General Assembly Session 53 meeting 34

The Acting President

I first give the floor to the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General

I am privileged to introduce this important debate on the report on Africa that I submitted to the Security Council last April and now present to the General Assembly. I am also very pleased to witness the seriousness with which the Assembly is treating the questions posed in the report, for it reflects the Assembly's recognition of Africa's needs and Africa's challenges.

Members know that the real value of the report will be measured by the tangible, lasting difference that it makes in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable of Africa's peoples. That is our challenge and that is our mission.

The report aims to contribute to Africa's progress in two distinct, but related, ways: first, by paying the peoples of Africa the tribute of truth, by honestly and candidly reporting to the world their challenges and their aspirations; secondly, by proposing realistic and achievable recommendations for how those challenges may be met. In the report, I further emphasized that any and all efforts at securing peace had to be combined with steps towards ending Africa's poverty.

In this regard, I emphasized the need for a comprehensive response to a challenge that has many roots and many facets. Specifically, I called for the promotion of investment and economic growth, of ensuring adequate levels of international aid, of reducing debt burdens and opening international markets to Africa's products. These are the aims on which we all can agree; we can also all agree that they are far from being met.

While the burden of responsibility for Africa's fate lies in Africa's hands, Africa's development partners can also do more and do better to assist Africa in its struggle for lasting prosperity. I am pleased to say that there are indications that all sides have recognized the urgency of our common challenge.

Last month, I convened an informal meeting of Ministers of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) countries to highlight five priority areas in meeting Africa's economic challenges. Those are: first, the need to increase the volume and improve the quality of official development assistance; secondly, to consider converting all remaining official bilateral debt owed by the poorest African countries into grants; thirdly, to liberalize access to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt (HIPC) Initiative; fourthly, to ease access conditions for African exports; and fifthly, to encourage investments in Africa, which has largely been marginalized in the process of globalization.

I am pleased to say that all the Governments represented reaffirmed their support for the recommendations in the report, and, in particular, for the five priority areas I indicated. Indeed, some Governments have already acted on their pledges of support and are taking concrete steps. At the same time, they stressed the need, on the part of African States, to create the enabling environments for investments and economic growth.

There must be reciprocity. No one can be expected to invest in unstable and insecure neighbourhoods. This goes for domestic investors as well as international investors. It places enormous responsibilities on African leaders to end the current political crisis on the continent and to work together to bring peace through political means and accept that one cannot use military means to solve these problems.

Since the meeting with the DAC Ministers, I have had a number of opportunities to emphasize to donors and other international organizations the importance of these initiatives. Last Tuesday I met with Mr. Robert Rubin, United States Secretary of the Treasury, to discuss the current global economic situation, in particular the crisis of globalization and the United Nations response. I also urged immediate and dramatic action on the debt situation facing Africa's poorest nations, particularly in these dark days of global economic crisis.

I pointed out that none of these countries had played any part in this crisis, but they are all suffering from its fallout, not least due to the fall in commodity prices. I again stressed the need to ease access to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative and urged that its requirements be made more flexible to allow genuine relief.

As many representatives know, numerous initiatives in the political and economic fields are under way as part of the follow-up to the report. Most immediately, I will be convening a discussion on debt relief by the Panel of High-level Personalities on African Development next week and expect to hear new and innovative ideas for how we may be more effective in our efforts to end Africa's debt problem.

I am confident that the decision of the General Assembly to consider my report will add renewed momentum to its implementation and inspire all who labour in Africa's service to do more and do better.

Allow me to conclude by noting the added urgency of our challenge in a time when the global economy is facing serious threats and when millions the world over have been thrown back into a life of poverty after years of struggle and success. This crisis is now a threat not only to Africa's prospects for growth, but also to Africa's attempts to secure free and democratic societies.

We must succeed, for we cannot afford to fail.

Mr. Kafando (Burkina Faso)

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