in no way be construed as signalling the discontinuation of international assistance to them. The scars of subjugation and alien administration take decades to heal. This is a time when the Namibian people need reassurance in the form of continued assistance from the international community.

Pakistan itself is a developing country, undergoing the painful process of transition from underdevelopment to development. However, throughout Pakistan's short history we have never forgotten the requirements of our brothers in Africa, particularly the people of Namibia. In addition to bilateral assistance programmes, the Government of Pakistan launched a five-year Technical Assistance Programme for Africa. The Programme, commonly known as the Special Technical Assistance Programme, provides cost-free training programmes for African students and professionals in the fields of administration, agriculture, aviation, banking, diplomacy, pharmacy, engineering, oceanography, broadcasting, power generation, port management and postal and railway services. Hundreds of scholarships are offered to African students to study in Pakistan institutions and universities. We are pleased to note that Namibian students and professionals have participated in these programmes. We hope that our cooperation with Namibia in this field will grow in the years to come.

In conclusion, I should once again like to congratulate the Trust Committee for the United Nations Fund for Namibia on its important accomplishments. I should also like to convey the best wishes of the Government and people of Pakistan to the brotherly people of Namibia.